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"Ah, I'm so full."
Sugar rubbed her round belly and leaned comfortably against Shin. To make matters worse, she started wiping her greasy hands all over his clothes.
Shin's expression gradually darkened. After a moment, probably unable to stand it any longer, he lifted Sugar up by the scruff of her neck.
"From now on, my clothes are your responsibility to wash."
Shin glared at his now-stained shirt, fighting the urge to discipline the little brat right then and there.
"Damn it! Shin, you're bullying me! Waaah!" Sugar burst into tears.
Watching her sob uncontrollably, Shin sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling like his life was too damn hard.
"Shin, maybe you could let her off this time?" Shirahoshi, seeing Sugar's pitiful state, pleaded on her behalf.
"Shirahoshi, don't let her fool you. She may be crying now, but I guarantee you she's having a great time on the inside," Shin said with the gravity of a seasoned veteran.
He had made up his mind. Today, he was going to teach Sugar a lesson she wouldn't forget.
Realizing Shin was serious, Sugar's face went pale with fright. She quickly looked to her older sister, Monet, for help.
"SISTER, SAVE ME!"
Seeing her sister's desperate plea, Monet glanced at Sugar, then at Shin, who was now staring daggers at her.
The choice was obvious. Saving Sugar was out of the question—not only was it impossible, but she couldn't risk getting involved.
Besides, Sugar wouldn't actually be in any real danger. She was perfectly safe.
At most, Shin would just discipline her a bit. A little dose of humility might do her some good; just a few days ago, she had even dared to play a prank on her own sister.
Monet simply turned away, adopting an "out of sight, out of mind" attitude. Even as she felt Sugar's resentful gaze on her back, she felt not a shred of guilt.
"Tsk, tsk. And you call yourself a big sister?" Shin couldn't help but comment on Monet's actions.
"What else am I supposed to do? Get bullied along with her?" Monet asked, throwing her hands up in a gesture of helplessness.
If she actually tried to intervene, knowing Shin, she'd just end up in trouble herself. After weighing the pros and cons, Monet had decided to stay out of it. Besides, calming Sugar down later would be simple enough. A few grapes, and Sugar would forget all about it. As her sister, Monet knew her all too well.
"Shin, count me in on the punishment," Nami said, her eyes shining.
The reason she had been training so hard was for a chance like this—a chance to finally teach Sugar a lesson. Nami was confident she could overpower her now. Although Sugar's Devil Fruit was ridiculously broken, the solution was simple: don't let her touch you.
"Alright, let's do it together," Shin nodded, sending Sugar into a full-blown panic.
If she had been faking her tears before, she was definitely crying for real now.
Shirahoshi looked at Sugar, hesitated for a moment, and ultimately decided not to intervene. The poor girl was dragged off by Shin for her punishment. After this, Sugar would probably be on her best behavior for a while.
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After disciplining Sugar and seeing that the sky had darkened, the well-fed Shin prepared to head to bed. But just as he was about to leave, Hina grabbed his arm.
"Hmm? Hina, are you hoping to join me for the night?" Shin asked, a questioning look in his eyes.
Hearing his words, Hina's face flushed red, and she retorted with a mix of embarrassment and annoyance, "Who wants to sleep with you? I have something to discuss."
"If you have something to say, say it quickly. Don't interrupt my rest," Shin said with a yawn, his tone impatient.
Seeing the smile on his face vanish in an instant, replaced by a stern expression, Hina was at a loss for words. In truth, Shin found the prospect of any discussion to be a hassle. He didn't want to deal with any more trouble.
"I want you to teach me swordsmanship," Hina said seriously.
"What? You want to learn swordsmanship?"
Shin looked at Hina in surprise, then shook his head. "I don't think you need to."
"Why not? Am I not talented enough?"
Hina's brow furrowed as she looked at him, waiting for an answer.
"I don't know if you have the talent or not, but I don't think you should be learning swordsmanship right now."
Shin felt that Hina hadn't even mastered her other abilities. Why would she try to learn swordsmanship on top of that? She'd be biting off more than she could chew.
If she tried to learn everything at once, she'd end up mastering nothing. If Hina knew the Shadow Clone Jutsu, it would be a different story. The Shadow Clone was the ultimate cheat for training. But Hina couldn't learn it, she didn't have chakra.
"Why?" Hina asked, a questioning look in her eyes. 'Could it be that he's just too lazy to teach me?'
"I have two reasons. Which one do you want to hear?"
Seeing the confusion on Hina's face, Shin asked her which reason she wanted to hear.
"I want to hear both,"
Hina said, her face still filled with a questioning and curious expression.
"First reason: Have you mastered everything you already know? Your Armament Haki, your Devil Fruit ability, your Observation Haki—have you perfected them all?"
Shin's questions left Hina speechless. The truth was, she hadn't mastered any of them—not even close.
"As for the second reason… of course, it's because I'm lazy," Shin said with a languid expression.
Hina was speechless, staring at Shin with a hint of annoyance in her eyes.
"Alright, don't interrupt my rest now. Unless you're willing to join me."
Shin waved his hand and walked into his room.
'What he said… it does make sense.' Hina stood outside, mulling over his words.
She had mastered both Armament and Observation Haki, but only to a basic degree—far from proficient.
Then there was her Devil Fruit. She was a Devil Fruit user, but she hadn't really developed its potential. True powerhouses could awaken their Devil Fruits, but she had only been using her ability in its simplest form.
Thinking about it now, perhaps Shin wasn't just being lazy. She really wasn't suited to learn swordsmanship at this time, it would only hinder her progress. Even with the Six Powers, which she was most proficient in, she was still leagues behind the true masters.
'Looks like I have to work harder, or I'll be at the bottom of the pecking order on this ship.' Hina compared her strength to the rest of the Kuja Pirates and realized she wasn't strong at all.
In fact, she was weak.
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