章 20: Chapter 20: Testing
"Come on, today I'll shatter the myth of your Armament Haki with my unbreakable Diamond Body."
Bardock transformed into his Great Monkey King form, assuming a stance to take the hit.
"You're crazy."
Hancock punched Bardock in the chest. She used about half of her strength, with just a bit of Haki for self-protection.
With a loud "Bang," Bardock didn't move an inch and signaled Hancock to continue.
Hancock, now more confident, threw a full-force punch into Bardock's stomach. This punch pushed Bardock's legs back, sliding him a short distance.
"That punch was strong, a bit painful, but it didn't injure me."
Bardock analyzed the sensation and accurately conveyed his feelings.
"In that case, I'll use my full Armament Haki. You might really get hurt."
"Bring it on, go all out."
This time was different. Hancock didn't strike immediately but concentrated her Haki into her fist, feeling the invisible armor around her hand grow thicker before finally launching her punch at Bardock's shoulder.
Bardock could clearly feel the attack before Hancock's fist even made contact. The moment the punch landed on his shoulder, the full force of the attack exploded, sending Bardock flying until he crashed into a large tree, where he finally stopped.
"Hiss, that really hurt," Bardock quickly stood up and continued, "I'm definitely injured, but not seriously. That punch already has the beginnings of Armament Haki flow."
Hancock wasn't pleased by this. Instead, she felt a bit frustrated. She had used her full strength, excluding her Devil Fruit powers, but Bardock, who didn't dodge or evade, only suffered minor injuries. Even though she had intentionally targeted his shoulder to avoid serious injury, Bardock was much younger than her and hadn't even mastered Haki. In a few years, wouldn't she be completely unable to harm him?
Bardock didn't notice Hancock's thoughts and continued, "Hancock, why do you use your fists instead of your legs? What about your Perfume Femur?"
That's right, I could use my legs. Kicking is much stronger than punching. Besides, my strength hasn't improved much in the last three years. I'm only slightly stronger than when I was twelve, but I'm about to enter a rapid growth phase, and my power will definitely surge.
"What Perfume Femur?"
"Uh, you don't know it? I thought you did."
"What are you talking about? Are we still testing?"
"No need, I already understand my defense level."
"Alright then, I'm going to rest."
Bardock flexed his shoulder and walked towards the small boat. The pain had already subsided, and he muttered to himself, "A good night's sleep, and I should be fine by tomorrow."
With a loud "Bang," the cabin door slammed shut, almost hitting Bardock's nose. "Hey, that's too much. At least let me get my sleeping bag out."
A moment later, the door opened and closed again, and Bardock's sleeping bag was tossed outside.
"Alright then, I'll let it slide since you're the Empress."
Bardock wasn't the least bit intimidated by the current Empress. According to Vice Admiral Momonga, who neutralized lust by inflicting pain on himself to avoid being petrified, Bardock might be 170 cm tall, but he was still a few weeks shy of his ninth birthday. He had never experienced an erection, and any mental attraction didn't translate physically. Right now, he was a man with no desires.
"What kind of freaks are the Kozuki father and son? One visited red-light districts at six, and the other was a pervert at eight."
The next day, when Hancock woke up, the food was already cooking, and Bardock was practicing his swordsmanship.
Ever since crossing over into this world and eating the Devil Fruit, Bardock's energy recovered exceptionally quickly. He typically started his training before dawn, beginning with warm-up exercises, then moving on to sword practice. His current focus was on swordsmanship and physical conditioning, and when he had spare time, he delved into the Six Powers. His Devil Fruit abilities had reached a certain level, and further development now relied on inspiration.
Watching Bardock practice his sword from afar, Hancock started her own training. They didn't interfere with each other until the sun was fully up, shining brightly in the sky.
"Another beautiful day! Ready? Let's eat while we fly."
"Let me wash up, and then we can go."
Bardock packed up their things and loaded them onto the boat just as Hancock returned, moving with great efficiency.
"Let's go!"
…
As they continued their journey, Bardock understood what "New World weather" meant: sometimes the sky would be clear one moment, and then suddenly hail would start falling, forcing him to transform his Nimbus Cloud into an umbrella; other times, out of nowhere, a storm would strike, and Bardock had to exert considerable effort to escape it; occasionally, massive whirlpools would appear, but since they were flying, it didn't pose much of a problem...
"Phew, we're finally almost there. This journey was truly tough. I can't imagine how dangerous it must be to sail on the sea."
Bardock's ultra-long-range vision could already make out the island's outline in the distance.
"That's because neither of us is a skilled navigator. A good navigator can avoid these harsh weather conditions, and even if they get caught in them, they can quickly get out. It's only because you're flying that we haven't died a hundred times over."
Hancock huffed. There were several times when she had nearly lost her life to the sea, especially during that storm that almost swept them into the massive waves. Fortunately, Bardock had raised their altitude just in time.
"Don't be so upset. We got through it all safely, didn't we?"
"Hmph, if we don't find the Tontatta Tribe Princess who can heal everything, I'll turn you into stone and use you as a decoration in Shakky's bar."
"Really? By the way, Hancock, when someone is turned into stone, are they still conscious?"
"How would I know? Want to try it out?"
Seeing Hancock's eager expression, Bardock quickly shook his head. He'd rather someone else have that experience.
"Green Bit is an island adjacent to Dressrosa. On the surface, it's an uninhabited island with many large plants. It's said that the Tontatta Tribe lives underground. How should we find them? Should we go directly, or find an intermediary?"
Bardock hurriedly changed the subject.
"If we go directly, will they accept our visit? And who would be the intermediary?"
"The intermediary would definitely be the royal family of Dressrosa. The two islands have been neighbors for a long time. If anyone knows about the Tontatta Tribe, it would be the Riku Royal Family. I'm a bit concerned that they might not meet with us if we approach them directly. Although the Tontatta are said to be very kind and simple, they rarely interact with strangers."
"Let's scout out Dressrosa first. We can decide what to do next once we get there."
"Alright, let's keep a low profile. We'll approach by sea instead of flying directly over."
Seeing the island surrounded by rocks, Bardock marveled at its strategic location. This terrain was easy to defend and hard to attack, which explained why Doflamingo later chose to take over here. Reclaiming his ancestor's throne was just an excuse.
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