Learning Haki

"4951, 4952, 4953..." Sweat dripped from Rono's hands, forming a small puddle beneath him. His goal was ten thousand handstand push-ups. Beads of sweat trickled from his smooth red hair into the puddle, which was made entirely of sweat. (For some reason, I really want to say, "How terrifying!" 2333)

First published on Taiwan Novel Network. Extra thoughtful! Visit for an error-free reading experience with chapters in the correct order.

Hell Training (II):

10,000 handstand push-ups, 10,000 weighted sit-ups with 50 kg, a 30 km sprint (switched to a Stationary Bike, tracked by the system), and two hours of meditation.

Time limit: 30 days

Failure penalty: Unable to get it up for six months.

Evaluation: A workout that makes you sweat—and that's all.

(Note 1: If you can't even manage this training, what kind of Pirate King are you going to be!)

(Note 2: This system means what it says. Go ahead and try not finishing!)

(Note 3: Oh, the penalty period can stack.)

Friendly Reminder: All interpretive rights belong to the system.

"..." Rono saw the words "Pirate King" and was about to complain: I don't even want to be the Pirate King! And it sounded as if doing these exercises would make him Pirate King or something... Then he saw the penalty, and his lower half suddenly went cold. Forgetting all about complaining, he went full throttle and threw himself into training.

Vice Admiral Huo Shaoshan arrived at the training room with a cigar in his mouth and saw Rono doing handstand push-ups.

"9981, 9982, 998...3." There were two puddles on the floor, one beneath Rono's head and the other about a meter away. Vice Admiral Huo Shaoshan was surprised. He hadn't expected Rono to train so hard. He hadn't expected him to avoid wallowing in despair after being beaten so badly. He hadn't expected... Rono really did have the talent to become an admiral!

Nobody was born strong (though, well, some people might have been). The same went for the strong: on the path to becoming stronger, they often encountered enemies far more powerful than themselves. The truly strong had a heart that only grew more determined with each setback—a Heart of the Strong, as it was commonly called. It brought them not only fearlessness in the face of powerful foes, but also perseverance and diligence.

Well, Rono wasn't actually that badass. More determined with each setback? Sure, let's say so. Mainly, he just had a thick skin. Perseverance and diligence? 2333. If the system hadn't forced him, Rono would definitely still be in bed, snoring. But that didn't change Huo Shaoshan's impression of him. He had no idea the system existed.

A Heart of the Strong, a heaven-sent genius—wasn't that the very definition of Talent of Admiral?

All in all, it was a beautiful misunderstanding.

"Wolf (Rono), I'm sorry about what happened earlier. I'm a Marine, after all, and following orders comes first... How about this? We're still about two months from Marine Headquarters, so I'll teach you Haki. You know, that hard, black stuff." Afraid Rono wouldn't understand, Huo Shaoshan explained. He felt somewhat guilty toward Rono and decided to make it up to him in another way. Of course, the main reason was that Huo Shaoshan thought he had potential.

"Is that so? Hah..." Rono finished his final handstand push-up and replied absentmindedly, moving on to his next goal: weighted sit-ups.

Rono didn't like Huo Shaoshan at all. One of his own had been beaten, and Huo Shaoshan hadn't said a word; instead, he'd stood up for the other guy. Rono was annoyed just looking at him, and he didn't want Huo Shaoshan teaching him Haki, either.

"So, you mean..." Huo Shaoshan frowned. He could hear Rono's displeasure in his tone, but asked anyway. If Rono firmly refused to let him train him, it wasn't as if Huo Shaoshan would lose anything. Right?

Rono was doing sit-ups when he suddenly froze and turned to look at Huo Shaoshan. "Of course I forgive you... I mean, of course I'll learn Haki from you!"

"All right, if you don't want me to teach you... Huh? You agreed?" Huo Shaoshan nearly dropped his cigar. What was this guy playing at? What was with that scornful tone just now? Was he messing with him, the bastard?

Rono had a reason for agreeing. Just moments earlier, the system had issued its first-ever mission: Accept Huo Shaoshan's instruction and develop Dual Haki. Reward for completion: Reduce Hell Training (II) by one round.

So Rono decisively tossed his dignity aside and agreed to Huo Shaoshan's offer.

Hearing the system's pleasant mission-complete notification, Rono felt a little excited.

Vice Admiral Huo Shaoshan shook his head, at a loss for words. "Then you can stop training for now. I'll teach you Haki in a bit."

"No, no, I can't stop this!" Rono immediately weighed the pros and cons. He'd asked Huo Shaoshan to teach him to reduce the chance of failing his training. If Huo Shaoshan went and did this... then what the hell was the point of training? His lower half would be as good as gone, and he could forget about everything else!

Rono promptly refused, then came up with an excuse on the spot. "Vice Admiral Huo Shaoshan, this is a goal I set for myself. I'm working hard to complete it. Are you really going to make me give up halfway?"

"Um, well... There isn't enough time for your training, though," Vice Admiral Huo Shaoshan said, voicing his concern.

"I'll finish the training in the morning!" Rono declared with steely resolve. He could leave meditation for the evening. As for the rest of the training... Rono remembered a saying from his previous life: Take a chance, and your bicycle might turn into a motorcycle.

Actually, the system had issued another mission: Learn Dual Haki. Reward: One failure exemption.

The system was still pretty humane. When Rono had been shipwrecked, and when he'd been knocked unconscious, the system hadn't given him any missions. He was quite touched.

Rono accepted the mission without hesitation. It didn't come with a penalty, anyway.

"Fine, then. See you this afternoon." Huo Shaoshan wasn't one to dawdle. He waved goodbye and left.

Then the training room rang with Rono's cries of "Aah! Aah!" followed by the "clang, clang, clang" of equipment crashing together.

Two hours later, Rono raced to the Power Room. Without a word, he hopped onto the Stationary Bike (a technological device that converted biological energy into kinetic energy, used for getting around when there was no wind) and began another round of training.

The warship immediately picked up speed, its hull trailing a churning white wake.

The staff didn't mind. The sooner they arrived, the sooner they could take leave.

Vice Admiral Huo Shaoshan had originally been on assignment elsewhere. He'd gone to the Seventh Branch after receiving a notice, and along the way he'd picked up an unexpected passenger: Sunglasses Man. Sunglasses Man's orders had also been delivered at a gallop by a special News Bird. Talent of Admiral was exceedingly rare, and so many of them had gone off to become pirates. Lucci had been called Talent of Admiral back then, too—and the rarest in 800 years.

All right, that fills in this plot hole. Let's turn our attention back to the protagonist.

At noon, the sun shone brightly over the sea, hot enough to make a person want to die. Rono sat on the deck, his eyes covered with a black cloth and his upper body bare. Behind him, Vice Admiral Huo Shaoshan wore a flashy red T-shirt, swim trunks, and red sunglasses as he lounged in a Lounge Chair. Beside the chair lay a solid wooden club as thick as a man's arm. Huo Shaoshan took a puff of his cigar and a sip of chilled drink. "Are you done yet?"

"Almost!" Rono replied, then fell silent. But inside, he asked the system, Is it ready?

"Ding... 89%... 92%... 99%... Loading complete—System Buff: Meditation."

As soon as the system finished speaking, Rono felt a change come over him.

His heart was as still as water. With every breath, he gradually became one with nature.

"Oh! What talent. Impressive." Huo Shaoshan stubbed out his cigar, picked up the wooden club, and came up behind Rono. He swung it down at Rono's head. "Crack!" "Clatter!" The club snapped, and half of it fell to the ground.

"..."

Huo Shaoshan felt a little awkward. He hadn't expected the guy's head to be so hard.