Fifteen days later, Vian and Yingyue were wielding sharp blades, slashing at Kakarot.
Thud, thud, thud. The blades struck his skin with dull sounds.
The sharp edges left only white marks on Kakarot's body, which vanished without a trace in an instant.
Amazement filled Vian's face. She stopped and said with a playful pout,
"Kakarot, you've tempered your skin to a ridiculous degree!
Even my Skillful Grade Blade is like a backscratcher against you. It can't break through your defenses at all."
Yingyue put away her blade too and nodded in agreement. "Exactly. I have to use thirty percent of my strength just to barely leave a scratch."
Kakarot burst into hearty laughter and said excitedly, "Hahaha! I really gained a lot from that last battle.
The quality of my Armament Haki improved considerably, speeding up my skin tempering as well. With the added stimulus of the pressure on the seabed, I finally finished."
Beside him, Lilith's eyes shone with admiration. "Brother, you're amazing! Does that mean you'll temper your muscles next?
If so, won't your strength start shooting up again?"
The others around them watched intently too, waiting for Kakarot's answer.
Kakarot smiled and shook his head, saying seriously, "It's too early to temper my muscles. Although I have considerable reserves of Armament Haki, its quality still isn't good enough.
If I rush into tempering my muscles, the results will be greatly diminished. I need more battles to properly hone my Armament Haki."
"That's fine. Now that we're out at sea, battles are the last thing we'll lack!" Lina said.
Just then, Iris's clear voice rang out from the crow's nest atop the mast. "Everyone! There's an island ahead. Should we take a look?"
At those words, Lilith, Vian, and Emily instantly perked up and shouted excitedly,
"Let's go!" Their voices brimmed with anticipation and excitement, as though they had discovered treasure.
Even Lina's and Yingyue's eyes flickered with interest, and they were very tempted.
The others looked expectant as well. After fifteen days at sea, the lure of dry land was simply too great.
"Full speed ahead!" Kakarot bounded onto the dragon's head at the bow, waving both hands and shouting, looking like a general commanding a vast army.
Twenty minutes later, a distinctive island came into view. An enormous, towering volcano pierced the clouds, faint wisps of smoke rising from its crater as though proclaiming its majesty.
Around the volcano stood a forest of towering, gigantic trees. Their foliage blotted out the sky, and sunlight could only spill through gaps in the leaves, forming shafts of golden light.
At the sight of the island, Nasha's face turned deathly pale. An ominous premonition rose within her, and she hurriedly turned and ran back to her room.
Soon, she rushed out carrying a book and shouted, "Stop the ship first! That island is dangerous!"
Hearing her, Slade, who was at the helm, quickly adjusted the wheel, and the sailing ship gradually slowed.
"Nasha, did you discover something?" Kakarot asked, looking puzzled.
The others gathered around curiously too, their eyes falling on the book in Nasha's hands.
Nasha spread the book open on the deck and pointed at a page, saying tensely,
"This book records a sailing route from several decades ago. It mentions a Beast Island, also known as 'Devil Island.'
Apparently, there are terrifying giant red ants there called Hellfire Demon Ants."
She paused, then continued, "And there are all kinds of powerful beasts there too-dinosaurs, great apes, and all sorts of prehistoric giants."
After speaking, she looked at Kakarot worriedly, hoping he would change his mind and turn away from the dangerous island.
"That's fantastic! How could we pass up such an interesting island?" Lilith rubbed her hands excitedly, her eyes gleaming with eagerness.
Kakarot looked excited too, as though he could already feel a fierce battle about to begin. He clenched his fists and said,
"Nasha, there's no need to worry. Don't you know how strong we are? Besides, as Mink Tribe warriors, how could we be afraid of mere wild beasts?"
Iris offered reassurance from beside them as well. "Don't worry, Nasha. We're strong. We'll be fine."
"Steer the ship toward that island. I'll protect you all!" Kakarot said firmly, his eyes revealing boundless confidence.
Looking at everyone's confidence, Nasha felt her worries ease a little and slowly nodded.
Soon, the ship docked.
Lilith and the others eagerly jumped off the ship in high spirits. As Lilith landed on both feet,
she shouted excitedly, "Ah! It's been so long since I stood on solid ground. This feels wonderful!"
Kakarot closed his eyes and slowly spread his Observation Haki like an invisible net, probing deep into the forest.
Iris and Emily, whose Observation Haki had greater range, also focused fully on sensing their surroundings.
Kakarot opened his eyes and said to Nasha and the others,
"Nasha, you're relatively weaker, so you can stay aboard. If you want to come ashore, stick to the outer edges of the forest. There shouldn't be much danger."
Iris frowned as she continued sensing and said, "I've scanned a little under half the island. There really are quite a few enormous creatures with powerful presences.
I haven't found anything we can't handle yet. There might be stronger ones deep inside the island and around the volcano."
"Let's hurry in! Let's go exploring!" Lilith eagerly tugged at Kakarot's arm, urging him on.
They slowly made their way deeper from the forest's edge. Dampness hung around them, and the smell of rotting leaves mingled with the earthy fragrance of soil in the air.
Sunlight filtered through layer upon layer of leaves, casting dappled light and shadow like a dreamlike painting.
Occasionally, a breeze passed through, rustling the leaves as though they were telling ancient stories.
They carefully threaded their way through the dense forest, with venomous snakes darting out of the undergrowth like lightning from time to time.
Venomous insects also dropped silently from branches to launch sneak attacks, but to those with Observation Haki, these were mere tricks, easily dealt with.
As they walked, enormous dinosaurs attacked them with heavy strides, and they also encountered saber-toothed tigers.
Although these ancient animals were formidable, their strength only ranged from that of Marine field officers to commodores. The group dealt with them easily and continued deeper into the forest.
Elsewhere, a Golden Blade Mantis resembling a killing machine was hunting a dinosaur over thirty meters tall.
Utterly still one moment and swift as a hare the next, the mantis flashed from its spot and slashed through the dinosaur's head, severing it in a single stroke.
Iris's expression suddenly sharpened. After closing her eyes and sensing for a moment, she said,
"I've detected some enormous beasts with powerful presences!" There was a trace of excitement in her voice.
"But we can definitely beat them. I just haven't found the creatures Nasha mentioned yet.
I don't know whether they're elsewhere on the island or simply aren't here at all," Iris added.
Just then, Yingyue abruptly turned to the east, a flash of ardor in her eyes.
"I can sense a powerful swordsman's presence. I'm going to take a look!"
Before her words had finished ringing out, she eagerly shot off like an arrow loosed from a bow.
Hearing that, Vian instantly grew excited. "Wait for me!" she shouted, hurrying after her.
The others were all curious at the sight and followed, wanting to know just where a powerful swordsman had come from on this mysterious island.
Before you continue