Once everyone had come ashore and stood on the beach, there were several familiar faces which Alyssia recognised.
Each of them she had not seen in some time since she had left to travel to Zou then to Wano and back.
Alyssia walked past each person who stood there dressed in clothing which had a logo printed or badge in the shape of lightning bolts mixed with a tempest which were part of the symbols or badges made for the new White Storm brand merchandise or the official mercenary badges.
Their clothes were all new and clean but were suited to travelling in all kinds of environments.
The island did not look so dangerous and was very quiet or peaceful but that was what made it more dangerous.
It gave those who had reached its shores a false sense of security once they had passed the dangers within the dangerous waters around the island.
As Alyssia passed the first person, she revealed a smile. "Archie, I hope that your time practicing has made you stronger."
Archie raised his hand over the back of his head as he bashfully smiled. "I did have a little progress."
He was aware that he could not match Alyssia's rate of growth but that did not stop him from putting in efforts of his own.
During the time he had spent on Zou, he had the freedom to test out his quake abilities more freely than before because he was so high up in the sky on the back of Zunesha.
While he was free, he had been sparring with Pedro who was adjusting to his new upgrades after he had unlocked his bloodline limitations.
When occasionally got to spar with Catviper so his Haki had shown some improvements and with constant practice gaining mastery over his Electro, he had gradually succeeded in stepping closer towards the halfway mark of his bloodline limit.
He looked like a large greyish bear which had grown out his fur and had gained a beard with the addition of a moustache.
The lions mane of the Sulong form came in two different shapes depending on the gender.
The fur around the neck of the female Minks became much longer and puffier while the fur or facial hair grew longer for the males.
Those features had become more prominent and grown out to stand out more once each of the Minks had broken past the twenty fifth or fiftieth percent barriers.
It did not just include the hair on their heads growing out more but also the fur on other parts of their bodies which would grow out more than double the original length.
Carrot's hair barely reached her shoulders and her tail was small but once she had transformed, her hair reached down to her lower back while her tail fur grew to a very long length.
It was the same for each of the other Minks so those features started to gradually show more once they had progressed deeper past their bloodline limits.
Although Alyssia did not say it, she showed a look of approval upon seeing his progress. 'An unknown character or side character may not always be a side character. Nothing is written in stone.'
She believed that with their own efforts then each person could achieve something in the world she was living in.
Even if a person did not have talent for combat or business, they had something to offer and could nurture that part of themselves with a little nudge in the right direction or the right resources being provided to them.
Many among her crew or that had joined the White Storm were mainly side characters, background characters or people that had no mention in the original story.
Without her assistance they could have found their own path on their own while some may have suffered more or died if she had left them as they were.
Archie was a loner who enjoyed building things with wood and was interested in building a ship so he met her as she was trying to find someone to learn from to find some shipbuilding skills on Zou then gain mastery over the knowledge and skill gained.
They both happened to go to the same person and had gotten to know each other because of that coincidence which lead to them sharing similar goals.
He wanted to build his own ship or ships then sail them across the seas exploring many parts of the sea and arriving at new islands while Alyssia had the goal to leave Zou so she could find more skills and expand her own power.
The White Storm was never her original goal and had been made on a whim to gain more funds while recruiting others to her side so it had greatly suited her needs and did not require that much attention since there were capable people handling everything.
With Aizah and Alfred managing the trade, public image and funds going in or out of the various businesses, Alyssia could focus on her own things and gain additional funds for her own goals or projects.
The additional groups which had formed came from events that had happened along the way and to help those around her a little foothold in the world but she still took some of the profits for her own needs.
There was always a plan to return to the New World once she had enough confidence in herself or those that were following herself so there was a need for someone to be left behind to keep those things she had built still running and from falling apart which would disrupt many lives that depended on what she had built.
As the famous saying goes..
'With great power comes great responsibility.'
Alyssia had become responsible for many that she had taken in and given their current opportunities whether it was to improve themselves, work with a stable pay or join her on her adventures around the world.
Alyssia walked past another person and patted their shoulder. "You have grown stronger again and I think you may have grown a little too."
Jester had not changed much in the way that he maintained his smile at all times but his cute looking face had become a little more mature and handsome while his tattoos which were over and under his eyes had covered up the scars he had gained in the past.
He wore a colourful and striped shirt and tie while he wore slightly baggy pants and ordinary black shoes, he had grown a little but he still looked small in comparison to Alyssia and his blonde hair had grown slightly longer which had been tied back into a small ponytail. "Of course.. this time has been very informative for me. With your permission, can I make a move?"
Alyssia was aware of what he meant so she replied calmly. "Now is not the right time so wait a little while longer."
Jester nodded then bowed a little while placing his hand near his heart. "I will follow your command."
Alyssia shrugged and walked past him towards the next person. 'It seems that there is still a thing which he needs to do before he can overcome his past.'
Ever since they had arrived back in the New World, Jester had been the one person who had been the most affected.
There were many times when Alyssia had lost contact with him for a long time as he had been going off to do his own thing or was involved deeply with a task she had given him.
Jester had been busy investigating deeply into the criminal underworld of the New World so it was not so easy for him to constantly stay in contact and report everything back.
To avoid being pointed out as a mole or a saboteur, he had to be careful when he was contacting her or sending information.
Luckily he had one, two and three to provide him extra aid who had a head start when it came to integrating with the criminal underworld.
While they had been away from each other for some time, Alyssia could faintly detect his unease and impatience.
She had promised to help him but it was not yet to for her to make a move or assist him because it would greatly affect the White Storm.
It did not mean that she would not offer him assistance in the future when the time was right and there was a proper plan in place.