Trio? No, Make That a Duo~ (Happy Lantern Festival!)

A gentle breeze brushed through the forest, and sweet rain nourished all things.

Who could have expected that they had only walked a short distance before heavy rain suddenly poured from the sky?

Wude and Hina took shelter from the rain in a coffee shop. They sat inside, ordered two cups of coffee, and got two plates of snacks.

"If possible, I'd like to go to a branch base. I don't seek fame. As long as I can do my best to protect the peace of one area, that'll be enough." Wude gazed at the hurried pedestrians outside the window as he spoke.

"Huh? Hina is surprised." Hina looked at him, her small hand wrapped around her cup as she added several lumps of sugar.

"What's wrong?" Wude turned toward her astonished gaze.

"You have such incredible talent and terrifying abilities, yet your aspirations are so ordinary." Hina looked at him in a new light.

To merely protect the peace of one area? It was an ordinary thought, but one worthy of respect.

"Why not pursue the most powerful pirates in the world? Why only want to protect one area?"

At that moment, a Marine colonel at the next table frowned at him.

He was one of the instructors from the Marine Academy and knew about this monster who had shot to fame.

But such an unambitious mindset made him unable to resist teaching the boy a lesson.

"Protecting people doesn't conflict with capturing pirates, does it?" Wude countered. This guy has quite a temper.

"Uh..." The Marine colonel scratched his bald head with his large hand, embarrassed. Tongue-tied, he suddenly had no idea what to say.

"Boy, do you want to learn Armament Haki? Fight me, and I'll teach you!" The Marine colonel simply gave up thinking and decided to win the younger generation's admiration through force.

"Senior, isn't that inappropriate..." Hina looked at him.

"Don't worry. I'll hold back!" The Marine colonel explained himself to Hina.

"Senior, how about you change the condition? For example, Rokushiki?" Wude began bargaining.

Since they had run into an officer, they might as well learn a skill ahead of time. There was no reason not to.

"Why not Armament Haki?" The Marine colonel frowned.

"Because I already know the method." Wude replied. He had already consulted the great Rayleigh about it in Sabaody.

"Then there's nothing I can do." The Marine colonel continued drinking his coffee. "I don't know Rokushiki."

"It's fine. Senior meant well and wanted to guide us through a spar." Wude waved it off. In truth, he would come into contact with Rokushiki sooner or later anyway.

"You're not bad, kid. If you ever need anything, come find me. I'm Colonel Colin."

After saying that, he stood up, opened his umbrella, and left the shop.

It was only after he had been gone for a while that Hina noticed a lecherous-looking man standing by the window.

"Yo, kid, you finally made it!" Chaton stood at the window and greeted Wude with a grin, the sea breeze lifting the brim of his hat.

"Senior, please come in." Wude hurriedly invited him.

"No need. I was just passing by. You two keep chatting." Chaton laughed and waved, then walked away with his hands in his pockets.

His favorite junior was chatting with a girl. Why should he go and disturb them?

Wait!

Wude hurriedly tried to stop Chaton. Although Chaton's love life was always "fall, fall, fall, fall..." and he had never managed to get back on his feet,

his strength was the real deal.

A future headquarters vice admiral and candidate for admiral.

He could definitely teach Wude a few moves of Rokushiki ahead of time.

"It's been so long. I've missed you terribly, Senior. Please come in for a cup of coffee and let me hear your guidance." Wude flattered Chaton until his heart floated.

Chaton nodded with a smile and walked into the shop, thinking, I'll only sit for a while...

"This is Senior Chaton," Wude introduced him. "And this is my classmate and friend, Hina."

"Hello, Senior Chaton." Hina spoke with a lollipop between her lips.

Cigarettes? Gone. There was only a lollipop now.

"Hello." Chaton replied with a smile, while not forgetting to shoot Wude a meaningful look. Your taste isn't bad.

The rain stopped, and the sky cleared.

"Senior, we're going to train at the training grounds. Why don't you come along and offer us some guidance?" Wude invited him, though his real intention lay elsewhere.

Hina remembered that he had mentioned Rokushiki before. Clever as she was, she had already seen through his intentions.

"Sure, let's go." Chaton nodded in satisfaction. He was more than happy to guide such an outstanding and sensible junior.

The three of them headed to the training grounds together.

With the great Chaton there, Wude naturally brought Hina along. The two rookies put on the appearance of well-behaved students as they sought the senior's guidance.

The concept of Observation Haki and its development methods could naturally be left to the senior to explain.

After Chaton finished speaking, Wude began asking his own questions.

"You follow him to learn Rokushiki, while I go find Smoker to help me develop Observation Haki?" Hina looked at Wude and was about to turn around to find Smoker.

"IBM can help you develop Observation Haki." Wude pointed at the "air" beside them.

"Hina can't see it." Hina shook her head. In the distance, a branch snapped from a large tree. The branch floated up strangely and came toward her. "Oh, now I can see it."

Chaton took Wude to a distant spot and taught him Rokushiki. Hina stayed where she was and trained "happily" with Kuroh.

Of the six techniques in Rokushiki, Wude most wanted to learn Paper Arts, Geppo, and Shave, followed by Tempest Kick. Finger Pistol came after that, while Iron Body, the useless little brother, ranked last.

However, only by cultivating all six techniques to the extreme could one comprehend their highest secrets, and they would also help him learn Life Return.

Therefore, he did not look down on any single technique. He intended to learn them all!

Being immortal did not mean he could grow arrogant and conceited.

"Rokushiki is a form of martial arts that surpasses the limits of the human body. It requires rigorous training to master. Of course, a few people can grasp the tricks after seeing it only once, but I suggest that you begin with strict training." Chaton spoke seriously.

He knew that Wude trained as if his life depended on it, but whether he could master something after seeing it once was by no means certain.

"Then let's begin. No matter how harsh the training Senior arranges, I'll carry it out seriously." Wude nodded with confidence.

"Good, then let's begin." Chaton looked at him with satisfaction and began arranging a series of brutally harsh training exercises.

In the distance, Hina cried out in pain as she was beaten while developing Observation Haki, while Wude began hellish training under Chaton's watchful eye.

After a day of training, Wude and Hina walked back together.

The next day.

They both received their admission notices, dormitory assignments, and other information.

After moving into their respective dormitories, they would begin formal training at the Marine Academy the next day.

Wude and Hina returned to the training grounds from the previous day. Kuroh helped Hina develop Observation Haki, while Wude followed Senior Chaton through harsh training.

As they headed back to the dormitories that evening, Smoker approached them from the front.

"Come on. Formal training starts tomorrow. Let's go get something to eat. My treat!" Smoker said enthusiastically.

Hina looked at him with exhaustion written across her face and waved him off. "Hina is exhausted. She only wants to go back and sleep."

After saying that, she covered her head and jogged all the way back to the dormitory.

Smoker looked at Wude in confusion.

"Get some rest. Save your strength for tomorrow's training." Wude waved at Smoker, then headed toward the dormitory.

"What's going on with you two?" Smoker felt that the two of them were hiding something from him.