In Badak's memory, Adrian was a stern middle-aged man. He knew where Adrian lived—he had even been there before. As a child, his original self had accompanied his parents to a banquet at Adrian's estate, a sprawling manor. His parents had told him that without noble status, no merchant, no matter how wealthy, was permitted to own such a property. Adrian held significant influence in the royal capital—someone not to be crossed.
How should I deal with him? His noble status is a bit troublesome. Best if he disappears quietly. Got it—you're up, Somersault Cloud!
Drawing on his memories, Badak circled the sky a few times before quickly locating Adrian's residence. He approached stealthily—sure enough, this was Adrian's room.
"You didn't even close the window properly? That's just careless! Learn your lesson in the next life!"Badak maneuvered the Somersault Cloud into the room, completely covering Adrian with a large mass that left him unable to move. Then, a portion of it extended into Adrian's nostrils, completely blocking his airways.
Adrian had regained consciousness by now, but he was completely unable to resist. His entire body felt as if it were trapped in quicksand—utterly immobile. Within moments, he passed out from lack of oxygen, then silently died in his unconscious state.
Badak waited a little longer to confirm the viscount was thoroughly dead before controlling the Somersault Cloud to rise. Instead of retracting it, he manipulated the cloud to lock all the doors and windows of the room from the inside, then dismissed it entirely.
"All done. Time to head back!"
A new Somersault Cloud materialized beneath Badak's feet, carrying him back home.
The next day, Badak woke up as usual for training and even prepared breakfast for his companions.
Andrew, his head wrapped in bandages, came to find Badak. "Sir, as per your instructions, I've taken control of all the Night Wolf Gang members. They're all in position now—any unusual activity will be reported directly to you." Glancing around, he lowered his voice conspiratorially. "Sir, Viscount Adrian passed away last night. They found him this morning—doors and windows locked, death by suffocation. Rumor has it the capital is sending investigators."
"Oh? Is that so? Nobles are human too, and humans die. Perfectly normal, isn't it? Tell the men to keep an eye out for news brought by outsiders at the port, especially anything about Ghosts, zombies, or grave robbing."
"Ghosts and zombies? Sir, aren't those just legends?"
"Enough chatter. Report to me the moment you hear anything. Now go."
...
Two peaceful weeks passed in the blink of an eye. The royal investigator sent to look into Adrian's death found nothing and returned empty-handed.
Badak had half-expected them to trace the matter back to him—after all, nobles didn't need evidence to make accusations. If they said it was you, then it was you, whether true or not.
Badak kept himself busy every day. Beyond physical training, martial arts, and swordsmanship, he also studied navigation and meteorology. Sometimes, he joined Mansherry and Leo in learning world history from Robin. Eventually, he delegated all Night Wolf Gang liaison work to Robin, who handled it with flawless efficiency.
Through relentless training, Badak's skills advanced further. Of the Six Styles, he'd mastered all except Paper Drawing. His swordsmanship showed even greater progress—his blade now moved fluidly, like an extension of his arm, with none of his earlier stiffness. One more breakthrough, and he'd reach the level of a swordsmaster capable of Iron Cutting and Flying Slashes.
Leo was making rapid progress too. The dwarves were naturally gifted, and Leo, being young and previously untrained, improved at astonishing speed. He'd already mastered Shave from the Six Styles, moving so fast he was nearly undetectable. He often went out to play pranks on passersby, and no one had ever caught him in the act. He'd also studied the "Complete Guide to Knitting," though in combat, direct stitching proved far more practical.
Neither Mansherry nor Robin focused on combat training. Badak only required them to maintain sufficient physical fitness to use their abilities effectively, while primarily developing their Devil Fruit powers. Combat skills could wait until they'd mastered those.Mansherry had made significant progress in her abilities due to frequently creating dandelions for Badak. As for Robin, Badak often discussed Devil Fruit development with her, sharing skills she would later master in advance—such as giant limbs, clones, and demon forms. When Robin would develop these abilities remained unknown.
"Badak, there's news about Ghosts. A crew member claims to have encountered them on an island," Robin said straightforwardly as she approached with a map.
"An island?"
"Yes. He didn't know the island's name, but it seemed to have been wiped out by pirates—no survivors left."
"Did he describe the Ghosts?"
"White, floating in the air, several of them."
"That's it. The person I'm looking for has appeared. Robin, since you're here, I assume you've pinpointed the island's location?"
"Mm," Robin unfolded the map and pointed to a region. "Roughly this area. There are several small islands there. The sailor couldn't specify which one, so we'll have to investigate ourselves."
"You're so reliable, Robin! Perfect timing—I've just learned navigation and can't wait to set sail."
"In that case, I'll arrange for the Night Wolf Gang to prepare supplies so we can depart."
"Good. I'll get Leo and Mansherry ready. We might just gain another new companion."
"Is it this Ghost? Badak, is the Ghost also a Devil Fruit user?"
"Yes. A Paramecia-type Devil Fruit—can summon Ghosts and even separate their soul from their body to fly. It's an excellent ability."
"Alright. We should be able to depart this afternoon. The weather's perfect too."
With that, Robin left to make the necessary arrangements.
Shortly after noon, at the harbor, Badak boarded the White Dragon Horse—the pirate ship he had previously seized—with Robin, Leo, and Mansherry. The Handsome Monkey King was secured atop the White Dragon Horse as a lifeboat.
Robin and Mansherry checked the supplies while Badak and Leo inspected the ship. Once everything was confirmed to be in order, the four worked together to row the ship out of the harbor. Badak then raised the sails, and the White Dragon Horse gradually sailed into the distance.
"Captain Badak, how long will we be at sea this time?"
"Leo, how long would you like to sail?"
"Me? I'm fine with anything."
"Hahaha, 'anything'? Then let's sail a bit longer. This trip, I aim to find us another companion."
"Is the companion strong?"
"You'll see when we meet them. Training must continue—Leo, Mansherry, Robin, I'm spreading out the Somersault Cloud."
With that, Badak laid the Somersault Cloud across the deck of the White Dragon Horse. The cloud beneath their feet extended upward, forming four cloud garments, each with varying densities—representing different downward pressures exerted by the cloud. Badak's was naturally the densest, while Robin's was the lightest. Even as the four moved about, the cloud garments followed seamlessly, without any sense of resistance.This was something Badak could only achieve after gaining a deeper mastery of his Somersault Cloud ability. It avoided the previous issue of mutual interference and provided an extra safety measure for everyone, ensuring no one would fall overboard into the water.
"We must find a crewmate responsible for salvage in the future. The number of Devil Fruit users on the ship keeps increasing."