Luo Yi: I Really Need a Haki Fruit, Thanks!

"Whew."

Zephyr slowly withdrew his fist, and the powerful Haki wrapped around his body gradually subsided.

The muscles throughout his body, which had constantly shifted with the flow of Haki, also slowly returned to normal.

Fine beads of sweat had already formed on Zephyr's forehead.

"I'm getting old."

Feeling the exhaustion coming from his body, the old man sighed inwardly.

That punch, which had just severed the deep-sea current, had truly been his full strength without reservation.

By using Black Body Flow to control every part of his body and unleash his maximum potential, his already peerless Haki had exploded with astonishing power.

In his youth, at the height of his prime, he could have maintained this state for quite a long time.

But in recent years, such a strike had placed a tremendous burden on his body.

In fact, four years ago, when he encountered the pirate who attacked him at sea, it had been the same. Zephyr had nearly crushed his opponent when he went all out.

But that pirate had relied on monstrous Life Force to endure until Zephyr's body could no longer bear the strain, resulting in the tragedy of four years ago.

According to the SSG scientists who had examined him and prepared his new arm, in a few more years, Zephyr's body might become completely incapable of using the ultimate techniques of Black Body Flow. Even sustained high-intensity combat would become extremely difficult.

That was the magic of time.

Even an admiral who had once commanded the respect of the seas would grow old.

Fortunately—

"There are successors."

Zephyr drew a deep breath and turned around, immediately seeing Luo Yi's burning gaze.

He grinned.

"Well, kid? How was it?"

"Awesome."

What else could Luo Yi say? "That just now was—"

"The true ultimate technique of Black Body Flow."

Zephyr said proudly, "First, temper your body until you can control every part of it. Then, use that control over your body to guide and master Haki."

"When using Haki, control every part of your body to squeeze out its potential and coordinate it with your Haki."

That was the most special aspect of his physical technique.

Many powerful people could wrap themselves in Armament Haki.

There were even plenty whose pure Haki strength surpassed Zephyr's.

But just as Zephyr's punch had demonstrated, when Zephyr threw that punch, it was not only Haki that was flowing.

Every part of his body was squeezing out its own potential.

That was why his physical technique was not called 'Black Arm,' but 'Black Body'!

Thus, Luo Yi had no more complaints.

What else was there to say?

Train!

Afterward, under Zephyr's guidance—

Luo Yi did not hesitate. He chose one of the countless surging 'Black Snakes' and leaped straight into it.

Then—

"!!!"

The pain struck once more.

But this time, it was different from the deep-sea pressure before.

If the pressure of the deep sea had merely placed a mountain on Luo Yi's body—

then the enormous current in the deep sea was as if that mountain had grown fists and punched him hard!

No. A hundred punches!

"Rumble!"

Luo Yi felt that even his muscles and bones, which had become hard as steel after he had acquired the Slicing-Slicing Fruit, seemed to be moaning in agony.

"Hold on. Feel the changes in your body. Feel the strength in every inch of your body. Your control over your body is far too poor; most of your strength is being wasted for nothing."

Zephyr's voice entered his ears.

Hearing that, Luo Yi suddenly gritted his teeth.

But only moments later, he once again felt his strength giving out. His body relaxed, and he was swept toward the deep sea by the violent current like a withered leaf.

At that very moment, Zephyr suddenly flashed.

He appeared inside the current in an instant, grabbed Luo Yi with his left hand, and pulled him out.

Without waiting for Luo Yi to say anything, he said directly, "Some of your muscles are torn, but your bones should be fine. With your recovery ability—shall we start the next round in ten minutes?"

Hearing this, Luo Yi gritted his teeth and smiled. "Seven minutes is enough."

"Good lad."

Zephyr grinned, his gaze growing even more gratified. "Then seven minutes. I'll go prepare some more coating bubbles for you."

With that, he turned and left.

Luo Yi calmly remained in the deep sea, quietly feeling his body recover.

His eyes were filled with determination.

Normally, he was a lazy fellow.

But whenever hard work was necessary, he had never retreated.

Seven minutes later, Zephyr returned.

Luo Yi did not hesitate and plunged headfirst into the Giant Wave once more.

Once, twice, three times.

In that tranquil deep sea, Luo Yi was sent flying by the 'Black Snakes' again and again, only for Zephyr to drag him back time after time.

"The muscles in your left calf are much less efficiently used than those in your right."

"Do you know why your shoulder blade broke this time? Because just now, you—"

"You need to apply force from farther back with your abdominal muscles. Feel them. Next time, control the strength at seventy percent."

"That's right, just like that. You need to control your heart and make it pump blood faster."

"Keep going, keep going! How can someone your age still sleep?"

Zephyr also demonstrated why he was known as a legendary instructor of the Marines.

Whenever Luo Yi failed, he could identify Luo Yi's problems with near-perfect accuracy.

And through these repeated failures, Luo Yi truly experienced the changes in his body.

The steel-like skin brought by the Slicing-Slicing Fruit seemed to grow denser under the repeated tempering.

His control over the strength brought by the Great Rhinoceros Fruit and Strong-Strong Fruit also gradually became more precise. He could even clearly sense which muscles had grown stronger after tearing and repairing themselves.

"I'm getting stronger. I haven't added any Devil Fruit Ability, but I really am getting stronger."

Luo Yi could clearly sense this.

That allowed him to almost ignore his physical exhaustion and continue training madly.

Until one particular training session—

"Crack!"

Luo Yi stood inside the violent current, struggling to control his body and resist the enormous flow.

His heart pumped blood faster, his muscles were completely engorged, and he gritted his teeth as he extended both hands to maintain his balance.

Then—

"Buzz!"

At a certain moment, he felt something unprecedented appear within his body.

Luo Yi found it difficult to describe that sensation.

It was not a Devil Fruit Ability. Rather, deep within his bones and muscles, it was as if some kind of power were surging.

It seemed to exist in every part of his body, like magma hidden beneath an undersea volcano.

But the sensation vanished in an instant, so quickly that Luo Yi almost suspected it had been an illusion.

Thus, when the current swept him away again and Zephyr fished him out once more—

Luo Yi eagerly asked Zephyr about what he had just felt.

Then—

"You felt it?"

After hearing this, Zephyr glanced at Luo Yi, seemingly somewhat surprised.

"Of course it wasn't an illusion. What you felt was your own 'Haki.'"

"As expected."

Hearing this, Luo Yi inwardly muttered that it was just as he had thought. "That was Haki?"

He had long since guessed it. The power inside him that was not a Devil Fruit Ability had to be Haki.

But the problem was—

"How do I use it?"

Luo Yi looked at Zephyr expectantly.

Zephyr laughed when he heard this and glanced at him. "What are you thinking, kid? How could it be that simple?"

He did not hold anything back, directly telling Luo Yi what he knew about Haki. "Haki exists within everyone's body. It's simply stronger in some people and weaker in others."

He held up a finger. "Aside from the special nature of Conqueror's Haki, which one possesses from birth—"

"The other two types of Haki can both be acquired through training. The stronger a person's physique, the greater the potential of the Armament Haki within them."

"The sharper a person's senses, the greater the potential of their innate Observation Haki."

At this point, he pointed at Luo Yi.

"Your body is as strong as a monster's, so the potential of your Armament Haki must be absurdly high. It's only natural that you sensed it so quickly."

"But sensing Haki is only the first step. Tempering and drawing out Haki is the key to cultivating it."

Hearing this, Luo Yi was naturally somewhat disappointed.

"Then how long will it take me to draw out my Haki? How long until I reach your level?"

He truly needed Haki. Against Logia Ability Users, Armament Haki was indeed extremely useful.

Zephyr did not hesitate. "To draw out Haki initially, about half a year."

"To use the Haki within your body proficiently, even someone with high talent would probably need one or two years."

"As for reaching my level..." Zephyr paused. "With your physique and talent, you should be able to draw out all the Haki in your body in about ten years. By then, you should also have fully mastered the essence of Black Body Flow."

As he said this, Zephyr's eyes were filled with anticipation.

In his view, Luo Yi was not yet thirty.

In another ten years, he would still be under forty, right at the peak of his prime.

And Zephyr was certain that by then, Luo Yi would definitely be stronger than him!

That fellow Garp keeps bragging to me that Kuzan learned his Iron Fist. When the time comes, I'll show him just how strong my successor, Zephyr's disciple, really is!

But clearly, Luo Yi was stunned by this point.

"Half a year just to draw out Haki?"

"One or two years to use it proficiently? Ten years to reach the peak?"

He could understand Zephyr's words. His physique was too strong, so his Haki potential was also immense, and developing it would naturally require a great deal of time.

Moreover, after thinking about it, even Wang Luffy, with his maxed-out combat talent and protagonist's halo, had spent a full two years mastering Haki under the training of 'Pluton' Rayleigh, a Haki expert.

By comparison, Zephyr's assessment had clearly already greatly overestimated Luo Yi's potential.

But to Luo Yi, that time was still far too long.

"Is there really no such thing as a Haki Fruit or something?"

He muttered this inwardly.

But clearly, Zephyr had no idea what Luo Yi was thinking.

Thus, after imagining himself showing off his disciple spectacularly in front of his old friend in the future, he looked back at Luo Yi.

"Rested enough? If you have, then continue. Ten more rounds today, and you can go back!"

"Te—ten rounds!?"