Naruto: Copy System#659+660: A Moment of Calm, Hellish Training

"Is Red Count dealt with?"

Olvia asked as Shin and the others returned, though she couldn't help but notice the strange expression on her daughter's face.

'Did Shin bully Robin?' That was Olvia's first thought.

"Of course we took care of him. With Shin on the case, was there ever any doubt? I just wish I'd had more of a chance to fight," Hancock said, still a little unsatisfied.

In truth, Hancock had gotten a shot in—a single sword strike that had sent the Red Count flying back toward them. Of course, even if she hadn't, he never would have escaped Shin.

"That was fast..."

Olvia remarked, marveling at how quickly a legendary figure had been dealt with. She was still young when the Red Count roamed the seas, but she had heard plenty about his infamous reputation.

"Dealing with a minor player like the Red Count is a quick job," Shin said with a smile.

Though, he had to admit, the Red Count's Devil Fruit was interesting. If it hadn't allowed him to cling to life for a bit longer, the fight would have been over even faster.

"By the way, Olvia, make sure this news gets out. All those old-timers who broke out of Impel Down... they've been locked away for so long, they don't fear anything. They need a reminder of how the world works now."

It wasn't that Shin had a personal grudge against them, he just wanted to send a message to avoid future trouble.

"Right. I'm on it." Olvia nodded. The news of the Red Count's death should be enough to make those legendary pirates think twice.

—————

Before long, the story of Shin killing the Red Count had spread across the seas.

With News Coos, information traveled fast.

"The Red Count killed by Shin Uzumaki..."

The pirates who had escaped Impel Down looked grim. They had been imprisoned for decades and had never even heard of Shin. They knew of Whitebeard and his power. If he were still called the "World's Strongest Man," they wouldn't have questioned it.

But now, that title belonged to Shin—a title that practically painted a target on your back.

Of course, some of the old pirates would never accept it. Shin had anticipated that.

That was precisely why he'd spread the news. The Red Count's name might not mean much in this era, but to the pirates of his time, he was a legend, a man who stood on equal footing with Whitebeard.

After hearing the news, fear settled in their hearts.

For now, at least, they wouldn't be stupid enough to mess with Shin. Of course, if any of them were bold enough to try, Shin wouldn't mind wiping them all out.

"The Red Count is gone, too. Fewer and fewer people from my era are left," Whitebeard said with a sigh.

Roger had died over twenty years ago. Shiki was dead. Now, even the Red Count was gone. If it hadn't been for Shin, Whitebeard himself would have fallen at the Summit War.

"That fool Redfield... he must have pissed off Shin Uzumaki. He brought it on himself," Garp remarked after hearing the news. He then went to find Sengoku for a drink.

Sengoku had since retired and was now training new recruits, leaving the Marines in Akainu's hands. He had plenty of time for a drink with Garp.

Akainu had inherited a total mess. The Marines' situation was far from ideal. The losses from the Summit War were immense, and they still hadn't fully recovered.

Furthermore, Marineford was no longer suitable as Marine Headquarters. Akainu was planning to move into the New World. All the major pirates were in the New World.

Akainu wanted to establish a new Marine Headquarters there to directly confront them. If all went according to plan—the New World would become the main stage, while the first half of the Grand Line would be left to the small-timers.

The seas fell into a strange, temporary calm. The major battles were over, and even Whitebeard had temporarily halted his pursuit of Blackbeard.

The Summit War had taken a heavy toll not just on the Marines, but on the Whitebeard Pirates as well. In fact, they had fared much worse.

Of their sixteen divisions, only nine remained, and the allied fleets that had followed them were scattered and broken. Even if they wanted to take on Blackbeard, they didn't have the strength. They had to wait.

There was also the matter of Kaido, who had now allied with Blackbeard. To get to Blackbeard, they'd have to go through Kaido.

So, Whitebeard had no choice but to bide his time. It was a temporary truce, not a surrender. Once the Whitebeard Pirates recovered, Blackbeard would be their first target.

As for Shin, he had no interest in disrupting this fragile peace. He was busy training Nami.

—————

Shin, who had grown increasingly lazy, had no desire to train Nami. But her constant pestering had finally worn him down. He had no choice but to agree.

"Since you want to learn Observation Haki, don't blame me for being rough."

Shin warned Nami. That's right, Shin was now teaching Nami Observation Haki. She had already mastered Armament Haki, but Observation Haki still eluded her. Still, for Nami, her progress was already incredibly fast.

"So, how exactly are you planning to train me?"

Nami suddenly had a bad feeling and asked Shin warily.

Shin's face broke into a faint smile.

Seeing that smile, Nami's unease grew. Was he planning to take advantage of the situation and bully her?

"Don't even think about backing out now. It's too late for regrets."

Shin sensed her hesitation and cut her off.

"I'm not! I have no regrets," Nami said, though she was already second-guessing her decision.

"Good. I've prepared a special training regimen for you. You have to stick with it. Don't give up halfway, or all my hard work will be for nothing," Shin said, his tone heavy with meaning.

"Nami's biggest mistake was probably asking Shin to train her. It looks like he's going to make her regret this," Robin mused, watching with interest.

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Nami didn't back down. Even knowing that Shin was about to put her through hell, she stood her ground.

"I may not be the best teacher, but my method will help you master Observation Haki quickly. It's just going to hurt a little."

Shin suddenly picked up a pebble from the ground and tossed it in his hand.

"What are you doing?" Nami asked, taking a few wary steps back.

"We're going to play a game," Shin said.

"What kind of game?"

Nami's heart pounded with anxiety. She took a few more steps back, her eyes fixed on Shin.

"I'm going to throw stones, and you're going to dodge them. Ready?" Shin said, and without waiting for an answer, he flicked the pebble at her.

The small stone shot through the air like a bullet. Nami immediately threw herself to the side, narrowly avoiding it.

"Not bad. You actually dodged it."

Shin gave Nami a thumbs-up.

"Hey! Is this how you're going to train me? Aren't you afraid you'll accidentally kill me?" Nami asked, fuming.

"Heh, if you want to get stronger, you have to put your life on the line. This is how you train Observation Haki." Shin prepared to continue.

Robin smiled. It looked dangerous, but she trusted Shin to have some restraint. He probably wouldn't seriously injure Nami.

She was right. Even if Nami did get hit, it wouldn't be dangerous. Pain, however, was unavoidable. That was the only way to push Nami. If getting hit didn't hurt, Nami probably wouldn't even bother trying. The training would be far less effective.

Shin then grabbed ten pebbles and threw them at Nami, almost completely cutting off her escape routes.

Panic flashed across Nami's face. Though she did her best to dodge, she still took several hits.

"Ow, that hurts!" Nami rubbed her reddened arm, glaring at the merciless Shin.

"If you want to be strong, you have to suffer," Shin said sagely.

"Besides, you don't like slow training, so I'm giving you the fast track. It'll hurt, but I guarantee it's the quickest way to master Observation Haki."

Shin's smiling face only made Nami's blood boil. She was convinced he was doing this on purpose.

"Be honest with me, you're enjoying this, aren't you?" Nami asked.

"You still have time to talk? Looks like I need to up the difficulty."

Shin grabbed another handful of pebbles and threw them at Nami. Under the barrage of stones, Nami had no time to speak.

—————

"Is this really going to work?" Robin asked Shin.

"Of course it will."

Shin nodded. While it couldn't compare to a real life-or-death crisis, this method was much faster than conventional training. Of course, a true life-or-death situation was the best way to unlock one's potential, but Shin wasn't that sadistic.

"How long do you think it will take for Nami to learn?" Robin asked.

"I'd say about a week to grasp the basics," Shin estimated, not without a hint of praise for Nami's talent. "By the way, if you're interested, you could help me."

As he spoke, he didn't forget to continue Nami's training. She was living through hell. If she could catch a breath, she'd probably run over and throttle him.

"I'll pass. I'd rather not have Nami hate me," Robin said, glancing at Nami and refusing Shin's offer.

"Can I try?" Sugar asked, running towards them with a handful of grapes.

She thought it looked incredibly fun, especially throwing stones at Nami. The two of them didn't always see eye-to-eye, so this was a perfect chance to get some payback.

"Not you. Go eat your grapes somewhere else." Shin tapped Sugar on the head and shooed the pouting girl away.

"Why not let Sugar help?" Robin asked curiously.

Given Shin's lazy nature, she thought he would have jumped at the chance to have someone else do the work.

"Sugar has no restraint. She might actually hurt Nami. I'm just training her, not trying to injure her."

The pebbles Shin threw were carefully controlled. They would cause a sharp sting, but the pain would quickly fade.

—————

At lunchtime, Shin finally let Nami go. She glared at him, gritting her teeth.

"If I had the energy, I'd scratch you to death," Nami threatened.

"Hmm, you seem to enjoy threatening me. But after this, you'll just have to endure more suffering."

Shin was completely unfazed by Nami's threats. After all, what could she do? But if he wanted to punish her, he could make her life very difficult.

"Are you regretting it now?" Shin asked.

"Yes, I regret it. I'm not training with you anymore," Nami said, already planning her escape. She would never train with Shin again. It was pure torture.

"That's not an option. You can't just quit because you feel like it. That kind of attitude won't get you anywhere. We're continuing."

Shin wouldn't let Nami off so easily. Since she had chosen him, he would be responsible for her until the end.

"I think you just like to bully me," Nami said, her face flushing with anger.

"You're the one who walked right into my trap. I can't help it. You disrupted my leisurely life, so you have to pay the price."

Shin said, shrugging.

"This is retaliation. Blatant retaliation," Nami said, glaring at Shin.

At this moment, Nami was filled with endless regret. Why hadn't she just trained with Olvia? Why did she have to come to Shin? Now she was in too deep to back out.

"Suffering a little now is actually good for you. It's a quick way to get stronger," Shin said, patting her on the shoulder comfortingly.

Nami rolled her eyes at his words. 'Easy for you to say, you're not the one suffering. If it were you, I'd like to see you say the same thing.'

She didn't know Shin. To get stronger, he had endured far more than she could ever imagine. And his method, though harsh, was undeniably effective.