A battle broke out without warning the moment Arashi finished speaking.
Faced with Arashi's almost savage assault, Trafalgar Law, Hawkins, Bepo, Penguin, and Shachi were forcibly dragged into combat and had no choice but to fight back.
However, Bepo, Penguin, and Shachi were simply too weak.
Arashi knocked them down one by one with a single punch each, leaving them sprawled on the ground and unable to get back up.
As for Law, after fully committing to the battle, he immediately activated his Devil Fruit ability to contend with Arashi.
Soon after, Hawkins transformed into a giant straw figure and joined the fight as well.
Although both of them had developed their Devil Fruit powers to a certain extent under Arashi's guidance, they still couldn't withstand the brute force of Arashi's Armament Haki-coated fists.
Law had it particularly rough.
His cutting attacks couldn't break through Arashi's Armament Haki defenses at all.
Not only was he unable to wound Arashi, but Arashi repeatedly seized the openings and blasted him away with punches.
The one who felt the most despair, however, was Hawkins.
Although he managed several times to redirect Arashi's attacks using his Straw-Straw Fruit ability, Arashi's attacks were simply too fast and too overwhelming.
The moment Hawkins redirected one attack, a second wave would already be upon him.
Then, just like Law, he would be sent flying by another punch.
Strong.
Far too strong.
Completely unbeatable.
Lying on the ground after being blasted away, Hawkins stared at Arashi, who had effortlessly defeated all of them.
Once again, he was stunned by his master's strength.
And once again, he felt fortunate for the choice he had made.
At that moment, he completely understood what Arashi had meant.
If one relied too heavily on Devil Fruit abilities, then upon encountering a true physical monster, they would indeed be beaten so badly that nothing remained.
And Arashi was clearly a monster among monsters.
No Devil Fruit powers.
No swordsmanship.
Just a pair of fists coated in Armament Haki.
And yet he had beaten them into doubting their entire existence.
"Not bad."
After knocking Hawkins down and rendering him unable to stand, Arashi flashed back to the hillside.
Looking down at the five disciples sprawled all over the ground, he nodded in satisfaction.
"It seems the past hundred days of training have improved all of you quite a bit."
"I'm very pleased."
His gaze landed on Law.
"Especially Trafalgar Law."
"You can already use Observation Haki."
"Excellent."
Then he looked at Hawkins.
"Hawkins deserves praise as well."
"Although your Observation Haki isn't as good as Law's, your Devil Fruit development is decent."
"You actually managed to redirect my attacks twice."
Finally, he turned toward Bepo, Penguin, and Shachi.
"As for the three of you, you still need a lot more training."
"In the future, don't drag your captain down."
"We'll definitely work hard!"
Bepo struggled to his feet and shouted loudly,
"We won't disappoint Master!"
As soon as Bepo finished speaking, Law and Hawkins also climbed back to their feet and looked toward Arashi on the hillside.
"Master."
Law stepped forward, visibly excited.
"When you were fighting us just now... were you also using Observation Haki?"
He continued eagerly,
"Every time I attacked or used my Devil Fruit ability, you reacted in advance."
"Was that what you meant by seeing the future?"
"It seems your understanding of Observation Haki is progressing well."
Arashi smiled.
"That's right."
"When I fought you just now, I wasn't merely using Armament Haki."
"The real reason all of you went down so quickly was because of Observation Haki."
He slowly swept his gaze over the island.
"From the moment our battle began, this entire..."
He paused.
"No, this entire Swallow Island was covered by my Observation Haki."
"Every move you made was within my awareness."
"So that's why."
Hawkins nodded thoughtfully.
"It seems I need to improve my Observation Haki as quickly as possible."
"Do you really need it, Hawkins?"
Arashi blinked and laughed.
"Your tarot divination is much stronger than Observation Haki."
Then he waved dismissively.
"Well, don't take that seriously."
"Your tarot readings are certainly mysterious, but against true powerhouses, they're little more than decorations."
"Alright."
Without giving Hawkins a chance to respond, Arashi abruptly changed the subject.
"Training ends here."
"It's time for me to leave and experience the customs and scenery of the North Blue."
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around and began walking away without the slightest hesitation.
After taking several steps, he suddenly stopped.
Turning back toward the five disciples who were still frozen in place, he smiled.
"Compared to calling me Master, I actually prefer hearing you call me Mr. Arashi."
"From this day forward, none of you are allowed to mention anything that happened on Swallow Island."
"Nor may you tell anyone that you're my disciples."
"That's all."
"Farewell, everyone."
"Mas—"
Seeing Arashi leave so decisively, Law suddenly shouted.
Then he immediately corrected himself.
"Mr. Arashi!"
"Will we meet again?"
"Who knows?"
Arashi didn't stop walking.
As he continued moving forward, he replied casually,
"If fate allows it, we'll naturally meet again."
"Provided all of you are still alive."
After a brief pause, he added,
"And that's what Corazon hoped for as well."
Law's body trembled.
Then the eyes that hadn't shed a single tear since Corazon's death gradually blurred.
The next moment, he suddenly dropped to both knees facing Arashi's departing figure.
"Thank you, Master!"
"Bepo respectfully sees Master off!"
"Shachi respectfully sees Master off!"
"Penguin respectfully sees Master off!"
Hearing the voices behind him, Arashi paused briefly.
Then he shook his head with a faint smile and continued walking.
Hawkins remained silent.
Instead, he slowly drew a tarot card.
Looking at the image on the card, a rather ugly smile appeared on his face.
"It seems next time we meet, I'll be able to call you Mr. Arashi again."
The moment those words left his mouth, Hawkins also dropped to his knees.
Then, in a voice that sounded almost ghostly, he shouted,
"Hawkins respectfully sees Master off!"
Arashi never looked back.
He left as decisively as he had arrived, taking away not a single cloud.
As for these five disciples, Arashi didn't particularly care whether they would remain loyal to him in the future.
After all, no one could see what the future held.
Living in the present.
Following one's heart.
That had always been his principle.
Most importantly, these hundred days on Swallow Island had felt incredibly fulfilling.
Although he had been teaching the five disciples, he had also used the time to thoroughly review and refine his own abilities.
It was the first time he had comprehensively improved himself without relying on the system.
"So..."
Arriving at the shoreline, he looked toward Robin and Perona, who were already waiting for him aboard the Traveler.
Arashi narrowed his eyes slightly and murmured,
"Where should I travel next?"
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