Several days later, under the wise leadership of Captain Leno, the group finally arrived at their first destination in the New World.
Raijin Island!
Looking at the island ahead, shrouded in dark clouds and ravaged by relentless lightning, everyone's expressions turned grim.
Nami approached Leno with a tearful face, grabbed his collar, and shook him violently.
"You damn idiot, open your eyes and take a good look! This is the blessed land you picked?!"
This is hell!
I should never have listened to this bastard and chosen the most violent route among the three Log Pose pointers!
Damn it!
Wouldn't it be nice to just sail peacefully? Why did we have to chase excitement?
Leno offered no resistance as she shook him. Instead, he turned to the others with a cheerful smile and said, "I'm not lying to you guys. This is a great place for body tempering. Back then, I improved my physique right here."
"R-Really?" Yamato immediately leaned forward, eyes shining as she looked at Leno excitedly. "Then what do we need to do?"
"It's simple." Leno pressed a hand on Nami's head and looked around with a mischievous grin. "Get struck by lightning!"
"Huh?!"
Everyone tilted their heads in confusion. What are you even saying?
Only Nami glanced at the terrifying scene in the distance and seemed to realize something. She staggered back a few steps.
Clutching her head with both hands, she shook it frantically and screamed in terror, "No! I don't want to get struck by lightning!"
Just remembering the sensation of being electrocuted by Leno before made her whole body tremble. She didn't want to experience it again.
The others clearly thought of the same thing. Their faces turned pale as they looked at Leno like he was a devil.
Mikita, Vivi, and the others glanced at the island in the distance and stepped forward trembling, their lips quivering.
"L-Leno, y-you're not thinking of..."
"That's right." Leno nodded, turned toward the island, and grinned wildly. "This is the training ground I picked for you!"
"But there's no need to rush. We have plenty of time. You can adapt slowly..."
Hearing Leno's final declaration, Nami, Mikita, Vivi, and the others collapsed onto the ground, staring blankly into the distance.
They could already imagine their miserable future.
Meanwhile, Chopper clutched his chest and started rolling on the floor, speaking with difficulty.
"I feel terrible! I-I think I caught the disease that makes you unable to go on the island..."
"No problem, then you can stay on the ship."
Glancing at Chopper's obvious act, Leno raised an eyebrow and agreed readily.
Then he casually raised his hand, arcs of electricity flickering around it. Just as a look of joy appeared on Chopper's face, he continued, "But staying on the ship means you'll endure double the lightning attacks!"
"?!!!"
Chopper's wailing stopped instantly. His entire body—no, his entire reindeer self—froze, pupils shrinking violently.
He slowly turned his head toward Leno, confusion and fear mixing in his eyes as if asking, "What did I ever do to deserve this..."
As Leno activated his ability, the ship flew directly toward the island, heading for the mountain peak where he had once trained.
When the ship had been built, a large amount of insulating material had been used.
So although the Gale was conductive on the outside, the interior cabin was completely unaffected.
At the foot of the mountain, Leno urged everyone again and kindly reminded them, "This is a rare opportunity. Give it everything you've got—no slacking."
"Alright! I'm going first!"
Yamato took the lead, rushing out of the cabin and bathing in the rain of lightning.
She had long envied Leno's powerful physique and had decided to catch up this time.
Seeing Yamato already take the lead, the others followed one after another.
Only Nami, before stepping out of the cabin, turned back and looked at Leno pitifully, her voice trembling.
"Idiot... if I can't hold on, remember to get me out..."
"..."
Always making a fuss!
Leno rolled his eyes speechlessly. Even Vivi, the weakest among them, had more courage than you!
Amid waves of ghost-like howls and screams, the adventurers' new round of special training began.
However, after only a few hours, Leno carried back three unconscious figures.
Uta, Mikita, and Vivi—these three had weaker foundations and couldn't last long.
Fortunately, no one fainted again afterward, though everyone returned in miserable condition.
Their clothes were torn to shreds, large patches of exposed skin covered in wounds.
Chopper looked even more exaggerated—he had practically turned into a black furball, smoke rising from his body.
The smell of burnt fur lingered in the air!
Of course, he wasn't the only one. Everyone else looked just as bad, their hair blown into explosive frizz, faces covered in grime.
Seeing their state, Leno felt a bit distressed, but he still urged them to continue and took care of logistics for them.
Although the suffering here was intense, the increase in strength was undeniable.
This was probably the last place where they could rapidly improve their power, so he didn't want anyone to miss the opportunity.
After cleaning up, Kuina treated everyone's injuries one by one.
At the dining table, Nami looked at Leno with a weary expression and said weakly, "Idiot... did you go through this back then too?"
Leno slowly shook his head. Under everyone's puzzled gaze, he raised a finger and pointed upward.
"I trained directly at the mountain peak back then. The lightning there is the densest..."
"..."
Even though they had expected something like this, everyone was still shocked, eyes wide with disbelief.
They were already struggling at the mountain's foot where lightning was less dense. The summit...
The 'three who fainted' exchanged glances, feeling somewhat discouraged.
They couldn't compare with Leno, that monster—but even compared to the other crew members, they felt far weaker.
"Don't lose heart. I said before, we have plenty of time." Leno looked at them with encouragement in his eyes. "You'll definitely endure it. I've always believed that."
"Alright! To us being able to endure—cheers!"
After a short rest, Yamato quickly regained her vitality and was full of confidence in this training.
Her physique was the strongest among them, and Leno was eager to see what level she would reach after breaking through.
"Cheers!"
"..."
And so, in the days that followed, the adventurers' brutally intense special training officially began.
To ensure everyone could recover their strength quickly, Leno took out all the meat supplies he had stored previously.
The girls also understood Leno's good intentions. No matter how much pain they endured, they gritted their teeth and persevered.
Their daily scenes of near self-destruction gradually began to attract the attention of others on the island...
...
...