The journey toward the East Blue had been relatively calm. Now and then, they ran into bad weather, but together they always managed to get through it.
Every day, Arima stood on the deck, instructing the others in Haki.
Over the course of half a month, Arima had already mastered the advanced applications of Armament Haki.
Just like back when he learned chakra control, he could now precisely direct the flow of Haki throughout his body.
He even derived an extension of Conqueror's Haki by leveraging the flow characteristic of Armament Haki, allowing him to use Conqueror's in an offensive manner.
This technique pushed his strength to another level.
The Rokushiki techniques Garp had passed on to him had also been mastered.
Arima had even grasped the advanced ability, "Life Return." The entire learning process had lasted only a week, smooth and uneventful, even bordering on dull.
The truth was, Arima's starting point and vision were simply too high. He stood far above others, and mastering a new skill posed little challenge to him.
His family members, however, showed mixed progress. Everyone's talent and perspective varied.
His grandmother had a strong foundation, and with the Nine-Tails' help inside her body, she had grown proficient in both Armament and Observation Haki.
She was even beginning to study Ryuo.
Tsunade could already use Armament Haki skillfully, but her Observation Haki had only just begun to show results, she needed more time to polish it.
Kushina, on the other hand, was more naturally suited to Observation Haki, while her Armament could only cover a single fist.
Natsuka's development was balanced across the board, though rather average as a result.
Nawaki had it the worst. He could barely use Armament Haki, and showed no progress at all with Observation.
He suffered plenty, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't grasp the essence.
After thinking it over, Arima realized he'd taken the wrong approach.
With his natural talent, it made no difference whether he started with Haki or Rokushiki. But his family wasn't the same.
In the end, he decided to find an island where they could rest and train.
He would teach them Rokushiki first, improving their physical abilities, while moves like Tekkai and Kami-e could help them grasp Haki more easily.
Besides, the Konoha Senju had been sailing nonstop for half a month, and their supplies were nearly exhausted.
Unfortunately, they were stuck in the Calm Belt, far from any islands or ports.
Luckily, fate offered a way out. A few days later, they spotted seabirds flying overhead, proof that land was near.
Arima immediately soared high into the sky.
After a careful search, he found an uninhabited island about five thousand nautical miles west of their course. Guided by him, the Konoha Senju headed that way.
When they reached the island, they found it completely deserted. The group split into smaller teams and began exploring the forest.
By dusk, all teams had returned safely. Kushina, Natsuka, and Robin came back carrying a strange fruit that looked like a pineapple.
Arima held the fruit, studied it for a moment, and his expression turned odd.
"Arima what kind of fruit is this? Robin said it's a Devil Fruit!" Kushina clung to his arm, asking eagerly.
"This is indeed a Zoan-type Devil Fruit, but it's the Mouse-Mouse Fruit. Not very useful."
Arima relayed the system's information to them.
"What a pity. If only it were a Logia..." Kushina sighed in disappointment.
"Kushina, if you collect nine of these fruits, I can trade them for one Devil Fruit with no side effects. Work hard, okay?"
"Really? Then can I choose one that makes me more beautiful?"
"Of course you can. But isn't our Kushina already a great beauty?"
Arima chuckled.
"Heehee, as long as you don't dislike me, that's enough!"
"Kushina, you know, one of the Seven Warlords, Boa Hancock, ate the Paramecia Love-Love Fruit. All men fall under her power, and she's recognized across the seas as a peerless beauty."
Robin teased her. After spending so much time together, she had blended seamlessly into their warm family.
"It doesn't matter. As long as Arima thinks I'm pretty, that's all I need!"
"You little brat, so sly for your age."
Arima tapped her lightly on the forehead.
By then, night was falling. The group set the table and brought out the food they had prepared.
During their exploration earlier, they had discovered a natural hot spring in a mountain hollow.
After dinner, the women all went to bathe, leaving only Arima and Nawaki to watch over the Konoha Senju.
While the two of them idly chatted, they noticed lights flickering out on the sea.
"I'll go check it out."
Before Nawaki could respond, Arima lifted off from the shore and vanished into the night sky.
"Ugh... brother-in-law must think I'm useless. I've got to work harder, so one day I can stand on my own!"
Nawaki wanted to go too, if something interesting happened, he didn't want to miss the adventure.
But since Arima had left without a word, he could only sit bored, staring at the dark ocean.
Arima, meanwhile, reached the source of the lights and saw a fleet of Marine warships surrounding a massive luxury liner.
Flying atop its mast was the symbol of the World Government.
"A World Government ship? Why so heavily guarded?"
Curiosity stirred, Arima decided to investigate.
Using his powerful Observation Haki, he easily slipped past the defenses and entered the deepest storage room.
Inside, hundreds of identical crates were stacked neatly. Arima opened one, inside were gold bars stamped with the hoof mark of the Celestial Dragons.
So it was the Heavenly Tribute from the four seas, offerings to the Celestial Dragons. This fleet was tasked with escorting it.
'A fortune delivered right to me! But I wonder... is there anything even more valuable here?'
Arima considered taking the treasure. He had no goodwill toward the Celestial Dragons, so he felt no guilt.
But then he realized, if he stole the Heavenly Tribute now, the Dragons would only take their anger out on the nations of the four seas. Ordinary people would suffer, defeating his purpose.
An idea flashed in his mind.
He left a Flying Thunder God seal on the bottom of every crate. Once the Tribute reached the Celestial Dragons' vault, he could teleport in and plunder their treasury directly.
Arima acted quickly. To be safe, he also removed a gold bar from each crate and marked it with his seal. In addition, he swapped out several crates entirely with his Wood Clones.
Patience would net the bigger catch. He would not touch this Tribute, for now, he would wait.
When Arima returned to the island, everyone was already gathered, eager to hear what he had discovered.
He told them about the World Government ship and his plan. Excitement lit their faces.
After all, this was the Celestial Dragons' treasury! If his clones succeeded, they would become the wealthiest crew in all the seas.
The treasure itself was one thing, but what they truly longed for were the priceless items it might contain, rare Devil Fruits, one of the 21 Great Grade Blades, or even the lost Poneglyphs.
By his estimation, within a month the fleet would reach Mariejois.
So they stayed on the island, training in Rokushiki while waiting in anticipation.
Even Robin found herself quietly excited, what she wanted most was to see the Poneglyphs.
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