Chapter 152: Preparing for Secluded Training, a Coincidence with Hawkeye
[Destructo Disc]
Type: Training Manual
Price: 6,000 Points
Description: From the world of Dragon Ball, Krillin's strongest move. It compresses "ki" into a high-speed, rotating disc that is then thrown, possessing a terrifying cutting power.
Seller's Note: I've been revived by the Dragon Balls again. I've died over a dozen times. Can you guys just not revive me next time? I'm so tired…
Destructo Disc?
Shane was taken aback for a moment, then a look of surprise and delight appeared on his face.
Another good one!
He remembered that this move had incredible defense-piercing capabilities. Even opponents far stronger than the user had to be wary of it.
If he could master it…
Even if he didn't improve in any other way, the next time he faced a stat monster like Akainu or Kaido, he wouldn't have to spend half the day just to inflict a minor injury.
A must-buy!
I'll start studying it later!
…
[Veritaserum]
Type: Consumable
Price: 500 Points
Description: A common wizarding item from the world of Hogwarts. After drinking it, the user will have an intense desire to talk for the next day, and everything they say will be the truth.
Details: One bottle, can be divided into five portions for five uses.
Seller's Note: I gave it to old Dumbledore, and he said he likes me! What do I do?!
Shane thought for a moment.
An interesting little item, and not too expensive.
Only five hundred points. He could buy three with one of Jack's tusks. To him now, it was a drop in the bucket.
This kind of thing might come in handy one day.
So, without much hesitation, he added it to his cart.
…
He scrolled to the last page, but nothing else caught his interest.
Oh well, this haul was already more than enough. Putting the Veritaserum aside, just getting the Destructo Disc and completing the Flesh-Melting Furnace Art was enough to make him content.
He closed the marketplace page and went to the checkout.
His previous balance was 44,500 points.
He had bought three items this time, for a total of 10,300 points, leaving him with 34,200.
Still a decent amount, unlike the last time when he had been completely broke after his shopping spree.
…
After finishing his second-favorite activity, shopping, Shane didn't delay. He immediately grabbed the tachi that was leaning against the wall and headed for the training room to begin his favorite activity: training.
His tachi, the Masamune, had been found for him by Kuina.
Blueno had tossed it to the top of the giant fountain in Water 7. Anyone else would have probably searched the entire city and never found it.
Kuina had also been searching for a long time, but when she had passed by the great fountain, she had had a sudden flash of inspiration and looked up.
And there it was, in the pool of water.
Perhaps it was the connection between a swordswoman and a famous sword.
Shane was both amazed and grateful to Kuina. He had laughed heartily and spun the young swordswoman around in a circle.
This sword, to him, was just a decoration, at most something to confuse his enemies.
But it had been with him for so many years, and he was quite fond of it.
…
Before heading to the training room, Shane first went to the women's quarters and got Nojiko.
He had called his sister for two reasons: one, he needed her Snow-Snow Fruit ability to reinforce the training ground, and two, he needed her martial arts to train the final chapter of the "Flesh-Melting Furnace Art."
That was just how the Flesh-Melting Furnace Art worked.
To train it, you had to rely on external force. You had to eat what you were trying to strengthen.
To train "Copper Head," you had to hit the head. To train "Iron Bones," you had to break the bones…
And to train this final "Core Chapter," Shane had to first cut open his own chest, exposing his organs and blood vessels, and then have Nojiko, with all her strength, attack his internal organs…
Would it hurt?
Of course it would hurt. His internal organs were nowhere near as durable as the outside of his body.
But to completely master this manual, he had to do it. It was just a bit of self-torture. Shane was used to it.
…
He arrived in front of his private training room.
Just as he was about to push the door open, he heard a series of dull thuds from the training room next door.
He sent out a wave of his Observation Haki and sensed that it was Jack.
"Huh, up earlier than me?"
Shane was a little surprised. He had been the first one in the dining room for breakfast, and he hadn't seen the kid at all.
"You guessed wrong, Big Bro. He's not up early, he's been up all night," Nojiko said, shaking her head.
"All night?" Shane turned to her, surprised.
"That's right," Nojiko said, spreading her hands. "Ever since he got a basic grasp of Life Return a few days ago and was able to shrink himself down to about five meters, he's been like this. He only sleeps four or five hours a day, and he spends the rest of his time in the training room."
"He's that dedicated?"
Shane frowned slightly, then, after a moment's thought, he took his hand off the door and walked to the training room next door.
He pushed the door open and saw Jack's burly figure, relentlessly pounding a specially made, oversized steel punching bag.
Sweat was pouring from him like rain, and his fists were red and raw, even bleeding slightly.
But Jack seemed to be immune to the pain. He continued to pound the punching bag, his eyes full of a stubborn, unyielding determination.
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
The dull thuds echoed in the training room. The punching bag swayed under the force of the blows, its surface already covered in cracks and dents.
Phew!
After a flurry of blows, Jack braced himself on his knees, gasping for breath. He was still in his own world and hadn't even noticed Shane's arrival.
It wasn't until Shane spoke softly, "Hey, Jack."
"Boss?!"
Jack was startled and whipped his head around. When he saw Shane and Nojiko, he immediately stopped what he was doing and awkwardly wiped the sweat from his face.
"W-What are you doing here?"
"I was just passing by and heard the noise, so I came to take a look," Shane said, walking into the training room. He casually tossed over a large jug of orange soda that Nojiko had just brought from the dining room. "Take a break and have a drink. Don't get dehydrated."
"Thanks, boss!"
Jack then realized that he hadn't had a drink in a long time.
He eagerly took the jug and, intending to just take a sip, he ended up chugging the entire thing. The sweet, cool orange soda soothed his parched throat, and he felt as if he had been brought back to life.
"Gulp, gulp—"
He only stopped when the jug was empty, wiping the water from the corner of his mouth and letting out a long sigh of relief.
"You were that thirsty, and you didn't even think to get a drink? You're really into it, aren't you?" Shane said with a grin. "What's the matter? Did something happen?"
As expected of Boss Shane. He saw right through me.
Jack lowered his head in shame and mumbled, "Yeah, boss. I… I'm just too weak. I'm no help at all."
"That night in Water 7, I couldn't even take a single punch from Kaido. If you hadn't stepped in, I probably would have been in bed for days…"
"And before that, in my hometown, that Aokiji, he took me out with one move…"
The more he spoke, the more dejected he became, as if Perona's ghosts had just passed through him. "I-I'm really useless, boss."
You…
Aren't you being a little too hard on yourself?
Shane didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
You think you're weak, but look who you were up against! Kaido, Aokiji… which one of them isn't a powerhouse at the pinnacle of the world?
A young kid who has just set sail, and you're the only one who would dare to charge at those two.
Of course, though he was reckless, his loyalty was commendable.
"I can understand that you want to get stronger, but training is not something that can be done overnight. From now on, pay attention to your rest and your body. Don't be so impatient."
"And don't keep dwelling on the past. Those two old geezers are exceptions. You're still so young. Why are you comparing yourself to them? That kind of negative self-talk is the most dangerous thing."
Shane encouraged and comforted him for a while, and when Jack had a thoughtful look on his face, he smiled and patted his arm. "Believe in your own talent. Look at yourself, you've already made some progress with Life Return so quickly. That's enough to make anyone jealous. What about Haki? How's your training going?"
"No sign of Observation Haki yet," Jack said, scratching his head and honestly reporting his progress. "But I'm starting to get a feel for Armament Haki, boss. Just give me a little more time… about half a month, I think, and I should be able to get a basic grasp of it."
"See? Isn't it better to have a plan and take things one step at a time?" Shane said, giving him a thumbs-up. "From now on, if you run into any difficulties in your training, don't keep it to yourself. If you don't understand something, just come and ask me. And from now on, I'll try to spare two hours every day to personally train with you, so you can master the two types of Haki as soon as possible."
"Y-You'll personally train me? For two hours a day?!" Jack looked up, his eyes full of surprise.
"What, you don't want to?" Shane chuckled.
"No! Of course I want to!" Jack quickly waved his hand, his voice trembling with excitement. "Thank you, boss!"
"Don't thank me. I'm afraid you'll drop dead in here. Go get some breakfast, fill your stomach, and get a good night's sleep before you continue!"
"Yes, boss!"
After that little pep talk, Jack was like a new man, his dejection completely gone. He eagerly pushed open the door and stomped off toward the kitchen.
"Big Bro…"
Nojiko said, watching Jack's massive figure recede into the distance and quietly sidling up to him. "I feel like this scene is very familiar."
"Of course it's familiar," Shane said, shooting her a sidelong glance. "Back in Cocoyasi Village, every time you couldn't keep up with your training and came to me crying, didn't I comfort you just like this? I'm the best at handling little brats."
"So that's it," Nojiko said, then she quickly realized what he had said and, flushing red, she began to playfully punch him. "What little brat?! I was very sensible back then! You're teasing me again, you big jerk~!"
"I was talking about Jack," he said.
"That's more like it!" Nojiko snorted.
Although Jack was an adult, his simple and honest personality made him seem like a child in the eyes of the crew.
"Speaking of which, Big Bro," Nojiko suddenly sighed and said seriously, "Jack's anxiety and worry… it's not just him. We've all been feeling it a little."
"Oh?"
Shane looked at her.
Nojiko didn't beat around the bush and just spilled the beans.
They had been sailing the Grand Line for three months now.
In another two or three islands at most, they would be at the end of the first half of the Grand Line.
After getting their ship coated in Sabaody, the Curtain Call Adventurers would face a new challenge—
—entering the New World.
Almost all of the crew members of The Curtain Call had now mastered Haki, and they had no shortage of Logia users. Even without Shane, they could have dominated the first half of the Grand Line.
But the New World was completely different.
The level of danger there was on a completely different level than in Paradise. For one thing, almost all the pirates who were active there could use two types of Haki. And not to mention the Four Emperors, and all the other monster-level powerhouses who were lurking there…
"You're too strong. You probably can't understand how we feel, Big Bro," Nojiko said softly. "When we get to a place like that, if we face a major pirate crew, even you won't be able to take them all on by yourself. We want to be able to help, or at least not be completely crushed by the enemy officers and become a burden."
Shane didn't interrupt and listened quietly.
Only then did he reach out and ruffle Nojiko's hair, saying with a smile, "After just hearing me comfort Jack, you're saying silly things like that? When have you ever been a burden to me? If not for my two lovely little sisters, I would have never had the motivation to come this far on my own."
He looked out at the sea through the porthole and, after a moment's thought, he added, "But your worry is not without reason. The New World is much more dangerous than the first half. We need to be more prepared."
And as for preparation…
Improving their strength was the best preparation.
He needed some time to completely master the "Flesh-Melting Furnace Art" and to train the "Destructo Disc."
And the crew members who considered themselves the main fighters also wanted to get stronger.
And in that case, the limited space on the ship was a bit of a hindrance.
They would have to temporarily halt their adventure and find a remote island to go into secluded training for a while.
"I guess I really do have to thank my 'uncle ben'…"
Thinking of the battle of Enies Lobby, Shane couldn't help but grin.
If it had been the usual situation, with the Curtain Call Adventurers being a high-priority target and being hunted down, it would have been difficult to stay on one island for a long time in the first half of the Grand Line, where the World Government's control was stronger.
But now, he was considered dead by the World Government, and his bounty had even been revoked. He no longer had to worry about that.
————
In the blink of an eye, it had been almost a week since they had left Water 7.
As per Shane's instructions, The Curtain Call had not continued to follow the sea route.
Instead, they had been sailing as close to the Calm Belt as possible, away from the popular routes.
They were looking for an island that was large enough and remote enough, where no other ships would come.
He had to say, Shane's luck had always been very good.
About three days later, an island that perfectly fit their requirements appeared on the horizon.
Shane stood at the bow, his eyes narrowed, looking at the island, which was shrouded in a thick fog.
The island was not small, but it was deserted. Even from a distance, he could feel a sense of desolation and decay.
A quick scan with his Observation Haki also revealed no auras worth noting.
The Curtain Call slowly docked at the edge of the gloomy island.
A thick fog filled the air. They had only just set foot on the shore when, suddenly, an ancient, Gothic-style castle, shrouded in mist, appeared before them.
"There's not a single person in sight. What a strange place…" Nami said, rubbing her arms and muttering, "That castle looks like it hasn't been lived in for a long time. It looks like a haunted house."
SWISH!
A sharp slash suddenly came from the side, instantly carving a deep trench in the ground in front of them!
Who's there?!
The group was startled and instinctively drew their weapons.
But to their surprise, what appeared before them was not a human, but several large baboons, holding swords. They were baring their teeth and screeching, clearly hostile to outsiders.
Huh?
Seeing the somewhat familiar-looking baboons, Shane was taken aback for a moment, and then he realized something.
No way… is it that much of a coincidence?
Have I ended up at Hawkeye's home base?!
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