Hardening Technique

As night deepened, the Merry rose and fell gently with the waves on the tranquil sea, creaking rhythmically.

The sea breeze scattered the lingering smell of alcohol from the feast, while the stars overhead glittered like an overturned jewel box.

Though the mood was relaxed, Ronan's words quickly sobered everyone who had been immersed in the shock of Haki.

Ronan set down his wineglass and slowly spoke as he looked into the two pairs of eyes eager to grow stronger.

"The advanced techniques I mentioned earlier, whether Armament Haki or the Conqueror's Haki that intimidates all things, are still far too distant for us at our current level."

"You have to eat one bite at a time and walk one step at a time."

He rose and walked to the center of the deck, standing as straight as a pine. "Our top priority now is to first get started with Observation Haki, while also..."

Ronan paused, his gaze sweeping over Luffy's thin-limbed rubber body and Zoro's solid muscles, which had yet to reach inhuman levels.

"Train your bodies like mad. Only a physique powerful enough to surpass humanity can bear the domineering power of Armament Haki."

Zoro keenly caught the key point. Sitting cross-legged on the deck, he rubbed the hilt of the sword at his waist, a flash of understanding appearing in his eyes.

"Ronan, you mean that the prerequisite for cultivating Armament Haki is having a strong enough body?"

"In other words, the Horse Stance training you taught us before wasn't just about standing still. It was laying the foundation for this?"

"Correct. You're quite perceptive."

Ronan nodded approvingly. "Horse Stance training is the accumulation of stillness, the foundation for regulating one's blood and qi and stabilizing the lower body."

"But relying on the Horse Stance alone to reach a level capable of bearing Armament Haki in a short time would be far too slow."

"Yeah, too slow..." Luffy muttered, clearly growing impatient with the boring stance training.

Zoro suddenly raised his head, his eyes burning with a swordsman's most primal desire for strength.

"You mean there are techniques more efficient than the Horse Stance, techniques that can strengthen the body faster?"

"Of course. There are plenty of them."

With his hands behind his back, Ronan began unveiling the treasures of National Martial Arts upon the deck of this other world.

"Train the sinews, bones, and skin externally; cultivate a breath of qi internally. But you can't chew more than you can swallow, so we'll first learn the most domineering and direct one—Hardening Technique."

"And while practicing Hardening Technique, you can also make twice the progress with half the effort in cultivating Observation Haki!"

"Hardening?" Nami tilted her head, her short orange hair fluttering in the night wind, her face full of confusion. "What is that?"

"Simply put," Ronan explained, "it uses special breathing techniques together with external blows to temper a person's skin, muscles, sinews, and bones until they become as hard as steel."

"This is a technique created purely to increase defense, strength, and explosive power."

At this point, Ronan lowered his voice, adding a hint of temptation.

"If you reach minor mastery and supplement it with specific medicinal baths, you can become impervious to blades and spears, water and fire."

"Impervious to blades and spears?!"

Those four words were like a bolt of lightning, instantly striking Luffy and Zoro's nerves.

Luffy sprang to his feet, his eyes shining, saliva even dripping from the corner of his mouth—though not because of food.

"Doesn't that mean I won't have to be afraid of those annoying swordsmen cutting me anymore?! Rubber plus being impervious to blades and spears—I'll be invincible!"

Zoro could not help clenching his fists, his breathing growing rapid.

"Can it greatly increase pure strength? If my body becomes as hard as steel, then the power of my slashes..."

Seeing the way the two stared like hungry wolves spotting meat, Ronan laughed inwardly before immediately dousing them with cold water.

"Of course. But let me make this clear first. This technique may be domineering, but the cultivation process... is extremely painful."

"It's pain that reaches deep into your bone marrow. You'd better prepare yourselves mentally."

"Pain?"

The corner of Zoro's mouth lifted into a savage, fervent curve on his face.

"I'd ask for nothing more! As long as I can grow stronger, pain... the more of it, the better!"

Luffy laughed carelessly. "Hehehe! I'm not afraid of pain!!"

"What a bunch of masochists..." Nami rubbed her forehead helplessly, but then she seemed to think of a crucial question.

"Wait, Ronan. You said practicing this Hardening Technique could make cultivating Observation Haki twice as effective. What's the connection between the two?"

"Miss Nami, that's an excellent question." Ronan turned toward Nami, a sly smile in his eyes.

"To reach the realm of being impervious to blades and spears through Hardening Technique, aside from training qi, what is the most essential method? Naturally—getting beaten."

"Ehh—?!"

The moment Ronan's words fell, startled cries rang out across the deck.

"Getting beaten?" Usopp shrank back.

Ronan nodded as if it were only natural.

"Only through constant blows, destruction, and rebuilding can the skin and muscles become tougher and tougher."

"And the best way to get started with Observation Haki is to close your eyes and use your heart to sense attacks."

Ronan spread his hands, making a gesture that completed the perfect logical circle.

"Think about it. When you close your eyes and try to dodge attacks, you definitely won't be able to dodge them at first, right?"

"If you can't dodge, you get hit. Once you get hit, you can use the breathing method of Hardening Technique to take the blow and strengthen your body."

"If you dodge it, your Observation Haki improves. If you don't, your Hardening Technique improves."

"No matter the outcome, you're getting stronger. This is the win-win cultivation method I tailored specifically for you!"

Silence fell over the deck, with only the sound of the waves remaining.

Then Luffy erupted with a shout.

"Awesome! I want to train! I want to train! So what if I have to get beaten?! I'm least afraid of getting beaten! As long as I can grow stronger, hit me however you want!"

The Fighting Spirit in Zoro's eyes said it all. "It can temper a swordsman's instincts and strengthen the body... this kind of training suits me perfectly."

"Um..." Nami raised her hand, her face turning slightly pale as she asked weakly.

"Ronan, will practicing that Hardening Technique turn me into a hulking brute? Like... muscles all knotted up like rocks?"

Ronan nodded honestly. "At the beginning, of course it will. Since your strength increases dramatically, muscle expansion is an unavoidable stage. But once you reach the peak and return to simplicity..."

Before Ronan could finish the words "return to simplicity," an image had already formed in Nami's mind.

In the mirror, her once slender figure had vanished, replaced by arms even thicker than Zoro's.

Veins bulged from her neck as she wore a bikini and struck a bodybuilder's pose, letting out a rough laugh. "Wahahaha! I'm the strongest!"

"No!!"

Nami let out a shriek, suddenly hugging her slender arms and shaking her head furiously, her eyes filled with terror.

"I don't want to become a muscle woman! Absolutely not! I won't practice it! I won't practice it even if I die!"

Beside her, Usopp shook his head like a rattle drum and declared righteously.

"I'm a sniper! Long-range support! This barbaric method of training that requires getting beaten doesn't suit the noble temperament of Captain Usopp! I'll just watch... just watch!"

Ronan glanced at the pair of "long-range mages" and did not force them.

"Fine, then. To each their own."

Ronan turned, his gaze blazing as he looked at Luffy and Zoro. They were tonight's main characters.

"Luffy, Zoro. Starting tonight, the three of us will train together."