Three days later.
Above the Devil's Sea, the heavens raged.
Dark clouds blanketed the sky.
A jagged bolt of lightning tore through the blackness, illuminating the churning sea below.
The wind howled and twisted, dragging thick curtains of sea mist across the island's shore.
Thunder rumbled in the distance, deep and unending.
The storm seemed alive—its fury pressing down on the tiny desert island like the weight of the world.
Towering waves slammed against the cliffs, exploding into foam that drenched Kuzan and Boa as they faced one another in the open.
Far out at sea, a whirlpool spun like a black eye, devouring everything in reach—fish, coral, even the drifting gravel.
The island itself trembled under the storm's roar.
A flash of light tore across the sky, lightning slamming down on the rocky shore with a deafening crack.
Rain followed, pouring down in thick sheets as the heavens opened wide.
And amidst that chaos—
The clash of fists and scales shook the island.
"Hyahhh!"
Kuzan's arm, wrapped in obsidian Haki, smashed against Boa's armored hide.
The Sea King retaliated instantly, its massive tail sweeping through the rain like a steel whip.
The impact sent Kuzan flying into a boulder—
boom!
Stone shattered like glass, fragments scattering into the mud.
Kuzan pushed himself up, chest heaving, eyes glinting through the downpour.
Boa lunged again, jaws wide, but Kuzan sidestepped and drove a punch straight into its side.
Another thunderclap echoed—
a contest of raw strength and will.
For three days straight, man and beast had been fighting without rest.
Both were scarred and soaked, but neither was willing to yield.
They'd already pushed their Armament Haki to advanced levels—now they sought refinement through battle itself.
Lightning struck nearby, searing the ground.
Kuzan's body flickered into icy mist for a moment, his elemental form diffusing the charge. The pain still burned through him, but he gritted his teeth.
Boa, on the other hand, hardly flinched. The creature's scales absorbed the lightning, muscles flexing under its silvery hide.
To it, thunder was little more than a nuisance.
But even pain had become training here.
The Devil's Sea, with its endless storms, was the perfect forge for Haki.
Every strike of lightning tempered their bodies; every drop of rain carried weight.
Kuzan thought to himself, a wry smile curling on his lips—
"If only that Sky Island fool, Enel, had trained like this… A Thunder Fruit user without Armament Haki. What a waste."
He ducked another strike, countering with a precise hook that sent Boa skidding backward through the mud.
"You're getting stronger, Boa," Kuzan called, panting. "That hit felt like a damn cannonball."
Boa didn't answer—only roared and lunged again, tail whipping across the ground.
Kuzan braced, letting the impact slam into him, forcing his Armament to harden under the pressure. The shock rippled through his body.
He didn't mind. This pain was progressing.
Over a year together had bonded them like brothers.
He no longer saw Boa as a mere creature of the sea—but as family.
And he refused to let the family fall again.
"Next time we meet, Redfield," he muttered, "you won't be bleeding all over the ocean. We'll stand together."
Their training resumed. Blow after blow echoed across the island.
Kuzan's fists struck like meteors, each laced with Haki so dense it distorted the air.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Boa roared, charging through the storm. Kuzan's knuckles connected again, sending waves crashing around them.
Eventually, the two collapsed—battered, exhausted, and steaming in the rain.
Kuzan pressed a palm to Boa's wounds, summoning water from the air.
A swirling sphere of seawater formed around the Sea King, glowing faintly blue.
Through that medium, Kuzan poured his own energy, channeling his Ice-Healing Technique to knit Boa's torn flesh and scales.
Minutes later, the massive creature exhaled, its body whole once more.
The storm outside still raged, but within the island's ice dome, the world was still.
Kuzan ducked into the igloo he had built—a curved fortress of reinforced ice, sturdy enough to withstand even lightning strikes.
Boa followed, curling comfortably by the entrance, its amber eyes glowing faintly in the dark.
Inside, Kuzan lit a small flame in a hollowed-out pit, roasting strips of Sea King meat on a skewer.
The smell filled the air—simple, wild, comforting.
He leaned back, exhaling. "You know… for a Devil's Sea, this place isn't so bad."
Boa rumbled softly in reply, the sound like distant thunder.
Kuzan chuckled, tossing another chunk of meat.
The rain outside softened into a steady patter.
Inside the igloo, man and beast shared their meal in silence—content, alive, and stronger than before.
When the fire dimmed, Kuzan leaned against Boa's side, eyes growing heavy.
"We'll leave soon," he murmured. "But tonight… just rest."
The wind howled outside.
Thunder rolled across the Devil's Sea.
And inside the frozen dome, the two drifted into sleep.
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