After wrapping up the situation in the Illusia Kingdom, Bucky and his crew wasted no time in leaving.
This time, instead of heading straight to another location to recruit more crew members, they found a remote, uninhabited island not far from the Illusia Kingdom. It was the perfect place to lie low and recuperate for a while.
There were many reasons for this, but the main one was simple: what they'd done in Illusia had caused a massive stir — big enough to possibly alarm the Five Elders, and maybe even prompt the Navy to send an Admiral after them.
Bucky knew full well that he wasn't yet capable of defeating a Navy Admiral. He doubted he'd even have the chance to escape if he faced one now. After thinking it over, he decided the best move was to avoid trouble entirely. So he chose a hidden island close to Illusia. In his mind, this was a classic case of "hiding in plain sight" — the most dangerous place could also be the safest. If the Navy came after them, they would surely head to Illusia first, and once they found out Bucky's crew had already left, they'd search in other directions. No one would expect them to be hiding nearby.
Another reason for this stop was training. The crew hadn't been together long — even Kuro, the first to join, had only been aboard for about a month. Training on the ship had its limits, especially with so much work to do at sea. Taking dedicated time on land would allow them to make real progress.
Bucky also planned to use this time to improve himself. The enemies ahead could be Admirals, elite Vice Admirals, or top-tier Marines. If he didn't grow stronger now, he risked being captured before even entering the Grand Line — or worse, ending up in Impel Down under humiliating circumstances. His reputation alone would guarantee him a miserable fate.
As luck would have it, this decision also saved them from running into Sakazuki, who had rushed from Marine Headquarters to capture them. With no leads on their whereabouts, Sakazuki was left frustrated. In his fury, he scoured the West Blue, sweeping up nearly every pirate who dared set sail during that period.
Six months passed in the blink of an eye, and their training came to an end. The progress was impressive across the board.
Kuro saw the greatest gains. His physical growth was obvious — from under 1.6 meters tall, he had shot up to 1.75 meters. His once frail frame had become lean and sharp, radiating a dangerous edge. Through Bucky's structured training, his stamina, combat skills, and signature Cat Claw techniques had all improved dramatically.
His stamina increase alone allowed him to fully master Soru from the Navy's Six Powers (Rokushiki). Not only that, he had combined Soru with his claw attacks to develop his technique — Scoop — years ahead of schedule. This version was several times faster than the one he would have created later in life. Even crew members with Observation Haki struggled to track his movements, and a moment's lapse could mean serious injury. On top of that, he had learned Geppo (Moonwalk) and Rankyaku (Tempest Kick). At this stage, his future self would likely have been no match for him.
The reason his progress stood out so much was that he had started from the lowest base level, meaning the room for growth was massive. For someone like Bucky, who was already extremely strong, leaps of this size were impossible.
Daddy's (Dadi's) progress was also noteworthy. He had unlocked Observation Haki, an essential skill for a sniper at the highest level. With Haki enhancing his aim and awareness, his marksmanship had improved greatly.
Lafitte, meanwhile, had awakened Armament Haki, significantly boosting his combat potential. This gave him a way to harm Logia-type Devil Fruit users and also increased the cutting power of his sword strikes. His swordsmanship itself hadn't improved much — becoming a true swordmaster was never easy — but the Haki made him far more dangerous.
Weevil's sword skills had reached the "cutting steel" level. Before, his power came mostly from sheer brute strength. Now, combining that with refined swordsmanship and the ability to coat his entire body in Armament Haki, his overall power had risen by an entire tier.
Bucky's progress was less dramatic. His swordsmanship was already at the level of a swordmaster, making rapid improvement difficult. The duel he'd fought against another swordsman earlier had given him some new insights, which he had refined into a minor growth in his sword style.
His Haki had deepened slightly, but he was still far from mastering advanced techniques like Armament Haki coating, internal destruction (Ryuo), future sight, or hearing the "Voice of All Things."
His Devil Fruit mastery was also improving, but he had hit a bottleneck. The next step would be breaking down his body into grains rather than just segments, but reaching that stage would take time.
As for physical techniques, he was on the verge of unlocking "Life Return." He felt that with either more time or the right battle, he could achieve it — and with it, possibly realize one of his ambitions.
Hogback was given more lenient expectations. Bucky only required him to build some basic stamina and learn fundamental combat moves — just enough to defend himself and stall an enemy until help arrived. He wasn't taught any Rokushiki techniques yet, as his current body wasn't strong enough to handle them.
Over the months, Hogback's relationship with the crew improved. While he still didn't particularly like Bucky, he no longer harbored outright hatred. Spending time with Kuro had even made them something like friends. Bucky didn't push for more — as long as there was no hostility, that was enough for now.
With everyone having made clear progress and little more to gain without significant new challenges, Bucky decided it was time to set sail again. Six months had passed since the Illusia incident, and its impact had likely faded. Even if someone was still after him, it probably wouldn't be an Admiral. Admirals couldn't afford to spend half a year chasing a rookie.
At most, the pursuers might be elite Vice Admirals, and those stationed in specific regions wouldn't abandon their posts for too long. The only long-term hunters would be less prominent elites, who posed far less of a mortal threat. Against those, Bucky was confident he could at least escape if necessary.
Their next destination was set: the North Blue, where their next crew members awaited.