"Anna, wait a second."
Marco suddenly remembered something, turned back toward the guest room he'd stayed in before, and returned carrying a sword.
"By the way, Anna," he said with a small smile, "this sword's for you. We found it while treasure hunting a while back and kept it aside. It's not one of the twelve Supreme Grade Blades, but it's beautifully crafted—light, sharp, and perfectly suited for someone like you."
He held out a slender, sky-blue sword. Its curved hilt was designed for a smaller grip, easy to hold or hang from the wrist. The blade itself gleamed with a delicate shimmer, so thin and sharp it seemed to hum when the light hit it.
Anna's eyes sparkled. The moment she took it from Marco, she felt how impossibly light it was—something made just for her. For someone who didn't possess any special superhuman strength, the balance was perfect.
"Oh, I love it! Thank you, Marco!" Anna said, running her fingers down the smooth hilt. She couldn't bear to put it down.
Marco chuckled. "As long as you like it. Let's get started. Vista, you go first—it's a good chance to see how well Anna handles her new sword."
Vista stroked his beard and grinned. "Then I'll go first. Anna, you take the initiative. Show me how solid your fundamentals are."
Anna took her stance, lifted the sword, and swung gracefully before launching her first strike. Vista blocked it effortlessly with a light flick of his wrist.
"Not bad—but not strong enough," he said teasingly. "Let's see what else you've got."
He lunged forward. Anna sidestepped quickly, turning her blade to parry. She twisted her wrist and knocked his sword slightly off line.
Vista's eyes widened for a moment. "That's a nice touch! You've improved, Anna."
But as he spoke, his strikes grew faster and heavier. The two began exchanging blows in a fast-paced rhythm, steel clashing and ringing through the courtyard as the Red-Haired Pirates and Marco watched from the sidelines.
"Well," Shanks mused, resting his chin on his hand, "she's got skill, but she's still lacking in power. Needs to train her arms more."
Marco nodded. "Exactly. I'll come up with a plan for that."
He was already thinking about future training regimens when Vista's final strike landed gently on Anna's shoulder. Marco stepped in immediately.
"Alright, that's enough. The spar's over."
Anna dropped her stance, breathing hard but smiling faintly. She hadn't lasted even ten moves against Vista, but she'd held her ground longer than before.
Marco patted her shoulder. "Good work. You've made real progress."
"Next," he continued, "we'll test your marksmanship. Izo, your turn."
"Wait, where's the target?" Anna asked, looking around.
Marco pointed toward the apple tree nearby. "Use that."
Izo smirked. "Don't worry, Anna. I'll keep an eye on your posture, and Marco's already making a list of future drills for you."
"Huh? What's Marco doing?" Anna asked, following Izo to the shooting area.
Sure enough, Marco was scribbling something in a small notebook.
"Alright, Anna," Izo said, snapping her focus back. "Aim for the apple on the top branch. If your performance is poor, your next training session won't be easy."
Anna lifted her gun, aimed carefully, and fired. The shot hit dead-on—the apple burst apart.
"Not bad," Izo said approvingly.
Before Anna could respond, Shanks suddenly spoke up. "What's the fun in shooting like that? Let's make it interesting! Hey, girl, how about a wager? If you hit my target, I'll owe you a favor. If you miss, you owe me a box of wine."
Anna blinked. "Shanks, what are you planning?"
Beckman smirked. "Static practice is easy. Let's see her do dynamic shooting."
"Exactly!" Shanks grinned and leapt up into the apple tree, plucking one from a branch. "If you can shoot the apple in my hand, I'll agree to any one of your requests. Miss, and you're buying me wine. Deal?"
"That's—!" Anna started to protest, but Izo cut her off cheerfully, "Sounds perfect! Thanks, Shanks."
Anna shot Izo a glare. "You traitor."
Izo only smiled, tilting her chin toward the red-haired captain. "Eyes front, Anna. Focus."
Anna sighed. There was no way she could actually shoot at Shanks! He wasn't just any pirate—his Observation Haki was absurd, not to mention his insane reflexes.
Seeing her hesitation, Izo's voice softened. "You'll never know what kind of opponent you'll face in the future. Fear won't help you survive. So don't be afraid—just aim."
Anna drew in a slow breath. She raised her weapon, locked her gaze on Shanks, and pulled the trigger.
The bullet whizzed past harmlessly as Shanks tilted his head with a grin.
"Too slow!" he teased.
Anna fired again—and again. Each shot missed as Shanks danced away effortlessly, laughter echoing across the courtyard.
Gradually, Anna's nerves melted away, replaced by frustration. Her stance grew steadier, her eyes sharper.
"Calm down," Izo said gently, resting a hand on her shoulder. "If you can't catch him with your eyes, then sense him with your heart. Feel the wind, the rhythm of his movement. Trust your instincts."
Anna exhaled, closing her eyes for just a second. She listened—to the rustle of the leaves, the whisper of the sea breeze.
"There!"
Her eyes snapped open. She pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The bullet grazed the edge of Shanks' red coat, just missing his arm.
Shanks laughed heartily. "Now that's progress! But you're still a bit short. Guess this wine's mine, Anna."
Anna lowered her gun, both embarrassed and proud.
Izo smiled warmly. "That was impressive. Hitting even the edge of his coat is no small feat. He's a Yonko, after all. For you to push him that far is an achievement."
Anna blinked. "Right… he's one of the Four Emperors. I've only trained for a few years. Maybe I am doing okay."
Then she glanced around at her "mentors"—Marco, Izo, Vista, Shanks, Beckman.
She sighed inwardly. No wonder I've improved. With a lineup like this, I'd have to be the protagonist of the world not to.
Marco clapped his hands. "Alright, next test—hand-to-hand combat."
Anna groaned. "Marco, can I rest for a bit? I've just finished two rounds of training!"
Marco crossed his arms. "No. The enemy won't wait for you to recover. The test starts now."
"Wha—hey!"
Before she could complain further, Marco was already attacking. Anna barely dodged in time.
Shanks chuckled from the side. "He's such a strict teacher. Watching them reminds me of Rayleigh back in the day."
Somewhere far away, in the Sabaody Archipelago, the real Rayleigh sneezed while gambling at a local den.
"Who's talking about me?" he muttered, rubbing his nose.
"Hey, old man, are you placing your bet or not?" shouted one of the gamblers.
Rayleigh grinned. "Alright, alright, all in!"
Naturally… he lost everything.
He sighed, scratching his head. "Guess I'll have to sell myself to the auction house again…"