Two days later.
It was night.
On the deck of the ship, under the pale moonlight, Mio stood blindfolded, facing Erica. Their silhouettes shifted rapidly with each motion, feet sliding across the wooden planks. Neither of them held weapons—this was pure hand-to-hand training.
Erica lunged forward with a punch. Mio instinctively turned his head, narrowly avoiding the blow. But before he could react again, her second strike landed squarely in his abdomen.
"Ugh…" Mio groaned, his breath forced from his lungs as he stumbled back a step.
After several days of training, he had made some progress in Observation Haki. But it was still far from mastery. At best, it activated only occasionally, and even then, luck played a large part. Becoming proficient would take time—and more beatings.
Luckily, time was something Mio had plenty of while at sea. Sometimes they'd sail for ten or even fifteen days without encountering an island. That downtime was perfect for training and wouldn't hinder their journey.
"Huff…"
Their sparring continued under the starlit sky. More often than not, Mio ended up on the losing end, battered and bruised. But this was the nature of Observation Haki. One had to be hit, over and over again, until their senses sharpened enough to detect and dodge incoming attacks naturally.
Of course, there might be other training methods. On Skypiea, for instance, the "Mantra" or Heart Net technique allowed even untrained residents to develop Observation Haki on their own. But that was 108,000 miles away. Here and now, Mio had to rely on the technique he'd obtained and Erica's cooperation.
An hour later…
The training finally ended. It was late—long past midnight.
Mio and Erica sat on the deck, resting. Mio was drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. Meanwhile, Erica sat calmly, barely showing signs of fatigue. Her body's constitution was far superior.
"Here," a familiar voice called out.
Robin stepped out from the cabin, holding a chilled bottle of rum. She walked over and handed it to Mio.
"Haha, just what I needed," Mio laughed and took the bottle gratefully, gulping down the ice-cold liquor. The chill sent a pleasant shiver through his body, refreshing him instantly.
"You're welcome," Robin replied with a small smile. She glanced up at the night sky and then turned. "I'm going to rest now."
"Yeah, go ahead. We'll be reaching Reverse Mountain by morning," Mio said with a nod.
Soon after, Erica went to wash up. Warwick had already returned to his room earlier. The deck was left quiet.
Mio sat alone at the bow, legs crossed, sipping another bottle of rum as the waves gently rocked the ship.
After a while, he returned to the cabin, cleaned up, and lay down to rest.
Unconsciously, he drifted off to sleep.
The night passed peacefully…
Early morning.
Just as Mio was sleeping soundly, a sudden "BOOM!" rang out.
A terrifying wave of pressure burst forth and spread from the ship's center in an instant. The sheer intensity rippled across the sea. Fish floated to the surface with their bellies turned up—knocked unconscious by the overwhelming force.
Mio's eyes snapped open.
His head throbbed slightly as he sat up, frowning.
"That came from Erica's room…" he muttered, voice low and serious.
He quickly got up and made his way through the dim corridor toward her quarters. Something wasn't right.
When he reached the room, he pushed the door open.
Inside, Erica sat on her bed, clad in simple white pajamas. She looked stunned, as if she'd only just woken from a deep dream.
"Erica?" Mio called softly as he stepped inside.
Erica blinked and turned toward him, her eyes widening in surprise. "Master? Why are you here?"
"I felt a surge of something… overwhelming. It came from this room," Mio replied, his gaze scanning the interior. "Did something happen?"
Erica paused, visibly confused. "Something? No… I just had a nightmare and woke up."
"A nightmare?" Mio's brow furrowed. That pressure—he hadn't imagined it. It definitely originated from this room.
"Yes…" Erica lowered her head, her voice barely audible. "I dreamed that Master was killed… I couldn't do anything. I wanted to avenge you, but I couldn't defeat the enemy. I felt so powerless…"
Her voice trembled.
Tears welled up in her eyes and began dripping silently onto the sheets.
"Alright, alright, it's okay now. I'm here," Mio said gently as he stepped forward and hugged her.
He comforted her softly, his thoughts racing.
Outside the room, footsteps echoed. Warwick and Robin appeared at the door, alert and confused. Robin was holding her head, clearly affected by the earlier wave of pressure.
"It's alright," Mio said, looking back at them. "Go get some rest."
They hesitated but obeyed, quietly returning to their rooms.
Mio's mind turned inward.
He had a hunch.
Opening Erica's status panel in his mind, he examined the list of her abilities:
[Abilities:]
Swordsmanship (Passive: Very talented in swordsmanship)
Divine Power (Passive: If fully released, her power will terrify you)
Ant King (Can command ants, possesses the spirit of a king)
Sword Control (A powerful swordsmanship derived from the soul)
Poison Immunity (Passive: Not affected by poison)
Speed (Passive: Terrifying speed!)
Hard Skin (Passive: Cute but shockingly durable)
Insect Language (Can understand and communicate with insects)
His eyes locked onto Ant King.
"Possesses the spirit of a king."
That phrase echoed in his head.
In his arms, Erica slowly drifted off to sleep again. Mio gently stroked her back. The two soft antennae on her forehead quivered with joy, occasionally brushing against his chin.
"Conqueror's Haki…"
A realization struck him.
There was no mistaking it. What he felt earlier was Conqueror's Haki—an unintentional burst, triggered by intense emotion. Just like Luffy's outburst during the war at Marineford, when Ace was about to be executed.
He placed Erica gently on the bed and covered her with the blanket.
Then, without a sound, Mio left the room and returned to his own.
Sitting cross-legged on the bed, he couldn't suppress the grin on his face.
"Not bad at all."
It had only been an accidental outburst, but it was enough to prove it—Erica truly had the spirit of a king.
And with the right opportunity, he could guide her to awaken it fully.
After all, Conqueror's Haki wasn't something just anyone could possess.