"Have you made up your mind?"
Dier sat cross-legged on the bed, speaking seriously:
"It's going to hurt."
Beside the bed stood Hina in a white shirt and hot pants, wringing her hands nervously.
"Haa~"
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, causing the hills on her chest to rise and fall visibly.
With her tension slightly eased, she opened her eyes with determination:
"This day was bound to come eventually. Let's do it!"
Thud!
Dier's fist connected with her abdomen.
"Tssk~"
Hina barely managed to keep her balance, clutching her reddened stomach while sucking in air sharply.
She'd mentally prepared herself, but clearly not enough.
"Should I go easier on you?"
Dier flexed his right hand, which was wrapped in dense Armament Haki.
After the Storm Petrel submerged, everyone had gone about their usual routines—eating, washing up, sleeping.
Just as Dier was lying down to rest, Hina had knocked on his door, requesting to personally experience Armament Haki.
"Trying to learn by getting beaten up is too reckless. Why not try punching practice instead? I've been suggesting it for years."
"I refuse. Your method sounds even more reckless."
Having recovered slightly, Hina straightened up to receive the next punch while muttering:
"Besides, you know how to use it, so why can't you teach it? Hina doesn't understand."
After witnessing Vergo's formidable Armament Haki, she'd developed an interest in learning Haki.
But she had no clue where to begin.
The only person aboard who'd mastered Armament Haki—Dier—didn't know how to teach it.
"Knowing and teaching are two different things."
Dier shrugged helplessly:
"I never went through the process of developing it from nothing, from zero to one. How could I teach that?"
His Haki had come entirely from his cheat ability—he'd simply "believed" hard enough and suddenly had it.
It was like farming: he'd been given a healthy seedling already planted in soil.
What Hina needed was instruction on seed selection, sowing, and fertilization.
Dier was powerless to help with that.
"Anyway, let's continue. Can you still take it, Hina?"
"No problem!"
Hina nodded firmly. Though she wouldn't say it aloud, she carried a protective instinct toward her younger crewmates.
After all, apart from Leia, she was the oldest woman aboard—and Leia was a doctor who couldn't hurt a fly.
"Hit harder! Don't worry about hurting me!"
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Soon, the room echoed with the sounds of flesh striking flesh and Hina's muffled grunts of pain.
Beyond her midsection, other body parts weren't spared either.
Whether this method would prove effective remained unclear, but the pain was unavoidable.
Fortunately, the ship now had a doctor, and Dier possessed some healing abilities, so recovery wasn't a concern.
Before long, Dier finished his "exercise" looking thoroughly refreshed and in high spirits.
"Alright, that's enough for today."
"Tssk~ You really didn't hold back. Hina complains."
Hina lay curled on the floor, grimacing in pain.
Her originally fair, translucent skin now bore red marks everywhere, burning painfully.
"Weren't you the one who told me to hit harder?"
Dier bent down to help her up, casually pinching her cheek as he teased:
"This part's still white. Want me to give it a couple punches?"
Hina rolled her eyes and retorted sarcastically:
"That won't be necessary, oh merciless Lord Dier."
"Alright, alright. Apply some ointment and get some rest."
Dier had controlled his punches carefully—he hadn't actually injured her seriously.
After all, it was just training. He wasn't some unreliable grandfather who'd beat his grandson half to death with a barrage of "loving iron fists."
The pain Hina felt would heal completely with just some ointment and a couple days of rest.
Staggering weakly on unsteady limbs, Hina left Dier's room.
She was heading to the operating room to retrieve the ointment she'd asked Leia to prepare in advance.
Watching her retreating figure, Dier nodded in satisfaction. She had spirit—at least she knew to put in the effort.
On these seas, the power of will was crucial.
It didn't just affect one's strength—it even had some bearing on appearance.
The most glaring example was Moria, the zombie enthusiast.
Once, his bounty had reached a staggering 320 million berries.
But after his defeat by Kaido and the loss of his will, his strength plummeted, leaving him reliant solely on zombies and his Devil Fruit Ability.
His physique, once lean and muscular, had warped into a top-heavy, pear-shaped form.
In contrast, those who retained their will at least wouldn't suffer inexplicable drops in strength or gradual distortions in appearance.
"Alright, time to sleep."
Dier yawned. With the Storm Petrel still submerged, there wasn't much for him to do.
Under the circumstances, sleep was the best option.
Knock knock knock—
Who was it this time?
Frowning, Dier—who had just lain down—activated his telekinesis to open the door.
Madson stood at the entrance, his expression resolute.
"Dier, I want to get stronger!"
"Why the sudden change of heart?"
Dier sat up, puzzled.
For over a year, Madson had been wholly dedicated to medical research, never once bothering with training.
Dier hadn't forced any regimen on him—if he wasn't interested, so be it. After all, his primary role was as a doctor.
Adjusting his square-framed glasses, Madson replied with a hint of shame, "Because I only realized today how important strength is."
Before, he had indeed been single-mindedly focused on medicine, never sparing a thought for combat.
After all, life aboard the Storm Petrel was practically danger-free.
But today, witnessing the battlefield up close for the first time had stirred something undeniable within him.
He was too weak—so weak he couldn't even protect his family.
Being a pirate wasn't child's play, and the Storm Petrel wasn't an invincible fortress.
One day, they would face formidable enemies.
When that time came, Madson wanted to at least have the strength to defend himself and his loved ones.
"Getting stronger, huh..."
Dier crossed his legs, resting his chin on one hand, a slight headache forming.
Madson's desire to improve was a good thing—on these seas, the stronger, the better.
He and Leia had married and had Law young, becoming parents by the age of 20.
Even so, Madson was already 29 this year.
A complete novice, pushing thirty, with no special lineage or heritage, wanting to grow stronger...
"Best case, we find you a Devil Fruit. I'll have people keep an eye out."
After seeing Madson off, Dier welcomed his third visitor of the night.
What was going on today? A parade of guests?
"Let me guess—you're here to ask me to help you get stronger?"
"How did you know?"
Robin looked surprised; she hadn't even said anything yet.
She walked to the bed, effortlessly kicked off her shoes, and sat cross-legged on the mattress, her expression solemn.
"Help me think of more ways to use the Flower-Flower Fruit!"
She could handle physical training herself—this visit was mainly about developing her Devil Fruit Ability.
Hina's Cage-Cage Fruit was highly practical, Perona's Ghost-Ghost Fruit was practically unbeatable, and Baby-5's Arms Fruit had great potential for the future.
But when it came to the Flower-Flower Fruit, aside from creating extra limbs, she really couldn't think of how else to develop it.
"Fruit development, huh..."
Dier examined
Robin's two slender, pale arms.
"I do have an idea, actually."
"What?" Robin asked eagerly.
"Body modification—turning these arms of yours into laser cannons!"
"Then with a wave of your hand, you could split into hundreds of arms and unleash a laser rain."