Right after the catch, the five of them quickly dragged the sea king onto shore, fearing a second one might show up, which would be a hassle since they couldn't finish it all at once!
Even though it was a small sea king, it was still huge, much larger than any of the beast kings towering over ten meters.
Once they got it onto the beach, the scent of blood attracted another sea king nearby, but Ryuen was too busy to deal with it now.
"We need to get this meat stored fast, or it'll spoil in this heat. Nami, how many empty large freezers do we have right now?" Ryuen asked.
"We have about twenty, but there's no way they'll fit all of it. This Sea King is just too big!" Nami said, checking her space pocket, feeling a bit troubled.
It was a Sea King, after all! They'd wanted to try Sea King meat for so long, but they never imagined they'd actually worry about having too much of it.
Ryuen was about to head into the volcano and wouldn't be back for a while, and without him, the four of them weren't strong enough yet to handle a Sea King on their own.
So, once Ryuen went into the volcano, if they wanted Sea King meat again, they'd have to get stronger themselves. Otherwise, they'd be stuck with Beast King meat.
"Alright, let's just pack what we can. Everyone, let's get to work. Daisy, Kuina, Nojiko, you three handle the cutting. Nami and I will move the meat to the freezers," Ryuen assigned.
"Got it!"
"Let's do this!"
"Watch me!"
The five sprang into action. Nami opened her space pocket, ready to store as much meat as possible in the freezers.
"Hah~"
"One-Sword Style…"
"Room… slice…"
Nojiko, Kuina, and Daisy got to work, cutting the Sea King into manageable pieces, while Ryuen and Nami moved the untouched meat to the freezers.
They worked quickly, their small figures darting around the huge Sea King, even using quick, shadow-like kicks at times.
After half an hour, all twenty freezers in Nami's space pocket were packed full, but there was still more than half left.
"Phew… That's all we can store. Keeping it frozen too long isn't good, so let's give it our best tonight and finish the rest!" Nami thought about all the ways they could cook Sea King meat, feeling determined.
"Then it's… barbecue feast time!" Nojiko shouted excitedly.
"Yeah!"
The five kept at it, pulling out various spices and drinks. Tonight, they were going all out!
Soon, by the campfire, each of them took turns grilling the meat to a crispy, tender finish, filling the air with a delicious aroma.
They only knew how to grill, though—anything more complicated was for professional chefs. They were just pros at eating!
"Everyone, a toast to our first Sea King hunt!" Daisy cheered, raising her milk bottle.
"Daisy's right!"
"Cheers!" ×5
"Ahhh~"
"This is great! Let's keep it up, everyone! There's plenty of meat tonight!" Nojiko shouted.
"Yeah!"
"Wow, smells amazing!"
"Tonight, let's go for it!"
"It's just a Sea King, let's eat!"
With that, the sounds of chomping and swallowing filled the air as they tackled the Sea King meat like it was their enemy.
They kept piling meat onto the grill, surrounding the campfire with even more, while the distant roars of wild beasts added a lively backdrop to their feast!
After two hours, they started slowing down, with only a third of the Sea King left.
"I... I can't eat anymore..." Daisy said weakly, as she was the first to give up.
A moment later, Nami also stopped.
"I'm... so full... I really can't eat another bite..."
"Phew... I never thought... we'd actually eat so much Sea King meat... we'd be stuffed!" Nojiko said, also feeling overfull.
"I'm Full!"
"Ahh... so satisfied..." Ryuen and Kuina had eaten the most since they had the greatest potential!
The five of them lay flat on the ground, their small faces showing not only satisfaction but also a bit of exhaustion from overeating. Each of their stomachs was rounded like a ball!
"I wish I could master Seimei Kikan..." Daisy sighed, lying on the ground, not wanting to move at all.
"Me too... if we had it, we wouldn't have to worry about eating too much or getting fat..." Nami added, already thinking she'd need to train harder in the future.
The other two girls agreed wholeheartedly. Seimei Kikan was the skill they all needed the most!
"Then let's work hard, girls!" Ryuen encouraged them and himself as well. At this moment, their determination to master Seimei Kikan was at an all-time high!
They had already obtained Marine Rokushiki techniques and their extended forms from Lindgas. Additionally, they had training methods for Haki. It truly showed the skill level of the Celestial Dragons—their methods were much more detailed than those in Hobart's notes.
As Ryuen prepared to enter the volcano for his rebirth, the four girls would also begin their full physical training, as they were no longer so young.
It was now the year 1512 of the Sea Calendar.
Daisy and Nojiko were both 12, Ryuen and Kuina were 11, and Nami was 10—all at the perfect age. This was a time of rapid growth, and with plenty of nutrition and consistent training, the results would be significant.
Beside them, the crackling of the campfire combined with the roars of animals in the forest created a natural lullaby. Slowly, the five of them drifted off to sleep.
At the forest's edge, a few beast kings watched the five small figures by the fire, reluctant but not daring to take a step closer. During the day, they had clearly seen one of their own, stronger than them, taken down in a single strike by these small creatures! It had terrified the wild beasts—what on earth were these two-legged creatures?
If the five kids knew what the beasts were thinking, they would say without hesitation, "We're just slightly bigger human cubs!"
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The next morning, they all woke up to the cheerful sounds of birds chirping. Rising early had become a good habit for them. After their feast the previous day, they felt full of energy, and training was a must for every morning. Even Nami put aside her studies for a while. In the Calm Belt, before Ryuen completed his rebirth, their top priority was to get stronger.
"Ryuen, are you entering the volcano today?" little Nami asked quietly.
"Yes!"
"I feel like I can barely hold back anymore. I might be staying in the volcano for over six months this time. You all should focus on your training here on the island," Ryuen said seriously.
"Don't worry, we will work hard!" Kuina said with a serious look on her face.
Nami, Nojiko, and Daisy nodded heavily as well; they were determined to get stronger!
For the sea kings!
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