APJ Chapter 354 Small Body, Big Shadow *

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“Go wash up first; I’ll go check on Isuka.”

Although there are no bathrooms here, it is not because there is no water supply system. It is because the bathrooms in Onigashima are all communal, even if they are single rooms, they are all in the same area, so there are no separate bathrooms.

Wano Country also has plenty of bathhouses and natural hot springs, enough to meet the needs of most people. For Yamato and others, it’s just a few extra steps up the stairs.

It was not too early, and Shayna has some understanding of Isuka’s biological clock from their time on the ship; she should already be awake by now.

Shayna pushed the door open directly; the door to this room doesn’t have a lock because it’s considered unnecessary here.

The alarm clock in the room was still ringing, but Isuka didn’t wake up. It looked like she had slept in late.

There were some tear stains on the pillow, and Shayna had her own speculation about the reason.

Yamato’s birthday party yesterday made her remember that just a few months ago, she had her own complete family. Although her parents couldn’t provide her with such a grand birthday celebration, they would still celebrate for her.

A large fire destroyed everything for her, from happiness to being all alone in just a few minutes. Yet, such examples are far from rare; pirate attacks, internal rebellion within the kingdom, the World Government’s purges, and the repercussions of war.

Misfortune is never far away. In the past, Wano Country managed to avoid disasters due to its isolationist policy and formidable military strength. Now, it’s the Beasts Pirates’ military dominance, and ordinary people can’t even approach the waters near Wano Country.

“Isuka, wake up; it’s time.”

If she had chosen to stay in her ruined hometown or grown up elsewhere like most ordinary people, she could naturally continue sleeping, and Shayna wouldn’t bother her.

But she chose this path, the path of battles with no turning back.

“Sister Shayna.”

“Call me Instructor; you chose this path for yourself. Although your training will be different from Miss Yamato and the others, you have your own adaptive training.”

“Yes, Instructor Shayna.”

At this moment, Shayna was different from when she was on the ship. Although she no longer had that unapproachable air, she became more serious.

“You can be sad, you can cry, but training won’t be reduced because of it, Isuka. What happened has already happened. Tears can’t reverse time, and crying won’t soothe your heart.”

Saying that, she pulled Isuka out of bed, and quickly helped her put on the sportswear she had prepared.

“Whether it’s your somewhat naive ideals or your desire to avenge your parents, tears won’t help you. Fists will.”

“I understand, but…”

Making her forget the past was clearly impossible; At her age, she is already capable of forming memories, and that night’s sea of flames could be described as an indelible nightmare for her.

“No ‘buts.’ If you let these emotions affect you all the time, you’re destined not to become strong. The weak can only depend on others in this world, relying on the kindness of others for everything. Your experience is indeed unfortunate, but there are also people in this crew who have had worse experiences than you.”

She wasn’t talking about anyone else; it was herself and King. She understood Isuka’s feelings, and because she understood, she could be even stricter.

Isuka’s natural talent falls short compared to people like Yamato, Maria, and Jack. There’s an inherent gap between her and them, so she must work even harder.

“That Marine officer died at my hands back then, but Marines still exist. And Isuka, you must understand one thing; the pirates who plundered your village are also part of the root cause of this. Some of them are still alive somewhere in this vast sea.”

Ideals are one thing, but concrete goals are another. She needed to establish a short-term goal for Isuka.

Hatred isn’t a good goal, but it can free someone from their self-imposed cage in a short amount of time.

“Once you’ve figured things out, go wash your face. Your body is your capital for revolution. What you need to do right now is train your body. But I’ll say this again, it’s still not too late to back out.”

“I won’t back out. One tragedy like that is enough.”

About thirty minutes after breakfast, she was taken to a place with various fitness equipment, some of which were deliberately scaled down. This was their training ground.

With the addition of a newcomer, the intensity of training started to vary. Isuka couldn’t withstand the training that Yamato and the others were going through, so her only task was to work on building a powerful physique.

For the Beasts Pirates, with their substantial resources, setting up specialized fitness equipment like this wasn’t difficult. There were even some peculiarly shaped training devices prepared for Chansey.

Shayna didn’t teach Isuka how to use them but gave her a goal. How to use them became Robin’s task.

She isn’t a pirate, just an archaeologist, but almost all the archaeologists from Ohara have an excellent physique, far above average.

Archaeology in this world was much more dangerous. It involved not just sailing and climbing mountains but also dealing with poisonous creatures, fierce beasts, native pirates, traps in ruins, and various other troublesome things. A strong body was a necessity.

Otherwise, they could fall ill and die before reaching their destination. Even the old Professor Clover, after taking a bullet to the chest, continued to save books and had no lasting effects after surgery. He was still lively to this day.

Moreover, the power of the Flower-Flower Fruit was closely related to her physique. The strength of her arms determines the upper limit of the strength of her branch arms.

As Robin explained how to use the fitness equipment to Isuka, Shayna’s training began.

“Same as before, you can use any means you like, whether it’s something Mr. Kaido gave you, Lord sacred beast bestowed upon you, or something you’ve come up with on your own. This includes your abilities. Although I won’t use fire, this time, I will use my wings.”

At first, Yamato and the others didn’t understand what Shayna’s words meant. But when the training began, they realized the significant difference between Shayna using her wings and Shayna not using them.

For the Lunarian race, wings were just like their arms and legs—a natural limb. Aerial combat was their forte. In the previous training, Shayna, without her wings, was essentially tying her own hands. But now, she had freed herself from those restraints.

Even though she had control over her strength, she didn’t hold back during training. Even Yamato was sent flying with a single punch.

“You can’t do this, Miss Yamato. You all need to understand that an enemy who can fly means an entirely new style of combat.”

*Shadow here means traumatic past


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