"Got it!"
The pirates on the ship across from them had clearly spotted the White Dove. Seeing no obvious flag flying from it, they immediately sailed over, full of swagger.
Some pirates even leaned over the rail to get a better look at them.
When the pirates aboard saw that Roy and the others were just a bunch of young kids, they waved their weapons and let out strange cries.
"Open fire! Sink them!" the pirate wearing a captain's hat shouted.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Roy flicked a finger, and all the incoming cannonballs fell into the sea and exploded, sending up great sprays of water.
"Pirates!" Tesoro shouted. He pushed off, using Geppo to kick against the air and charge straight at the pirate captain.
Stella's hands transformed into a pair of pure white wings. She spread them and flew straight into the air.
Seeing that Tesoro and Stella had already attacked, Savi paced anxiously around the ship.
"What do I do? What do I do? I haven't learned Geppo yet!"
"Idiot, did you forget your Fruit ability? Or do you want me to throw you over there?"
"Oh, right!"
At Bullet's words, Savi's eyes lit up. He grinned and concentrated. The next moment, his body rapidly swelled, blackish-gray fur spreading over him, and in the blink of an eye, a five-meter-tall giant ape appeared on the deck once more.
"Roar-!"
Transformed, Savi roared at the pirate ship and thrust hard with both legs, making the White Dove tilt slightly.
"Bang!"
His enormous body sprang high into the air, tracing an arc before crashing onto the pirate ship's deck.
Wood splinters flew as Savi smashed a large crater into the deck. The pirates around him staggered, and Savi shook his massive head and looked around excitedly.
"Haha! Bullet, you've taught your little Savi pretty well, haven't you?"
"Idiot!" Seeing Roy grinning at him, Bullet blushed slightly and cursed under his breath.
On the ship, Savi swung a huge fist at the nearest pirate, who hurriedly raised his sword to block. With a bang, the pirate and his sword were smashed through the rail and into the sea.
"A monster! It's a monster!" a pirate screamed in terror.
Meanwhile, Tesoro had used Geppo to reach the air above the pirates and set his sights on the captain.
"Shigan!"
He swooped down, thrusting a finger straight at the pirate's chest.
"Clang!"
The pirate captain clearly had some strength of his own. He raised his long blade across his chest to block Tesoro's attack, then followed through with a kick straight at Tesoro's head. His blade was coated in basic Armament Haki as he shouted angrily.
"Don't get too cocky, brat!"
"Tch!"
Tesoro pulled back, putting distance between them. He unleashed the Six Powers' Rankyaku, sending a two-meter-long blade of air flying, then closed in again. Using Soru's speed, he moved rapidly across the deck, dodging attacks while continually countering with Shigan and Rankyaku.
With the Six Powers and a year of grueling training, he actually managed to trade blows with the pirate captain.
Stella circled above the deck, watching the pirate underlings below. She flapped her wings.
"Feather Arrow: Scattershot!"
Countless white feathers shot at the pirates on deck like sharp arrows. The precise attack pierced the hands, feet, and throats of many pirates and destroyed the cannons aboard, taking care of most of the fodder.
Savi saw that the swords falling on him couldn't even break his skin, so he charged wildly around the ship.
He used almost no technique, merely throwing punches and kicks, but the pirates fled in panic.
"Hahaha! Tesoro, see how strong I am?" Savi punched a pirate flying and looked proudly at Tesoro, who was locked in a fierce fight with the captain.
"Idiot, shut up!"
Focused on his opponent, Tesoro knocked aside the incoming blade and glanced at the smug Savi.
There was hardly any suspense to the fight. With Stella's aerial support, the fodder were quickly cleared out.
After a drawn-out struggle, Tesoro finally found an opening. A Shigan broke through the pirate captain's defense and pierced his throat, and several successive Rankyaku finished him off.
Savi crushed every pirate who dared approach him. In the end, still not satisfied, he wrapped his arms around the mainmast and, before the pirates' despairing eyes, snapped it with an angry roar.
"Boom!"
Savi picked up the mast and swept it sideways, knocking the remaining pirates into the sea.
The battle over, Tesoro panted as he looked at the pirate captain lying on the deck, a satisfied smile on his face. Savi and Stella both returned to human form, clearly delighted to have won their first battle.
Only then did Roy and Bullet make their way at a leisurely pace onto the battered pirate ship.
"Good work, everyone!"
"But Tesoro, although you're already proficient in the Six Powers, you can't neglect your Haki training. Spar with Bullet more often from now on; it'll help you a lot. Stella's support was spot-on. As for Savi... well..."
At the end, Roy gave Bullet a look and left him to draw his own conclusions. A row of black lines appeared on Bullet's forehead when he saw it, and he turned an angry gaze on Savi, making the still-excited Savi break out in a cold sweat.
Seeing them all nod seriously, Roy smiled.
"Overall, I'm happy with how much you've grown over the past year. Now it's time to search for treasure."
"Oh!"
Tesoro was the most eager, charging straight into the captain's cabin. After searching the ship for treasure, they ignored the pirates who were still wailing and returned to the White Dove.
Back on the White Dove, Roy wasn't disappointed that they had found only some Beli and gold. After all, Devil Fruits were still very rare throughout the world of pirates. Only Tesoro was excitedly putting the treasure into the ship's treasure room.
After this real battle, Tesoro and the others had gained a great deal of confidence and had a clear direction for the next stage of their training.
Several days later, the Log Pose finally reached its destination.
A peculiar island appeared on the distant horizon, shaped like a giant man-eating flower spread flat across the sea.
"Boss, is that the island where you lived for three years?"
It was Tesoro's first time seeing such a strange island, and he asked Roy curiously.
Roy stood at the bow, looking at the familiar island before him with a faint smile.
"That's right. This is the island where I lived, Baron of the Stomach, Stomach Baron. It's a living island, and there's also a 'companion' of ours on it!"
"Oh?" Bullet and the others looked curious. It was their first time hearing of a living island.
"Let's go pick up our companion."