"Rain, don't get me wrong." Mira glanced at him nervously when his expression turned strange, quickly explaining.
"We're not doing this for their bounty. It's just… the Navy is the professional agency to deal with pirates."
She puffed her cheeks slightly and added,
"And if they insist on giving us some hard-earned money, we have to accept it, right? If we refuse, wouldn't that look like we're looking down on them?"
"Mira, you… are really talented."
Rain couldn't help but sigh after hearing this.
Seriously, Mira saying something like that with such a straight face, if that's not talent, what is?
"Oh, Rain, don't praise me like that."
Her face flushed red, and she fidgeted with embarrassment.
"Ahem… Rain, let's hurry and hand them over to the Navy before they slip away. Don't let those pirates get away," Mira reminded, noticing the crew moving supplies and preparing to leave the port.
"Got it."
Rain's expression changed. Sharing a glance with Mira, the two of them charged forward together.
As it turned out, a pirate with a bounty of three million berries was laughably weak.
When Rain and Mira made their move, it was like chopping melons and slicing vegetables one after another, the pirates fell.
Only three survived, and they were forced to clean the entire ship as the price for their lives.
After that, Rain took Mira to the Navy base to deliver the prisoners and collect the bounty.
"How about it, Rain? Isn't my idea brilliant?" Mira said proudly, hands on her hips.
"Now you've got three million berries to buy weapons. That's way better than just a few hundred thousand, right?"
"Yes, yes. My Mira is the best," Rain teased, pinching her nose affectionately.
The truth, however, was a little less impressive. Mira was overthinking it.
Whether it was hundreds of thousands or three million berries, the weapons they could afford were still just ordinary blades.
Even a good, sharp sword couldn't simply be bought with money. Priceless weapons weren't exactly lying around in stores waiting to be picked up.
In the end, Rain settled for the next best thing: spending half a million berries on a finely crafted knife.
"This should be enough… at least for now."
He studied the blade in his hand, his thoughts flickering briefly before moving on.
And so, Rain and Mira set sail once more, their small single-masted boat carrying them into the vast, unpredictable seas.
On deck
"Nine thousand nine hundred… nine thousand nine hundred and one… nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine… ten thousand!"
With weighted dumbbells strapped to his body, Rain finished his training routine and wiped the sweat from his brow.
After a quick cleanup, he switched places with Mira, letting her continue her haki training while he steered the ship.
By now, it had been ten days since they'd left port.
The excitement of their first days at sea had faded. What remained was monotony, an endless stretch of blue with no ships in sight, no islands on the horizon.
The silence of the sea wasn't just boring… it was almost lonely.
Fortunately, the two of them had training to fall back on.
It wasn't adventure every day, but at least practice kept their spirits alive.
"Armament Haki."
Rain's hands, firmly gripping the rudder, suddenly turned jet black wrapped in the hard sheen of Armament Haki.
"In just ten days I can coat my hands already… At this pace, it'll take at most a year before I can cover my whole body. Then I'll push even further…"
His progress was even faster than Rain himself had imagined.
"I've awakened Armament Haki!!!"
Before he could sink further into his thoughts, Mira's excited cheer cut through the air.
She had been training on the deck, but now she practically flew over to Rain, her eyes sparkling with delight.
Too excited, in fact she hadn't even dispelled her Take Over form properly.
"Mira really is a genius."
Rain nodded with satisfaction as he looked at the black sheen covering her hand.
He had to admit it, Mira was no ordinary talent.
Her body, empowered by the demonic strength from her Take Over ability, had skyrocketed in physical power.
With such a foundation, it was only natural she could grasp Armament Haki so quickly.
"The seed of Armament is already there. From here on, it's just refining it deeper," Rain said with a trace of expectation in his eyes.
"Next, we'll train Observation Haki."
"Okay!" Mira nodded without hesitation.
She was especially eager for the power that could glimpse into the future.
And so, their training continued.
Calm Belt
After a full month of sailing, Rain and Mira finally reached the infamous Calm Belt aiming to cross directly in order to reach the South Blue.
It was the fastest route.
And as for the Sea Kings that lurked in these waters?
With Rain's Conqueror's Haki blazing, what were a few ordinary Sea Kings to him?
"Boom!"
The moment they entered, Rain slammed his blade into the sea with a powerful slash, the force propelling their small ship forward like a cannon shot.
Almost instantly, a colossal shadow surged from the depths, a Sea King breaching beside their vessel, its monstrous form towering above them.
"So this is a Sea King…" Mira's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Truly massive creatures!"
Her expression grew wild with thrill. "Let's see what kind of strength you really have!"
"Take Over — Satan Soul!"
In an instant, the petite girl transformed. Black wings unfurled, her face sharpened into a fierce demonic visage, and an aura of malevolence radiated from her.
"Darkness Overflow!"
Pure black energy erupted violently from her body, flowing like a tide as she launched herself straight at the Sea King.
The moment she collided with its massive body, the black energy condensed into claws ripping straight through thick scales and flesh.
"GROOOAAARRR!"
The Sea King's agonized bellow echoed across the sea as blood and flesh splattered into the waves, dyeing the ocean crimson.
"Hmph. That's it? I thought you were supposed to be terrifying," Mira scoffed, reverting back to her human form as she looked at the bisected corpse sinking into the sea.
"One strike was enough."
"Mira, don't underestimate them," Rain said, his tone serious now.
"The true danger of the Sea Kings isn't their strength… it's their numbers. Especially here, in their nesting grounds…"
His words trailed off.
Because from beneath the waves…
One after another…
More colossal figures began to rise.
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