Although Runti had lost the battle, she had earned Rosha's respect.
This girl's head really was as hard as steel.
Even bleeding and battered, she never flinched.
She kept going, head-to-head, until the very end.
"All right, now it's your turn," Rosha said, turning toward Yamato.
"Huh?" Yamato froze, and when she finally realized, she almost wanted to smack herself.
What was she doing here? Watching some kind of ridiculous show?
Watching Rosha and Runti compete over whose head was harder?
Actually… it was kind of entertaining.
"You've had several hours to rest. Your energy should be mostly recovered. From now until dawn, there will be no breaks," Rosha said.
"Nooo! Ahhh!" Yamato's cries were full of despair and helplessness.
Even with a thousand protests in her heart, if she had to train, she had to train.
All night long, the back coast of Oni Island roared with the sounds of battle without pause.
The next morning, at dawn:
"Ah… ahhh!"
The small squads of the Beasts Pirates screamed in panic.
Hundreds of people lay sprawled across the back coast.
After Pegivan and Runti had fallen, more and more of the crew had wandered toward the noise, only to be flattened by the sheer force of the fight.
Rosha had initially thought to use them for training, but they were far too weak, barely scratching her skill.
In the end, Rosha focused entirely on Yamato. As for the rest of the Beasts Pirates grunts, she gently put them all to sleep.
"What… what… what happened here?"
"Why is everyone down?"
"Even Runti and Pegivan have been knocked out!"
"Could there be an intruder? Report to Kaido immediately!"
The low-level pirates panicked, shouting frantically.
Meanwhile, in Yamato's secret hideout on Oni Island's back coast, Rosha gently placed the exhausted girl on a straw-filled bed.
Then, casually forming a ball of fire, Rosha began roasting fish for breakfast.
After a night of intense training, Rosha's gains were enormous. Her Armored Dragon-Slaying Magic proficiency had increased by three percentage points, reaching 13%.
At this rate, three points per day… ten days, thirty… a month, 300 points… mastery would skyrocket.
Of course, that was ideal. Reality was never that simple.
The speed of proficiency gain starts fast but slows over time.
Rosha had spent nine years bringing her Fire Dragon-Slaying Magic proficiency to 80%.
After reaching 80%, progress stagnated completely. No matter what she did for an entire year, it wouldn't reach 81.
Rosha suspected some kind of limit, perhaps tied to dragon power, which she had yet to fully unlock.
Besides boosting Armored Dragon-Slaying Magic proficiency, Rosha had gained useful intel.
This year was 1516 in the Marine Calendar, four years before the story's original start.
Yamato was only 22 years old. Runti and Pegivan weren't yet Flying Six members and had only recently eaten their Devil Fruits.
That explained everything. Yamato's weak Thunder Eight Trigrams ability wasn't a lack of skill she simply hadn't mastered Busoshoku Haki yet.
Six years later, when she could face Kaido head-on, even splitting his skull open might make him feel a little sting.
"Stop… please, Rosha… really, stop…"
Yamato murmured in her sleep, her body twitching slightly, her face twisted in discomfort.
Someone glancing might think she was having a sweet, spring-like dream.
Rosha scratched her head. After a full night of exertion, she decided to let the girl rest. After all, you don't pull a sheep's wool nonstop.
Even though the Beasts Pirates had plenty of grunts, there were still some officers around to manage things.
Before attending to that, Rosha, also exhausted from the night, decided to relax herself. A hot spring would be perfect.
"What? Oni Island doesn't have a hot spring?"
No problem! If none exists, make one yourself!
Rosha left Yamato's hideout and dug a half-meter-deep hole in the snow.
She piled snow inside, then unleashed a roar of fire. The snow melted, boiled, and voilà! a simple open-air hot spring was ready.
"Ah~ so comfortable~"
Meanwhile, chaos reigned at the Beasts Pirates' main base.
"Oww… it hurts so much~"
Drops of sweat and tears streamed down Runti's pale, beautiful face.
"My head hurts so much! Can't you hear me, little Pegivan?"
Not receiving comfort from her brother, Runti stomped on Pegivan's arm with her high heel.
"Ouch! Ow! Stop! Stop! You think you're the only one hurting? My whole body feels like it's falling apart!" Pegivan shouted repeatedly.
"Seriously, that guy's a monster… what is his body made of?"
"This is the first time I've ever met someone with a head this hard," Runti complained while kicking her brother in frustration.
"All right, all right, Runti. Don't move, I'll put some medicine on it," said a tall, gentle figure, Maria, who resembled a small giant. She carefully tended to Runti's forehead.
At Kaido's palace:
"Lord Kaido, who exactly is the man you brought back?"
Yamabaki Jin, Kaido's second-in-command, asked seriously.
"Oh, you went last night too?" Kaido asked casually.
"Yes." Yamabaki Jin nodded.
He had been curious about the newcomer Kaido brought back.
With so much commotion on the back coast, it was impossible for someone of his strength not to notice.
While Rosha and Yamato sparred, Jin had observed from above the whole time.
"This guy is a native monster I discovered on a secluded Beast Island. Even I had to work hard to capture him. Jin, if I told you that even you might not be his match, would you believe it?" Kaido asked.
Jin said nothing, though his eyes betrayed a hint of resentment.
After a long pause:
"His power is exceptional. The question is can he be trusted?" Jin said, worried. His intuition told him Rosha was not someone who would stay in line.
"Hah, don't worry. He's just a naïve, unrefined local kid. He's never had money, power, or women. Show him the perks of being here, and he'll be under control," Kaido said while drinking heavily.
"Burp~ I'll nap a bit more. Don't disturb me unless it's important," Kaido added.
Noon, Oni Island, Skull Hall:
"Lord Jack has returned from Kuri!"
The pirates erupted in shouting.
"What happened here? Who did this to you all?"
Jack, the newly promoted calamity of the Beasts Pirates, entered the hall. His eyes widened in shock at the sea of sprawled bodies. Bloodshot veins ran across his eyes.
"Lord Jack, it was the new guy Kaido brought back yesterday!"
"That newcomer is as strong as a monster and a total troublemaker!"
"Even Runti was knocked out by him!"
The bandaged pirates continued their complaints.
"Jack, you have to be careful if you encounter him. He's insanely strong."
A pirate warned him politely, only to be met with Jack's fierce glare.
"Do you know who you're talking to? Bring that guy to me!"
"You mean you're looking for me?"