Rusukaina

Titan, two years older than Hades, was a monster in his own right, especially after eating the Gluttonous Beast Fruit.

He couldn't use his Fruit Ability against Shakky either. If he did, she might not be able to beat him.

For now, Shakky could still hold her own against Titan through sheer combat experience.

His steel-hard body seemed plated in armor, and his Monstrous Strength could easily shatter the air barrier.

The air exploded with every punch he threw. He had yet to awaken Observation Haki, though he had awakened Armament Haki a year ago.

Even with Armament Haki behind her attacks, Shakky felt as though every blow struck a wall.

Her greater agility kept causing Titan trouble in return.

For all his explosive power, Titan had yet to awaken Observation Haki, and he seemed clumsy before Shakky.

Titan panted heavily. His bulky body had shrunk by a full size, and sweat coated him from head to toe, as though a layer of grease had melted off.

The fight with Shakky was grueling, but facing Nyx was downright dangerous.

Spikes formed from shadow sprang up without warning. He had to dodge constantly; a moment's delay could leave him badly wounded.

Unlike Hades, who had awakened Observation Haki from birth, awakening it was far harder than awakening Armament Haki.

Titan wasn't starting his Observation Haki training from scratch, so he didn't need to train blindfolded.

He already had a foundation, but he had never managed to awaken it. He needed one final push.

At sea, Observation Haki often awakened on the brink of death.

That was precisely what Nyx intended: to push Titan into awakening it.

With a Mythical Zoan's formidable vitality and Taotie's ravenous nature, he could recover quickly by eating, even from a fatal wound, so long as he still drew breath.

Under that pressure, Titan's beastlike instincts helped him awaken Observation Haki. It was still unreliable, though, working one moment and failing the next.

A little more practice would let him master it.

His overall fighting strength rose considerably as well.

With Shakky and his mother Nyx as sparring partners, Hades's powerful Bloodline unleashed terrifying potential.

Hades reveled in the thrill of growing stronger. He ignored the Kuja Pirates warriors' covert teasing and temptations and threw himself entirely into training.

A month later, the Kuja Pirates returned to Amazon Lily.

Before that, their ship docked on the shore of a beast-filled island and dropped off Hades, Titan, and the others.

"You'll train on this island from now on. We'll bring supplies and food at regular intervals."

After telling Hades and the others this, Shakky left them a stock of supplies, boarded the Perfume Yuda, and sailed away.

The island was called Rusukaina.

It was also the island where Luffy and Rayleigh would train together in the future.

In ancient times, a nation had existed on the island. But humanity had ultimately lost to its fearsome wilderness. Its people had either died or left.

Only the enormous, terrifying beasts remained.

Those beasts, together with the island's peculiar forty-eight seasons a year, made it an ideal training ground.

The beasts of Kronos Kingdom couldn't compare to those on this island.

These beasts had even awakened Armament Haki on their own, and its tempering had made their bodies tougher still.

Hades could hear the roars of giant beasts in the distance. Far across the sky, he saw a pteranodon spread its wings, blood dripping from its talons. Other beasts were already watching them from the shadows.

The harsh environment only excited Hades. People had to push themselves; no one grew stronger by living too comfortably.

"Come on. We'll be living on this island for the next two years. Let's conquer it first."

Hades strode forward, fists clenched. He was more than satisfied with the island.

He had already developed a structured style of Body Techniques, but it was still a little rough. On this island, he would perfect it.

High above, the pteranodon's sharp eyes locked onto him as its next meal.

It beat its wings, then dived, hurtling toward Hades and the others like a cannonball.

Hades tilted his head up and watched it. He no longer kept Observation Haki active at all times. After his mother's guidance, he had decided to break his dependence on it.

He had understood the problem all along. Using Observation Haki had simply become instinct, and keeping it active constantly had made him overlook it.

Even while training, his Observation Haki let him "see" inside his own body, almost like looking inward, so he could spot flaws and make minute adjustments.

As a result, Hades's Body Techniques were already remarkably advanced by the standards of the sea.

Hades raised both hands and bent his wrists slightly back. His fingers struck the air with the deftness of a pianist.

With astonishing control and explosive force, he focused his power into points. Streaks of "laser" shot toward the descending pteranodon at tremendous speed.

From afar, it looked as though Hades could fire lasers from his hands.

Even Nyx marveled at the technique. Her son had reached a level in Body Techniques at such a young age that she herself could not match.

In his control of power alone, Hades had already surpassed the vast majority of the Rocks Pirates.

To many pirates, after all, Body Techniques were simply powerful moves that used certain tricks to produce greater explosive force.

Hades really had grown up. During the years she had been away, he had made astonishing progress. There was far more to him than met the eye.

He hadn't even gone all out against Shakky.