"Almost there. I've basically mastered the technique of releasing the shockwave outside the body."
After kicking out the final shockwave, Kaito Arisawa finally stopped moving.
His breathing was short, and sweat covered both his face and body. Despite the exhaustion, a satisfied smile appeared on his lips as he looked at the massive ice wall opposite him.
The wall had been severely damaged.
The state of combat-talent concentration had truly lived up to his expectations.
Relying on Absolute Mastery and the enhancement of extraordinary talent, he had successfully completed his first breakthrough.
Whoosh—
While catching his breath, Kaito adjusted the distribution of his talent attributes again, shifting them back to Constitution in order to recover his stamina more quickly.
Almost instantly, a steady stream of vitality surged through his body.
His breathing gradually calmed, and the exhaustion that had weighed down his muscles rapidly faded.
After wiping the sweat from his face, Kaito casually stretched his body.
Crack!
His bones produced a series of crisp sounds as he loosened his joints.
"Now that my stamina is fully restored, the second stage of the breakthrough can begin."
"Although the Eight-Impact Fist is excellent, it's definitely not the limit of physical techniques."
"Next, I can attempt to merge the Six Powers—and even Haki—into it."
"That way I can create a martial art that truly belongs to me."
As he finished stretching, Kaito's eyes burned with ambition.
His main discipline was swordsmanship, while physical techniques were technically only a secondary focus.
But cultivation was cultivation.
He never allowed himself to slack off.
Releasing the shockwave outside his body was only the first step.
Kaito had far greater ambitions.
After pushing the Eight-Impact Fist to its limit, his next goal was to build an entirely new martial art system based on it.
Once his stamina had recovered, Kaito immediately shifted his talent attributes back toward combat and began a second round of training.
The essence of martial arts lay in the use of the body.
Therefore, regardless of the style of combat technique, they always shared certain similarities.
This was also true for the Eight-Impact Fist and the Six Powers, which Kaito intended to combine.
In the next phase of training, he began examining the common foundations of the two systems.
From there, he extracted the useful elements and discarded what was unnecessary.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Soon, thunderous roars once again echoed across the frozen plains.
The massive iceberg Kaito had been using as his training target continued to crumble under the assault, as if crying out under the constant barrage of shockwaves.
One day passed.
Then another.
Without realizing it, three days had passed since the War Pirates arrived at the Treasure Jade Iceberg.
"There's movement!"
"A large number of ships have appeared in the distance!"
"Launch the signal flare! The target is confirmed—it's the fleet of the Eight Treasures Navy!"
"All units prepare for battle!"
"So they've finally arrived."
"I was starting to think the Eight Treasures Navy didn't dare show up."
"Perfect timing. I've been wanting to test my new ability in real combat."
Although Don Chinjao had been slow to respond, abandoning the Treasure Jade Iceberg was clearly never an option.
Finally, at noon on the third day, a fleet appeared on the horizon in the direction of the iceberg.
The members of the War Pirates stationed as lookouts immediately spotted the fleet through their telescopes.
When they recognized the sail insignias of the Eight Treasures Navy, the long-awaited enemy had finally arrived.
The entire camp immediately sprang into action.
Whoosh! Boom!
A signal flare shot high into the sky.
It exploded into a brilliant burst of red fireworks that lingered overhead.
"Assemble! Everyone follow me to reinforce the front!"
"Finally!"
"I was worried they'd run away!"
"Looks like it's time to test our strength!"
Across the battlefield, War Pirates who saw the signal flare immediately began mobilizing.
Each unit quickly gathered and moved toward the designated point.
This included the senior officers.
Robin and the other cadres also responded immediately.
Lafayette, who had been stationed guarding one direction, saw the signal flare and his eyes lit up with excitement.
Without hesitation, he used Shave and dashed away at top speed.
Robin and the others did the same.
After quickly assembling their units, they all headed toward the signal flare.
Whoosh!
On top of a nearby iceberg close to the signal location, a figure suddenly appeared.
It was Kaito.
Standing with his arms folded across his chest, he gazed calmly at the approaching fleet.
"Interesting."
"It seems they at least had the sense to bring reinforcements."
In the distance, the fleet sailing toward the Treasure Jade Iceberg was quite large.
There were more than thirty ships in total.
Although many of them were smaller and inferior compared to the vessels of the War Pirates, each ship could still carry two or three hundred men.
Based on the number of ships, Kaito quickly estimated the size of the incoming force.
If fully loaded, the fleet could easily transport over ten thousand soldiers.
In other words, the Eight Treasures Navy had mobilized a force comparable in numbers to the War Pirates.
However, Kaito showed no sign of tension whatsoever.
Instead, an interested smile appeared on his face.
This reaction came not only from his lack of concern about casualties, but also from his confidence in his crew.
Numbers alone meant nothing.
Victory was not determined by quantity.
It was determined by quality.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Soon after the signal flare was launched, the War Pirates gathered rapidly along the coast.
At the same time, the Eight Treasures Navy fleet approaching from the sea also spotted the pirates assembled along the shoreline.
There was no need for negotiations.
As soon as the distance between the two sides reached firing range, the fleet of the Eight Treasures Navy opened fire.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Cannons thundered across the sea.
But the War Pirates were just as prepared.
Although their ships had been moved away earlier to prevent damage to the treasure, Kaito had anticipated this battle.
Beforehand, he had ordered his crew to relocate every portable cannon from the ships to the coastline.
Thus, when the Eight Treasures Navy fired their first volley, the War Pirates responded immediately.
Cannons positioned along the frozen coast roared to life.
The two sides exchanged fierce bombardments across the sea.
Shells streaked through the air.
Many collided mid-flight.
Each collision erupted into violent explosions, turning the sky and sea into something resembling a grand fireworks display.
Along the coastline, the War Pirates calmly endured the first wave of artillery exchange.
The remaining shells fired by the Eight Treasures Navy soon rained down upon the shore.
But the pirates showed no panic.
Instead, they reacted with discipline and efficiency.
Some remained at their cannons, continuing to fire.
Others moved quickly behind nearby icebergs, using the natural terrain as cover.
Every movement was orderly and composed.
The battle between the War Pirates and the Eight Treasures Navy had officially begun.
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