A few weeks later, on the white beach of the Star Island, a group of youngsters could be seen sparring with each other, giving it their all.
"Is that all you have learned under that old man?" The Oni Girl mockingly asked as she sent the two boys crashing into the sand, and they gritted their teeth as they managed to stand back up on their feet. "You are too weak."
Instigated by her words, they both rushed at her again, ignoring the pain in their bodies, and their bravery earned them another round of beating.
A few minutes later, when Shachi and Penguin could no longer get back up on their feet, Yamato grinned and walked towards Sin, who was training Grount.
The red haired boy's left arm was no longer that of a beast. And it was all thanks to Hiyori, who had taken the role of an elder sister in his life in the few weeks that they had spent together.
Grount had slowly opened up to her, and she had told him to call her sister when he asked if he could call her that.
He needed a reason in his life, and he needed a new family after losing his own, a cruel thing for a child his age, who had no one left in this world.
The boy sensed that Hiyori, Yamato, and Sin were very good to him, and now he had started feeling safe around them.
Things would have been very different if they had met him a few years later, because, by that time, he would have completely lost his innocence and retreated inside a shell that would have not been so easy to break him out of.
His heart was still good, and he could still feel joy and happiness, which was what helped him control the beastly instincts that he had attained from his Devil Fruit.
Zoans were quite the dangerous Devil Fruits, and one could lose their mind to their beastly instincts or even become mindless beasts.
And the best thing about them was how much their improve the physical prowess of the users.
It was truly a marvel how much stamina Grount possessed as he could go on for hours under Sin's harsh training without feeling tired, and it was now clear to Yamato and Sin that the Devil Fruit he ate was not some normal Zoan Devil Fruit.
Sin had contacted Robin to check for any beasts with the features of Grount's left arm, and she had found records about one special and extremely powerful and gigantic beast that was believed to have gone extinct tens of thousands of years ago.
It was the Megaprimatus Kong, a gigantic beast that resembled a Gorilla, with the only exception being its reddish-brown fur and claws.
The description fit perfectly on Grount's left arm, and this meant that the boy had eaten Saru Saru no Mi, Model: Megaprimatus Kong, an Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit.
Even if their guess was wrong, they were clear about something that it was not ordinary animal.
Given the progress the kid had made in the last few days under his training, Sin now had very high expectations from him.
The kid had the potential to become a very formidable fighter in the future.
"Sin!" Yamato called out to him.
"Yes?"
"Fight me!" She challenged him, and everyone stopped and looked their way.
They had seen the two of them battle last week, and it was the most exhilarating experience of their lives.
"Come on! We are leaving in the evening, and we won't get a chance to battle for a long time." She pleaded, and he grinned at her.
"Come."
Hearing his words, Grount wisely pulled back and went to stand by Hiyori and Lily's side, who had already moved dozens of metres away. Both Penguin and Shachi stood up and started running away as well, knowing well that if they stayed close, they would end up fainting like last time.
Yamato happily rushed at him after she saw that everyone had moved away, and pulled her pair of new Kanabos from her back when she saw him draw Enma from his waist.
As soon as their Weapons clashed, dark and red lightning streaks surrounded them, and all of them felt a weight pressing on their hearts.
Since the two of them were mindful of the presence of their friends, they did not go overboard with their Conqueror's Haki. Otherwise, it would have stolen their consciousness right away.
However, even if they were mindful, as their battle intensified, Shachi, Penguin, and Grount did end up losing their consciousness, but Hiyori and Lily managed to hold on.
The Giantess was in awe of how powerful Yamato was, and she now realised that the day she had fought with her, the Oni Girl had gone very easy on her.
It was only against Sin that Yamato went all out, and he was the only one she truly wanted to fight against.
Sensing that the battle was heating up, Lily quickly picked up Grount and ran over to Shachi and Penguin's side, picking them up as well before moving the three of them near the city wall, far away from the fighting.
She then grabbed Hiyori and increased herself to her true size, and seconds later, the two girls were happily sitting and watching the battle from atop Eretzia's city wall.
The two of them sensed a sudden presence, and when they looked over to their left, they saw the City Lord standing on the wall with his daughter, watching the battle with interest.
They both knew that no normal person could climb the wall so fast, and it made them wonder how strong Patrick really was.
Sin had told them that he was quite strong, but he had never given them a clear answer. As for Desire, she had trained under her father since she was a child, and she was quite decent in combat, having helped Hiyori a lot with it when Sin was away.
Hours later, when the battle finally ended, Yamato sprawled on the soft sand and happily laughed.
Battling against Sin was even more fun for her compared to her battles against her father, and she found herself learning so much from him as he was always making her realise her mistakes.
"I will defeat you one day." She promised, and Sin smiled as he sat down and started cleaning the sword.
He was truly amazed in his heart at the growth rate of Yamato, and in just a few weeks since he had met her, she had grown exponentially strong.
Sin was sure that she would become a great rival to Hancock, Robin, and Bonney, and he was looking forward to how her presence would push all of them to grow even stronger.
By the time Yamato caught her breath, he was done cleaning the sword and had put it back inside its scabbard.
"Lunch!" She happily said, and he nodded to her before walking towards Eretzia.
"I heard you were leaving today, Sin." Patrick jumped down the wall with his daughter and protected her from the fall by holding her in his arms, and when they landed, he put her down to her feet.
"Yes." He nodded.
"And when will you be back here?"
"It will be a while." He honestly said, and the red-haired man smiled at him.
"May I ask you for a favour?"
"Of curse." He curiously looked at the man.
"Take Desire with you," Patrick said. "She has always wanted to explore the world, and I am sure she will learn a lot by your side than she will by staying here."
"She might get labelled as a Pirate and a part of my Crew if she comes with me." He warned, and Patrick just smiled at him.
"We are not affiliated with the World Government, they don't protect us, and we won't face any real consequences even if my daughter is labelled a Pirate by them." The City Lord said. "And she's more than capable of protecting herself. I am sure she will prove helpful to you."
Sin looked into the man's eyes, and sensed that he was very serious about what he was saying. He could also sense the anticipation in Desire's heart as well.
"I will try my best that she is not labelled as a Pirate." He said, and Patrick gratefully nodded to him.
"We discussed the plan with our Architects, and the construction will take more than a year. The City Lord of Altaria has given his permission to build the Tower in his Town as well, and I will personally go and talk to the City Lord's of Aligoth, Petra, and Ebisa tonight."
"Thank you." Sin nodded to him. "Take your time, and money won't be an issue. Don't worry about it."
The two of them then discussed some more details about the towers that Sin planned on building in all five towns of the Star Island.
He had decided to not wait to initiate the plan of making Star Island his base in the New World. And Patrick, having sensed his intentions, agreed with him.
After a sumptuous feast that the City Lord threw them, the Blackstar Crew were ready for their weeks long journey to Paradise, and their next destination was Water 7.
Hiyori was quite excited to see that Desire would be coming with her, and as Sin watched everyone board the Invincible Hanamaru, he could not help but wonder how his trip to New World, which was only suppsoed to be to check up on Pluton, ended up with him gathering new crewmates, friends, and family.
Sometimes, life truly worked in mysterious ways, and he was sure that it was his Destiny to meet all the people he met in the last few weeks.