The morning mist had yet to clear when Ritter led the three sisters to the edge of the Sabaody Archipelago. Hidden among towering mangrove roots lay a forgotten shipyard, its rotting timbers and rusted cranes half-consumed by creeping vines. Few ever ventured here, making it the perfect place for what Ritter had in mind.

He snapped his fingers. Blood-red mist swirled outward from his body, shrouding the training ground in an eerie veil. His voice carried a weight the sisters weren't used to.

"Today there will be no basic drills. I've discovered a serious problem in the three of you. And since you call me your big brother, you cannot afford to embarrass me."

The sudden gravity in his tone made Hancock stiffen instinctively. Her posture straightened, almost like a cadet before a commanding officer.

Ritter adjusted the collar of his coat and spoke with crisp authority.

"From this moment, you are soldiers under my command. Hancock, Sergeant. Sandersonia, Sergeant. Marigold, Sergeant."

The eldest sister swallowed hard. "Ritter… big brother, we're ready."

"Not big brother. Call me General."

"Yes, General Ritter!"

A thin smile tugged at his lips. "Good. Then let the special training begin."

The mist thickened, reshaping itself into grotesque forms. Three human-like figures emerged, each wearing a round glass bubble over their heads. Their distorted features carried an unmistakable resemblance slavering mouths, sneering eyes, and the cruel laugh of men who thought themselves gods.

"Lowborn scum should crawl on their knees!" one phantom hissed, brandishing a glowing branding iron.

Marigold shrieked and fell backward, her snake hair writhing wildly in panic.

Without hesitation, Hancock leapt in front of her younger sister. Her legs trembled violently, yet she stood her ground. She bit down hard on her lower lip, drawing blood. In that moment, all three sisters were thrown back into their memories the long, suffocating nightmare of slavery beneath the Celestial Dragons.

From across the field, Ritter's eyes were sharper than they had ever seen. He didn't move, but his presence anchored them.

"Big sister!" Sandersonia cried, charging forward with reckless courage. Her fist, clad in Armament Haki, slammed into the phantom's torso only for the figure to laugh and kick her aside. She crashed into the dirt, hot tears spilling down her cheeks.

"Celestial Dragons are not to be feared," Ritter's voice echoed through the mist. "I've dealt with them myself. Trust me. Go. I will hold the line for you."

His voice was gentle yet firm, carrying the same unshakable confidence he'd shown the day he rescued them. And that, more than anything, lit a spark inside Hancock.

Ritter had planned this with cold precision.

The first reason: he had already slain a Celestial Dragon in front of them once before. The seed had been planted the impossible had been proven possible.

The second reason: their bodies, after months of care and nourishment, were no longer fragile. They could withstand harsh training. Sometimes, only fire could temper steel.

The sound of her sisters crying filled Hancock's ears, mixing with Ritter's encouragement and the phantom's taunts. Deep inside her chest, something was burning hotter and hotter.

Memories surged the iron searing her back, the humiliation, the laughter of her captors. Her rage burst forth.

"Aaaaaaaah!"

"Perfume Femur!"

Her Haki-laced kick smashed straight into the phantom's faceplate. The glass bubble cracked and shattered. The creature fell lifeless at her feet.

Hancock froze, her breathing ragged. She stared down at the fallen figure, disbelief flickering in her wide eyes. She had done it. She had struck down the image that had haunted her since childhood.

Ritter's calm voice carried across the mist.

"In battle, in life the most important thing is a clear heart. If you despise something, if it stains your soul, then cut it down. Only then will your strength rise naturally."

The Celestial Dragon phantoms seemed to whisper mockingly: So what?

Ritter ignored them. He nodded once.

"Good. Remember this feeling. Anger is stronger than fear. Now let's increase the difficulty."

The mist writhed. Dozens of new phantoms appeared, surrounding the sisters in a suffocating circle.

Marigold collapsed onto the ground, tears pouring freely. "There are too many… we can't fight them all…"

Ritter moved at last, his figure blurring as he appeared among them. Threads of blood mist connected him to every phantom.

"Watch closely."

The forms shifted and warped. No longer arrogant overlords, they became pitiful shells skeletal men and women shackled with golden chains, crawling on the ground like animals.

"They are nothing but weaklings living off the shadow of their ancestors," Ritter spat, crushing one under his boot. "Strip away their privilege, and they can't even defeat you."

An enormous dog-shaped phantom lunged at Hancock. Her knees buckled; fear turned her vision white. But before its fangs could reach her, Ritter's hand closed around its throat. The creature yelped and dissolved into mist.

"My blood mist creations are solid enough to bleed," he said with cold disdain. "If even that terrifies you, how do you expect to face the real thing?"

The training dragged on. Hours later, the three sisters lay sprawled under the shade of a mangrove root, their bodies trembling. Ritter handed each of them a cup of chilled fruit juice.

"Why… why so suddenly, Ritter big bro General?" Hancock asked weakly.

"Because soon, you'll return to Amazon Lily," Ritter replied, his gaze drifting toward the sea. "It's safe there. But the world outside…" His words trailed off, but the sisters understood. Safety could never last forever.

"Fear is your greatest enemy."

He knew the truth of this world better than most. Pirates, marines, emperors strength was born not of muscle alone, but of will. And Hancock's future, her rise as empress, depended on breaking those chains of fear.

Sandersonia clutched his sleeve. "Do you really think… we can become strong enough? Strong enough to never fear them again?"

Ritter ruffled her hair with rare gentleness. "Strength comes from your heart. Whether you fear them or not has nothing to do with power. It has to do with choice."

The afternoon training was harsher still.

This time, the mist formed the halls of Mary Geoise itself. Chains bound the sisters to the floor. Celestial Dragon phantoms stepped forward with branding irons glowing red-hot.

"This time," one sneered, "we'll mark your faces."

"NO!" Marigold screamed, her sobs raw and broken.

Sandersonia thrashed so hard the chains cut her wrists, blood dripping freely.

Hancock's vision turned scarlet. She saw her sisters' terrified faces. The glowing iron. Her own trembling hands.

"No more…" Her voice was barely a whisper, yet the entire space shuddered. "I will not be afraid… any longer!"

Boom.

Conqueror's Haki erupted like a tidal wave. The mist phantoms shattered into nothing. The ground split into spiderweb cracks. Distant mangrove roots shook violently.

Ritter, however, only smiled. "Well done, little Hancock."

To the outside world, all was still the mist sealed her power within. But Ritter had seen enough.

Sandersonia and Marigold stared at their sister, stunned. Hancock collapsed to her knees, drenched in sweat. Blood dripped from her palms where her nails had cut deep, yet she was laughing light, free, and fearless.

"So weak," she murmured. "They were so weak all along."

Ritter knelt beside her, popping a candy into her mouth. "Your first burst of Conqueror's Haki always feels like that. Headache?"

Sandersonia threw her arms around Hancock. "That was amazing! It had to be Conqueror's Haki!" Marigold's snakes danced joyfully, wrapping around her sister's wrists.

In the days that followed, Ritter forbade Hancock from further mist training, focusing instead on the younger two. Inspired by their sister's awakening, both girls soon developed an unyielding determination. They might not have unleashed Conqueror's Haki yet, but they no longer froze in fear.

When the time finally came, Ritter gathered them together. He presented three unique masks, carefully crafted.

"Tell me. What do we do with fear?" Ritter asked.

The sisters answered in unison. "We turn it into anger!"

Ritter promptly knocked each of them lightly on the head. "Wrong. We use reason. Never let anger blind you. I don't want you living trapped in fear, but I also don't want you charging off foolishly to pick fights with Celestial Dragons."

The three little sergeants rubbed their heads, pouting, but Ritter could see the change in their eyes.

And that was enough.

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