Time flew by, and before anyone noticed, the Sea Circle Calendar turned from 1515 to 1516.
Sea Circle Calendar 1516, January 20.
The uninhabited island where Yami's group was training had changed drastically.
A month ago, it was no different from other deserted islands, mostly primeval forest.
Now, seen from a god's-eye view, nearly half the island had become barren ground.
That wasteland was pocked with craters from lightning bombardments and scorched marks.
There were gigantic human footprints, as if a Giant had walked there.
Bang bang bang bang bang…
At that moment, from somewhere on the barren ground, came the constant sound of impacts.
The scene zoomed toward the source.
A bolt of blue-white lightning flickered again and again, changing position every second, using all kinds of methods to attack a black-haired man.
"Rankyaku: Lightning Kick!"
The lightning coalesced midair into Nami's figure, maid outfit on, white-stockinged right leg sweeping down to launch a lightning slash at Yami below.
Facing a slash packed with cutting force, electric heat, and even explosive power, Yami threw a single punch and blasted the slash into scattered arcs.
"Divine Judgment!"
Suspended in the air by her electric field, Nami gripped her folded golden three-section staff in one hand, while the other turned into blue-white current, separating into a massive lightning pillar that roared down at Yami.
Yami met it with another single punch.
A pillar that could have destroyed a normal sailing ship shattered against that monstrous strength.
Terrifying heat and current still couldn't break the defense of the steel body.
The next second, Yami's face shifted. He spun and raised his hand. "Black Hole!"
A bowling-ball-sized black hole appeared almost instantly in his palm and swallowed an orange beam that had lanced toward him.
"I'm done, I'm done, I can't beat you at all."
Seeing Yami casually defuse her strongest finisher, Nami flickered into his arms and pouted. "Master, that's too mean. You won't even give me a little leeway."
"I didn't use Dark Water. I was giving you leeway."
Yami pinched her cheek and smiled. "Enemies won't stand still and let you hit them."
"Heh, I won't let them get close anyway." Nami smiled with confidence.
"Before we knew it, this little thief cat turned into a monster."
"This is why a Logia is called the strongest type. One bite and you soar."
Watching from not far away, Carina and Robin sighed.
Robin's eyes turned sly as she teased, "Regretting you passed on the Sand-Sand Fruit?"
"Not one bit."
Carina grinned triumphantly. "The Vampire is what I want most. As long as my youth is eternal, let the little thief cat sprint a hundred meters first. In the end I'll be the most favored."
Robin fell silent.
So that's what it feels like when your jab backfires.
"Heh. Fox spirit, I heard that."
Nami flashed in front of Carina, pinching her cheek with a smile that wasn't a smile.
Carina swung her fists to fight back.
Every punch passed straight through Nami.
"Damn intangibility. Once I get Armament Haki, I'm going to teach you a lesson." Carina refused to yield.
"Keep dreaming. Even with Armament, you won't beat me."
Nami was boldly arrogant. "Our Haki gap is just too big."
By then, Carina knew about Haki.
So did Robin.
Over the past month, besides deepening his Dark-Dark and More-More powers, Yami had taught the method for Observation Haki to all three girls.
He focused on Nami, whose body could sense weather changes and who commanded radio waves.
Nami didn't let him down. In just half a month she awakened Observation Haki.
She was the only one of the four to wield Haki, and her perception range was in a class of its own.
Her sensing was like surveillance and could eavesdrop.
Within a certain range, Nami's Observation was even handier than Yami's clairvoyance.
Clairvoyance only covered a radius.
Nami's Observation was a full 360-degree field.
With Haki awakened, Nami's combat strength transformed.
That god's-eye view with an amazing range not only gave the girl tremendous confidence, it elevated her electric-field teleportation and lightning strikes to the extreme.
Only someone like Kizaru or Monkey D. Dragon could truly grasp the superiority Nami now felt.
If you can't win, you run. And almost no one can catch you. It was just too satisfying.
No wonder she was so smug.
"You hateful little thief cat…"
Watching Nami revel, Carina ground her teeth.
"All right, that's enough."
Yami slid an arm over each of their fragrant shoulders. "The new ship is finished. Time to head back."
"Great, I can't wait to see what it looks like."
The three instantly lit up with expectation.
Over the month, Yami and Iceburg had spoken many times. Sometimes Iceburg called, sometimes Yami did.
Each time, besides an update from Iceburg's side, they would have new ideas and ask him to add a few things to the ship.
So all three were dying to see whether the final ship matched what they had envisioned.
They sailed off the uninhabited island.
Two days later, the sloop entered Water 7's harbor once more.
As before, Yami first dropped Robin at the Galley-La entrance to subspace, then took Carina and Nami by Yagara Bull to Galley-La.
Iceburg and Kalifa were waiting at the company doors.
"Mr. Yami, please come with me."
After shaking hands, Iceburg led them toward Dock One.
There, many ships lay berthed, some under construction, some under repair.
The most eye-catching was a large sailing ship shrouded in black cloth.
"Paulie, Rob Lucci, Kaku, uncover the cloth."
Iceburg ordered the three foremen of Dock One.
Lucci and Kaku, posing as shipwrights, obeyed along with Paulie and some workers, pulling the vast black cover away.
The ship beneath sprang into view before Yami and the two girls, and before Robin, watching from subspace.
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