Practicing Qi, If You Want To Restore Your Country, You Must Surpass Oden!

Arias refrained from directly imparting the Liuku Immortal Thief technique to Yamato, still harboring reservations and a lack of complete trust in her. However, he saw no issue in instructing her in Qi cultivation methods.

"Close your eyes and meditate, feel the meridians, and sense the ebb and flow of Qi..." Arias patiently guided Yamato through the intricacies of cultivation. Hiyori, who had been discreetly observing from a distance, also listened intently.

"You, come and join in!" Arias extended an unexpected invitation to Hiyori, who had been cautiously assessing the situation.

"Huh? Can I really do that?" Hiyori's surprise was evident. Ever since her unexpected departure from Wanokuni with Arias, she had been on edge, uncertain about his motives.

"Don't you desire to defeat Kaido and reclaim your homeland?" Arias questioned. His words ignited a spark of determination in the young girl. "Yes! Of course, I do! My mom said that the Red Scabbard Warrior will return in twenty years to defeat Kaido, and my brother will also come back at that time, becoming a general!"

Upon hearing this, Yamato quickly chimed in, "I know! If you don't see the bright moon, and you achieve your goals, twenty years will weave into a moonlit night, casting nine shadows in the sky, revealing the dazzling dawn."

Trying to emulate Tianyue's tone, Yamato's words triggered a profound memory in Hiyori, transporting her back to the night of her mother's demise.

"Your brother's name is Momonosuke! They will definitely come back!" Yamato reassured, echoing the hope that Arias secretly wished to extinguish. Despite harboring his own motives against Momonosuke, Arias concealed these feelings from the two hopeful individuals, recognizing the importance of maintaining their resolve against Kaido without revealing his darker intentions.

"If you truly wish to restore the country, you must acquire strength," Arias declared, addressing Hiyori's determination. "Kaido's audacity stems from his overwhelming power—an might even Oden found challenging to overcome easily. To restore the country, you'll need a force surpassing even Oden's."

Hiyori gazed at him in disbelief. "A force stronger than my father? Is that even possible?"

"Why not? Where is Oden now?" Arias retorted. "As far as I know, there are at least ten individuals in this world stronger than Oden."

Hiyori remained skeptical. "Ten people stronger than my father?"

"Yes, and surpassing Oden is not an insurmountable task, as long as you're willing to put in the effort," Arias assured her.

His words resonated with Hiyori, who took a deep breath and, with a determined look, said, "Alright! I want to surpass my father! I want to defeat Kaido and restore the country! Please teach me!"

With a deep bow, Hiyori performed the traditional teacher's ritual, seeking Arias's guidance. Yamato, too, joined in the encouragement, exclaiming, "Let's defeat Kaido together!"

Arias nodded in satisfaction, masking his true intentions. Inwardly, he pitied Kaido for having such an unwittingly rebellious and adorable son.

The Qi cultivation methods were handed over to the two eager learners. With Yamato's foundation in Emission, she quickly grasped the sense of Qi movement. Arias then instructed her to share her experiences with Hiyori while he returned to the workshop to continue refining weapons.

The seastone extracted from the capsule proved to be a unique material in the pirate world, prized for its exceptional hardness and the ability to nullify the powers of those it touches. Arias couldn't overlook the potential of such a resource and contemplated incorporating it into the creation of magical weapons.

"It would be a waste not to utilize this material. Let's begin by integrating it into the flying knives and see if we can enhance their strength," Arias decided, acknowledging the current inadequacy of the knives' attack power.

His vision for swordsmanship was ambitious—returning to the clan with ten thousand swords, a multitude of blades without handles that could effortlessly cut through enemies. The notion of these blades merging into one powerful weapon intrigued him.

As he worked, a sense of familiarity struck him. "Thousand Blades of the Demonic Sword? Or perhaps Senbonzakura?" he mused, contemplating the potential of his idea.

The clinking sounds of refining echoed as the fire crackled. Hancock, standing outside, sighed, "Arias is at it again, refining weapons."

Meanwhile, at the ship's bow, Yamato sat in meditation, relishing the increasingly familiar sensation of Qi flowing within her. Despite the dominance of Haki, she found the subtleness of Qi more appealing, appreciating its balance between offense and defense without causing undue strain on the body.

Though Emission manifested with a destructive force, this particular Qi exhibited a different quality—it sought to enhance the essence of one's life. It even worked to gradually heal the injuries sustained in the numerous battles against Kaido.

Yamato, immersed in meditation, suddenly opened her eyes and gazed into the distance. The distinctive skull and crossbones flag indicated an approaching pirate ship.

"Pirates in the second half of the Grand Line are never to be taken lightly!" the lookout pirate warned the captain from the observation deck. His report emphasized the presence of a beautiful woman on the approaching vessel.

Only Yamato was visible from a distance, but if the pirates drew closer, they would also spot Hancock sunbathing on the deck, and Hiyori practicing diligently on the side. Even Hiyori, in her youthfulness, had started to reveal the characteristics of a beautiful woman after being nourished and cared for.

For pirates, the allure of treasure and beautiful women was irresistible. Faced with the prospect of encountering both, their unrestrained laughter echoed across the sea.

Yamato, seizing her mace, remarked, "I wonder how strong these pirates are outside?" She turned around and called out, "Hancock! Hiyori! A group of pirates is approaching; I'm going to handle them!"

With that declaration, Yamato leaped onto the oncoming pirate ship, her Conqueror's mace ready. Wrapping it around her, she executed a thunderous move, striking down with the force of the Eight Trigrams. The captain of the opposing ship managed to withstand the onslaught.