Only Nami held onto the railing tightly, refusing to let go, no matter how much Nojiko tried to pull her closer to the island.
"No way, I don't want to!" Nami cried, teary-eyed, "You know I'm terrified of lightning! Every time there was thunder when I was little, I couldn't sleep unless I crawled into my brother's bed."
"Idiot!"
Nojiko, annoyed, tugged at her ear, "That was then, this is now, you're a Logia-type Ability User now, lightning can't hit you, what are you afraid of?"
"I know, but it's still scary!"
Nami shook her head like a rattle, refusing to budge.
So Nojiko had no choice but to leave Nuomi with her and set out alone from the Endgame.
Nuomi usually loved new experiences and should have been eager to explore the island.
But for some reason, since this morning, Nuomi seemed lethargic and couldn't keep his eyes open.
Nami and Nojiko were puzzled, but seeing this little one snuggle into Nami's arms and sleep soundly, he didn't seem sick, so they didn't worry much about it.
...
Two hours passed in the blink of an eye.
The sky gradually darkened.
In the center of Thunder God Island, beside the black rock peak, Katakuri used his awakened ability to transform the surrounding rocks into mochi, constructing a sturdy round house.
This relatively enclosed space blocked out the external thunder noise, making it quite silent.
"Regarding how to refine and progress Observation further, the key points in philosophy are these."
Katakuri sat in the center, speaking deeply, "With your talent, you should easily grasp the principles, but to truly achieve it, you indeed need to slowly comprehend it through practical experience."
"How exactly to proceed is up to you to arrange."
Shano was savoring the content he'd just heard, and he grinned, "Don't be too formal, you're my teacher now, you can push me as you wish."
"I dare not, sir."
Katakuri waved his hand repeatedly, knowing Shano's words were mere politeness, not to be taken seriously.
With a thought, the mochi round house surrounding them disappeared instantly, revealing the terrifying scene of the thunderstorm outside.
The lightning in the island's center was noticeably denser than at the periphery, continuously striking down without stopping.
"As you said before landing on the island, using the thunderstorms on Thunder God Island to aid in sharpening Observation is unmatched."
Though they were merely an arms' length apart, Katakuri was shouting at the top of his lungs, as only this could barely overpower the deafening thunder.
"In the center of a thunderstorm of this scale, human sensory perception, no matter how acute, is largely impaired, but refining Observation becomes markedly effective!"
"Next, I will demarcate an area in the densest part of the thunderstorm, and within this area, please try to dodge all the lightning."
"You must not actively intercept lightning, nor use Haki, nor Fruit Ability… Oh, you're not a Fruit Ability User, you can ignore that last point."
"In essence, you must rely solely on your physical body, forsaking all external aids. Only then, under the threats and perils of this thunderstorm, can you trigger the full potential of Observation..."
Katakuri's voice abruptly stopped because at that precise moment, a massive bolt of lightning, as thick as a car wheel, crashed down, exploding atop Shano's head.
Crack!
After a loud crash, a huge concave pit appeared on the ground, yet Shano remained seated, as if nothing had happened, attentively listening to Katakuri's words.
Seeing him stop, Shano cast a puzzled look, "What's up?"
"Nothing..."
Katakuri's eye twitched; with Fruit Ability or Armament Haki, he could easily brush off lightning of this magnitude.
But Shano relied solely on his physical body...
Could it be that he, like his mother, naturally possessed a talent similar to the "Steel Balloon"?
"Sir, it seems the training plan requires slight modifications."
Katakuri chuckled awkwardly.