On the deck of the warship.
"Colonel Bai Yu, it's the appointed time."
A marine soldier under Bai Yu's command respectfully reported.
At this moment, Bai Yu stood silently at the bow, gazing toward the village on Aska Island.
But the silhouette he was hoping to see still hadn't appeared.
"Colonel Bai Yu,"
Koby stepped up beside him and spoke with a soft sigh.
"It seems Maya won't be leaving with us after all."
Bai Yu was silent for a moment.
Then, with a small shake of his head, he gave the order calmly.
"Set sail."
The signal was given.
With steady discipline, the warship crew responded immediately. The anchor was hoisted, sails adjusted, and the ship began to depart from the calm shores of Aska Island.
The voyage resumed.
As the vessel gradually pulled away, Bai Yu turned to return to his daily sword training routine—a practice that had long since become second nature to him.
Just then—
"Bai Yu!"
A familiar voice cried out from the coast.
Bai Yu immediately turned back, eyes widening.
There, on the shoreline, stood Maya—alone but unwavering—waving both hands toward the departing ship with all her might.
"I want to go with you!" she shouted. "Take me to see a world beyond this one!"
At that moment, Bai Yu couldn't help but smile warmly.
"Geppō!" (Moonwalk)
In an instant, Bai Yu leapt high into the sky. His feet rhythmically struck the air, using the advanced Marine technique to propel himself across the sea breeze.
Within seconds, he landed gracefully in front of Maya.
"You're not allowed to be this bad with time anymore," he said with a playful grin.
"Okay!" Maya smiled brightly, nodding without hesitation.
"Hold on."
With that, Bai Yu wrapped one arm around Maya's slender waist.
Fwoosh!
Using Moonwalk once more, Bai Yu launched into the air, carrying Maya with him.
With a swift arc across the sky, they landed back on the warship's deck.
"Welcome aboard!"
"Our Branch 188 finally has a girl now!"
"Don't say it like that! You're scaring her!"
"Hahaha!"
The marines burst into laughter and cheerful banter, surrounding the pair with warmth and excitement.
Maya laughed too, covering her mouth, overwhelmed by the friendliness of the crew.
"Thank you, Navy brothers!"
"Thank you, Colonel Bai Yu!"
"I'll come back and visit when I can—Aska Island will always be home!"
Just then, from the distant coastline, came another wave of shouts.
A crowd had gathered.
Nearly the entire population of Aska Island had come to see them off, their voices rising above the waves.
"Thank you, Navy! Come back soon!"
"Be safe out there!"
Seeing this, Bai Yu rolled his eyes with mock annoyance—but his heart swelled with warmth.
This… this was what true justice felt like.
Not the blind enforcement of law.
But trust, protection, and gratitude.
No pirate ever got a sendoff like this.
"Full speed ahead!"
"Return to Branch 188!"
Bai Yu snapped back to focus and gave the order decisively.
Under his command, the warship accelerated, sailing into the open seas once more.
---
Later that afternoon.
Bai Yu brought Maya to the training deck where he practiced his sword swings daily.
[Ding! Host has successfully accepted confidant: Maya]
[Received Training Manual: Advanced Witch Skills]
As soon as Maya formally joined his crew, the system triggered a new notification.
Maya was now officially a confidant.
And with her, came a unique training manual—one related to advanced miko (priestess) arts.
"Maya," Bai Yu said, calling her over casually, "I found this during one of my missions, hidden among some ruins. It might be useful for someone like you."
He reached into the system panel mentally and retrieved the manual, then handed it to her.
"A manual about witches?" Maya asked, curious, as she received the pristine book.
She opened it and began skimming through the pages.
Gradually, her expression shifted—from interest, to surprise, to outright astonishment.
At first, Maya didn't expect much. After all, in the world of pirates, witches—or mikos—were scarcely mentioned in any records. Even her own clan only retained fragments of spiritual techniques, mostly related to the sealing of the sacred sword.
But this manual…
It contained deep, intricate techniques about manipulating spiritual energy.
Advanced support spells, ritual formations, even methods to condense and refine spiritual presence into offensive force.
It was leagues above anything preserved in the ancient texts of her people.
With this, she could take her skills to a whole new level.
"Where… where did you find this?" she asked breathlessly.
"No—wait, why is this manual so new-looking?"
Maya looked at Bai Yu suspiciously. The book had no signs of age. Not a scratch. Not a smudge. It looked freshly printed.
"Uh…"
Bai Yu scratched his head, forcing a sheepish grin.
"I made a copy. The original was falling apart. One gust of wind, and the whole thing might've flown away."
He spoke smoothly, not missing a beat.
"…Ah, so it's a reproduction."
Maya blinked, then nodded. "That makes sense."
She bought it—completely.
"Alright," Bai Yu said quickly, "you seem interested in it, so go study. I'll continue my training."
"Okay! Thank you for the gift!" Maya smiled genuinely and walked off to a quiet part of the deck.
She found a secluded spot and immediately dove into studying the techniques.
---
With Maya occupied, Bai Yu returned to his own task.
He gripped the Wushuang Greatsword with both hands, and resumed his thousand-daily sword swings.
Only 3% more proficiency left…
Once he completed it, the system would unlock an advanced level of his Haki skills.
That breakthrough would take his strength to an entirely new realm.
On the left side of the deck, Maya sat in deep concentration, exploring the newfound spiritual techniques in the witch manual.
On the right, Koby and Helmeppo trained hard against each other.
They were rigorously practicing the Six Powers (Rokushiki) according to Bai Yu's custom training regimen.
At the center of the deck stood Bai Yu alone, the very image of unwavering discipline.
His sword rose and fell with methodical precision.
Each strike cut through the air.
"996… 997… 998…"
"999… 1000!"
With the final strike, his count for the day reached one thousand.
Ding!
System Notification: Sword Swing Target Achieved. Reward Ready to Be Claimed.
Bai Yu closed his eyes as the notification rang in his mind.
Another step forward on his path as a marine swordsman…
And the seas were wide open ahead.
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