"Damn… Do these crabs really need to look so fierce?!" Reid's heart skipped a beat, his primal fear kicking in.
The two crabs' eyes gleamed with malice as they scuttled sideways at high speed, their massive claws snapping incessantly, producing sharp, metallic clinks.
Reid barely dodged the crab's pincers with a backflip.
"Damn it, that was way too close! Almost lost my little brother there." A cold sweat broke out on Reid's forehead.
"Wait… Crabs move sideways. So if I move the opposite way, shouldn't that work?"
Reid's spirits lifted at the realization.
Shanks and Buggy had the same idea.
"Hahahaha! Stupid crabs, your Lord Buggy is standing right here! Come and pinch me if you dare! Hahahaha!"
Buggy struck a cocky pose, hands on his hips, laughing arrogantly.
The crabs couldn't tolerate Buggy's taunts. Their eight legs suddenly pushed off the ground, and they lunged at Buggy with a whoosh, one claw aiming straight for his lower half.
"Hahaha! Come at me if you—OW!!"
Buggy yelped in pain, leaping high into the air. Instinctively, he activated his Chop-Chop Fruit powers, splitting his body into pieces, leaving only his legs frantically running in place.
But even so, two stubborn claws remained clamped onto his buttocks, the crabs glaring at Buggy's legs with disdain.
"Ow ow ow! It hurts!"
Rayleigh couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.
"Hahaha! These crabs are a common species in the South Blue called Whirlwind Leaping Crabs. Their traits are incredible speed, strong jumping ability, and a vicious sense of vengeance. Did you really think I'd pick ordinary crabs as your opponents?"
"Rayleigh! Why didn't you warn me?! You set me up!"
Buggy's tears streamed down as his floating head whined at Rayleigh.
"Heh, would your enemies give you a heads-up before attacking?"
Rayleigh smirked, casually munching on a biscuit. "Buggy, your Devil Fruit ability isn't bad. If you can master Observation Haki, your survival skills will improve dramatically."
"But this is just training, not a real fight!"
Buggy wasn't having it, still complaining loudly.
"Buggy, if you don't want to learn Observation Haki, you're free to leave anytime. I won't force you."
Hearing Rayleigh's tone, Buggy sensed he wasn't joking. His head swiveled toward Shanks, who was still dodging desperately, and Buggy felt a surge of frustration.
"Damn that Shanks! Why's he trying so hard? Pirates are supposed to hunt for treasure, eat, drink, and have fun!"
Despite his thoughts, Buggy forced out a rare polite remark: "Mr. Rayleigh, thank you for your guidance."
"Oh? Now you're being courteous. What a strange guy." Rayleigh grinned.
Meanwhile, Reid was in a sorry state. He hadn't used his system's abilities, and his current physique was just that of an ordinary person.
"At least my speed's decent. It must be like the white aura I saw earlier—the system must've unconsciously enhanced my speed. But whose speed did it give me? Rayleigh's? Gabban's? Or someone else?"
Reid could only dodge within the designated circle. The purpose of the confined space was to sharpen their reflexes.
"Rayleigh's goal is to train our reaction speed. It's the same principle as when he was hitting us earlier, except now the opponents are crabs. Crabs are living creatures too, so they should have an aura, right?"
As he dodged, Reid carefully observed the crabs' movements, focusing his mental energy on them.
"There it is… Got it! I can see it now! Earlier, I couldn't detect the crabs' auras, probably because I wasn't used to combat yet. I lacked battle experience and had forgotten the feeling of dodging Rayleigh's strikes."
Reid's morale soared. He was gradually regaining the sensation of fighting others.
Just then, one crab charged forward, leaping into the air with a gust of wind. Its two pincers clamped shut like blades, thrusting straight at Reid.
"The crab's pissed… I see it—the white aura."
Reid leaped aside in advance, and the crab's pincers sliced through empty air.
"Exactly! Hahaha! With this, I'll definitely pass the crab challenge." The thought filled him with confidence.
"Wait… My speed just now was insanely fast, and I'm sure I didn't ask the system to boost my physical skills or speed. That means, as I suspected, this is already an instinctive fusion from my subconscious. This speed boost isn't borrowed from Rayleigh or Gabban—it's truly my own now!"
Rayleigh, watching from the side, raised an eyebrow, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Reid… He's already able to dodge the leaping crabs with ease. This confirms it—he must've predicted the direction of my attacks earlier too. What astonishing talent."
Though Rayleigh had only been testing them lightly before, and Reid hadn't fully dodged, being able to anticipate the direction was impressive enough.
On the other side, Shanks had no Devil Fruit powers like Buggy, nor a system like Reid. He relied purely on his own abilities to evade.
"Tch!"
No matter how much Shanks concentrated, he still got pinched by the crabs again.
"Argh!"
Shanks' thigh was pinched by one of the crabs, but unlike Buggy's case, the crab immediately released its grip after just one snap.
The crab's eyes gleamed with smug satisfaction, even waving its claw tauntingly at Shanks.
"Damn it, to think I'd be looked down on by a couple of crabs. But at my current speed, there's no way I can dodge them. Haki... I need to master Haki."
"These little guys make perfect sparring partners for Buggy and Shanks. Give me a chance to enjoy a drink or two. Hmm, maybe I'll even whip up a pot of oden while I'm at it."
Rayleigh grinned, and in the next instant, he vanished from sight.
Meanwhile, Reid kept dodging effortlessly, frustrating the two crabs to no end. Their eyes burned with stubborn defiance.
Whoosh!
The crabs split up, flanking Reid from both sides. Their legs scuttled rapidly, bubbles frothing from their mouths as they closed in. Then, with a sudden spinning leap, they whipped up a miniature whirlwind, their claws spiraling toward Reid like drills.
"Whoa… Getting serious now, huh? Too bad for you—I can still see those white auras."