KUUUU! CHAAA!
After leaving Gales' heavily tense Navy ship, Joy Boy's vessel merged once again into the open blue sea.
Ritter made his decision quickly.
He would send Buffon and his people to Brubu Island, the "paradise" wrapped in his blood mist, completely isolated from the world.
A refuge hidden from the era itself.
In a world where no one had the strength of figures like Morax, survival often meant hiding. And sometimes, hiding was not a bad thing at all.
"That place is decent," Ritter said to Buffon. "Just a bit empty. You'll be joining the original tribe there. More people means more strength. Staying there for a few decades or even a century won't hurt. At least you won't go extinct."
He paused, then added meaningfully,
"Besides, you people were brave enough to stand up for the beasts and even dare to express anger toward a Navy Admiral. Character-wise… you pass."
Buffon trusted Ritter completely.
When he had no power, Ritter had stood between him and Admiral Gales without hesitation.
When Buffon sought revenge, Ritter had helped him achieve it.
Even the most rational boy would trust someone like that more than others.
Ritter: On the Grand Line, I, the "Mist Lord" Ritter, also have another title.
The legendary Kindergarten King.
Buffon nodded firmly.
"Thank you, Big Brother Ritter! We'll follow your arrangements!"
And so, the destination was set.
Brubu Island.
The voyage no longer had pursuers. No imminent danger. The sea was unusually calm.
Ritter quickly became bored.
Ritter entered full idle mode.
He watched the three kids fishing on deck.
Nice.
Of course, he would not waste this precious "free time."
Training began immediately.
And somewhere in his mind, Ritter even understood why figures like Roger had been so obsessed with training when they were young.
On deck, A-Xing stood in a horse stance, face flushed purple.
"1001, 1002, 1003… 10,000… 100,000…"
She had not actually reached one million.
She was stuck at the terrifying threshold of "thousand," as if the number itself had become an insurmountable wall.
Ritter leaned lazily against the ship railing, sipping a red fruit juice he somehow conjured up, slurping through a straw.
He watched like someone enjoying a military drill.
He took a bite of something imaginary, as if it were watermelon under the sun.
Then he muttered casually,
"Oh? Isn't this our future female pirate A-Xing? Still stuck at the '0' gate? Planning to call yourself the 'Zero Witch' in the future?"
A-Xing glared at him, fuming, but she did not dare stop.
So she just continued silently screaming with her eyes.
Ritter: Nice.
Nearby, A-Yang was doing push-ups, his form much more solid now. His muscles were starting to show definition.
Ritter's basic training had clearly paid off.
Buffon, the newest addition, was jogging laps around the deck for recovery training.
Even though his Beast Tamer ability had awakened, allowing him to communicate with and command beasts, his physical foundation was still extremely weak.
After just a few laps, he was already gasping for breath.
"Are you sure you're the son of a hunter?" Ritter said lazily. "Your stamina is worse than I thought."
Buffon panted, "R-Ritter big brother… don't measure distance by laps. That's unfair…"
The ship itself was massive, so large that Buffon had once mistaken Ritter's ship for decoration.
This was also why Joy Boy's ship had a catapult-like design.
Because otherwise, docking something like this would have been ridiculous.
Joy Boy looked at Buffon's frail body and immediately activated his "efficient training brain."
"Buffon! You're training too slowly! If you want to get strong fast, you need real pressure! Like me back then! Tie a rope around your waist and drag it behind the ship! Let Sea Kings chase you! Fight them! If you survive, you'll be reborn! Hahaha!"
He stretched his rubber arm toward Buffon, ready to demonstrate his so-called Garp-certified survival training method.
Ritter did not even look up.
He snapped his fingers lightly.
A strand of blood mist formed a small hand and slapped Joy Boy's rubber wrist.
Not hard. Just enough to stop him.
"Go play somewhere else, rubber brain."
Ritter's voice was lazy.
"That kind of 'either become a god or die trying' training only works for a rubber monster like you. Normal people? Especially someone who just went through trauma and is as fragile as paper? You'd kill them ten times over."
Joy Boy retracted his arm, rubbing his wrist.
"But it really works…"
"Effective doesn't matter if the death rate is too high. Rejected."
Ritter's tone was final.
Then he looked at Buffon.
"Remember this. Fear is normal. Being afraid of Sea Kings is normal."
"What matters is not rushing in blindly. Real courage is knowing the danger and still choosing to face it."
He pointed at A-Yang and A-Xing.
"Start with basics. Build your body first. Your ability is special. It needs a strong foundation to support it."
"As for how to use it, take your time. I'll be here to make sure you don't get ruined by some rubber idiot's stupid ideas."
He glanced at Joy Boy.
Joy Boy: ?
Buffon exhaled deeply, then nodded.
"I understand, Big Brother Ritter. I won't rush it."
On the deck, sweat, effort, Joy Boy's complaints, and Ritter's sharp commentary blended into a strange but lively rhythm.
Fear had been their first instinct.
But now, sweat and persistence were quietly becoming something else.
A new kind of courage.
Ritter took another sip of juice, his crimson eyes scanning the three children.
A faint smile formed at the corner of his mouth.
Seeds had been planted.
Now all that remained was to see what kind of trees the sea would grow from them.
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