The sea breeze caressed his cheek. The sun climbed high towards its zenith, its rays beating down, scorching the skin. But seasonally, it wasn't bothersome enough to warrant much concern.
Even on a summer island, prolonged exposure to the wind would cool the body. Jiggling the fishing rod in one hand, the man thought, "Guess it's about time to head back," stifling a yawn.
The man—Rain—clad casually in an aloha shirt, shorts, and sandals, enjoying his fishing, glanced at the bucket holding his catch.
"Three, huh… Well, guess this is about it for here."
The scent of the tide was absent around Hachinosu. This was due to a scarcity of phytoplankton, the source of the smell, which also meant little nourishment for fish. Catching three was considered a good haul. Still, Rain idly thought he wouldn't mind catching just one more, and continued to sway his rod.
As he did, he noticed a familiar face approaching. A large man strode across the rocky shore with wide steps, raising a hand with a laugh.
"Yo, Rain! Long time no see, Zehahaha!!"
"Teach? What do you want?"
"Not much, really, but that bastard Bullet was lookin' for ya! Figured it'd be a pain if he was left alone too long, so I came lookin' for ya myself."
"…Thought I heard a rough 'voice.' So it was that bastard. What about the Master? His main goal is usually fighting her, right?"
"She said she's busy, so you should play with him until she's ready."
"Haaaaah… She sure throws troublesome things my way, honestly."
The leisurely mood from fishing, which had felt so pleasant, plummeted instantly. Sighing, Rain flicked his rod and reeled in the line. Standing up, Rain let his blue hair, tied back at the nape of his neck, sway. He picked up his rod and bucket, stretched lightly, cracking his bones. His height wasn't much different from Teach's, but unlike Teach's portly belly, Rain possessed a lean, muscular physique.
"Well, can't be helped if I've been told. Feels like I can go all out for the first time in a while. Guess I'll go get ready."
"Hurry it up. That bastard, soon as he knew you weren't around, started pickin' fights with anyone he saw."
"Ragnell was here, wasn't she?"
"She left the island on other business just a little while ago, apparently."
"Busy lady, isn't she."
Shrugging, Rain hopped lightly across the rocks, heading towards the island's center. Teach followed, then turned towards the training grounds along the way.
"I'm headin' over first."
"Yeah, wait for me. I'll change quickly and head over."
Rain handed the caught fish to the cooks in the dining hall, stored his fishing gear in his room, and quickly changed into clothes suitable for movement. He picked up a spear nearly as tall as himself, stretched lightly, then left the room and headed straight for the training grounds.
…
About three or four years ago.
A group of rookies from that time had formed an alliance and attacked Hachinosu. Though their bounties were mostly just shy of 100 million Berries, a sufficient number of them could still pose a troublesome threat. They had chosen a time when the prominent executives—Feiyun, Junshi, and Zen—were absent, excluding Kanata herself. However, they faced complete annihilation before the Valkyrie and Einherjar of that era.
The top of the Valkyrie was Komurasaki. Second was Ragnell.
The top of the Einherjar was Rain. Second was Yuisheeze.
Against an enemy force numbering nearly 500, the Valkyrie and Einherjar combined numbered less than 100, as they were in the middle of training. They still won because the top four were incredibly strong.
—Though, against Wang Zhi, who had instigated the rookies and planned the attack on Hachinosu, even the four of them together could only manage to repel him.
…
The training grounds were packed with people, as usual. Those seeking Kanata's teachings, striving to grow stronger through them. Those who had eaten Devil Fruits, seeking guidance from users of similar abilities to deepen their understanding. Those purely clashing with their skills and Haki, hoping to find a catalyst for greater strength. Those belonging to the Valkyrie and Einherjar had already been sifted through; the weak were eliminated at the consideration stage. Those remaining were, without exception, masses of ambition aiming ever higher.
And they, these ambitious individuals, were being sent flying like mere splinters of wood.
"Kahahaha!! What's wrong, you lot!! Come at me with more spirit!!!"
The "Demon Heir," Douglas Bullet. A former crewmate of the Pirate King, alongside Red-Haired Shanks. A man who traversed the seas alone, crushing every pirate he encountered—a disaster in human form.
"Whoa, whoa, quite the show they're putting on."
By the time Rain reached the training grounds, the scene was already one of utter carnage. While many would flee at the mere mention of Bullet's name, the sight of almost everyone confronting him head-on was somewhat bizarre… but Bullet laughed as he crushed those who challenged him. They probably weren't dead, but the training grounds would likely be deserted for a while, Rain thought, shrugging.
He spotted Teach among those not fighting and noticed unfamiliar figures beside him.
"Teach, who are those guys? New recruits?"
"Yeah, comrades I gathered while traveling around. Kinda like Komurasaki's independent unit. Don't mind 'em."
"Didn't think you were interested in that stuff. I'm Rain. Well, nice to meet you."
Rain exchanged casual greetings with Burgess and the others. The training grounds were battered, scarred by Devil Fruit powers and Haki-infused weapon clashes, lacking even basic tidiness.
As Rain considered whether he should start collecting the fallen, Teach laughed, saying, "I'll handle that much."
Though, in reality, it was Teach's nearby companions who did the collecting. Teach himself seemed to be in spectator mode, bottle in hand, apparently intending to keep an eye on Bullet to ensure he didn't completely lose control.
"Give it your best shot, Rain!"
"Don't need you to tell me."
Rain rolled his shoulders lightly, swinging his spear to test its feel. His opponent, Bullet, seemed to have warmed up while dealing with the others, lightly sweating. Although Rain was stepping in for Kanata, he was the main event this time. Bullet seemed expectant, anticipation clear on his face.
"One of Kanata's disciples? Is this our first time?"
"Nah, we've fought a few times before. I was still green back then, so you probably don't remember."
"Kahaha, honest bastard. Then this time—hold out long enough for me to remember!!"
Bullet coated both fists in Armament Haki and closed the distance rapidly. In response, Rain imbued his spear with Armament Haki, leveling the tip at Bullet, perfectly still. He twisted his body to evade the downward right fist, then used his spear to flick the following left fist upwards. He could see the attacks, and the difference in their Observation Haki wasn't that significant.
"Hoh…"
Exceptional Haki users could foresee the future by several seconds. In battles decided by mere fractions of a second, this was a huge advantage, but if both sides could see the future, the conditions were even. So, how about Armament Haki? Bullet deliberately threw a wide punch, creating an obvious opening. Rain glared, wondering if Bullet was mocking him, but Bullet just grinned and provoked, "Come on."
"Then, I'll give you what you want!! Oraaah!!!"
Rain's leg, coated in Armament Haki, swung at high speed, slamming into Bullet's torso. A tremendous sound, like colliding steel, echoed as white lightning sparked from the clash of their Haki. Bullet had caught Rain's kick with one hand, sensing a weight and Haki strength exceeding his expectations.
"Not bad! Much more promising than the guys I fought in Alabasta!!"
Feeling Rain's strength firsthand, Bullet's tension rose, his Haki surging. He threw a compact jab, then aimed his real straight punch towards Rain's predicted evasion point. Rain, knowing this, still couldn't fully evade. Instead of blocking, he let the punch slide along the side of his spear, redirecting it, and slammed a powerful kick into Bullet's stomach.
Kanata had many disciples, but Komurasaki, who likely received the most instruction, was a swordswoman, not a spear user. The one most thoroughly drilled in Kanata's spear techniques was not Komurasaki, but Rain.
(As expected, that woman's techniques are visible everywhere. Redirecting my fist like that… takes more than ordinary guts and skill.)
Failure would result in far greater damage than simply blocking. It wasn't something one could do without confidence in their technique. And this applied to those at the training grounds and to Kaie, whom he fought in Midgard—they were accustomed to fighting stronger opponents.
They had likely honed their skills by constantly considering Kanata as their hypothetical enemy, figuring out how to survive, how to land a hit. Normally, fighting a superior opponent was a life-or-death gamble, not something experienced repeatedly in a lifetime. Bullet likely challenged Rain without fear precisely because of this accumulated experience.
"...Interesting."
"Ha! Finally warming up? I'm just getting warmed up myself! Let's go all out!!"
"Bring it on!!"
This time, neither dodged. A head-on clash. Crackling Haki collided, scattering sparks as the battle accelerated further.
…
Several hours later, Bullet and Rain, both covered in scratches and battered, decided it was a good time to call it quits.
Teach, who had been watching with a bottle in hand, was thoroughly drunk. Face flushed, reeking of alcohol, he nevertheless walked steadily towards the dining hall, likely intending to drink more. Satisfied from the fight, Bullet was also in a good mood as he spoke to Rain.
"Not bad. As a spear user, are you Kanata's top disciple?"
"I can use pretty much anything. Swords, bows too. My main thing is the spear, though… But yeah, it's true there's no spear user stronger than me in this crew, besides the Master."
"Ha, talkin' big, aren't ya."
Bullet had scratches, but they were superficial; no signs of deep damage. Rain, on the other hand, had fewer scratches but was considerably fatigued. If they had continued much longer, Bullet would likely have overpowered him.
"You haven't eaten a Devil Fruit?" Bullet asked.
"Nope. My spear and Haki are enough."
"Devil Fruits are supposed to make strength more certain… but Roger wasn't an ability user either. Devil Fruit powers are ultimately just one element of strength."
Bullet looked up at the sky, as if recalling distant days. He had many thoughts about the opponent he wanted to defeat having escaped him… but now his goal was to gain strength by defeating all Four Emperors.
He figured if he could beat Kanata, he could beat the Emperors too, so he challenged her with all his might, but to this day, he had never won. Her own skill and Haki purely surpassed Bullet's. He had hoped fighting her disciple might yield some insight—but it hadn't gone that well.
"Isn't there anyone stronger than you in Twilight?"
"Huh? Well… The Master, Komurasaki might be tough. Old man Zen and old man Junshi, I won't lose to them anymore…"
"This Komurasaki is strong?"
"Yeah. But haven't seen Komurasaki around lately. Must be off somewhere… Then there's Teach… And Yuisheeze, I've won more against him, but he's strong."
"Teach, huh. That guy acts aloof, but I can kinda tell he's hiding something. So, where's this Yuisheeze guy?"
"Ah," Rain pondered, then remembered.
"He's not here either. Think he went to Banaro Island for work, and some fun on the side."