Beginning the Path of the Swordmaster

In an instant, Redfield's mind stirred, and Haki began to surge wildly within his body, colliding against itself until arcs of black and red lightning began to flicker incessantly around him.

Seeing this, Wang Chuan, who had been gritting his teeth in preparation for death, let out a sigh of relief.

It seemed he wouldn't have to die again.

After a short while, Redfield frowned.

Given the strength of his Armament Haki, even the Devil Fruit ability of the world's top powerhouses shouldn't have been impossible to break for this long.

Realizing his efforts were in vain, Redfield stopped stimulating his Haki.

He turned his gaze toward the only other person present.

"Kid, what exactly is going on here?"

Wang Chuan grinned; he knew his Super Intelligence had judged correctly—if he couldn't die, then he should just charge in recklessly!

However, Wang Chuan didn't offer much of an explanation, merely pointing to his own head.

"Words can be deceptive."

"I think Mr. Redfield would prefer to see for yourself."

Watching Wang Chuan stand before him completely unguarded, the corners of Redfield's mouth curled upward. He lowered the umbrella he had been ready to swing at any moment and walked up to Wang Chuan.

"Interesting kid."

Redfield said this with a hint of amusement, then reached out and placed his hand on Wang Chuan's forehead.

First, he probed his mind, confirming that Wang Chuan was not deceiving him.

Then, strengthening his Observation Haki, Redfield began to read Wang Chuan's memories.

In an instant, memories of Wang Chuan's recent death, his time on Douluo Continent, and his training with Zephyr flashed through Redfield's mind.

However, just as Redfield was about to reach the memories of Wang Chuan's past life, an invisible force quietly blocked his exploration.

It was as if Wang Chuan were a native born and bred on Douluo Continent.

Redfield didn't doubt it, merely wearing a strange expression before bursting into laughter.

"Hahaha, interesting, truly interesting!"

"To think such a thing could exist in this world."

"Could it be that there really are gods in this world? And for some unknown purpose, they've made me your teacher?"

"Hahaha, how absurd."

Seeing that Redfield no longer had any intention of attacking, Wang Chuan breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, if he didn't have to die, he didn't want to seek death; he wasn't a masochist.

Glancing at Redfield, who was laughing loudly but actually forcing himself to stay calm, his eyes flickering as he pondered how to handle the situation, Wang Chuan didn't rush to speak. Instead, he exhaled a breath of stale air, adjusted his state, and then said.

"Although you should have learned my name just now, I will introduce myself formally."

"I am Wang Chuan. Please look after me from now on."

Redfield finally turned his attention to Wang Chuan and nodded slightly.

After this brief reflection, he had figured it out: if it truly was some high and mighty god manipulating all of this, then he had no choice but to follow the arrangement.

After all, he didn't want to be trapped in this place forever, relying on slaughtering a weakling like Wang Chuan for amusement.

He was just reclusive, not a pervert.

Besides, he was only in his forties; he was still young and could still make a name for himself on the seas.

However, thinking of how he, Redfield, had dominated the seas for so many years, he felt unwilling to just hand over his ultimate techniques for nothing.

So, after a moment of contemplation, Redfield said.

"I can teach you Observation Haki."

"But as a condition, if you see anything regarding my future, you must tell me in advance."

"I don't want to end up like that unlucky fool Zephyr, with so many things left unasked in the end."

Wang Chuan nodded slightly to show his agreement, though he couldn't help but think to himself.

"It seems the ability to read memories isn't omnipotent; he didn't read the contents of my thoughts from the entire night."

"He might not even have discovered my complaints about my past life. Could this be a protective mechanism of my cheat?"

As for whether these thoughts would be discovered, Wang Chuan decided to just give up on worrying.

People are easy to deceive, and the heavens are easy to deceive, but one's own heart is the hardest to deceive. He could hold back his tongue, but how could he suppress the complaints in his heart?

Redfield was a man of action.

Seeing Wang Chuan agree, he turned his head toward the small forest on the nearby coast, flashed over there, snapped off a straight branch, and returned to Wang Chuan's side, tossing the branch to him.

Wang Chuan took it subconsciously, feeling a bit strange.

"Your Excellency, what is the meaning of this?"

Redfield glanced at Wang Chuan, then rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Since you know my identity, you should know that I came from an unconventional background.

My Haki was first comprehended by starting with the cultivation of swordsmanship.

I should be the one asking you: since you learned Armament Haki from Zephyr, why didn't you learn Observation Haki along with it, instead of putting me through all this trouble?"

Clearly, Redfield's logic was self-consistent; he viewed Wang Chuan's ability to call out his name at the beginning as a special talent Wang Chuan possessed when he spoiled the future to Zephyr.

To this, Wang Chuan gave a sheepish smile, then explained his own conjecture regarding the Strongest Haki Inheritance, secretly buttering up Redfield by calling him the strongest in Observation Haki.

Of course, Wang Chuan was also complaining internally.

No matter how strong the Haki that foresees the future is, once you encounter Observation Killer, you'll be humbled soon enough.

Then, Wang Chuan began to cultivate the swordsmanship of the Pirate World from scratch.

However, strictly speaking, Wang Chuan was not entirely without a foundation.

After all, the Tempest Kick from the Six Styles and the advanced version of the Finger Pistol, the Flying Finger Pistol, could actually be considered variations of a master swordsman's flying slashes.

Coupled with Wang Chuan's absolute control over his body through Life Return, he learned the basics of swordsmanship quite quickly.

But Redfield's expression remained indifferent to this, showing none of the excitement one might expect from seeing a swordsmanship prodigy.

For one thing, he was not the swordsmanship fanatic Mihawk.

For another, his main goal was simply to use this as a means to teach Wang Chuan Observation Haki.

Most importantly, in Redfield's view, this was merely a transaction between him and Wang Chuan; there was no so-called master-disciple bond, so naturally, he would not feel any joy over it.

Overall, however, Redfield was in a fairly good mood.

Because judging by Wang Chuan's current performance, he should be able to learn Observation Haki quickly, and once he gained his approval, he could return to the Pirate World sooner.

After all, he did not want to be like Zephyr, wasting over a decade in this place, even if he wouldn't age.

And so, once Wang Chuan could skillfully use basic swordsmanship and unleash a flying slash with the wooden branch in his hand, Redfield began to teach Wang Chuan the version of Observation Haki that existed before the settings were fully solidified.

To comprehend the Breath of All Things, the State of Iron-Cutting of a master swordsman.