Testing and Plans

After eating, they discussed testing the results of their year of grueling training.

They strolled over to Black Ironstone Mountain, where Yingyue said, "You go first. I'll go last. I want to see how much stronger I've gotten this year, too."

Hearing Yingyue's words, everyone tacitly avoided mentioning their agreement a year ago to choose a new captain. After all, they had fought Kakarot frequently over the past year.

At first, as long as he didn't use Armament Haki, Lilith and Simba could still hold their own against him.

But as his physique grew stronger and his fighting skills improved, they could no longer beat Kakarot.

"Just test your physical strength this time. You should be able to work out your own combat strength by now.

"Besides, we won't be doing any more tests after this. You're all pretty close to the limit of what Black Ironstone Mountain can measure.

"It can only measure strength below 1,500 Doriki at most," Yingyue said.

Everyone nodded in understanding.

Kakarot tested first. His raw physical strength measured 1,000 Doriki.

At my limit, I should have around 1,200 Doriki, roughly the strength of a Marine Commodore.

But if I use Armament Haki at full power to reinforce my body and attack, my attack power should exceed 2,000 Doriki, reaching the strength of a Marine Rear Admiral.

That was Kakarot's assessment.

Lilith went next, and her Doriki was also as high as 800. Although she had excellent physical gifts, her age still limited her, and her physique had almost reached the limits of her current physical development.

Still, judging by her combat capabilities, she could just barely reach Rear Admiral-level combat strength.

Ailik developed quickly. Though only eleven, he was already 2.3 meters tall, with a full 1,400 Doriki of strength.

His attack power was relatively weak, however, leaving his overall strength around the peak of the Commodore level, a little short of a Rear Admiral.

Simba had 750 Doriki. Although he trained diligently, his talent fell somewhat short of Lilith's, but he could still reach peak Commodore-level combat strength.

Vian had 500 Doriki, but her swordsmanship was strong. Once she broke through to become a master swordswoman, her strength would at least reach the peak of the Commodore level. At present, she might be a little stronger than an ordinary Commodore.

Emily had 450 Doriki, but her role was that of a "sniper." Her awakened Observation Haki and the advantage of being able to fly meant she could at least tie down a Rear Admiral-level opponent in battle.

Once they finished testing, they waited for Yingyue's turn. They also wanted to know why their big sister Yingyue, six years older than them, had become a full-fledged member of the guard at sixteen.

Yingyue punched the rock, instantly sending fragments flying everywhere. She laughed and said:

"My strength has reached 2,300 Doriki now, 1,000 more than a year ago! Hahaha! Maybe I can even take on the captain now!"

Yingyue hadn't expected a year of hard training to increase her strength so much either.

Although she was at an age when her strength was growing rapidly, she would not have improved so much without that year of training to her limits.

When Yingyue revealed her astonishing strength, Kakarot and the others instantly widened their eyes, shock written all over their faces.

But alongside their shock, an eager flame rose in their hearts, as though boundless strength were surging within them.

They clenched their fists, determination in their eyes, firmly believing that their own efforts would one day let them surpass Yingyue.

Kakarot's heart grew particularly heavy. His expression solemn, he thought:

With Yingyue's current strength, in a few more years, combined with the strength the Mink Tribe already has, having several powerful Vice Admiral-level fighters shouldn't be difficult.

But for some reason, all this potential strength vanished without a trace in the original story.

I'll have to pay closer attention to everything from now on. I can't let anything happen to Lilith and the others!

Watching the others laughing carefree before him, Kakarot's gaze was gentle yet utterly resolute.

Kakarot interrupted their play. "Yingyue, our physiques have pretty much reached their limits now.

"We can only keep strengthening our bodies after they've had a few more years to develop. We should start learning Haki now to make ourselves stronger."

Hearing this, everyone's eyes instantly blazed, and they clamored eagerly to learn Haki.

Their excited expressions made it seem as though Haki had already become the key to their path toward strength.

Seeing this, Yingyue smiled and nodded. "Then we'll focus on learning Haki for the next while!

"But since your physiques have all met the requirements, you'll also need to learn how to control your Sulong forms."

At this, Kakarot's heart jolted, and his thoughts raced like lightning. He immediately remembered that he could transform into a Great Ape on the night of a full moon, when his physical strength would increase dozens of times over, his power surging.

If he could freely control that power, it would undoubtedly give him a powerful foundation for facing the many unknown dangers ahead.

Everyone harbored an endless desire to grow stronger. At the thought of learning Haki and becoming more powerful, they were all excited, cheering in unison as they enthusiastically agreed.

Kakarot had long realized that the Mink Tribe's current combat methods were rather limited. If that continued, they might struggle to handle complex, ever-changing situations.

He pondered to himself, When I watched the Pirate King anime in my previous life, I specifically looked into the training methods for the Six Powers. I can tell them and have them learn together.

After all, this won't just improve their physical combat abilities and expand their fighting techniques. I can learn through it too, strengthening my own combat methods.

But how should I explain where the Six Powers came from? Forget it. I'll just say I happened to learn about them out in the world. They won't suspect me anyway.

He said earnestly, "Yingyue, everyone, listen to me first.

"I'm sure you all know I came from overseas. During my travels out there, I happened to learn the training methods for the Marines' Six Powers.

"Before, I thought our physiques weren't up to the requirements yet, and trying to learn them rashly might do more harm than good, so I never mentioned them.

"But things are different now. We can absolutely try learning them. Once we do, we'll have more ways to deal with our enemies."

Yingyue's eyes lit up, and she said excitedly, "That's wonderful! I've heard about the Marines' Six Powers for a long time.

"Some of their ingenious techniques are just what we need to make up for our shortcomings in combat. This really is an unexpected bonus!"

Soru

Principle: By stamping the ground at extremely high frequency within a very short period, the user generated a powerful reaction force, gaining astonishing movement speed and appearing to vanish instantly and reappear elsewhere in an opponent's eyes.

Geppo

Principle: By continuously stepping on the air, the user produced a supporting effect similar to "steps," allowing brief movement through the air or even flight.

Iron Body

Principle: By instantly tightening every muscle, the user made their body extremely hard, like steel, to withstand an opponent's attacks.

Kami-e

Principle: By relaxing their body, the user made their movements as light and flexible as paper, keenly sensing the direction and force of an opponent's attacks and moving with them to deftly evade or deflect them.

Rankyaku

Principle: By kicking at high speed, the user created intense friction and compression in the air around their leg, forming an air blade with tremendous cutting power to attack an opponent.

Finger Pistol

Principle: The user concentrated their entire body's strength into the tip of their index finger, thrusting it at an opponent with extreme speed and powerful impact, striking with the force of a bullet.

"Wow, that's so powerful! I want to learn it! I have to learn it!" Lilith's eyes shone, her face flushed with excitement.

Kakarot smiled, his gentle gaze passing over everyone as he said slowly, "Each of you can learn the skills that suit you, but everyone must master Soru and Geppo."

After a brief pause, his gaze settled on Emily, and he added, "But Emily's situation is different. She can already fly, so Geppo isn't essential for her.

"And Kami-e is essentially a weaker manifestation of Observation Haki. Since Emily has already successfully awakened Observation Haki, she doesn't need to spend any more effort learning Kami-e."

Yingyue brushed the dust off herself and said seriously, "But we need to rest for a few days.

"Before we knew it, we've been training without a break for over a year. Our bodies and minds have been wound too tight. It's time to relax properly."

An irrepressible flash of delight instantly crossed everyone's eyes, and the thoughts of training that had filled their heads drifted away like wisps of smoke.

After all, they were only children in their teens, full of energy and a natural love of play.

They understood that balancing work and rest would take them further, so they all nodded in agreement.

Then everyone packed up their things and prepared to head home separately, agreeing to go to the bustling streets together tomorrow and play to their hearts' content.