"Our demands are simple. First, the complete inheritance of the Eight Impact Fist—from the basics to the ultimate techniques.
Second, a friend of mine wants to borrow your shadow for a while. Third… the third condition can wait until your limbs are healed."
The shadow was part of Badak's agreement with Moria—no need to explain that. As for the Eight Impact Fist, Badak had tried to figure it out but found it troublesome.
Unlike the Six Styles, which were purely physical techniques that could be replicated once the mechanics were understood, the Eight Impact Fist involved the use of Haki.
Trying to steal it would only yield partial knowledge and risk self-injury. It was better to get the authentic version from Chin Jao himself.
"Your friend wouldn't happen to be Gekko Moria, would he? I've heard that once someone's shadow is taken by him, their body can't be exposed to sunlight—otherwise, they'll turn to ashes."
Chin Jao's expression was grave. Truthfully, Badak's conditions were extremely harsh.
The Eight Impact Fist was a secret technique of the Happo Navy, never meant to be passed on to outsiders.
Losing his shadow would mean he could no longer appear in sunlight, creating a fatal weakness. And there was still an unknown third condition looming.
"It is indeed Gekko Moria.
He's a user of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit and has the ability to borrow the power of others' shadows.
He needs the shadow of a strong warrior, and yours fits perfectly."
Badak saw no reason to hide anything—he laid it all out plainly.
"Moria wouldn't intend to enslave my shadow indefinitely, would he? If there's no time limit, I'd rather die in the Land of Flowers."
Chin Jao wasn't someone who feared death.
Though dying right after regaining his pointed head would be a shame, some principles couldn't be compromised.
"We can discuss the duration when he arrives. I don't know how long he'll need it."
Badak knew how desperately Moria craved powerful shadows—he'd probably want to keep Chin Jao's until his natural death.
But Badak didn't want that, which was why he had specified "for a while."
"When will you treat my limbs? The longer this goes on, the more I worry about lasting damage."
Unable to move his arms and legs, Chin Jao felt extremely uncomfortable—most urgently, he really needed to use the bathroom.
"Don't worry, there won't be any lasting effects. We have special medicine for that.
As for timing, I think it's best to wait until Moria arrives. Otherwise, I'm afraid we might end up fighting again."Badak certainly wouldn't let Chin Jao recover now.
Even when Moria arrived, he wouldn't heal him immediately. After all, Moria had been a fierce enemy before, and trust couldn't be built so quickly.
"Then, I'll teach you the Eight Impact Fist after my limbs recover. Can you release my two grandsons now?"
Chin Jao couldn't oppose, but he wouldn't take a loss either—if you don't heal me, I won't teach you the Eight Impact Fist.
"I'll let them go soon, but let me remind you, Leader Chin Jao—if you move recklessly, the bones in your limbs won't heal properly. Farewell!"
Badak was currently focusing on breaking through in swordsmanship, so his desire to learn the Eight Impact Fist wasn't urgent. Waiting a while longer was fine.
Soon, Leo released his ability, and Sai and Boo regained their freedom.
"Should we run, Grandpa?" Boo asked.
"We can't. He'll definitely be watching us. Never mind that—quick, help me to the bathroom.
And bring me a mirror.
I want to see my pointed head properly—it's been almost twenty years. Waaah..."
Chin Jao suddenly burst into tears mid-sentence, and Sai and Boo hurriedly comforted him.
On the glacier, Badak and Daz Bones were fully immersed in their training, relentlessly slashing at the ice.
Against such hard ice, ordinary attacks had no effect—only Iron Cutting techniques imbued with willpower worked.
For novice swordsmen, these techniques were quite draining, so Daz Bones had to take breaks periodically to eat and recover.
By the time he returned, the cuts he'd left on the ice had already closed, forcing him to start over.
Badak was stronger than Daz Bones. His Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit enhanced his endurance, and with Life Return, he could last much longer.
In theory, Badak could dig through the glacier in shifts to retrieve the treasure, but that wasn't his goal—he wanted to split the ice with a single slash.
His first target was to break through the glacier within a single rest interval. Then, he'd gradually reduce the number of slashes needed to achieve the same effect, until finally, just one strike would suffice.
Time flew by when immersed in training. Before he knew it, a week had passed.
"Badak, Moria is calling."
A mouth suddenly grew on Badak's body, speaking in Robin's voice. Robin's abilities were becoming increasingly diverse.
According to her, she had once seemingly triggered Observation Haki, though she hadn't been able to replicate it since.
Still, it was only a matter of time before her Observation Haki awakened.
Picking up the receiver, Badak spoke directly, "Moria, you're punctual as promised—exactly one week. Where are you now? Are you coming here, or should I go to you?"
"Kishishishi, punctuality is a good habit, Badak. I'm on the sea east of the Flower Country. Give me your address, and I'll head over."
Moria laughed but didn't share his own location, leaving it to Badak to find him.
"Fine. I'm on the northernmost glacier in the Flower Country. Head toward the tallest snow-capped mountain—you'll spot us when you get close."
"Got it. That shouldn't be hard to find."After reaching the agreement, Badak stopped training and began eating voraciously. Their continuous cultivation had rapidly depleted their supplies, and they had long since finished their own provisions. Now, they were consuming Chin Jao's reserves.
It wouldn't be long before they'd need to purchase a large stock of supplies. Coincidentally, Badak also wanted to take a break—chopping glaciers endlessly had become monotonous. Fortunately, the improvement in his strength was visibly evident.
By the time night fell, Moria finally arrived—or perhaps he had deliberately chosen to come under the cover of darkness.
After brief pleasantries, Badak led Moria to meet Chin Jao.
Though Chin Jao's limbs hadn't fully healed, they had at least been treated with plaster casts and bandages.
"So, you're Moria. Even a retired old man like me has heard of your reputation," Chin Jao spoke first, asserting his seniority.
"The name 'Chin Jao the Drill' is legendary. I grew up hearing stories about you," Moria retorted, subtly implying that while Chin Jao was old, he himself was still in his prime.
"Let's cut to the chase. Moria wants your shadow, Chin Jao, and Chin Jao wants Moria to set a deadline for returning it," Badak interjected, disliking roundabout talk. He laid out their demands directly.
"Oh, a deadline? Do you really trust a pirate's promise, Senior Chin Jao?" Moria asked with a grin.
"Of course not. But isn't there a traveling adventurer here acting as a mediator?" Chin Jao replied helplessly. His crushing defeat had left his life in others' hands.
Hearing this, Badak spread his hands with a smile, signaling that he wouldn't interfere and that they should negotiate freely.