Uchiha Hikari was serious when she said she'd teach.
Sure, she wanted to outshine Esdeath, but not by hoarding knowledge. That'd just show a lack of confidence in herself.
If Esdeath could learn ninjutsu and "ki" and still outdo her, then that'd just mean Hikari's limits were already reached. In that case, she might as well set Esdeath free sooner rather than later.
"Alright, the fight's over. Time to help with disaster relief."
Hikari stretched lazily, speaking with a casual air.
Later that evening, she brought Esdeath to the coast. Hikari used Earth Style: Mud Wall to reinforce the breached seawall, while Esdeath conjured a massive ice wall—tens of meters high—with her Demon's Extract to bolster it further. They spent most of the night rebuilding over a hundred miles of coastal defenses. Along the way, they also rescued two villages swallowed by floodwaters.
After all that hustle, Esdeath's curiosity about ninjutsu was piqued.
"So, it's not just flames—you can even control the earth's bedrock…"
"Ninjutsu's pretty cool, right?" Hikari said with a playful smirk.
"…"
Their antics naturally caught the navy's attention.
But when Hikari flashed her dual commissions from the Little Emperor and the Revolutionary Army, the navy officers exchanged awkward glances and didn't dare press further. Hikari then handed over two chests of gold and silver, instructing Will to find a suitable spot for her "Dangerous Species Materials Research Institute."
"One chest is for construction funds. In a few days, my subordinate Dr. Stylish will show up to give you the details—just follow his lead. The other chest? Distribute it to the people below."
"Distribute… to who?" Will asked.
"Whoever's poor, obviously."
The money was "borrowed" from East Sea County's wealthy elite just days ago, so passing it back to the common folk didn't sting one bit.
Besides, compared to the fortune she'd gotten from Minister Honest and the capital's nobles—enough to rival a century of imperial taxes—these two chests were pocket change.
With that done, Hikari activated Shangri-La, teleporting herself and Esdeath back to the capital.
…
Back in the capital, Bulma, guided by one of Hikari's shadow clones, had toured the "Supreme Throne" mecha hidden beneath the palace alongside Dr. Stylish and Dorthea.
Bulma was super intrigued by the giant mecha and had spent the last couple of days grilling Stylish and Dorthea about alchemy.
On top of that, Bulma had asked Brand to scrounge up a few privately stashed Orichalcum pieces from the capital's nobles. She planned to take them back to the Dragon Ball world for analysis, hoping to reverse-engineer their forging process. A material capable of crafting "All-Cleaving" and the "Supreme Throne" was top-tier—perfect for building spaceships or warships.
Yup, Bulma was still dreaming of her pirate adventures. She'd even started roping Yamato and Eriri into brainstorming names for their future pirate crew.
"How about the 'Minato-Hikari Pirate Crew'?" Yamato suggested.
Kaido's daughter was clearly hyped about forming a crew. She'd wanted to sail with Ace years ago, but the explosive shackles had kept her grounded. Now that the shackles were gone, her mind was buzzing with possibilities.
"…How about 'Hikari & Everyone's Pirate Crew'?" Eriri scribbled on her notebook.
Hikari chimed in, "Why don't you ask the group chat for ideas? Minato-sensei probably has some unique insights."
"Huh?" Bulma's eyes lit up. "Good point! Minato-sensei's ninjutsu names are always so cool."
"…"
Seriously? Hikari thought, imagining something like "Spiral Flash Super Wheel Dance Roar Pirate Crew." She wasn't sure how to feel about that.
Just then, Bulma noticed Esdeath, who was standing nearby with her arms crossed, eyes closed, and radiating a calm intensity.
"Hey…" Bulma said, "Is that the Esdeath you mentioned, Hikari? She's got this super cool, heroic vibe."
"And her chest is pretty big," Eriri added, holding up her notebook.
"…"
Looks like Eriri's habit of sizing up people's chests wasn't going away.
Hikari sighed and nodded. "Yup, that's her. She's technically my subordinate now, thanks to a deal we made after her defeat. Anyway, let's get to business—Bulma, check out these photos."
Hikari handed over the memory card, and Bulma plugged it into her laptop with practiced ease.
"Whoa! That's one badass dragon! Wait… is that a dragon? It doesn't look quite like one," Bulma exclaimed.
Gulp—
Yamato, towering at 2.63 meters and peeking over their heads, swallowed hard, her expression turning nervous. "I thought I saw my dad for a second…"
"Huh?" Bulma looked puzzled.
Hikari coughed and explained, "Yamato's dad, Kaido, has the Azure Dragon Fruit. When he activates it, he turns into a massive dragon. But forget the dragon—don't you guys see the person in the photo?"
"Person?" Bulma blinked. "Where?"
With Hikari's guidance, Bulma zoomed in on the photo—over a dozen times—before finally spotting a tiny black dot atop the East Sea Cloud Dragon's head: Hikari.
"Uh…" Bulma stammered. "This dragon's size is kinda ridiculous, isn't it? Its head alone must be a few hundred meters tall!"
"About three hundred, yeah," Hikari confirmed.
"And its body…?"
"Over five kilometers, probably. I couldn't measure it exactly."
Hikari gave a rough estimate before getting to the point. "Bulma, I need you to make a mini-ring that can shrink it to under a hundred meters. Ten meters would be even better."
"Shrink it to a thousandth of its size? That's tough, but I can give it a shot," Bulma said.
She was already working on something similar. The warships she wanted to take to the One Piece world were massive, too big for standard Universal Capsules.
Plus, Bulma had another wild idea.
"Hey, Hikari, what if we turned Kikyo's 'Hourai Island' into a pirate ship? The 'Cauldron of Resonance' on that island could work as an engine, and it can deploy a huge protective barrier. It'd be way better than a regular warship…"
"?"
…
Hikari didn't interfere with Bulma's wild imagination. After dispelling her shadow clone, she turned her attention to Yamato.
"Yamato, can you show me your 'Haki'?"
"Of course!"
Though Minato ranked higher in Yamato's heart, Hikari was among her most respected people. She eagerly agreed, found an open space, and demonstrated her Haki.
In One Piece, Haki is an innate power with three types: Observation, Armament, and Conqueror's.
Observation Haki lets you sense auras to predict an opponent's moves.
Armament Haki coats your body or weapons in an invisible "armor," boosting defense and attack power. In Wano, it's called "Ryuo."
Since it's hard to show off alone, Hikari sparred lightly with Yamato, using her Sharingan to observe closely.
"…I think I'm starting to get it," Hikari said, closing her eyes briefly.
She focused, trying to channel Armament Haki. "Something like… this?"
A faint gray layer appeared in her palm, gradually enveloping her hand.
"?!" Yamato's eyes widened. "No way… It took me months to learn Ryuo, and you got it this fast?!"
"It's these eyes," Hikari said, pointing to her Sharingan with a smile. "In my world, they're called Sharingan. They can copy abilities just by watching. But my 'Ryuo' isn't quite like your world's Haki yet—it's more like chakra and ki mimicking it. It's not pure. I'll keep practicing and ask for your guidance."
"You're too polite, Hikari! It's an honor to help you. I'm the one who should be thanking you!" Yamato said, scratching her head with a bright, innocent grin.
Haki was a must-learn for adventuring in the One Piece world. It's the only surefire way to hit Logia-type Devil Fruit users.
Chakra and ki might work, but since they're from different worlds, it's a gamble. Better to play it safe with Haki.
As for Conqueror's Haki… that's not something you can teach.
It's awakened, not learned, and only one in millions has it. Even Yamato unlocked it unconsciously and had no idea how to teach it. Still, at Hikari's request, she showed it off.
In that moment, a powerful wave of pressure erupted from Yamato, radiating in all directions.
Not just Hikari, Bulma, and Eriri—even Esdeath, standing nearby, felt it. She raised an eyebrow in surprise and glanced over.
"…This isn't just raw presence. There's something else to it," Hikari noted, analyzing it mentally.
It was obvious. If Conqueror's Haki was just intimidation, techniques like "Conqueror's Infusion" wouldn't exist. Scaring enemies was just a side effect.
Hikari was pretty curious about Conqueror's Infusion, but since she didn't know how to awaken Conqueror's Haki, she shelved the idea for now. Maybe in the One Piece world, she'd figure it out.
Perhaps… a good whack from Teacher Kai would do the trick?
Meanwhile, Yamato's gaze landed on Esdeath.
More precisely, she noticed Esdeath staring at her, and their eyes met, sparking a faint tension.
"…Hikari, can I challenge her?" Yamato asked, leaning down.
Hikari raised an eyebrow and glanced at Esdeath, catching the unmasked battle lust in her blue-haired rival's eyes.
"I'll ask her," Hikari said.
But honestly, there was no need to ask.
Sure enough, Esdeath stepped forward, standing in front of Yamato.
Esdeath was taller than Hikari, about 1.7 meters, but next to Yamato's 2.63-meter frame, she looked like a kid. Still, her aura was overwhelming, her gaze carrying an air of absolute dominance.
"Just one rule: no killing," Hikari said.
"Got it," they both nodded.
Esdeath raised a hand, summoning a swarm of icy blades around her. Yamato coated herself in Armament Haki and hefted her massive kanabo.
The outcome was no surprise.
Yamato was strong—probably the second-strongest in the chat group, just behind Hikari. Using only Haki, she could go toe-to-toe with Ace. In her "Great Mouth God" form, thanks to her Devil Fruit, she could even trade blows with Kaido (though he might've been holding back).
Against someone like Brand or Akame, Yamato would likely win—unless Akame landed a hit with Murasame, which was another story.
But her opponent was Esdeath.
And not just any Esdeath—this was Esdeath after battling Hikari and the East Sea Cloud Dragon, her strength pushed to new heights.
So, despite Yamato unleashing all three types of Haki and her "Thunder Bagua," plus her incredible stamina from the One Piece world, she eventually fell to Esdeath's full-powered "Ice Inferno."
"…You're strong," Yamato gritted out, frustrated. "I hate to admit it, but I'm no match for you. Your control over ice… it's probably on par with Admiral Aokiji."
"Aokiji?" Esdeath's eyes narrowed, and she immediately turned to Hikari. "Who's that? Someone from your side?"
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