Overlord

"Instructor Zephyr?"

Leon's voice pulled Zephyr, who had been somewhat distracted, back to reality.

Zephyr looked at Leon, still a bit green before him.

Probably over twenty years from now, the Marines would rely on Leon to stand on his own. If nothing went wrong, he should live to see that scene...

"Garp's training methods are rough, but they're effective enough."

Zephyr offered a half-hearted compliment to Garp, then continued, "Fighting a powerhouse like that should have given you a clearer understanding of your own strength."

"Speaking of which, the World Government has a system for measuring combat ability called the Doriki Value."

"Assuming an average Marine soldier has a Doriki Value of 10, anything over 500 is considered superhuman."

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

"The World Government believes these so-called Doriki Values can intuitively display everyone's combat power."

"But in my view, a person's strength can't be summed up by a string of numbers!"

"Fighting technique, willpower, environment, luck..."

"The real battlefield changes in an instant!"

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

"In extreme cases, a group of civilians with wooden clubs could kill a Marine Vice Admiral!"

Zephyr's expression was stern.

"Leon, I hope you remember this: face every opponent with high vigilance and defeat them with all your might."

"That'll make my words today worthwhile."

"Yes, Instructor Zephyr!"

Leon replied loudly, but his gaze unconsciously drifted to T Bone in the training ground.

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

A Marine Vice Admiral willing to give his life to protect civilians, ultimately dying at their hands...

Zephyr noticed Leon's odd behavior but misinterpreted it.

"Don't worry, kid. You'll still train with your comrades from now on, but after you finish your daily physical training, I'll have some senior students come to spar with you."

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

"And some of them have special powers."

"Like Devil Fruit Abilities."

"And..."

"Haki!"

Seeing that Leon's expression didn't waver at his words, Zephyr chuckled and continued, "I'm sure you've run into plenty of Devil Fruit users."

"If you faced a Logia user like Kuzan, could you handle it now?"

Leon thought it over. Even in his Godzilla form, unless he hit directly with Atomic Breath, he really had no good way to deal with it.

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!"

"Haki comes in three types: Armament, Observation, and Conqueror's."

"You've probably seen all three around Garp, so I'll keep it brief."

"Armament Haki boosts your defense and attack, and lets you grab the fluid bodies of Logia users."

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

"As for Conqueror's Haki..." Zephyr paused, "That's a power only one in millions is born with—a chosen one's Haki. It can't be awakened through effort alone..."

"But even without Conqueror's Haki, mastering the other two to their peak is enough to stand tall on these seas!"

Zephyr's resounding voice echoed around Leon.

"Haki is a latent power all humans possess, but most people never realize it. Even if they try, they might go their whole lives without unlocking it."

"To master Haki, you have to go through hellish training!"

Zephyr wasn't just speaking to Leon—he projected his voice across the entire training ground.

The next moment, the already blazing training ground erupted like oil thrown on a fire!

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

"I once heard an interesting saying: if a person has extraordinary talent and enough luck."

"Every enemy he meets at sea is just a little stronger than him."

"Then, as long as he keeps striving and defeats one strong foe after another..."

"His own strength will grow at an astonishing pace, until one day, when he defeats his final enemy."

"He himself will become the strongest on this sea."

Zephyr finished speaking and shook his head with a wry laugh, clearly not believing his own words himself.

"Too bad, this old man hasn't heard of such a fellow appearing even now..."

"Alright, this old man has rambled enough. In the end, your own path is yours to walk alone."

"Go train!"

Zephyr waved his hand, signaling that Leon could leave, unaware that Leon's heart was already churning like a stormy sea.