"11,100! 11,101! 11,102!"
On the land of Upper Yard, Zoro was drenched in sweat as he trained along the shore.
Gripped in his hands was a massive iron rod.
A straight iron staff threaded with ring after ring of solid iron—each ring alone heavier than a man, large enough to crush a Sky Island warrior outright.
Yet for him, it was nothing more than a standard training tool.
Training began at sunrise.
After all, he was no longer needed to stand night watch. Previously, because the Iron Knights lacked sufficient combat strength, Zoro had to act as the final safeguard to prevent any accidents.
After the Angels of Glory appeared, Zoro was effectively half-retired from night duty. His schedule returned from half-day, half-night shifts to proper days and restful nights.
As a result—
His training hours increased accordingly.
Still,
Today, Zoro stopped after twenty thousand swings. After returning to the ship to change clothes, he headed into the forest of Upper Yard.
Sky Lord · Nola.
This colossal giant serpent, whose scales were tougher than steel, had recently become Zoro's sparring target.
Enormous. Powerful. And unbelievably tough.
If he didn't take it seriously, Zoro's blades couldn't even pierce its scales.
Of course—
If he used the level of attacks he once unleashed against Ohm and Enel, he believed he could still injure the Sky Lord.
But on Ren's instructions,
This giant serpent was no longer on the list for elimination.
The hostility between sides had eased after the Shandians rang the Golden Belfry.
At least for now, the serpent wasn't a problem.
Keeping an eye on it had also become one of Zoro's current duties. His other task was ensuring that workers entering Upper Yard would not come to harm.
On the deck of the Enlightenment,
Nojiko watched Zoro's retreating figure and shook her head.
He was still as hardworking as ever—or perhaps it was a pure pursuit of strength.
With a sigh, she turned and entered the kitchen on the first deck of the Enlightenment, placing the prepared dishes into insulated containers.
As the ship's cook, her daily routine was actually quite simple.
Prepare meals before mealtime, then clean up afterward.
However—
Today was exceptionally quiet.
Not long after the meeting ended, Robin and Mr. Karasu had already left the sky yesterday.
According to Ren, they went down to the Blue Sea, apparently to meet someone for a very important discussion.
Urouge had been reassigned by Ren to manage affairs on Sky Island.
No matter how you looked at it, as a Sky Island native himself, he was far more acceptable to Angel Island's residents than someone from the Blue Sea.
Worth mentioning—
Conis and her elderly father, who had been kidnapped previously, had wanted nothing more than to thank Ren in person.
But when they came to report it, Nami happened to be present, and Ren flatly refused.
After that,
Vivi led Wyper and the Shandian warriors to areas outside Skypiea.
The remnants of the Sky Pirate Alliance still posed risks, requiring combat personnel to ensure safe movement.
The Angels of Glory were divided into squads and scattered about, and they had no real need for food.
Most of the time, simply absorbing light energy was sufficient.
That said, Ren had once mentioned—
Though Angels of Glory didn't require food, they were actually quite interested in it, likely due to some internal modification.
Nojiko could only pray that wasn't true. Otherwise, cooking for over five hundred people at once would be far beyond her workload.
All things considered,
The only ones left on the Enlightenment were Zoro, Nami, Nojiko, and Ren.
Of course—
Due to certain irresistible factors, Nojiko hadn't seen either Ren or Nami at all since morning.
She helplessly looked up at the ceiling, recalling the rhythmic thudding sounds she'd heard the previous night.
"Even if it's a first time for both of them, one whole night is way too insane… That Ren, seriously."
She muttered under her breath, though beneath it was an inexplicable sense of urgency.
As for the Ren she was complaining about—
He was not sleeping in.
Since staying up late was unhealthy, he had simply chosen to stay awake all night.
Golden sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows into the bedroom.
A chaotic "battlefield" littered the entire room.
With just one glance, vivid and blood-boiling memories leapt back at him.
The wall—
He remembered bending forward, bracing himself with both hands.
Then the sofa, the window—
No, he couldn't think about it anymore.
Ren realized he was slipping back into combat mode.
But—
The other companion who had stayed up all night "fighting" him was clearly at her limit.
"Ren… no more."
Nami curled up against him limply like melted clay, her flushed face filled with firm resolve.
One fair hand gripped his wrists firmly, while the other restrained his advance.
If this keeps going, I'll die!
Though unspoken, her eyes said it all.
"That's it? You're done already?"
Ren pulled back and gave a teasing squeeze, leaving his handprint behind on soft peaks.
Smiling playfully, he wrapped an arm around Nami's slender waist.
"Weren't you the one who said you'd teach me beforehand? Why is it that when you finally get to be the teacher, you're bad at practice and weak on theory?"
"I was wrong."
Nami panted, eyes hazy, burying her face in the hollow of his shoulder.
"Hmph. Fine, then."
Ren withdrew his hand and gave the Breathing Regeneration trait a thoughtful look.
From every perspective, it truly was a godlike ability.
[Effect: When injured or when stamina is expended, if not under attack, the user recovers HP and stamina by breathing. This ability ignores injury status during recovery until fully restored.
HP recovery rate: 1% per 5 minutes.
Stamina recovery rate: 1% per minute.]
Originally, he'd assumed it only referred to strength and health values.
But after last night with Nami, he realized its true nature was state restoration.
"Full state" meant complete physical recovery except for mental fatigue.
Vital essence was included within the effect.
Which explained why Ren still felt unsatisfied even now.
Of course—
He wasn't a devil. He let Nami go to sleep.
Looking at the orange locks peeking out from beneath the red blanket, Ren dressed, stepped across the damp floor, and went downstairs to eat and prepare for work.
Business was business; personal matters were personal.
This wasn't the time to get lost in pleasure.
He took the opportunity to visit Haredas, and also secured a sum of funds from Gan Fall.
Five hundred million Beli wasn't much—
Considering Sky Island's environment, it was reasonable, and conversion wouldn't be instantaneous.
After securing funds for future draws, he went to check on the Sky Lord in Upper Yard, clearly mulling something over.
In short—
Captain Ren was still busy even after the war.
There were too many matters requiring his decisions, screening, and defined boundaries.
These seemingly tangled trivialities would eventually connect into a striking "result."
But that would take time.
By evening,
Nami changed into a more conservative outfit and sat in the dining room, hair in disarray.
Her sleepy eyes made it obvious—she'd just woken up.
Because she had.
Nojiko held a comb, carefully tending Nami's long orange hair, while food warmed in the pot behind them.
"I'm starving, Sis."
Nami muttered, sounding like a sulky child.
Naturally—
This only ever happened in front of Nojiko.
Even Ren rarely saw this side of her.
Perhaps—
This was the bond between sisters.
Though bonds brought more than just reliance—
They also blurred boundaries.
"What?"
Nojiko set down the comb and pinched Nami's flushed cheek teasingly.
"Did Ren not feed you enough last night?"
"Sis!"
"All right, all right—don't shout. You were noisy enough last night already."
Nojiko continued to tease her as Nami rolled her eyes.
She tied Nami's hair into a bun and leaned closer, whispering into her ear.
"So? Any details worth sharing?"
"No!"
Nami jerked her head back, glaring in shame and frustration.
What was there to share—being completely overwhelmed in every way?!
She'd thought she'd retain some initiative.
After all, Ren always seemed so pure, so harmless.
But once it really started—
Though they were both rookies in practice, Ren's theoretical knowledge far surpassed hers.
She couldn't even remember how many tricks there had been.
The clearest memories were two things—
First, the "umbrella" process.She'd never imagined it could be done that way.
Second—
Losing control last night.
Tilting her head over the bed as Ren took full initiative.
Thinking of it made her cheeks burn again.
"Hah, so something did happen."
Nojiko pinched her soft cheek again and began plating the dishes.
She finally took out an empty transparent glass, ready to pour milk—
Only to be stopped.
"Not today."
Nami shook her head subtly at the pure white liquid.
Milk wasn't her favorite, but she didn't hate it either.
Just a common mealtime drink.
But—
After last night, seeing milk gave her an intense sense of déjà vu.
Which immediately led her mind somewhere else.
Then her taste buds would dredge up an indescribable memory.
Just thinking about it makes me mad. I'll punch him twice tonight!
Nami clenched her fists and waved them angrily.
After all—this counted as being bullied, right?
"Suit yourself."
Nojiko laughed at Nami's clearly unpleasant memories, then added,
"Leaving your stomach a bit empty is fine. We should deal with that soon anyway."
That?
Ah—
She meant the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
(End of Chapter)