"Our demands are very simple," Bardock stated, holding up three fingers. "First, the complete inheritance of the Hasshoken martial arts, from the absolute basics all the way to the Secret Techniques. Second, a friend of mine wishes to borrow your shadow for a period of time. Third... we'll decide on the third condition after we heal your arms and legs."
The shadow, naturally, was to fulfill his bargain with Gecko Moria. As for the Hasshoken, Bardock had briefly analyzed the technique during their fight and realized it was incredibly complex.
Unlike the Rokushiki, which relied purely on superhuman physical conditioning and muscle control that could be reverse-engineered with enough practice, the Hasshoken heavily involved the intricate manipulation and flow of Armament Haki. Trying to steal a technique like that just by getting hit by it was not only inefficient, but extremely dangerous; improperly forcing Haki to flow through the body could cause severe internal injuries. It was far safer and more efficient to extort the authentic training manual straight from the source.
"Your 'friend'... don't tell me it's Gecko Moria," Chinjao's expression darkened significantly. "I've heard the rumors. Once he steals your shadow, you can never step into the sunlight again. The sun will instantly incinerate you into ash."
Truthfully, Bardock's demands were incredibly harsh. The Hasshoken was the Happo Navy's ultimate, closely guarded secret. Under normal circumstances, they would absolutely never teach it to an outsider. And losing his shadow meant inheriting a massive, lethal weakness. Not to mention the looming threat of an undecided third demand.
"Yes, it's Gecko Moria. He possesses the Shadow-Shadow Fruit and can utilize the strength of stolen shadows," Bardock confirmed, seeing no reason to hide it. "He needs the shadow of a true powerhouse, and yours fits the bill perfectly."
"Does Moria intend to enslave my shadow forever? If there is no set time limit, I'd rather die right here in the Kano Country," Chinjao declared firmly.
Despite having his precious drill restored, Chinjao was a legendary pirate who did not fear death. He had his absolute bottom lines, and permanent enslavement was one he would never compromise on.
"We can negotiate the exact timeframe when he arrives. I honestly don't know how long he needs it for," Bardock replied reasonably.
He knew perfectly well that Moria desperately craved powerful shadows and would undoubtedly want to keep Chinjao's shadow until the old man died of old age. However, Bardock didn't want to completely alienate or permanently cripple a major faction like the Happo Navy, which was why he had explicitly phrased it as 'borrowing for a period of time'.
"And when exactly are you going to heal my arms and legs? If broken bones are left untreated for too long, they set incorrectly and leave permanent damage," Chinjao grumbled, shifting uncomfortably on the floorboards. Being completely paralyzed was agonizing, but more importantly... he really needed to use the bathroom.
"Don't worry, you won't suffer any permanent side effects. We possess a miracle drug that bypasses normal healing times," Bardock assured him. "As for when we'll heal you... that will happen after Moria arrives and secures your shadow. If I heal you right now, I'm fully confident you'll immediately try to fight us again, and I don't want to break your limbs a second time."
Bardock wasn't stupid. There was absolutely no way he was going to restore a legendary powerhouse to full health while they were still effectively enemies. Hell, he probably wouldn't even heal Chinjao immediately after Moria arrived; he hadn't built enough trust with the Warlord yet to handle a two-on-one scenario.
"Very well. Then I will only teach you the Hasshoken after my limbs are fully healed," Chinjao countered, refusing to simply roll over. "Can you at least untie my grandsons now?"
You don't heal me, I don't teach you. It was a fair stalemate.
"I'll have them untied shortly," Bardock agreed, turning to leave. "But I must warn you, Leader Chinjao. If you thrash around and severely worsen your fractures, even our miracle drug might struggle to fix them perfectly. See you later."
Bardock wasn't in any rush. His primary focus right now was breaking through his bottleneck in swordsmanship at the Jewel Ice Sheet. He could learn the Hasshoken later.
Soon after, Leo canceled his Devil Fruit ability, and the stitches binding Sai and Boo vanished, restoring their freedom.
"Grandpa! Should we grab you and make a run for it?!" Boo whispered urgently.
"No. We can't escape. He's definitely monitoring us with Observation Haki," Chinjao sighed heavily. "Stop talking and help me up. I desperately need to use the toilet. And fetch me a mirror! I need to see my drill! I haven't seen it in twenty years! Uuuugh..."
Overwhelmed by a mix of humiliation, relief, and sheer joy at the return of his drill, Chinjao suddenly burst into tears again. Sai and Boo hurriedly rushed to console their weeping grandfather.
Out on the frozen tundra, Bardock and Daz Bonez had fully immersed themselves in their training, relentlessly attacking the Jewel Ice Sheet.
Swinging a sword at the unnatural glacier normally produced absolutely zero effect. To even leave a scratch, every single strike had to be infused with Haki and the absolute will to cut steel. For a novice Master Swordsman like Daz Bonez, utilizing that level of concentration and technique for every swing was incredibly draining. After an hour of training, he had to retreat to eat and rest. By the time he returned to the ice, the deep trenches he had meticulously carved had completely healed over, forcing him to start from scratch.
Bardock fared much better. His Mythical Zoan physique granted him absurd stamina and recovery rates, and his Seimei Kikan allowed him to instantly process calories. He could maintain his onslaught for hours on end.
Theoretically, if Bardock wanted to, he could just unleash a continuous barrage of high-power slashes and eventually tunnel his way down to the treasure before the ice could regenerate. But the treasure wasn't his goal. His goal was to slice the entire glacier open with a single, flawless strike.
His current training milestone was to completely tunnel through the ice sheet within a single stamina cycle, without needing to rest. Once he achieved that, he would systematically work on reducing the number of total slashes required to reach the bottom, condensing the power until he only needed one.
Immersed in their grueling training, time flew by. In the blink of an eye, an entire week had passed.
"Bardock. Moria is calling."
Suddenly, a phantom mouth sprouted directly on Bardock's shoulder, speaking in Robin's voice. Robin's mastery over her Flower-Flower Fruit was becoming increasingly versatile. She even mentioned that she had briefly triggered Observation Haki a few days ago, though she hadn't been able to replicate it since. Bardock was certain she would formally awaken it very soon.
Taking the receiver of the Den Den Mushi, Bardock spoke clearly. "Moria. You're incredibly punctual. You said one week, and it's exactly one week. Where are you? Are you coming here, or do I need to go to you?"
"Kishishishishi! Punctuality is a good habit, Bardock," Moria's laughter echoed from the snail. "I'm currently sailing in the waters east of the Kano Country. Give me your exact coordinates, and I'll come to you."
Moria was playing it safe, deliberately hiding his exact location while demanding Bardock's.
"Alright. I'm currently on the northernmost glacier of the Kano Country. Just sail toward the highest snow-capped peak. Once you get close enough, you'll definitely spot us," Bardock replied, not minding the caution.
"Understood. That won't be hard to find."
After hanging up, Bardock paused his training and began a massive eating session. Because their training consumed such an absurd amount of calories, Bardock's crew had completely wiped out their own food reserves days ago. They were currently surviving entirely on Don Chinjao's supplies.
He'd need to head into the city to buy a massive haul of groceries soon anyway. It would be a nice break; endlessly hacking at a regenerating block of ice was getting incredibly monotonous, even if his combat strength was visibly rising.
Later that evening, long after the sun had set, Gecko Moria finally arrived. It was highly likely the Warlord had deliberately waited for the cover of darkness to make his move.
After a brief, tense exchange of pleasantries, Bardock led Moria into the cabin to meet Don Chinjao.
Chinjao was sitting up in bed. His broken limbs hadn't been magically healed, but Sai and Boo had diligently set the bones and wrapped them in plaster casts and bandages.
"So you're Gecko Moria," Chinjao spoke first, his tone heavy and authoritative, immediately establishing his status as a veteran of the previous era. "Even as a retired old man, I've heard rumors of your infamy."
"And the name Don Chinjao the Drill echoes like thunder," Moria replied, his grin wide and predatory. He wasn't intimidated in the slightest. "Why, I practically grew up listening to the legends of your prime." Translation: You're old news, and I'm in my prime.
"Let's skip the posturing and get straight to business," Bardock interrupted, wanting to get this over with. "Moria wants Leader Chinjao's shadow. Leader Chinjao wants Moria to agree to a strict, non-negotiable time limit, after which the shadow must be returned."
"Oh? A time limit?" Moria chuckled, leaning against the doorframe. "Does a legendary pirate like Senior Chinjao actually trust the promises of another pirate?"
"Of course I don't," Chinjao scoffed, his eyes narrowing. "But that's precisely why we have a neutral traveling adventurer acting as the guarantor, isn't it?"
Chinjao had no other options. He had lost the fight, and his life was currently entirely in their hands.
Bardock smiled cheerfully, holding both hands up in a 'hands off' gesture. "I'm just the middleman. You two negotiate the terms."