Two Lessons, Three Colors of Haki, Graduation

As if in response to Kuzan, Borsalino, and the others' thoughts.

After witnessing Sengoku use Conqueror's Haki Coating from start to finish, Rosen felt that this technique held no more secrets before him.

Originally,

even if Sengoku had not taught him Conqueror's Haki Coating, he was confident he could have learned it.

At most, it would have taken another five or six seconds.

Now that Sengoku was teaching him step by step, Conqueror's Haki Coating was practically effortless.

Under the gazes of the legendary Marines, who looked at him as though he were a monster, Rosen raised an arm and curled his five fingers.

The instant he clenched his fist, streaks of black-red lightning erupted in flashes, like violent black dragons breaking free of their restraints. They scrambled to coil around his fist, releasing a crushing pressure that forcibly warped the air around it.

"It really is."

"Conqueror's Haki Coating."

Even Sengoku, who had already witnessed this scene through Observation Haki's Future Sight, could not help but pale in shock when he saw Rosen use Conqueror's Haki Coating.

Let alone Zefa, Garp, Kuzan, and Borsalino, who were watching from afar.

"Rosen."

"Is he a monster?"

"No, we should say he's a born supreme king!"

At this moment,

all the legendary Marines present reached the same conclusion.

In their eyes, Rosen was the sort of king whom heaven itself chased after to feed Haki.

Whether anyone taught him or not made no difference to his growth.

"I have nothing left to teach him."

"At least,"

"that is certainly true when it comes to Conqueror's Haki."

As Sengoku watched Rosen form Conqueror's Haki Coating right in front of him, his feelings became exceedingly complicated.

He was awed by Rosen's heaven-defying comprehension; delighted that Marine Headquarters had gained such a born supreme king; and ashamed that, as Fleet Admiral, he had run out of tricks after teaching Rosen for only a few minutes.

Especially because he knew perfectly well—

Rosen had not needed Sengoku to teach him Conqueror's Haki Coating at all.

Sengoku had used Observation Haki to foresee that Rosen would comprehend Conqueror's Haki Coating on his own within seconds. To avoid losing face before Garp, to save himself from embarrassment, and to leave Rosen with the favor of being taught, he had simply relied on his powerful Haki and strength to force-feed Rosen the technique of Conqueror's Haki Coating.

Otherwise, even as Fleet Admiral, he would not have been qualified to teach Rosen even one lesson.

"Ahem."

"Rosen, although you have mastered Conqueror's Haki Coating, and Armament Haki's four—no, five—techniques, do not become complacent because of it."

"The vastness of this sea far exceeds your imagination."

Sengoku did not want Rosen's monstrous talent to make him arrogant and conceited. After racking his brains, he finally thought of an area where Rosen still fell short and needed further training:

"At the very least, your Observation Haki—"

Before he could finish, however, he saw a familiar red gleam appear in Rosen's eyes, and his heart gave a jolt.

"So this is what it feels like to use Observation Haki to perceive people?"

"Teacher Sengoku, Teacher Zefa, Vice Admiral Garp, and Vice Admirals Kizaru and Aokiji—their presences inside Marine Headquarters are as eye-catching as five suns."

Rosen closed his eyes and spread out his Observation Haki.

Clearly,

during the time Sengoku had taken to compose himself and lecture him, Rosen had already poured his consciousness into his Observation Haki and mastered it.

He still could not foresee the future. After all, that was not a Haki technique, but a matter of Haki strength. Yet he understood every fundamental technique of Observation Haki perfectly.

Sensing attacks, predicting an opponent's next move, sensing the strength of living beings, sensing their emotions and thoughts, and sensing the locations and numbers of objects beyond one's field of vision.

Every last one of them.

Rosen had mastered them all.

In other words,

the Three Colors of Haki.

Counting Zefa and Sengoku together, he had graduated after only two lessons.

Rosen had already mastered every known technique of the Three Colors of Haki on the Grand Line. The remaining abilities, such as Observation Kill and Future Sight, were no longer techniques, but were tied to Haki strength.

Take Future Sight, for example.

One had to train the strength of their Observation Haki to its utmost limit.

And then there was Observation Kill.

Without upper-tier Conqueror's Haki strength, it was impossible to master.

"He learned Observation Haki too?"

"And it was self-taught."

Sengoku opened his mouth as if an invisible egg had been stuffed into it.

He had not even finished speaking—no, during the mere time it took him to speak, the monster before him had comprehended Observation Haki on his own.

Since when had the Three Colors of Haki become so cheap?

That one could learn all of them in two lessons?

"Now this is interesting."

"Armament Haki, Conqueror's Haki, and Observation Haki—he has mastered them all."

"Teacher Zefa is facing the same unemployment crisis as Teacher Sengoku."

Seeing this, Borsalino teased Zefa, but the shock in his heart was no less than anyone else's.

He had always thought of himself as a monster too.

Aside from not being born with Conqueror's Haki, whether it was Swordsmanship, Physical Techniques, endurance, or Paramecia Ability, none of them were inferior to those so-called Four Emperors.

Until he met Rosen.

Only then did Borsalino feel that he, too, was actually a normal person.

"How little faith do you have in my abilities?"

"Borsalino."

Zefa curled his lip. Ignoring Borsalino, he walked straight up to Rosen.

"Rosen."

"As far as techniques go, you have indeed learned all there is to learn about the Three Colors of Haki, but that does not mean there is no room for improvement."

"Do you remember what I told you before?"

"Do not blindly believe in Haki techniques. Whether it is Observation Haki, Armament Haki, or Conqueror's Haki, so-called techniques merely allow you to better unleash Haki's inherent power. But no technique can change the strength of your own Haki."

As the only man in the Marines who could contend with Kaido for the title of the world's greatest teacher, Zefa was completely different from Sengoku.

At a glance, he saw Rosen's shortcoming.

In a word—

His techniques were more than sufficient, but his strength was lacking.

If Haki strength was like internal energy and Haki techniques were martial arts forms, then Rosen possessed top-tier forms without the top-tier internal energy needed to match them.

"Teacher Zefa, please teach me."

Hearing this, Rosen thought for a moment, then bowed to Zefa.

After mastering Observation Haki, he could clearly sense Zefa's emotion of wanting him to succeed.

Not as a son, but as a disciple.

Thinking of how Zefa had devoted his life to cultivating the Marines' next generation after pirates killed his wife and child, Rosen understood that Zefa's nurturing and regard for him contained no selfish interest whatsoever.

That was why, after realizing Rosen might possess Conqueror's Haki, Zefa had hurried to the Fleet Admiral's office.

On the surface, it had been to report to Sengoku.

In truth, he had wanted to lay the groundwork.

So that Sengoku would give Rosen an answer.

Namely, that once Rosen was confirmed to possess Conqueror's Haki, Sengoku, as Fleet Admiral, would personally come to teach him.