Chapter 7 – A Man Grows Strong Once He Becomes an Adult!
"Hold on a second! Let's get one thing straight—I'm on top!"
"Who said that? My body's way taller than yours!"
Akira scoffed coldly, then immediately activated the Divine Manifestation Technique.
In an instant, his body stretched to nearly four meters tall; his muscles and bones swelled, doubling in size.
"Now then, Yamato—tell me, who's taller now?"
---
Dawn had just broken.
Inside the medical unit, the room was an utter disaster.
The reinforced metal bed was bent out of shape.
Torn bandages and shredded sheets were scattered across the floor like snow.
Even the walls bore hundreds of fist marks—each one different in size.
Akira was already dressed.
He stood in the middle of the wreckage, calmly lighting a cigarette.
His face looked refreshed—satisfied, even.
Last night's "transaction" had been nothing short of a heaven-sent fortune.
Behind him, Yamato lay sprawled across the bed, too exhausted to even twitch a finger.
Ever since Akira had activated his Divine Manifestation Technique, the oni strength she'd always been so proud of had been utterly crushed—
in a "battle" that lasted the entire night.
Her body was once again covered in bruises—blue and purple.
Not from Kaido's beatings…
but from the price of that "deal."
Akira took a slow drag of his cigarette, exhaling lazily.
Then he opened the glowing system panel only he could see.
The results of the "battle" were beyond expectation.
[Armor of Will]
What he hadn't anticipated—
was that last night's "transaction" actually counted as a battle!
All throughout the night, the Armor of Will had been ringing nonstop!
The passive skill stacked over five hundred layers in one night!
[Permanent Physical Constitution ×5!]
Akira could feel every cell in his body rejoicing.
His blood surged like molten magma.
His bones felt as though they'd been reforged into pure steel.
A fivefold increase in physical power—
wasn't merely a boost to his endurance or durability.
It was a leap in his very essence as a being.
But that wasn't the only surprise.
[Divine Manifestation Technique]
Due to the massive leap in his physical strength, the technique had automatically broken through its limit!
[Stage Two Unlocked!]
[Effect: Temporarily increases physical size and all attributes by fourfold!]
The corner of Akira's lips curved into a faint, satisfied smile.
His height now stood at two meters.
Multiplied by four—he could reach eight meters!
That was taller than Kaido's regular human form.
He still couldn't compare to Kaido's full dragon body that stretched over a thousand meters,
but at the very least, Akira had crossed the threshold into the giant-class.
"I've made quite the profit…"
"This transaction was truly worth every second."
He flicked the cigarette, crushing its ember between his fingers.
Then he turned toward the bed—toward the woman lying motionless like a corpse.
"Hey."
"…"
Yamato let out a faint groan from her throat.
She didn't even have the strength to open her eyes.
"I… Kozuki Oden… might actually die here…"
Akira ignored what sounded suspiciously like her last words.
He lifted his wrist and glanced at the time.
"Noon, exactly twelve o'clock," he said evenly.
"At the harbor, there'll be a transport ship carrying seastone out of the island."
"That's the only ship leaving Onigashima for the next week."
At that, Yamato's heavy eyelids twitched slightly.
"It's only six in the morning now," Akira continued, his tone sharp and firm.
"You have six hours to rest."
"After that, I'll go ahead and challenge your father."
"That's your only window of opportunity."
He lowered his head, looking down at her expressionlessly.
"If you can't even manage to seize a single ship by then…"
"Don't blame me for not helping you."
"…"
Yamato didn't respond.
She just buried her face deeper into the pillow, forcing out a faint word with the last of her strength.
"…Yeah…"
Then, without wasting another moment, she forced herself to sleep—desperately using those six precious hours to recover.
She had to recover. There was no other choice.
Akira stopped looking at her.
He straightened his black training coat, then opened the door to the medical room.
Outside, the medical staff he'd thrown out last night were all huddled in the corridor's corner.
Their eyes were bloodshot, dark circles under them, faces filled with a mix of awe, fear, and barely-contained curiosity.
Even though they'd been kicked out, they had stayed all night outside the room.
And they had heard it… all night long.
Those sounds—
the booming, rhythmic impacts,
the crashing of the bed against the floor,
and the tremors in the walls—
were terrifying.
This man…
Sir Akira…
He wasn't human.
He was a monster in human form!
As soon as Akira opened the door—
Whoosh!
Every medical staff member immediately stood straight, bending ninety degrees in unison.
"Good morning, Akira-sama!!!"
Their voices trembled, filled with a mixture of reverence and sheer terror.
Akira glanced at them impassively.
He looked like a dignitary who had just completed some monumental task.
With calm, unhurried steps, he walked past them—
as though the earth-shattering "transaction" from last night was nothing more than a routine job.
He made his way through Onigashima's corridors.
Every Gifter he passed, every Beast Pirate patrolling the area—
froze in place the moment they saw him.
From afar, they pressed themselves against the wall and bowed their proud heads low.
Their eyes were full of respect—and fear.
Rumors had already spread.
The "Fourth Commander"—Kaido's handpicked son-in-law—
had, last night, completely and utterly "conquered" Yamato, the "Young Master" of Onigashima.
— — —
Akira returned to his office as the Fourth Commander.
The room was still buried under mountains of documents—
financial reports, weapon orders, food supply distributions, and SMILE factory production data—all waiting for him to process.
Kaido treated him like the perfect "housekeeper."
Akira sat down, took a pen, and began handling the endless stack of administrative papers as usual.
Reviewing reports.
Initialing.
Signing.
Stamping.
His expression remained calm and efficient, as though he were still the "Chief of Internal Affairs" trapped in Wano's bureaucratic cage.
— — —
Meanwhile, in the grand banquet hall of Onigashima—
"Wororororororo!"
Kaido's thunderous laughter echoed across the island.
It hadn't stopped since dawn broke.
Holding a massive gourd filled with wine, Kaido drank deeply and joyfully.
Just moments ago, a trembling Gifter had crawled into the throne room to report news from the medical ward.
"Akira-sama… and Young Master Yamato…"
"They… last night… the entire night…"
"This morning… Young Master Yamato still hasn't been able to get out of bed!"
BOOM!
Kaido froze mid-drink.
A storm of Conqueror's Haki burst forth without restraint!
The Gifter didn't even have time to scream.
His eyes rolled back, foam spilled from his mouth, and he collapsed instantly.
The grand hall fell silent.
Queen and the other high-ranking officers stopped drinking, staring nervously toward the throne.
"..."
For a moment, surprise flashed across Kaido's face.
Then, just as quickly, that shock turned into booming laughter.
"Wororororororo!!!"
"Good!!"
"Very good!!!"
"Excellent!!!"
Kaido stood up abruptly—his enormous frame nearly crashing into the ceiling.
"He really is the perfect son-in-law!!!"
"So you do have some guts after all!!"
"Worororororo!"
"That brat actually managed to 'tame' that stubborn girl!"
Kaido had never been this delighted.
He knew his daughter all too well.
A rebel who'd been defying him her entire life—
a walking embodiment of rebellion and trouble!
Even repeated "education" with Thunder Bagua hadn't changed her one bit.
But Akira—his newly chosen "son-in-law"—
had done it in just one night.
One night!
To completely and utterly "conquer" her.
And the best part—he did it without violence.
"This method… this power!"
Kaido raised his gourd again, taking another long, satisfied drink.
"It reminds me of the good old days—when I conquered Linlin myself!"
"Wororororororo!"
The more he thought about it, the more pleased he became.
"If Yamato ends up having a child…"
"Let's see if she'll still scream about wanting to 'sail the seas' every day!"
"Let's see if she'll still shout 'I am Kozuki Oden!' every morning!"
"Once she becomes a mother, she'll settle down!"
Kaido's grin widened as he plotted gleefully.
"Onigashima is the safest place in the world!"
"My grandchild—must be born here!"
"Worororororo!!!"
Kaido was in an unbelievably good mood.
"Oi! All of you!!"
His voice boomed like thunder across the hall.
"Double the sake supply today!!"
"We're celebrating!!"
"I'm going to be a grandfather!!!"
— — —
Time passed.
Minute by minute.
Until finally—
11:50 a.m.
The banquet hall of Onigashima.
Kaido was already half-drunk, laughing uproariously while arm-wrestling Queen.
Queen had poured all his strength into the match, but his massive arm was still being crushed with no resistance.
That was when Akira finally arrived.
He had finished all his morning paperwork, changed into a clean black training outfit, and stepped into the main hall.
"Oh!!"
The moment Kaido saw him, he released Queen's hand.
Queen immediately stumbled away, wiping cold sweat like a man escaping from hell itself.
"Akira!!"
"My brilliant son-in-law!!"
Kaido called out drunkenly, waving him over.
"Come here! Sit beside me!"
He patted the side of his massive throne—
a position even higher than the Three Calamities themselves.
From behind his mask, King's sharp eyes flickered for a brief second.
But Akira didn't move toward Kaido.
Instead, he walked to the center of the hall and gave a respectful bow.
"Boss."
Akira's voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly through the entire hall.
"Last night, I gained a small insight in martial arts."
"I've come to request your guidance."
The moment those words left his mouth, the atmosphere in the hall froze solid.
Kaido's half-drunken gaze shifted into a sharp, dangerous glare.
Slowly, he lowered his gourd.
The air grew heavy—oppressive.
Kaido tilted his head downward, his dragon eyes gleaming like molten gold as they locked onto Akira.
"Hm?"
"What did you just call me?"
"..."
"Father-in-law."
"This son-in-law humbly asks for your guidance."
"Wororororororo!!!"
The suffocating pressure vanished instantly—
replaced by Kaido's thunderous laughter that shook all of Onigashima.
"Now that's how you should talk!!!"
"That's the right attitude!!!"
Kaido stood up, gripping his enormous spiked kanabo—Hassaikai—with excitement.
In just a few heavy steps, he stood before Akira.
BOOM!
His mountain-sized palm slammed down onto Akira's shoulder with enough force to crush a small hill.
Yet Akira didn't flinch an inch.
"Hm?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Kaido's eyes.
Then, he burst into hearty laughter again.
"Good, boy!"
"Very good!"
He threw an arm around Akira's shoulder with drunken warmth, still grinning ear to ear.
"Listen carefully, kid!"
"A man—once he becomes an adult—"
"—his strength multiplies many times over!!"
"Wororororo! I was the same back in my day!"
Kaido had completely misunderstood what Akira meant by "insight."
He thought the "epiphany" referred to Akira's night of conquest with Yamato!
"Alright!"
Kaido's fighting spirit flared to life.
"Show me, my son-in-law!"
"Show your father-in-law what you've learned!"
"Worororororo!!!"
Before the echo of his laughter faded—
a colossal surge of energy exploded from his body!
Black and crimson lightning burst outward, sparking like storms made of raw willpower.
The sheer force of Conqueror's Haki shook the entire hall,
blasting out in waves that split the air itself!
Without a single word of warning, that overwhelming pressure came crashing down directly upon Akira—head-on!
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
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