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Chapter 53 - 53: Will, I Want You to Help Me Train!
After that—
Will took matters into his own hands, personally testing out every one of Karina's new abilities using his own body.
The wind blades conjured by her claws? They felt no more than a tickle to him—completely ineffective.
But against an average person?
Those blades were sharp enough to rival ordinary weapons, maybe even deadlier due to their speed, making them significantly harder to dodge.
With enough disciplined training...
These wind blades might one day reach the power of a standard Rankyaku or a normal flying slash.
As for the flames Karina released—they weren't bad either.
They didn't do much against someone of his caliber, but against weaker enemies? Extremely effective.
At the very least, without Haki for defense, the average person would have a hard time resisting the searing heat.
Once Karina's human-beast hybrid form had been fully analyzed—
Will turned to her and said, "Alright, now try transforming into your full beast form."
"Let's see how it differs from your hybrid abilities."
"Mhm." Karina nodded earnestly, then took a few deep breaths.
And then—
Karina's entire body began to undergo another dramatic transformation.
From a standing humanoid form, she gradually shifted to all fours.
Her fur thickened rapidly, growing long and sleek.
"This... what is this?!"
Nami had wandered back over and gasped in shock at what stood before them.
Fully transformed, Karina now appeared as a lithe, graceful big cat—at least a meter tall—coated in a shimmering coat of blue-purple fur.
Her silky pelt fluttered gently in the breeze, almost like flickering flames of blue and violet, giving her an enchanting and mystical look.
Before Will could even speak—
Karina darted off, clearly thrilled, ready to explore what her beast form could do.
She leapt high, unleashing a stream of intense, scorching fire from her mouth, blasting the sea's surface near the ship.
Then she tried spitting out a few massive fireballs—their size much greater than before, and their power just as fierce.
Landing back on the deck, she began sprinting wildly across it, sensing the new changes in her body.
She soon realized her speed had increased, her limbs felt stronger, and her claws were noticeably sharper.
And then—
Karina paused mid-run, as if sensing something.
She stood still, deep in thought.
Suddenly, flames burst forth beneath all four of her paws, and she broke into a sprint once more.
Scorched black pawprints trailed behind her on the deck.
Then, she kicked off into midair—her four legs stepping directly onto the sky—continuing to dash swiftly through the air.
After circling the ship a few times—
She finally returned to the deck, her eyes gleaming with excitement, while the flames beneath her paws slowly faded.
Looking at the stunning and adorable big cat before them, Will and Nami couldn't help themselves—they both stepped forward and began petting her.
Will reached out and ruffled her soft feline head.
Her fur felt amazing—smooth as silk, soft to the touch, and not a single strand shed.
Karina, caught off guard by the sudden petting, froze in place.
Snapping back to her senses, she quickly dodged away from their hands and retreated to the side, instantly shifting back into her human form.
"Hey! What do you two think you're doing?! Do you seriously take me for a house cat?!"
Karina stood with her hands on her hips, cheeks flushed and breathing slightly heavy, clearly flustered.
Will didn't say a word. He simply slipped his hands into his pockets, studying her quietly.
Judging by her current state, it was clear that testing her powers had exhausted a good portion of her stamina.
Looks like she'll need a serious physical training regimen moving forward.
Nami, meanwhile, giggled and said playfully:
"Come on, it's not our fault—you looked so cute as a big kitty."
She even pointed at Will with a grin, teasing, "Even Will couldn't resist giving you a couple pats."
As Nami suddenly shifted the blame to him—
Will's eyes flickered. He turned away, gazing up at the sky as he muttered to himself:
"What a noisy wind we have today..."
"Hmph, you two..." Karina huffed with arms crossed, but didn't push the matter further.
Instead, she turned to Will, who was still staring off into the sky, and asked curiously:
"So? Will—what do you think of my current strength?"
Will turned back to face her and answered seriously, "Not bad at all. A significant improvement."
Worried she might not fully grasp his point, he elaborated:
"Take Arlong, or that chain-wielding guy Tregga from before—you should be able to hold your own against either of them now."
"But your stamina's still lacking, and you've got very little combat experience using your Devil Fruit powers."
"So whether you can actually win... depends on whether you can deal a fatal blow before your strength gives out."
After all, both of those guys were no slouches—they had decent strength and plenty of battle experience.
It's just that they were unlucky enough to run into him—someone far stronger.
Karina, however, didn't seem discouraged by his words. On the contrary, she smiled with visible excitement:
"Didn't expect a single Devil Fruit to give me such a huge boost in power."
She knew just how weak she'd been before.
Even though she'd claimed to have escaped Tregga's pursuit before, she'd had to rely on strategy and tricks to manage it.
But now?
She could probably escape with ease—or maybe even turn the tables and take him out!
Seeing Karina so pleased with herself—
Will couldn't help but smile a little too.
All in all—
Ever since eating the Devil Fruit, Karina's strength had undergone a true transformation.
He was genuinely satisfied with her progress.
Just then—
Nami, who had also been happily watching Karina's improvements, suddenly took a deep breath.
Then, she walked over to Will and looked at him seriously.
"Will," she said firmly, "I want you to help me train!"
Though she never really liked fighting, Nami also didn't want to be the weak link on this ship.
More importantly, she didn't want Karina to get hurt because she'd have to protect her.
That's why, in this moment, Nami was filled with determination—she wanted to gain the strength to protect herself.
And Observation Haki—an ability that could let her dodge attacks or even sense danger before it struck—seemed like the perfect fit for her.
As for the other two types of Haki—
She wasn't overly interested, and didn't have any grand ambitions of mastering all three.
To Nami, just being able to learn Observation Haki would be more than enough.
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