"It's not entirely impossible..." Rayleigh twitched his lips as he spoke. "After all, that woman Charlotte Linlin..."
At this thought, Rayleigh glanced at iser with a hint of pity in his eyes. How did this kid end up on that crazy woman's radar?
"Not likely."
Shakky shook her head. "At her age, even if she wanted to, she probably couldn't have children anymore."
She paused briefly before continuing, "At most, she might be looking for a son-in-law."
"Yeah, that makes sense."
Watching the two of them banter back and forth, iser's lips twitched. "So... what exactly are you two talking about?"
What did they an by "couldn't have children"? And what was this about a son-in-law?
"In the New World, there's a Four Emperor nad Charlotte Linlin. She often takes husbands and has children to build a massive pirate family."
"You could say that most of the officers in the Charlotte Pirates are her own children."
iser: ???
"How old is she?"
"Hmm... probably over sixty," Shakky replied after a mont's thought.
Since she was from the sa era as Shakky, she had to be at least that old.
iser: ...
iser opened his mouth but found himself at a loss for words.
Seeing how stunned iser looked, Shakky comforted him, "We're just speculating. It might not even be the case."
"Relax, little iser~"
After a mont of silence, iser shook his head. "Whatever. I'll deal with it if it happens."
As Shakky had said, they might not even be here for him, so there was no point worrying about it now.
The priority was to figure out Haki first.
With that in mind, iser said, "Rayleigh, let's get back to Haki."
"Rayleigh..."
Rayleigh sighed helplessly. He had wanted to complain earlier—why was Shakky "sister" while he was "old man"?
Weren't they around the sa age...?
"Oh? Do you have a problem with that?" Shakky smiled sweetly.
Rayleigh rolled his eyes. What could he even say?
"Now that we've covered Observation Haki, let's move on to Armant Haki." As he shifted to the main topic, Rayleigh's expression grew serious.
"You've been using seawater to attack Devil Fruit users before, right?"
"More or less."
When he fought Moria last ti, he had indeed used seawater to purify Oars.
So that wasn't entirely wrong.
"Against ordinary Devil Fruit users, the sea is indeed a powerful weapon. But... against so of the stronger ones, seawater isn't as effective."
"Aokiji..."
Hearing Rayleigh's words, iser imdiately thought of that guy.
Against soone like him, seawater really wasn't much of a threat.
Honestly, Aokiji was a natural counter to Water Release.
"Pretty much," Rayleigh agreed. "Many strong fighters have ways to deal with waves, so... relying solely on Water Release Technique might not guarantee victory."
"Plus, when you're on land, you might not always have the chance to summon seawater."
iser nodded, not refuting Rayleigh's words.
After all... the Water Release Technique he used on land was indeed just ordinary water.
"At tis like these, the role of Armant Haki becos evident," Rayleigh said, raising a finger. "This Haki is more like an invisible armor that can be wrapped around one's body to enhance defense or increase attack power."
"It's also one of the most effective ans to deal with Devil Fruit Ability Users."
"For example, those with Logia-type abilities are constantly in a state of flowing Elental Transformation. Even if hit, their bodies automatically transform into elents to evade attacks."
"To strike their real bodies, you first need a way to grasp them, and Armant Haki can solidify their forms."
"As for Paracia-type abilities, they're even more bizarre—so even operate on rule-based principles, making them impossible to guard against."
"In such cases, Armant Haki is needed to isolate the opponent's ability and protect oneself."
"Of course, if your Haki is strong enough, you can even expel a Devil Fruit Ability that has invaded your body."
As he spoke, Rayleigh recalled a peculiar Devil Fruit Ability User they'd encountered years ago, whose power to manipulate viruses was extrely sinister.
One careless mont, and one of their crewmates fell victim. It was only through Haki that they managed to expel the virus.
Thus, Haki was truly indispensable.
"A natural counter to Devil Fruit Ability Users, huh..." iser mused, stroking his chin. "That's quite a useful ability."
Mastering such a power would eliminate any fear of so-called Devil Fruit Ability Users.
Even Logia-types could be defeated this way.
And that Kuma... was likely a rule-based type as well.
If he could learn Armant Haki, he should be able to counter that paw-paw ability of his.
"To learn this Haki, you first need a sufficiently strong physique," Rayleigh explained. "Only with vigorous vitality can you awaken the body's latent potential."
"Once you unlock that potential, you can release your spirit and wrap it around yourself."
"And that is Armant Haki."
"In short, the stronger your body and will, the stronger your Armant Haki becos."
"A fusion of ntal will and physical power?" iser remarked, intrigued.
The more he listened, the more it sounded familiar.
"Well... you could say that," Rayleigh replied after a mont's thought.
With this confirmation, iser fell silent.
Wasn't this just like the composition of Chakra?
"But willpower plays a larger role," Rayleigh added.
Hearing this, iser nodded. "I see."
That clarified the difference.
To refine Chakra, one needed to mix physical energy and ntal energy in a one-to-one ratio.
Haki, however, clearly placed greater emphasis on spiritual energy.
After a brief consideration, iser said, "Rayleigh, take a look at this and tell how it differs from your Haki."
As he spoke, he raised his hand and activated the Super Strength Fist technique.
Rayleigh glanced at iser's hand and frowned, saying, "You plan to test with a punch."
As he spoke, Rayleigh raised his hand, aiming it at iser.
"Alright, here I co."
Without wasting words, iser threw a punch straight at him.
"Super Strength Fist!"
"Bam!"
The heavy fist slamd hard into Rayleigh's palm, producing a dull thud.
Looking at Rayleigh, who had effortlessly caught his punch, a flicker of surprise crossed iser's eyes—this old man hadn't even budged an inch. Is this the power of a peak-level fighter?
"It feels a bit strange," Rayleigh muttered, furrowing his brow. "It resembles Haki, but it's not quite the sa..."
"Kid, what kind of ability is this?"
His gaze fixed on iser, Rayleigh's eyes were filled with confusion.
"It's a combat technique of mine," iser explained. "I concentrate the energy in my body into my fist and release it explosively, granting imnse destructive power."
"Is this the power carried in your bloodline...?"
"Yes."
Hearing iser's words, Rayleigh fell into deep thought. This was the first ti he had encountered sothing like this, and he couldn't quite grasp its essence in such a short ti.
After pondering for a mont, Rayleigh said, "Your physical prowess should be sufficient. What you lack is the ability to tap into your body's potential and unleash your fighting spirit."
Pausing briefly, he continued, "You could try attaching your willpower to the surface of your body. That might help you grasp Haki."
"Attaching willpower to the body's surface...?"
iser nodded, sitting cross-legged on the ground as he began to contemplate.
ntal willpower... it should be sowhat similar to the manifestation of Yin Release...
Upon closer thought, Yin Release represents the power of the mind—creating form from nothingness. That aligns sowhat with what Rayleigh ntioned about forming an invisible armor.
With this in mind, iser began his attempt.
"This kid..." Rayleigh shook his head helplessly as he watched iser sit down without hesitation. "Is he seriously trying to master Armant Haki right now?"
If it were that easy to learn, others wouldn't have spent so much ti training.
"What if he can?" Shakky said with a playful smile. "Rayleigh, want to make a bet?"
"On what?"
"Whether little iser can learn Armant Haki or not."
"You're that confident you'll win?"
Rayleigh gave Shakky a strange look. She never proposed bets unless she was sure of the outco. But now... was she really certain iser could do it?
"Just a woman's intuition."
Rayleigh chuckled and shook his head. "Fair enough. Though I have high hopes for this kid, I've never seen anyone master Haki in a single day."
"He's a complete beginner who's never even heard of Haki. You know what that ans, right?"
In all his years, he had never encountered such a prodigy. Even people like them had only grasped Haki after prolonged training and life-or-death battles.
And now, Shakky believed this kid could learn Haki in a day?
That was just absurd.
"Yeah, I know."
"Then why—"
"Enough talk. Just say whether you dare or not."
"Who's afraid of who?" Rayleigh said. "What's the wager?"
"How about this."
Shakky brought out a special jar of liquor and said, "If I win, you're not allowed to go out this entire month. You'll stay ho and finish drinking this."
Rayleigh: .:
This... this serious?
"And if I win?"
"I'll give you 100 million Berries to spend however you want."
"Deal!"
Rayleigh agreed without hesitation, as if he already had Shakky beat.
"Then let's wait and see." Shakky nodded confidently.
Clearly, she had full faith in her intuition.
And so, Rayleigh sat on a stool, drinking while waiting for iser to finish. Yet even after ten minutes had passed, the young man hadn't moved at all.
"What's going on? Why hasn't this kid moved for so long?"
Rayleigh stared at iser in confusion. What exactly was he doing?
This wasn't Observation Haki training—there was no need to sit here ditating.
Thinking this, Rayleigh activated his Observation Haki to scan iser, wanting to see what was really happening.
But the mont his senses touched iser's body, his expression changed.
"This kid..."
Rayleigh stared at iser in disbelief. Had he actually learned Armant Haki?
How long had it been? Barely ten minutes, and he'd already grasped it?
Was this kid truly a once-in-a-century genius???
At this thought, Rayleigh's eyes filled with shock.
"Hehe, looks like I win~"
Feeling the gradual ergence of Armant Haki on iser's hands, Shakky's lips curled into a smile.
Her intuition had been right after all. Tapping the jar of liquor with her right hand, she said, "Rember to co ho after you finish your business."
"I assu... the great Dark King Rayleigh wouldn't go back on his word~"
Rayleigh: ::
Rayleigh glanced at Shakky, who was smiling at him, then at iser, before finally sighing quietly.
Had he known this guy was a freak, he wouldn't have made that bet with Shakky.
"Got it."
Just then, iser opened his eyes and looked down at his fist. "So... this is Armant Haki?"
With his Sharingan active, iser could clearly see the energy coating his hand—it looked similar to what Moria had used.
"It seems my body really has undergone so kind of beneficial mutation... That must be why I can wield this power." iser mused silently. "But what exactly was that mist?"
"You're a monster, kid," Rayleigh said. "I've never seen anything this ridiculous."
Mastering Armant Haki in ten minutes—what kind of nonsense was that?
"Amazing, little iser~" Shakky said. "Congratulations on learning Armant Haki!"
"Ah, just luck," iser replied. "It happened to be sothing I'm good at."
To test his theory, iser attempted to guide his willpower using the sa thod as Yin Release manipulation, seeing if he could channel it outward—the key to mastering Armant Haki.
To his surprise, this thod actually worked. After several attempts, he truly managed to release that willpower, rging it with his physical strength and wrapping it around his fist like an invisible armor!
It could be said that he had now mastered Armant Haki. Moreover... since this power didn't originate from Chakra, he could apply Haki to other attacks as well.
For example... the Super Strength Fist!
He wondered just how destructive a Super Strength Fist enhanced with Haki would be. iser mused silently to himself.
As he pondered, iser glanced up at the expressions of the two and imdiately noticed the change in Shakky's deanor.
Why was she grinning so happily, as if she'd stumbled upon a fortune...?
"Truly eye-opening," Rayleigh remarked with admiration.
He was now genuinely curious about what would happen when this young man ventured into the New World.
"Ahahaha, it's all thanks to your excellent teaching, Uncle Rayleigh," iser said with a laugh.
"Don't flatter . I only explained the basics—the real credit goes to your own talent," Rayleigh replied, shaking his head.
He understood the situation clearly.
The truth was, the young man's innate ability spoke for itself.
Even without his theoretical guidance, iser would have quickly mastered this power after entering the New World.
At most, Rayleigh had rely accelerated his exposure to it.
"Regardless, I'm grateful to you, Uncle Rayleigh," iser said. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have learned any of this."
Perhaps he could have mastered this power in the New World, but who knew if he might encounter a formidable Logia user along the way?
So gaining this strength earlier was undoubtedly for the best.
This ti, Rayleigh didn't respond, rely nodding in acknowledgnt.
"Now I can use Armant Haki against Devil Fruit users, right?" iser asked. "For example... grabbing the body of a Logia."
"You can," Rayleigh confird. "Even with only a basic grasp of Haki, you can seize the shifting form of a Logia."
Receiving this affirmation, iser broke into a smile. This ant that even if he faced a Logia user, he could now physically grasp them!
After a mont's thought, iser asked, "How do I improve my Armant Haki?"
"Fighting!" Rayleigh answered. "Strengthen your Haki through constant battle. That's how we all did it."
"Fighting, huh..."
iser lowered his head in contemplation. If that was the case, he'd need to pick more fights.
Well, it made sense—combat was indeed the best way to grow stronger.
"Once you reach a certain level of strength, you'll be able to wield more advanced forms of Armant Haki," Rayleigh added.
"More advanced?"
"Indeed. Right now, you've only grasped the basics—using it as an invisible armor. There's still a long way to go."
"I see..."
iser considered this before nodding. "Understood."
It made sense. Even if he'd quickly acquired this power, he couldn't leap straight to the pinnacle of strength.
Progress had to be made step by step—he understood that well.
"Hmm." Rayleigh nodded and said, "You just need to rember that the highest level of Armant Haki can penetrate an enemy's body and destroy them from within."
"However, this requires an extrely profound understanding of Haki. For now, just knowing about it is enough."
At this point, Rayleigh paused briefly before sighing with emotion, "But I have a feeling you'll master this power very quickly."
A genius who could learn Armant Haki in just 10 minutes would undoubtedly be able to attain that level of Haki in the future.
The only question is... whether this kid possesses Conqueror's Haki or not.
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