Learning Haki

"4951,4952,4953..." Sweat formed a small puddle between Rono's hands. The goal was 10,000 handstand push-ups. Sweat dripped from his smooth red hair into the puddle, which was made entirely of sweat. (Somehow, I really want to say 'This is terrifying, lol)

This book is first published on Taiwan Novel Network. t͓͓̽̽w͓͓̽̽k͓͓͓̽̽̽a͓͓̽̽n͓͓̽̽.c͓͓̽̽o͓͓̽̽m͓͓̽̽ offers you a reading experience with no errors or out-of-order chapters.

Hell Training (2):

10,000 handstand push-ups, 10,000 sit-ups with 50KG weight, 30KM explosive run (changed to Stationary Bike, system step count), 2 hours of Meditation.

Time limit: 30 days

Failure penalty: Impotence for half a year.

Evaluation: A training that makes you sweat, and only makes you sweat.

(Note 1: If you can't even do this training, what kind of Pirate King will you be!)

(Note 2: This system keeps its word. Try not completing it if you dare?)

(Note 3: Oh, the penalty time can be stacked.)

Friendly Reminder: All explanatory rights belong to the system.

"..." Rono looked at the words "Pirate King" and was about to retort: I don't even want to be the Pirate King! And it sounds like doing this training will make me the Pirate King... Then he saw the penalty and immediately felt a chill down below. He forgot about retorting and went all out, training frantically.

When Vice Admiral Huo Shaoshan arrived at the training room, puffing on his cigar, he saw Rono doing handstand push-ups.

"9981,9982,998...3" There were two puddles on the ground. One was below Rono's head, and the other was about a meter away. Vice Admiral Huo Shaoshan was a little surprised. He didn't expect Rono to be so diligent. He didn't expect Rono not to be immersed in the dejection of being beaten. He didn't expect... he truly had the Talent of an Admiral!

No one is born strong (though some might be). Even the strong ones encounter enemies far stronger than themselves on their path to becoming stronger. True strong individuals possess a heart that grows braver with every setback, commonly known as the Heart of the Strong. This heart not only brings them the courage to face powerful enemies but also instills perseverance and diligence.

Uh, but Rono isn't that awesome. Grow braver with every setback? Fine, maybe. It's mainly because he has a thick skin. As for perseverance and diligence? Lol, if it weren't for the system's coercion, Rono would definitely still be in bed, snoring. But this didn't affect Huo Shaoshan's perception, as he didn't know about the system's existence.

Heart of the Strong, heaven-blessed genius, isn't that the Talent of an Admiral?

Overall, this was a beautiful misunderstanding.

"Wolf (Rono), I'm truly sorry about what happened before. After all, I'm a Marine, and obeying orders is the first priority... How about this? There are still about two months' voyage to Marine Headquarters. I'll teach you Haki. Yes, that black and hard stuff." Huo Shaoshan explained, fearing Rono wouldn't understand. He felt some guilt towards Rono and decided to compensate him in another way. Of course, the main reason was that Huo Shaoshan believed he had potential.

"Is that so? Hooo-" Rono finished his last handstand push-up and casually replied, starting his next goal: weighted sit-ups.

Rono had no good feelings towards Huo Shaoshan at all. He remained silent when his own people were beaten, but instead spoke up for others. Rono found him annoying anyway and didn't want Huo Shaoshan to teach him Haki.

"So, you mean..." Huo Shaoshan frowned, sensing Rono's dissatisfaction from his tone, but still asked. If Rono absolutely refused his training, he wouldn't lose anything. Right?

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

"Alright, if you don't want to learn from me... Huh? You agreed?" Huo Shaoshan almost dropped his cigar. What was that about? What was with that dismissive tone just now? Was he playing with me, you bastard!

Rono agreed for a reason. Just now, the system had issued its first mission ever: Accept Huo Shaoshan's guidance and develop Dual Haki. Reward for completion: Reduce Hell Training (2) by one session.

Rono decisively cast aside his integrity and agreed to Huo Shaoshan.

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

Vice Admiral Huo Shaoshan shook his head speechlessly, "Then you can pause these training sessions. I'll teach you Haki later."

"No, no, this can't stop!" Rono immediately weighed the pros and cons. Asking Huo Shaoshan to teach him was to reduce the chance of training failure. If Huo Shaoshan messed with this... what was the point of training? It would be like having nothing, and what else could he even talk about!

Rono flatly refused and, in a moment of inspiration, came up with a reason: "Vice Admiral Huo Shaoshan, this is a goal I set for myself. I'm working very hard to achieve it. Are you going to make me give up halfway?"

"Uh, this... then there isn't enough training time," Vice Admiral Huo Shaoshan stated his concern.

"I'll finish my training in the morning!" Rono replied with a determined expression. Meditation could be left for the evening, and the rest of the training... Rono recalled a saying from his past life: "Take a gamble, and a bicycle can become a motorcycle."

Actually, the system had issued another mission: Learn Dual Haki, reward: one failure exemption.

The system was quite user-friendly. When Rono encountered a shipwreck and was knocked unconscious, the system didn't assign a mission, which Rono was quite touched by.

Rono readily accepted the mission, as there were no penalties anyway.

"Alright then, see you this afternoon." Huo Shaoshan was not one to dawdle. He waved goodbye and left.

Then, the training room echoed with Rono's "Ahhh!" cries, followed by the sounds of equipment crashing.

Two hours later, Rono sprinted to the Power Room. Without a word, he jumped onto the Stationary Bike (a technological item that converts bio-energy into kinetic energy for travel when there's no wind) and began a new round of training.

The warship immediately increased its speed, leaving a trail of churning white waves in its wake.

The staff members didn't mind; arriving a day earlier meant a day earlier for their vacation.

Vice Admiral Huo Shaoshan was originally on an assignment outside. He had rushed to the Seventh Branch after receiving a notification, and along the way, he picked up an uninvited guest – the Sunglasses Man. The Sunglasses Man's transfer order had also been sent at lightning speed by a special News Bird. Talent of Admiral was truly rare, and many had even become Pirates. It was known that Lucci had also been evaluated as Talent of Admiral, a rarity once in 800 years.

Alright, now that this plot point is resolved, let's shift our focus back to the protagonist.

At noon, the sun was bright on the sea, making one want to die. Rono sat on the Deck, his eyes blindfolded with a black cloth, his upper body bare. Behind him, Vice Admiral Huo Shaoshan, wearing a flashy red t-shirt, beach shorts, and red sunglasses, reclined on a Lounge Chair. Beside the lounge chair lay a solid wooden stick as thick as a child's arm. Huo Shaoshan took a puff of his Cigar and a sip of his iced Drink, "Still not ready?"

"Almost, almost!" Rono replied, then fell silent. His consciousness, however, was asking the system, "Ready yet?"

"Beep... 89%... 92%... 99%... Loading complete - System Buff: Meditation."

The moment the system uttered its last word, Rono instantly felt different.

His mind was as calm as still water. With each breath, he gradually merged with nature.

"Oh! Such talent, tsk tsk." Huo Shaoshan extinguished his cigarette butt, picked up the wooden stick, and came behind Rono. He then swung the stick down towards Rono's head. "Crack!" "Clang!" The sound of the wooden stick breaking and half of it falling to the ground.

"..."

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