"Tsk tsk tsk, Michael, you really don't know how to be gentle with women, do you?" Ginny sat nearby, thoroughly entertained by the spectacle.
"Yamato's a girl, you know. If you go this hard on her, won't something bad happen?"
"Ginny, I'd advise you not to stir the pot," Kuma muttered in warning. "Or have you forgotten the hellish training Michael put you through right after you ate the Flame-Flame Fruit?"
"Gah!"
Ginny sucked in a sharp breath, casting a fearful glance at Michael.
Only after confirming that he was fully focused on disciplining his daughter did she relax.
That experience was something she never wanted to relive.
Even though she knew Michael hadn't held any personal grudges—that he had only been ensuring she fully mastered the Flame-Flame Fruit while systematically training her in the counterplay between Haki and Devil Fruit abilities—
In her mind, it remained a memory terrifying enough to haunt her for life.
If not for Kuma's promise to marry her, which had fueled her determination to push through, she likely would have given up halfway.
Today, Yamato was receiving treatment far surpassing what he had endured in his own time.
Back then, it was merely a brutal beating with Armament Haki...
Now, Yamato was enduring the torment of Conqueror's Haki Coating.
Michael hadn't unleashed any of the Eden-series ultimate techniques with Haki Coating—he was merely applying a minimal amount of Conqueror's Haki to his basic attacks, just as he had during his battle with Whitebeard on Fish-Man Island.
The only difference was that now, Michael himself was the one treating Haki Coating as casual strikes, while the one being instructed had become Yamato.
It had to be said—Whitebeard's combat style was exceptionally high in both prestige and practicality.
Especially for someone like Michael, whose stamina bar practically never decreased.
"Too slow! Do you think mastering Haki Coating means your opponent will just stand there and let you hit them?"
With a swift sidestep, Michael effortlessly dodged Yamato's kanabo.
"Damn it! Just a little more! I was so close to landing a hit!"
Hearing Yamato's frustrated roar, Michael allowed a faint smile to surface.
It might have seemed like a near-miss, but the gap was actually enormous.
Michael could dodge by two centimeters or two meters—it was entirely up to his mood.
But he had also identified Yamato's problem...
She relied far too much on her natural talent.
Though this couldn't entirely be blamed on Yamato herself—most of the responsibility actually lay with Kaido.
As one of the Yonko, Kaido naturally possessed the insight to recognize his daughter's innate gifts at a glance.
But his training methods were something Michael couldn't agree with.
If nothing unexpected had occurred, Kaido had likely trained Yamato by replicating his own brutal childhood experiences.
Intense physical conditioning and endless battles could indeed maximize the development of raw physical potential.
But this had also ingrained in Yamato an overreliance on her natural gifts.
The most critical issue was that while her raw talent had been honed to an exceptional degree—physically speaking, Yamato could practically dominate the seas unless she ran into monsters like Michael, Big Mom, Kaido, or Whitebeard—her overall combat application was still awkward.
Simply put, her integration of strength, speed, and technique was far too crude.
Often, attacks that should have delivered 100% of their potential power ended up at 90% or less due to Yamato's rough execution.
Against enemies she could instantly overwhelm, this hardly mattered.
But against opponents of similar caliber? That was where the real disadvantage showed.
Battles she should have won might inexplicably end in stalemates, and stalemates could easily tip into losses.
Of course, the reason Michael could critique Kaido so confidently was because he himself had raised an outstanding example...
Hancock, who also called him "Father"!
Hancock was only about three years older than Yamato, but the difference in their combat prowess was gradually becoming qualitative.
Yamato was still at the level where she could handle one Calamity with ease, struggle against two, and barely maintain parity when surrounded by lower-ranking officers and fodder.
However, Hancock had already reached a level where she could face Kaido directly and still escape.
Michael was certain that if Hancock hadn't been carrying Whitebeard Jr. at the time and had instead turned back to fight Kaido, she wouldn't have been defeated in a short period—it might have even been a back-and-forth battle.
In other words, the current Hancock had already touched the edge of the Admiral and Emperor tier, far surpassing her original counterpart.
The fundamental reason was that Michael had laid the most solid foundation for her.
In the original timeline, she had been enslaved during her formative years, suffering from poor nutrition, sleep deprivation, and stunted growth.
Her foundational combat knowledge was limited to the preschool education Amazon Lily provided for children before her capture.
The current Hancock, free from that tragic past, thrived under Michael's meticulous care.
Most importantly, before she fully mastered the Six Powers and comprehended Life Return, Michael forbade her from engaging with anything else related to combat—including Haki and Devil Fruit abilities.
As a result, Hancock initially showed little significant progress and wasn't considered particularly strong even within the SWORD Classified Special Forces.
But after meeting Michael's requirements and beginning to train in Haki while consuming the Love-Love Fruit…
She soon experienced an explosive surge in strength.
Coupled with Garp pulling out all the stops and sharing his most prized techniques, Hancock's abilities skyrocketed.
"Yamato, do you want to become stronger?" Michael suddenly stopped, sheathing his withered wood and sakura blades. "If so, after this matter is settled, join the junior training program and rebuild your foundation alongside the kids."
"Eh!? The Marine's junior program!?"
"Don't want to?"
"...Will it really make me stronger?"
"Your talent shouldn't be limited to just this level."
"Then… fine! For the sake of getting stronger! I'll endure learning with brats!"
...
Inside Ryugu Palace.
"So, you're certain Princess Shirahoshi is in the innermost room?"
Ryokugyu flicked his wrist and glanced back at Vander Decken IX.
Trembling under that gaze, Vander Decken IX immediately stepped forward, fawning with a servile grin:
"Absolutely. My hand tells me she's right there."
Removing his glove, he casually picked up a pebble and tossed it.
"Follow the pebble, and it'll lead you to Princess Shirahoshi."
"Hmm, it seems you do have some use after all."
Ryokugyu acknowledged Vander Decken IX's contribution before raising his head to observe the fish-man pinned to the castle wall by the dense vines spawned from his Mori Mori no Mi.
With a soft chuckle, he asked.
"What was your name again? Jinbei, was it?"
"Fish-men in the water… aren't as strong as I imagined."