Deep in the mountains behind Demon Valley Town.
It was a sparsely populated place.
Though Demon Valley Town was only part of Sky Island, it still covered a vast area.
Chaos flew through the air with Zebra Killer, finally landing in a ravine beneath a waterfall. It was a pretty good spot.
Chaos was excited. Zebra Killer held the key to whether he could master Observation Haki.
In truth, thanks to being transported to this world, Chaos had tremendous talent. So why, after all this time, had he still been unable to reach the threshold of Observation Haki or Armament Haki?
Because he lacked direction—a clear guide.
With techniques like the Six Powers, Chaos had a definite path to follow. Shave meant taking at least ten steps in 0.36 seconds. Iron Body meant taking hits, Paper Arts meant dodging, Finger Pistol meant repeatedly stabbing, and Tempest Kick meant repeatedly kicking. As long as he kept at it, he would naturally succeed once he reached a critical point.
Haki was different.
It was like the inner energy cultivated in martial arts. How could you train without knowing the manual or the eight extraordinary meridians?
The principle was simple.
It was like a layer of paper over a window. Until you broke through it, you'd never know what lay beyond.
What Chaos lacked now was someone to help him pierce that paper and guide him in the right direction.
Once he did, all he would need to do was keep moving forward along that path, and he would eventually reach his destination.
Without a sense of direction, Chaos might spend his whole life going in circles, let alone reaching the finish line.
The golden chains shifted, revealing Zebra Killer's head. His face was covered in bloody gashes, and he looked miserable.
"You damn bastard, what do you want?"
Zebra Killer was furious, but he hadn't lost his senses.
This man hadn't killed him right away, which meant he must have some value. That also meant there was a chance he'd survive.
He'd been careless this time.
No pirate who'd made it to an 81-million bounty was a fool.
Otherwise, they'd already be dead.
Chaos remained calm and didn't speak right away.
He kept his whole body tense and stayed alert. He'd captured Zebra Killer through a trick. If the Gold-Gold Fruit hadn't caught him off guard, Chaos really wouldn't have been a match for him.
An 81-million bounty now was equivalent to 100 or even 200 million in the future, and Zebra Killer's strength was the real deal.
Though he'd relied on a trick, Chaos had become this strong in just three years and five months. That already made him a genius!
But compared with the transmigrators who had cheat abilities, Chaos was nothing.
In three years and five months, those guys were probably already beating the Four Emperors, crushing Marine Admirals, and uniting the pirate world.
Even Luffy was stronger than him.
After just three years, Luffy was already clashing with the Four Emperors.
"I want to know how you awakened Observation Haki!"
Chaos fell silent for a moment, then got straight to the point. He stared intently into Zebra Killer's eyes.
"Haha! You want to learn how to train Observation Haki from me?"
Zebra Killer first stared in surprise, then burst into laughter.
At the same time, he felt relieved.
As long as he was useful, he could buy himself some time.
He was arrogant and looked down on everyone, but that didn't mean he lacked brains.
He had a strong desire to survive.
"If I manage to master it, I'll let you go."
Chaos watched him coldly, paying no attention to his laughter. All he cared about was Observation Haki.
Zebra Killer's laughter gradually faded until he finally fell silent, his face streaked with blood.
"I don't want to torture you to make you talk. Tell me everything you know about Observation Haki. If I master it, I'll let you go. We both get what we want."
"That's a pretty good deal, but Observation Haki isn't something just anyone can awaken. What if it takes you a year, ten years, or even your whole life?"
Zebra Killer didn't want to be tortured, and he didn't mind Chaos getting straight to the point.
"One year. If I can't awaken it within a year, I'll still let you go."
Chaos held up one finger, his voice firm and confident.
"You'd better keep your word!"
Zebra Killer stared at Chaos as if trying to see into his heart.
"Do you have a choice?"
"Fine!"
Zebra Killer knew his situation. He really had no choice.
But as long as there was even the slightest chance of survival, he'd take it.
Chaos would do the same in his place!
"Aren't you going to untie me?"
Chaos just looked at Zebra Killer without replying, but the barbs on the golden chains vanished.
Zebra Killer gave him a mocking look.
He didn't know whether he should be pleased or upset that Chaos was so wary of him.
"Actually, I only awakened Observation Haki a few months ago. I've only just gotten the hang of it."
"You just have to tell me everything you know, what you felt, what you heard about it, and what you experienced when you awakened it."
"All right!"
Zebra Killer inwardly scoffed. As if Observation Haki were that easy to awaken.
He'd only awakened it by chance, when his life was in danger. He was certain this guy wouldn't awaken it within a year.
"That was six months ago..."
Zebra Killer began to reminisce, and went on for the entire afternoon.
Throughout the afternoon, Chaos kept asking all sorts of bizarre questions, like what his heart rate had been, whether his blood had been flowing quickly, and whether he'd been excited.
The questions were all over the place, and they kept Zebra Killer scowling. This guy asked too many questions and was way too long-winded.
He kept pressing for details that didn't matter, too. He almost asked what color his shit was, what underwear he'd worn over the past six months, and how many pairs he'd gone through!
Night fell, and the bonfire blazed!
Chaos hunted down a few animals, roasted them, and fed Zebra Killer until he was full. He couldn't let him go hungry.
"Your cooking tastes awful."
Zebra Killer looked disgusted. The wounds on his face were healing faster with every passing moment.
Chaos ignored him and sat cross-legged in front of the bonfire, lost in thought.
"Kid, are you planning to keep me tied up like this for a year?"
"Or should I cut off your limbs?"
Chaos came back to his senses, wearing an expression that said he was eager to help. "If you want, I can help you with that! Then I won't need to keep you tied up."
"On second thought, forget it!"
Zebra Killer snorted.
This guy was ruthless. He'd have to find another way to escape.
Just thinking about being tied up for a year made him shudder.
The bonfire crackled, pushing back the darkness and bringing warmth.
After Zebra Killer fell silent, Chaos continued frowning in thought.
According to Silbaz Rayleigh's explanation when he taught Luffy, Armament Haki and Observation Haki were latent powers possessed by all humans. They were abilities people were born with.
They existed like instincts.
But most people couldn't become aware of these powers, or, even if they tried to use them, couldn't bring them out in their entire lives.
Everyone possessed this power. What they lacked was a way to sense it, then draw it out.
And put it to use.
Unlike Armament Haki, Observation Haki could be said to be an extension of the mind. It amplified and extended the ability to sense the world around you.
As Rayleigh had said, the power to strongly sense another person's presence was Observation Haki. Once that power was developed, you could read the positions and numbers of enemies outside your field of vision, as well as what they were about to do in the next instant.
It was also closely tied to one's state of mind. You had to stay calm to use it reliably. You couldn't use Observation Haki when overwhelmed by emotion or when you'd lost your reason.
Observation Haki had quite a few functions. The most basic were sensing attacks, predicting an opponent's next move, sensing how strong living beings were, and sensing the positions and numbers of things outside your field of vision. These were all abilities of Observation Haki, and their range and strength varied from person to person.
All of these were the most basic abilities...
Before you continue