Chapter 81: Ready to Set Sail

Chapter 81 - 81: Ready to Set Sail Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it's already the year 1519 of the Sea Circle Calendar. By this time, Ryuen is 18 years old. Originally, they could have set sail at 17, but they had to wait for Nami and Leah to come of age. Now that all seven of them have grown up, it's time to sail. The Calm Belt, the same small island as before. This island seems to have become their exclusive training base. For the past six years, they've come here every year to stay for two to three months. After all, they're familiar with this place. Coming to the Calm Belt to train is easier since there are endless Sea Kings to catch! At this moment, on a fairly spacious open ground, Kuina and Nojiko, Daisy and Nami, were practicing in pairs. As for Hog and Leah, Leah's strength is still a bit weak. None of them can match Ryuen, so the three could only watch from the sidelines. "Nojiko, your sword needs to be faster. If you were a little quicker, Kuina wouldn't have gotten past you just now!" "Daisy, stop worrying about hurting Nami. She isn't afraid of pain!" "Yes, yes, that's it!" "Ah, Kuina, you can't let Nojiko keep doing this! When is she ever going to break through to become a great swordsman?" "Ugh~~~" "It looks painful, but actually, you don't need to put so much force into it~~~" ~~~~~~ Watching the captain next to them making such a ridiculously smug face, Hog and Leah couldn't help but roll their eyes. They exchanged a look, silently agreeing, and slowly moved away from Ryuen, afraid of being dragged into whatever mess he was making. Sure enough, just as Hog and Leah turned to leave... "Shut up! Ryuen! Rankyaku!!!" With four loud shouts, four sharp kicks slashed through the air like lightning, each one carrying a fierce momentum, and they sped toward Ryuen with incredible force! "Hey, hey, hey!" "I'm doing this for your own good!" As Ryuen tried to explain his good intentions, he frantically dodged the attacks. However, these strikes were too fast and came from tricky angles, leaving him with nowhere to escape. "Boom!!!" There was a thunderous crash as the four slashes hit Ryuen squarely. The powerful impact sent him flying like a cannonball. The spot where he had been standing was left with four deep grooves, as if something had torn through the ground. Ryuen crashed to the ground, covered in dust and dirt. He struggled to get up, wincing in pain as he touched the spots where he was hit. Although he wasn't badly injured, it was enough to make him suffer. "Damn!" "You're really doing this!!" "Ugh~~~" "That hurts so much~~~" Ryuen touched the places where the slashes had hit, feeling the searing pain. "Serves you right!" Hog and Leah both muttered under their breath. "Hmph!" "Next time you keep running your mouth, I should just use my sword, not my foot!" Kuina coldly snorted. "Exactly, next time, let's see if you dare to give out instructions!" Daisy immediately agreed. "Ryuen, congrats, you've just lost your pocket money for the month~~~" Nami said with a wicked smile. "What?" "I'm serious! I didn't even want to teach them, but they insisted!" Ryuen said angrily. First the Rankyaku, now losing his pocket money, was he even still their leader? None of the six paid any attention to Ryuen, walking past him and heading toward the camp. "Hey, hey, hey!" "Aren't you going to check on the injured?" "Daisy, you're a doctor! How did you end up picking up such bad habits from them!" Ryuen complained, feeling wronged. Still, no one bothered to respond. Ryuen felt a bit awkward but eventually stood up, rubbing the painful slash marks as he walked toward the camp. Sigh, after training his subordinates, they started turning against him~~~ In these six years, they didn't just travel across the islands of East Blue, but, except for Leah, they had all learned Haki. Even Leah, with her current physical strength, could now use Marine Rokushiki proficiently. Kuina had also broken through to becoming a great swordsman; her swordsmanship talent was truly impressive. Ryuen felt that even Zoro couldn't keep up with her. As for Ryuen's own strength, he should be able to dominate East Blue by now~~~ "Hey!" "Our Ryuen captain, Bellemere is asking when we'll be heading back!" Nojiko asked with a Transponder Snail, clearly talking to Bellemere on the other end. "Has the ship arrived?" Ryuen directly asked. "That's right, the ship has already arrived at Cococcia Village. Bellemere said it appeared there in the middle of the night." Nojiko replied. "Then, let's head back tomorrow~~~" Ryuen thought for a moment before making his decision. Nojiko nodded upon hearing this, then continued talking to Bellemere, telling her about their plan to leave the next day. As they reached the camp, Ryuen immediately tore off his torn clothes, revealing his well-toned muscles and solid chest. His body was well-defined, with every muscle brimming with strength, making it hard not to be impressed. He then walked into the tent to find some new clothes to change into. Outside the camp, the six people had already begun roasting the sea king they had caught that day. The roaring flames licked at the meat, releasing a tempting aroma. The whole camp was filled with the savory smell, making everyone's mouth water. The large black eagle, smelling the scent, immediately fixed its sharp eyes on the roast meat, saliva dripping from its beak. It looked eager to have a taste. "We'll have to say goodbye to this island tomorrow..." "Time flies, it doesn't feel like long, and we're already adults..." "We'll be leaving this place for now..." "I'll miss it. We've been here for six years..." When Ryuen came out after changing, he saw the group talking about leaving with a hint of sadness but still happily eating the roasted sea king meat. "Hypocrites..." Ryuen muttered, then sat down with them. Suddenly, six sharp, icy glares shot towards him, instantly giving him a cold shiver. "Hahaha!" "I didn't say anything, really. Let's drink, let's drink!" "Cheers!" Ryuen let out an awkward laugh and raised his glass. "Hmph, I'll let you off this time..." "Cheers!!!" 7 After a lively banquet, the sun slowly set below the horizon. The next morning, the seven woke up early. They were heading back today, so no one was training. Everyone was excited, as after returning, they would set sail for the Grand Line! --- ---- You can read 10 Chapters ahead on my pat reon.com/GMadman