Chapter 21 – The Cat, the Fox, and the New Training Regimen
The tachi Aike handed over was one of the many weapons he had collected from the Uchiha clan's hidden vault.
According to the records, it had once belonged to Uchiha Madara's younger brother, Izuna.
Top-tier craftsmanship and materials. More than good enough for Kuina to use in the meantime.
"Also, since the contract is already active, you're officially my crewmate now. Just call me Boss."
"Understood, Boss!"
The two chatted for a little while longer.
Then Nami, Carina, Nojiko, Kaya, Hikari, Izumi, and one very proud-looking Tom (now dressed in full swordsman garb, chest puffed out like he owned the place) all came over.
"Tom, what's with the outfit?"
At Aike's puzzled look, the girls immediately started chattering.
After listening for a minute, Aike finally understood.
While he'd been talking, Tom had apparently gone and kicked the entire dojo.
He had swept through every single apprentice and even defeated the head instructor.
"Tom's that strong?"
Kuina blinked in surprise.
She'd only been on the ship a short time and had assumed Tom was just the crew's pet.
Who knew the cat was actually a master swordsman?
That instantly piqued her interest. She immediately challenged Tom to a duel.
Five minutes later…
Kuina was completely shut down by bizarre moves like "turtle retreat," "tail suspension," and "flying swallow skewer."
She didn't land a single hit.
Instead, she spent the whole fight desperately parrying Tom's lightning-fast rapier thrusts.
The result was never in doubt.
Tom won, flawless victory.
"I… lost to a cat…"
Kuina stared at the ground, questioning her entire existence.
Aike laughed and patted her head gently.
"Don't beat yourself up. Tom's no joke. Most ten-million-berry pirates wouldn't stand a chance."
"Yeah, yeah!"
The girls all chimed in to comfort her.
"Among us, only Hikari and Izumi can reliably beat him."
"Don't take it to heart!"
Hearing that put Kuina in a much better mood.
At the same time, she grew very curious about the quiet Hikari and Izumi.
The next three days, the entire crew stayed on the island.
Partly to give the newly revived Kuina and her father more time together.
Mostly to let the girls start their Haki boot camp.
Through the contract, Aike directly imprinted the full cultivation methods for Observation and Armament Haki into the minds of Carina, Kuina, Kaya, Hikari, Izumi, and Tom.
Nojiko had only just joined and hadn't built up the necessary physical foundation yet, so she focused on body training first.
As for Nami, ever since she and Aike had officially become partners, she "trained" with him almost every night.
Her physical stats had skyrocketed past Carina and Kaya's.
And with three extra nights of "private lessons" in Shimotsuki Village, she successfully awakened both Observation and Armament Haki.
Overnight, she became the crew's first dual-Haki user and a legitimate close-combat monster.
Free from the grueling Haki drills, she spent her days lounging beside Aike, "supervising" everyone else with a smug little smile.
That smile made Carina's teeth itch.
A decision was made.
That very night, a certain figure slipped into Aike's futon before Nami could.
"…Carina?"
Aike barely got the name out before his lips were sealed.
Moments later, space twisted.
The two vanished from the bedroom and reappeared inside the Kamui dimension for a very intense "spar."
Nami arrived a few minutes late and found an empty bed.
Sniffing the familiar perfume lingering in the air, her eyes narrowed.
"Hmph! That fox finally cracked!"
Realizing tonight's lesson was canceled, Nami could only huff and go back to her room.
The private classroom was no longer her exclusive domain…
A week passed. Not long, not short.
But Aike had the most relaxing seven days of his life.
Thanks to Carina's bold declaration of war, the training group suddenly lost one member.
Like Nami, she switched to the far more pleasant "dual cultivation" method.
The two girls quickly reached a silent agreement and set up a proper rotation schedule for the captain's "nig
ht classes."
With Aike's constant, dedicated "nourishment," Nami and Carina both began glowing with health and beauty.
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