At first, although Daz Bonez and Zala were considered Peter's employees, their relationship never went beyond that of "boss and subordinates."
But now, with the flag in their hands and Peter's official recognition of them as his followers, things had completely changed.
From this moment on, they were truly part of the crew of a great pirate whose bounty exceeded 1.3 billion.
From now on, just mentioning their captain's name would be enough to keep anyone from provoking them.
"What a wonderful farewell gift."
Though Danis didn't show as much enthusiasm as the others, a faint smile crept onto his face without him noticing.
"With your acknowledgment, we'll be more confident as we expand our numbers, attracting the strong who wish to serve under your flag.
I promise you, the 'Sarada Company' will be completely different by the time you return. We won't let you down."
Peter didn't show a clear reaction to Danis's words, but seeing his loyalty, he decided to give him a promise as encouragement.
"Alright, I'll wait and see. If you satisfy me, I'll have a surprise as a reward for you. Work hard—until we meet again."
"Take care, Boss~!"
And amidst the farewells of his men, the "Saiyan" ship sailed smoothly into the sea.
After tidying up her room, Carina was the first to come out complaining:
"We're not short on money now, are we? So why don't we just replace this tiny ship with a bigger one?
The space is already cramped, and now we've added three more people. Even sleeping means two people have to share one bed!"
"Heh, where do you think you're living, little princess?"
Peter grabbed her face with both hands, rubbing it roughly.
"At sea, it's not just two people—you might even have five or six sharing one cabin.
And you… a freeloader who doesn't earn a single cent, daring to criticize me?"
Carina, her face trapped in his hands, couldn't escape. She pouted in protest.
"At least when you caught me, I had a few hundred thousand Berries with me!"
Peter laughed at her funny tone, then released her and patted her head lightly.
"That little money wasn't even enough to buy a few of your dresses. Not worth mentioning.
As for the ship, I'll have a solution at the next stop."
Her face flushed from his rubbing, Carina cautiously stepped back and asked suspiciously:
"The next stop? Isn't that Jaya Island—the outlaw island controlled by pirates? Are you planning to seize their ships?"
"No. I won't use the filthy ships of those scum. Who knows what disgusting things they've done on them?
Anyway, you'll see when we get there. Why ask so many questions?"
With a few words, he brushed her off, then turned his gaze across the deck.
There he saw Hina, having taken off her coat and left only in her white training outfit, and he strode toward her.
Since the others had started mastering "Ki," Hina had begun to feel she was losing her edge, igniting her desire to become stronger.
While the others were busy arranging their rooms or chatting, Hina had already started her training on deck.
She had taken off her coat and was preparing to do a thousand push-ups as a warm-up when Peter's voice reached her:
"Speaking of which, it seems we've never had a proper spar since we met.
Solo training is always lacking something… what do you say I restrain my strength and spar with you?"
Hina's eyes lit up, and she agreed without hesitation.
She still didn't understand much about using Ki, and perhaps she could find answers in direct combat with him.
"This ship isn't big enough for fighting. Let's take it to the sky."
Hina suggested. Peter tilted his head in surprise, but agreed.
In the next moment, Peter rose lightly from the deck into the air.
Though Hina swayed a little and couldn't fully keep her balance, she followed and took her place opposite him in the sky.
When the others saw the two preparing to fight, they cried out in surprise and quickly called everyone else over,
gathering with excitement to watch the "grand battle," each cheering for the side they supported.
"Hina! Show him what you've got!"
"Go Hina, don't hold back!"
"Hina…!"
"My sister Hina…!"
Peter frowned in annoyance as he glanced downward.
"Hey! Why is no one cheering for me?"
"Golden opportunity!"
While he was distracted speaking with the others, Hina seized the chance. She rushed at him with Moonwalk, unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks.
On the deck, cheers rose louder, voices echoing in support.
Though her sudden assault caught Peter off guard, the gap in power between them was vast. Even while holding back, she could hardly land a hit.
"Bam! Bam! Bam!"
Punches and kicks fell in rapid succession, her arms and legs blurring into afterimages.
With Haki, the others could clearly follow the movements, but that only shocked them more—
for Peter was blocking every strike with incredible speed.
His hands moved effortlessly, catching and redirecting her punches, shifting his body to evade her long kicks.
All the while, he chuckled as he taunted her:
"Your moves are too flashy. Against a strong opponent, all these extra motions will only expose your weaknesses."
"You're too slow! Faster! Don't think so much—let your body move on its own!"
"Put strength into it! Do you think you're playing with a child? That force isn't even enough to massage my back!"
"Damn it… I can't even touch him."
Hina bit her lip, trying to follow his advice—emptying her mind, speeding up, putting more power into her blows.
But the moment she did, she lost balance mid-air and almost fell. That left her wide open, and Peter struck her in the stomach with a heavy palm, sending her flying.
"Bwaaah~!"
Hina coughed up some stomach fluid, cursing silently:
"That bastard… is he really using the restrained strength he promised?!"
Her body spun uncontrollably, but she barely managed to lift her head, searching for Peter's position.
The moment she saw him, her whole body bristled with instinctive fear. She thrust her foot against the air to twist away just in time.
In that instant, a beam of light shot past beneath her arm, tearing open the back of her shirt, leaving a gaping hole as searing heat grazed her body.
On the deck, Kaya screamed, covering her eyes:
"Ahhh! Hina-san, watch out!"
Vivi's heart nearly stopped for a moment, relief only washing over her when she saw Hina narrowly evade. She shook her fists angrily at Peter.
"Peter, isn't that going too far?! This is just a training exercise!"
Carina, Nami, and Nojiko also showed their disapproval mixed with concern, each in their own way.
But among their voices, two different tones rose from the deck:
"Silence, all of you. You're nothing but spoiled girls from sheltered homes."
Everyone turned, and the voice belonged to Kalifa.
She pushed her glasses up, raising her head to the sky with a hint of awe.
"Didn't you hear what Mr. Peter said? He's fighting at the same level as that pink-haired Marine lieutenant. At this level, she should be able to block or dodge easily. Who's ever heard of someone getting seriously injured by his attacks at this setting?"
Alpha stepped forward as well, mocking Nami and Kaya:
"Exactly. You're far too sheltered. Crying out so much just because your partner got a small scratch, while the person in question hasn't said a word herself!"
The girls were furious at the sisters' words, clenching their fists with teeth grinding in rage.
But even Robin didn't side with them this time. She intervened coolly:
"Calm down. Let's just watch in silence—this is a lesson for all of us. Don't forget, in terms of Ki alone, we're already on the same level as Hina."
Stussy, meanwhile, ignored the arguments and watched the fight in the sky with a serious gaze.
Above, Hina had just survived Peter's "Spatial Wave." Holding her wound, her face was filled with concern.
But, as Alpha had said, she didn't blame Peter. Instead, she furrowed her brow in thought:
"So it's possible to release that kind of strange beam even at this level? I thought it required greater Ki… it seems I've underestimated this power."
During her brief contemplation, Peter didn't press the attack. Instead, he taunted her with words:
"What's wrong? Done already? I haven't even started warming up.
Believe in yourself—you can do it!"
Taking a deep breath, Hina gathered her resolve once more and launched a fiercer assault.
With punches and kicks flying, it almost seemed as though Peter was cornered, retreating under her relentless pressure.
But each time, he caught the tiniest opening in her attacks, using it to counter.
In less than a minute, bruises marked her exposed stomach and shoulders, but she refused to stop, clenching her teeth and continuing her assault without complaint.
Below, Mikita was nearly bursting with worry, wishing she could fly up to whisper a plan or trick into Hina's ear.
At one moment, after Hina dodged a direct punch, Peter leaned sideways and kicked her hard in the waist.
He clearly heard a muffled groan escape her nose, and just as he tried to pull his leg back, Hina grabbed onto it with all her strength, refusing to let go.
"Damn it… you enjoyed hitting me, didn't you?" she said hoarsely, pain in her eyes.
Peter raised an eyebrow.
"Oh~ don't tell me you think this will restrict me. Even if I let you hold one leg, I can still defeat you easily."
Hina shouted defiantly:
"Try it then! But before that… take this, you pervert!"
Peter was stunned by her angry label, about to retort, but before he could speak, she raised her other hand straight at his face.
"Don't tell me you're..."
"Pervert Killer!"
Hina screamed, unleashing a white air sphere the size of a fist from her palm directly at his face.
The explosion thundered, smoke engulfing Peter's head completely. Hina herself was blown back by the blast, but she steadied herself with Skywalk.
Excited, she raised her fist and shouted:
"Ha! Now you've seen the real Hina, bastard!"
On deck, Kaya and Vivi were utterly dumbfounded, while Nami and Nojiko lowered their heads in deep embarrassment, just moments ago, they had been scolding Peter for being too harsh, only to realize Hina was the one mercilessly cruel.
Carina muttered nervously:
"Peter… could he be dead?"
Stussy shook her head, pointing to his body still suspended in the air.
"I don't think so, but if he suffered a concussion, I wouldn't be surprised."
Robin added calmly:
"His head might have already exploded; his body just hasn't realized it yet."
Annoyed by their comments, Mikita turned into something like an angry shark, shouting:
"Stop saying such scary things! Peter's totally fine!"
Stussy chuckled, whispering to Robin:
"Look, she actually believed us… even an idiot would know we're joking."
Robin replied quietly:
"But remember… the more you refine your techniques, the more often your attacks will sometimes come out stronger than intended.
Just don't rely on it too much—even the strongest attack in the world is meaningless if it doesn't hit the target."