Makarov's Strange Request

In the afternoon, the valley was still hot, but the number of people had dwindled. The noise and laughter from before had quietly faded away, leaving only silence.

Erza had tasks to complete in the afternoon, so she led Natsu, Gray, and the others back to the guild first.

Thus, only Hughes, Mira and her two siblings, and Laxus remained in the valley.

Meanwhile, Laxus meditated on the cliff top, occasionally drawing thunderous roars from the void. Mira was teaching Lisanna how to Take Over Magic in the valley, while Hughes was training Elfman's physique by the waterfall.

Under Hughes's guidance, Elfman gritted his teeth, tensed all his muscles, and kept throwing and retracting his punches against the overwhelming force of the cascading waterfall.

Elfman uses the Take Over Magic: Beast Soul. Beasts have powerful bodies, and to use their power, or even to fully receive it, one must have a powerful body to match them.

Only a strong physique can control the wild power of the beast within, preventing it from going berserk.

Hughes did not want to see the tragedy repeat itself four years later, so he taught with utmost seriousness.

"Elfman, throw a punch while holding your breath, channeling all your strength into your fist; retract your fist while inhaling, stabilize your lower body, and be ready to unleash a thunderous strike; pay attention to your breathing rhythm, mobilizing your body's power with each inhale and exhale."

"Okay, Hughes, I'll be careful!" Elfman growled.

Unlike Lisanna, Elfman was not mischievous; he did everything Hughes said in a strict and meticulous manner.

Seeing this, Hughes nodded. Now he could go about his business with peace of mind. He immediately stomped his foot on the ground and leaped to the bottom of the waterfall. Using the waterfall as cover, Hughes eagerly unfolded the transparent panel.

[Host: Hughes]

[Talent: Life Return]

[Devil Fruit Ability: Flame-Flame Fruit (Awakening Level 30.1%)]

[Ultimate Skills: Shave (Perfect Level), Tekkai (Perfect Level), Geppo (Perfect Level)...]

[Haki: Observation Haki (Advanced)]

"Sure enough, I wasn't mistaken, the panel has changed again!" Hughes murmured.

His gaze was fixed on [Talent: Life Return], a talent module that had previously been empty, but suddenly a strange new entry appeared.

"Life Return? A divine technique from the world of One Piece: Sit-ups?" Hughes wondered.

In the world of One Piece, Life Return is essentially an extension and refinement of the "Rokushiki" taijutsu (Six Powers power techniques). According to the panel's classification, it should fall under the Ultimate Techniques section, so why is it in the Talents section?

Unable to come up with a solution, Hughes simply focused his attention on [Talent: Life Return].

A moment later, Hughes closed the panel with a slightly odd expression.

This thing is truly like Life Return in the One Piece world; this damn system has mistaken a physical skill for a talent!

It turns out that after he raised all Six Powers to the perfect level, the system assumed that he had comprehended the Life Return.

[Talent: Life Return] is the product of his superhuman physique combined with the Life Return.

As we all know, while Life Return are powerful, they take a huge toll on the body and mind, and may even backfire.

The [Talent: Life Return] allows him to use Life Return without taking damage, as long as he has enough energy in his body.

In an instant, the thoughts of sit-ups and a second life flashed through Hughes's mind.

"Hiss~ This sounds a bit like the underworld!"

Just as Hughes was deep in thought, Mira's voice came from outside the waterfall. "Hughes, come out quickly, we have to go back!"

"Oh, so early?" Hughes asked in surprise as he poked his head out of the waterfall.

I looked up at the sky; the sun wasn't setting too far to the west, so I guessed it was only around three o'clock.

Mira explained with a smile, "Laxus and the chairman are coming over for dinner tonight to discuss some things with you. We're short on groceries, and if we get home too late, we might not be able to buy anything good!"

Hughes pointed to the top of the cliff. "Laxus isn't...?"

Before Hughes could finish speaking, Mira interrupted with a smile, "Laxus had to go back due to unforeseen circumstances. He wanted to see you before he left, but seeing that you were cultivating inside the waterfall, he didn't disturb you. He was the one who told me he was bringing the guild leader to our house for dinner tonight, and also to discuss something with you."

Hughes clicked his tongue. This grandfather and grandson had been coming to their house for meals quite often lately. He even suspected that Laxus's invitation to discuss something with him tonight was just a pretense, and that he really wanted to freeload.

Thinking of this, he suddenly Satori something and said, "Mira, remember to remind me tonight that we need to ask Laxus for money for dinner. We're not greedy; just charge them 1 million J per meal."

Mira smiled and shook her head without replying. Lisanna, standing next to her, thought Hughes's actions were somewhat undignified and rolled her eyes.

"Ah, right, right, that's not greed, that's robbery!"

In an instant, Elfman, who was still practicing his boxing, silently moved back five or six body lengths, widening the distance between himself and Lisanna... So bad and so playful, he'll be behind bars sooner or later.

Hughes gave Lisanna a warm smile.

You're finished!

Lisanna felt a chill run down her spine and hurriedly hid behind Mira in a panic. "Mira, protect me!"

Hughes leaped out of the waterfall, landed in front of Mira, and pulled Lisanna out from behind her.

"Too late! Let me tell you, you're like a cat that needs no beatings to grow up!" Hughes sneered.

"Smack!"

"Ah, Sister Mira, Elfman, please save me!"

Mira, like a devil, gave Lisanna a helpless smile. She hadn't forgotten how sarcastic Lisanna had been when she was teaching her Take Over Magic techniques, constantly teasing her about her relationship with Hughes.

"Let's go, Elfman, we'll practice again tomorrow!"

"Okay, Mira!" Elfman nodded obediently, put his fist down, and followed behind Mira. Neither of them glanced at Lisanna.

"Oh, Mira, Elfman, I'm your sister! How could you just stand by and watch me die?"

"Heh heh, Mira and Elfman won't care about you. Just obediently prepare to die, Lisanna!"

"Waaah, Hughes, I was wrong! I'll tell you a big secret about Mira, please let me go!"

Hughes:... This is quite a temptation!

"How about you add some more?"

"Then the two?" Lisanna carefully held up three fingers.

Hughes immediately released her; even a second's hesitation would be disrespectful to gossip.

As the sun set, Makarov and Laxus arrived on time. Since the two hadn't come empty-handed, Hughes decided to generously waive their dinner bill for the evening.

The dinner table was like a battlefield; Mira served food quickly, and they ate even faster. A large table full of food was emptied in no time.

Having eaten and drunk his fill, Hughes lay sprawled on the sofa and let out a loud burp, completely unconcerned about his image.

"Old man, tell me, what's so important that you and Laxus made the trip all the way here to talk about it?"

Makarov rummaged in his pocket, pulled out a mission request form, and handed it to Hughes: "Take a look. I plan to have you team up with Laxus to complete this mission."