Five years later

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" Deafening blasts erupted wildly from chunks of shattered rock like rolling thunder.

An imposing man stood a full two meters eighty tall, his dazzling golden hair gleaming in the sunlight like flowing golden flames.

His face was handsome and resolute, and a thirst for strength burned in his deep-set eyes.

Muscles bulged across his powerful body, each one seemingly holding limitless strength.

He hammered punch after punch into enormous black rocks as hard as iron, his blows falling like a violent storm.

Every punch sent the air shuddering violently, as though space itself warped slightly beneath that terrifying force.

Under his fists, the rocks shattered like fragile glass, sending fragments flying and dust billowing.

And every punch was wreathed in a mysterious, powerful intent.

That intent seemed to carry the tremendous power to cleave heaven and earth, giving the fleeting impression that even a towering mountain would crumble instantly beneath a single punch.

Five years earlier, once everyone had acquired Armament Haki, they had begun using it to temper their bodies.

However, they had struggled to make any significant progress in their physical combat training.

For the most part, they had simply relied on the strength granted by their powerful physiques.

Until one day, inspiration struck Kakarot as he pondered the problem.

He thought of those Swordmasters and Great Swordmasters. They all possessed a unique sword intent; with every movement, their intent arrived before their blades were even drawn, placing tremendous pressure on their opponents.

And the navy's Garp the Hero seemed to possess a similar miraculous power resembling fist intent, unleashing world-destroying force with nothing but his fists.

Drawing on the knowledge he had gained from martial arts novels in his previous life and combining it with his own insights into strength, Kakarot spent countless days and nights devising a method for cultivating intent.

He called this will "Martial Arts Will"!

He shared the method with Lilith, Yingyue, Vian, and the others.

From then on, everyone finally had a clear direction for improving their physical combat skills or swordsmanship.

"Brother's Mountain-Crushing Fist Intent has grown stronger again. Why is my Heaven-Splitting Claw Intent still stuck at the final step?"

Not far away, a beautiful woman standing two meters tall muttered to herself with a troubled expression.

She was tall and slender, with straight, shapely legs and graceful muscle definition.

Her figure was full yet proportionate, curving outward and inward in all the right places, beautifully contoured and brimming with feminine charm.

Her long white hair fell smoothly to her waist like a waterfall, fluttering gently in the breeze and shimmering with a soft luster,

complementing her fair, delicate skin and lending her an even more ethereal air.

On her exquisite face, her slender brows were slightly knitted, her eyes filled with frustration and confusion.

She was Lilith. Her hands were slender and strong, her fingertips glinting coldly as though they could easily tear through space-a manifestation of her cultivation of Heaven-Splitting Claw Intent.

"Don't worry so much about it, Lilith." Among the many tall figures, Vian looked petite and delicate despite standing over one meter eighty.

She had lively short white hair and eyes like brilliant stars, sparkling with a playful light. Her face was palm-sized, her skin delicate.

Her bust was understated yet full and rounded, her curves alluring beneath a fitted knit top. Her slender waist peeked into view whenever she raised her arms.

Tight jeans hugged her straight, shapely legs, which were well-proportioned and firmly defined, with delicate ankles.

She comforted her softly:

"Yingyue got stuck at the stage of comprehending intent four years ago, and she still hasn't broken through to become a Great Swordmaster!"

Hearing this, Yingyue, who had undergone a second growth spurt and reached two meters thirty, gave a "Hmph!" and haughtily turned her head away.

She wore a close-fitting black leather outfit with a fine sheen.

Her impressive bust was full and high, and beneath the leather was a slender, powerful waist, her abdomen flat with faintly visible muscles.

Leather trousers tightly hugged her long, straight legs, their muscle contours graceful, her calves firm, her ankles slender, and her backside full and lifted.

Her figure combined soft curves with strength, both sexy and striking.

Her waterfall of long black hair fluttered in the wind, and a trace of defiance showed on her exquisite face as she said, "Kakarot is a monster. How can you compare him to me?

"It's only because I'm here on Zou, without any powerful swordsmen to spar and fight with, that I haven't been able to break through.

"Vian, your swordsmanship only lets you unleash Flying Slashes, and your progress has already slowed down. Isn't everyone else facing the same problem?"

"Exactly! Exactly!" Emily, who was about as tall as Lilith, joined in the complaints.

Emily was playful and adorable. A pair of flawless white wings extended from her back, their soft feathers glowing with a holy luster and stirring a breeze as they fluttered gently.

Her short red hair flicked upward playfully like dancing flames, brimming with liveliness.

Her large eyes were clear and lively, but now filled with dissatisfaction. Her little mouth pouted so much it looked as though it could support a hanging oil bottle, showing a touch of willfulness. Her delicate little nose wrinkled now and then, adding a hint of endearing petulance to her innocence.

"I already asked Kakarot before whether we could set sail early.

"With our current strength, going out to sea wouldn't be too dangerous. It might even help us grow stronger.

"But he always says it isn't time yet. I really don't know how long we're supposed to wait."

"Stop complaining." Iris, who was as tall as Yingyue, leaned lightly against Emily and coaxed her gently.

The snow-white wings on Iris's back spread slightly, looking especially holy in the sunlight.

Her smooth, long blue hair, like the deep ocean, lay loosely over her shoulders, soft and silky.

Her face was delicate and gentle, her deep-blue eyes serene, her nose straight, and the corners of her mouth lifted in a smile.

"Kakarot must have his own plans. We should trust him."

At two meters eighty, Simba was burly as a small mountain. His face was stern, his eyes steady and resolute as he stood quietly to one side.

Meanwhile, the four-meter-tall Ailik resembled a towering iron pagoda. A powerful pressure radiated from him like a guardian god of war as he too stood quietly, silently following their discussion.

Before long, Kakarot finished his intense training and slowly walked over.

Sweat had soaked his clothes and slid down his sharply defined muscles, but his eyes shone even brighter, as though the training had given him a new insight into strength.

"Why are you all gathered here? Is something wrong?"

Kakarot asked with a smile as warm as sunlight, easing some of the frustration in their hearts at once.

"Brother, training like this barely improves our strength anymore."

Lilith rushed to Kakarot's side, clutched his arm tightly, and spoke urgently.

"Armament Haki, Observation Haki, and everything else we can train have all hit a bottleneck.

"When can we finally go out to sea, have adventures, and fight?"

"That's right!" Emily chimed in from beside her, her eyes full of anticipation.

"We're far too short on actual combat experience now. Our strength is growing much, much too slowly. Only by going out to sea and making our way through the outside world can we become stronger."

"Does tempering your bodies with Armament Haki not work anymore either?" Kakarot asked.

Lilith rolled her eyes and said, "Do you think we're all like you? With the quality and quantity of our Armament Haki, it basically doesn't do anything to temper our bodies anymore."

Listening to everyone, Kakarot sank into thought.

I have plenty of Armament Haki, so I tempered the skin all over my body directly. But now even that has slowed down because the quality isn't high enough.

Lilith and the others only temper one part of their bodies, and their Armament Haki is lacking in both quality and quantity.

Then he recalled Aunt Lina's arrangements over the past few years. She had sent most of their companions away from the Mink Tribe, scattering them among various factions.

Thanks to the Mink Tribe's formidable strength, they had all been thriving in their respective factions.

If we set sail, then whatever happens to the Mink Tribe afterward probably won't implicate us.

It's just that I've always had an inexplicable premonition that makes me want to stay on Zou.

Kakarot frowned slightly, torn inside. Forget it. Let's get ready to set sail early! At last, Kakarot made up his mind.

Kakarot collected himself, a confident smile appearing on his face as he cheered loudly, "Then let's set sail a few months early! Everyone, spend the coming days getting ready.

"I prepared a ship long ago. We can raise the sails anytime and explore the vast world outside!"

At those words, everyone burst into cheers. Lilith jumped up excitedly, while Vian and Yingyue hugged each other in delight,

and although Simba and Ailik tried hard to remain composed, excitement shone in their eyes as well.

Two years earlier, drawing on his unique understanding of Armament Haki, Kakarot had developed a way of using it similar to the "Flight Technique" in Dragon Ball.

With his immense reserves of Armament Haki and his almost absurdly powerful recovery ability, he occasionally flew away from Zou to work as a bounty hunter on the boundless sea.

Every time he went out, he concealed his identity beneath a black robe, stirring up waves across the sea time and again.

After countless adventures and battles, he had amassed a considerable fortune of several hundred million Beli.

When Lilith and the others learned about this, they were utterly shocked and deeply envious, all wanting to venture out with Kakarot.

However, Kakarot knew full well the immense danger that exposing their identities could bring, so he had refused to let even Emily and Iris, who could fly, accompany him.

Now that the day of their departure was finally coming early, everyone's hearts were filled with dreams and anticipation for the future.

They knew that endless adventures and unknown challenges awaited them, but they were unafraid, for they had unwavering conviction and one another's company.

On this sea filled with mystery and danger, they were about to embark on a legendary journey of their own.