Once the session was officially over, the Coliseum's remaining screens went dark and the contestants gathered their belongings. I took the time to personally say goodbye to the survivors before they left, especially Kenshiro, who carefully kept his new bracers while Nuts' Heartless remained quietly hidden within his shadow.
"Maybe we'll see each other again during another session," I told him.
Kenshiro gave a faint smile.
"As a spectator, I hope. I've already had my turn."
"I thought Kaido's men liked fighting?"
"I like fighting, but without my captain, I wouldn't have made it through."
"Train hard with him and develop your Observation Haki. That's what you were lacking the most," I said as he walked away, waving one hand at me while a paw made the same gesture from within his shadow.
I laughed softly before letting the groups leave with their respective officers. A few minutes later, Galdino, Marianne, Captain Gun, and I were back on Kyuka's beach, now almost deserted after all the commotion caused by the tournament.
I turned toward Galdino.
"You have a choice. You can return to Lamini with Marianne and continue your vacation until the next session, or stay here for a while."
Galdino looked at the wax sign, then at the various ships still visible offshore.
"I'm staying."
I raised an eyebrow slightly.
That was probably the last answer I had expected from him.
"Voluntarily?"
"Don't look so surprised!"
Marianne giggled behind him.
Galdino crossed his arms with dignity.
"This island has become the official entry point for the Coliseum. Kaido and Big Mom are going to send men here to establish a permanent presence, and I'm the one you appointed to handle registrations. I'd rather personally keep an eye on how their crews behave than come back in a month and discover they've turned the island into a battlefield."
I slowly nodded.
That was surprisingly responsible.
"All right."
Galdino immediately raised a finger.
"But I have one condition."
That sounded more like him.
"I'd like around a hundred Heartless for ordinary patrols. Nothing extravagant. Just enough to watch the beach and the paths, and stop particularly stupid pirates from vandalizing the sign or trying to cause trouble."
Marianne delicately raised a hand in front of her mouth.
"Only a hundred?"
"Marianne..."
"I thought the great manager of the Coliseum would ask for a real army."
Galdino straightened slightly.
"I don't need an army! A hundred soldiers under my command will be more than enough to maintain order!"
Marianne's smile widened at the slight grandiosity of the man she had long considered an older brother.
I thought for a few seconds.
"No."
Galdino blinked.
"No?"
"A hundred is too few."
His expression immediately changed.
I opened my shadow.
A mass of darkness began spreading across the sand behind me.
"I'm leaving you fifteen hundred."
This time, even Marianne temporarily stopped smiling.
"Fifteen hundred?!" Galdino repeated.
Figures began emerging from my shadow one after another.
The first were my Expert Soldiers. A thousand of them gradually appeared across the beach before arranging themselves into perfectly ordered formations. They were one of the evolutions I possessed in the greatest numbers and made an excellent patrol force.
I then summoned five hundred Expert Large Bodies.
The contrast between the two types of Heartless was rather amusing. While the Soldiers formed disciplined, mobile lines, the Large Bodies immediately looked like a genuine living wall thanks to their massive frames.
Galdino stared with his mouth hanging open.
"I asked for a hundred..."
"I know."
I gestured toward the Heartless.
"One thousand Expert Soldiers for patrols and five hundred Expert Large Bodies for fixed positions. You can station them around the beach, near the sign, and at important access points. Unlike the Heartless on the liberated islands, they won't attack people with bad hearts on sight, and they'll obey you as long as you don't do anything stupid," I added, narrowing my eyes.
I then placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You work for me now."
Galdino looked at me suspiciously.
"And?"
"And I refuse to let my subordinate look like some poor guy with no resources when Kaido and Big Mom's men show up with their own troops."
Silence followed.
Marianne burst out laughing.
Even Captain Gun slightly turned his head away, as though trying to hide his amusement.
Galdino adjusted his glasses.
"In that case... I suppose I can accept."
"How generous of you."
He ignored my remark and was already looking over his new force with satisfaction that was becoming increasingly difficult to hide.
Still, I took one additional precaution before leaving.
The hotel closest to the beach was only a few minutes away on foot. It was a relatively modest establishment that was already benefiting from the regular arrival of pirates drawn to the sign announcing the next tournament.
I entered with Galdino and Marianne.
The manager recognized us almost immediately.
"S-Sora?"
"Hello. I'd like to propose an arrangement."
The man went slightly pale.
"What kind of arrangement?"
I gestured toward Galdino.
"He and Marianne are going to remain on Kyuka for a while. I'd like them to be able to stay at your establishment free of charge."
The manager looked at Galdino.
Then Marianne.
Then me.
"For free?"
"In exchange, your hotel will directly benefit from their protection."
I pointed toward the window.
In the distance, several dozen Expert Soldiers were already beginning to take up positions along the beach.
"Galdino will have fifteen hundred Heartless responsible for watching over this part of the island. As long as he stays here, your hotel, your staff, and your guests will be considered under his direct protection."
The manager looked out the window again.
This time, his hesitation disappeared much more quickly.
"Two rooms?"
Galdino coughed.
"Three. Captain Gun is staying with us."
"Three rooms, meals included."
I smiled.
"Do we have a deal?"
The manager immediately extended his hand.
"Deal."
Galdino looked particularly satisfied.
"Maybe staying here isn't such a bad idea after all."
Marianne smiled.
"Missing Lamini a little less already?"
"I never said that. Lamini has a certain charm, but we hadn't properly settled in yet."
I opened a shadow portal.
Heartless Island was waiting on the other side.
After all, this little excursion had interrupted my espionage and intelligence training for long enough. As soon as the portal closed behind me on Heartless Island, I returned to my normal appearance, abandoning Sora's features and becoming myself again.
Before rejoining Dextremih, however, I decided to make a detour toward the part of the island that was still continuing to expand.
I had no trouble finding my big buddy.
The Rock Titan was still working with almost admirable patience. His immense silhouette stood out in the distance as he carried and compacted enormous quantities of stone to gradually extend the island's landmass. This entire section of Heartless Island had already become considerably larger thanks to him, even if the expansion remained mostly mineral for the time being.
"Hey there, big guy!"
The Titan immediately froze.
His massive heads turned in my direction, and his yellow eyes glowed brighter when he recognized me. Despite his gigantic size, there was something adorable about his reaction. He abandoned whatever he had been doing and started walking toward me with enough enthusiasm to make the ground tremble slightly with every step.
"Easy! Easy! I'm happy to see you too, but I'd like to keep the whole island beneath my feet."
He stopped immediately, and I flew up to land between his two heads, patting both of them as though I were petting an oversized kitten.
"So? Have you been working hard again while I was gone?"
The Titan let out a deep, satisfied rumble.
I looked behind him.
"Yeah, I saw. You're a really good boy."
His rumbling immediately became more cheerful.
I affectionately patted his stone cheeks.
"And as it happens, I brought you a present," I said as I flew back down in front of him.
"A very big present. Well... not as big as you."
My shadow expanded.
The Heartless born from Big Mom's pirate captain slowly emerged from it. Its massive body of black rock appeared before us, glowing cracks running across its surface. The Titan immediately studied the newcomer with curiosity.
"He once possessed the power of a rock Logia."
I pointed toward the new Heartless.
"Now that power is going to be much more useful in the right hands."
The Titan looked at me.
Then at the Heartless.
Then back at me.
I smiled.
"Yep. He's for you."
The rumble that followed was so enthusiastic that I had to cover my ears for a moment.
"All right! All right! I get it, you're happy!"
The Titan extended both of his enormous hands and almost delicately picked up the Heartless. It offered absolutely no resistance, and after a few moments, its body transformed into a mass of darkness that merged with the Titan.
For several seconds, nothing happened.
Then the Titan looked at his hands.
He slowly opened his fingers.
A small amount of liquid rock flowed from his palm.
He froze.
I froze too.
"Try a little more."
He extended one arm toward the sea.
An actual river of rock immediately erupted from his hand.
"Oh."
The flow increased.
And increased.
And increased.
Within seconds, what had initially looked like a simple stream transformed into a genuine mineral torrent. Rock flowed from his arms almost as naturally as water, spreading into the sea before solidifying according to his will and extending the coastline.
The Titan looked at his arm.
Then at me.
Then back at his arm.
"You like it, huh?"
Both heads nodded vigorously.
"Thought so."
I couldn't help laughing as he immediately went back to work with the enthusiasm of a child who had just received a new toy.
The difference was spectacular.
Before, he had to extract, carry, and move existing rock. Now, he could directly produce gigantic quantities of it, manipulate it, and then compact it exactly where it was needed.
Two torrents erupted simultaneously from his arms.
The sea gradually retreated before the growing mass of new rock.
"Hey! Not too fast!"
The Titan immediately slowed down.
He turned his heads toward me with an expression that, despite his entirely mineral face, somehow managed to look almost guilty.
I smiled.
"I didn't tell you to stop. I just want to avoid waking up tomorrow morning and discovering that you doubled the size of the island while I was asleep."
A small rumble.
"No."
Another rumble.
"I know you can do it. That's not the point."
He lowered his heads slightly.
I sighed before gently patting the top of his head.
"You can keep going."
He immediately straightened up.
"But slowly! And you can build yourself a rocky area to rest in too. Don't work all the time."
The Titan let out a cheerful rumble and went back to work.
I stayed by his side for a few more minutes, mainly because watching him discover his new power was far too entertaining. He experimented with the rock like a curious animal: a pillar here, a small platform there, then a mineral wave that he immediately reshaped whenever he didn't like the result.
Most importantly, unlike the power's former human user, he showed absolutely no signs of exhaustion.
Even after several minutes of continuous production, the torrents were still pouring from his arms at exactly the same rate. No labored breathing, no slowing down, and no indication whatsoever that he was approaching any kind of limit.
I shook my head in amusement.
"You know what? That Fruit really was in the wrong hands before you."
The Titan let out a small questioning rumble.
"Nothing. Keep having fun."
I gave his cheek one last affectionate pat.
"I have to get back to work too."
He looked at me with an expression that practically screamed puppy-dog eyes.
I laughed before flying back up to give him a few more affectionate pats.
"Yes, I'm going to miss you too. I'm not leaving for three months, I'm just going to the other side of the island."
That explanation seemed to satisfy him.
I started to leave before turning around one last time.
"And don't build a continent while I'm gone!"
The Titan cheerfully raised one enormous hand.
I narrowed my eyes.
"I don't know why, but that gesture doesn't reassure me at all."
His amused rumbling followed me as I continued on my way.
After that, I genuinely devoted the rest of the month to my training. My days were mainly divided between Dextremih's lessons and combat sessions with Zoro, Kuina, Koby, and Charyzax. I still occasionally ran solo dungeon sessions, but only a few times a day, mostly to gather more useful equipment rather than directly increase my own power.
The Apprentice Rings I regularly obtained there were probably what accelerated our progress the most. By now, I had enough to distribute them to everyone who was seriously training. Obviously, they didn't grant knowledge for free, but they significantly increased their wearer's learning speed, turning weeks of training into progress that would normally have taken several months.
With Dextremih, I gradually moved beyond the simple basics of espionage. Among other things, she taught me how to build a coherent cover without unnecessarily inventing dozens of details, because the more complicated a lie became, the harder it was to maintain. Sometimes we spent hours talking while she deliberately searched for contradictions in the false identities I created.
"You just said you grew up in a fishing village."
"Yes."
"What kind of nets did your family use?"
I remained silent for a few seconds.
Dextremih smiled.
"Dead."
I sighed.
"You could just say my cover was blown."
"A real enemy agent won't give you that courtesy. Start again."
She also taught me how to steer a conversation in order to obtain information without directly asking the question I actually cared about. That was probably the exercise that required the most effort from me. I was used to getting straight to the point, while Dextremih could keep someone talking for twenty minutes without them realizing they had just revealed a ship's schedule, the number of guards protecting a warehouse, and the name of their superior.
I also made enormous progress in counterintelligence. Spotting someone who was watching the same places too regularly, identifying discreet meetings, noticing unusual changes in a routine, or cross-checking multiple versions of the same information gradually became much more natural. My ability to perceive hearts remained an additional advantage, but little by little, I stopped relying on it as my first tool.
Dextremih seemed particularly pleased with that change.
"Now you observe first and use your powers to confirm afterward."
"That was the goal."
"Three weeks ago, you would have looked at everyone's heart and considered the problem solved."
I grimaced.
"Was I really that bad?"
"You were powerful. That's not the same thing as being discreet."
Hard to argue with that.
The rest of my days were much less subtle.
Zoro, Kuina, Koby, and Charyzax allowed me to go straight from espionage training to fights where the main concern was avoiding an Armament-coated blade or fist to the face. We regularly changed the groups around so that no one became too accustomed to a single opponent's fighting style.
Koby was probably the one whose progress made me the happiest.
He had already been close to awakening his Armament Haki for some time. The Apprentice Rings, Charyzax's advice, and most importantly, repeated fights against opponents far stronger than himself eventually caused something to click.
During one training session, Koby instinctively blocked a blow I had deliberately thrown with enough force to knock him backward.
His forearm turned black.
The impact rang out.
Koby slid several meters across the ground.
Then he froze.
"Jordan..."
I smiled.
"Look at your arm."
He slowly lowered his eyes.
The glossy black coating of Armament still covered part of his forearm.
"I DID IT!"
His shout was probably heard on the other side of the island.
He immediately lost his concentration and the Haki disappeared, but that didn't matter. He had taken the first step. From that moment onward, his training was no longer about trying to awaken Armament, but learning how to reproduce it at will and maintain the reinforcement for longer periods.
Kuina, of course, refused to let Koby monopolize the month's spectacular progress.
A few days later, during a fight against Charyzax, her Haki reached another level as well.
This time, it wasn't simply coating Masamune.
The Haki extended slightly beyond the blade.
Charyzax avoided the sword itself, but the invisible impact that followed still forced him backward.
Everyone froze.
Kuina looked at Masamune.
Then at Charyzax.
Then at Zoro.
Her smile immediately became unbearable.
"Oh."
Zoro frowned.
"What do you mean, 'oh'?"
Kuina calmly raised her sword.
"I think I just reached advanced Armament Haki."
Silence.
Zoro looked at Charyzax.
"Did she really just do that?"
Charyzax nodded.
"Yes."
Kuina rested Masamune on her shoulder.
"So I reached advanced Armament before you."
"By a few days."
"For now, by a few days."
"Stop smiling like that."
Her smile widened even more.
"I'm not smiling."
"YOU'RE SMILING!"
From that moment on, Zoro practically doubled his training.
I even caught Kuina deliberately provoking him several times just to push him into training harder. Their rivalry worked exactly the same way it had when they were children, except now they had swords capable of cutting through buildings and Haki that made their arguments considerably more dangerous.
Of course, Zoro being Zoro, he reached the same level only five days later.
For my part, those fights also allowed me to keep improving. Charyzax remained an excellent partner for refining my Haki, while Zoro and Kuina forced me to deal with multiple extremely fast attacks at once. Koby, being less experienced, was especially useful for training my precision, forcing me to control my strength without reducing the pressure I put him under.
Eventually, the days began to blur together.
Espionage in the morning.
Combat.
Dungeons.
Counterintelligence.
More combat.
And without me really noticing, the month finally came to an end.
That morning, I happened to be near the coastline when something in the distance caught my attention.
A sail.
I narrowed my eyes slightly.
Then a smile immediately appeared on my face.
The Vogue Merry was approaching Heartless Island.
I quickly made out a small figure dressed in red standing right at the very front of the ship.
Of course.
Luffy was standing on the figurehead, his straw hat on his head, as if remaining normally on deck was physically impossible for him.
"They're back..."
Behind me, Zoro raised his head.
Kuina sheathed Masamune.
Koby immediately stopped his training.
And I simply stood there for a few seconds, watching the Merry draw closer.
A month ago, I had temporarily left the crew because I had realized that simply accumulating more power wouldn't always be enough to protect my companions.
I smiled as Luffy started waving his arms from the bow even though the Merry was still far too distant for a normal human to make out our faces.
"JORDAAAAN!"
I heard him anyway.
Zoro sighed.
"He's still just as loud."
Kuina smiled.
"You missed it."
"No."
I raised a hand toward the ship.
The month of training was over.
It was time to reunite with my crew.
(Author's Note: Just a quick clarification here: the advanced Armament Haki I'm talking about is the emission technique, like what Kuina used. It isn't the ultimate or master-level form that allows internal destruction. The knowledge comes from Charyzax, who possesses part of Gol D. Roger's knowledge. Just putting this here as a reminder ^^)