Haki

"Instructor Zephyr?"

Leon's voice brought Zephyr, who had been lost in thought, back to reality.

Zephyr looked at the still-youthful Leon before him.

In a little over twenty years, the Navy would probably have to rely on Leon to stand on his own. If nothing unexpected happened, Zephyr should still be around to see it...

"Garp's training methods may be crude, but they're effective."

Zephyr praised Garp without meaning it, then continued, "After fighting a strong opponent like that, I'm sure you have a clearer understanding of your own strength."

"Speaking of which, there's a method of measuring combat strength called Doriki that's circulated within the World Government."

"If we assume the average Marine soldier has a Doriki Value of 10, then anyone with a Doriki Value above 500 is considered superhuman."

Zephyr explained the Doriki system to Leon, though his tone was rather dismissive.

"Although the World Government believes Doriki Value can give a clear picture of a person's combat strength..."

"In my view, how could a person's strength be summed up by a string of numbers?"

"Combat skills, willpower, the environment, luck..."

"The situation on a real battlefield can change in an instant!"

"Your enemy won't lose the courage to fight just because your Doriki Value is a few hundred points higher than his."

"Under extreme circumstances, a group of civilians armed with wooden clubs could even kill an elite Marine Vice Admiral!"

Zephyr's expression was grave.

"Leon, I hope you'll remember this: no matter who you face, stay on your guard and give it everything you've got to defeat them."

"Then my words today won't have been wasted."

"Yes, Instructor Zephyr!"

Leon answered loudly, but his gaze unconsciously drifted toward T Bone on the training field.

Whether by coincidence or not, the example Zephyr had used to warn Leon matched T Bone's fate exactly.

A Marine Vice Admiral who willingly gave his life to protect civilians had ultimately died at their hands...

Zephyr noticed Leon's odd behavior, but misunderstood what was on his mind.

"Don't worry, kid. You'll keep training with your companions. But after you finish your daily physical training, I'll find you some cadets from the previous class to spar with."

"Don't let your guard down, Leon."

"And some of them have special powers."

"For example, Devil Fruit abilities."

"And..."

"Haki!"

Seeing that his words hadn't stirred the slightest reaction in Leon, Zephyr chuckled and continued, "I'm sure you've encountered plenty of Devil Fruit Users."

"If you run into a Logia Devil Fruit User like Kuzan, can you deal with him as you are now?"

Leon thought it over. Even if he transformed into Godzilla, unless his Atomic Breath hit its target directly, he really had no good way to deal with Kuzan.

Leon slowly shook his head.

"That's what I'm going to teach you next."

"The power that lets ordinary people fight Devil Fruit Users—Haki!"

"There are three types of Haki: Armament Haki, Observation Haki, and Conqueror's Haki."

"You should have encountered all three while around Garp. I'll give you a brief explanation."

"Armament Haki can strengthen your defense and attacks, and let you strike the bodies of Logia users as they flow."

"Observation Haki sharpens your five senses and lets you sense attacks..."

"As for Conqueror's Haki..." Zephyr paused. "It's the Haki of those chosen by Heaven. Only one person in several million possesses it, and it can't be awakened through hard work..."

"Still, even without Conqueror's Haki, mastering the other two types is enough to stand at the top of this sea!"

Zephyr's powerful voice rang in Leon's ears.

"Haki is a latent power possessed by all humans. Most people simply aren't aware of it, and even if they try to draw it out, there's a good chance they'll never manage it in their entire lives."

"To master Haki, you have to endure training as brutal as hell!"

Zephyr's words weren't just for Leon. He projected them loudly across the training field, so everyone there could hear.

The next moment, the training field, already blazing with activity, erupted like oil poured onto a roaring fire!

Zephyr was pleased with the effect of his speech and grinned broadly.

"I once heard an interesting theory. If someone has extraordinary talent and is lucky enough..."

"Every enemy he meets after going out to sea is just a little stronger than he is."

"Then, as long as he keeps working hard and defeats one powerful enemy after another..."

"His strength will grow at an astonishing rate, until one day, when he defeats his final opponent..."

"He'll become the strongest person on this sea."

After finishing, Zephyr shook his head and laughed at himself. Clearly, even he didn't believe what he'd just said.

"Unfortunately, I've never heard of anyone like that appearing..."

"All right, I've talked enough. In the end, you'll have to walk your own path."

"Go train!"

Zephyr waved him away, indicating that Leon could leave, unaware that Leon's thoughts were already churning like a storm.