Well, I Can't See Anything!

Well, I Can't See Anything!

Following Bogard all the way to the deck, Yoriichi was still somewhat dazed.

He had never expected to begin learning Haki so soon. He had spent nearly a month at Marine Headquarters, yet not only had he not learned the Marine Six Styles or Haki, he had not even seen them.

Zephyr had indeed treated him very well, but when it came to teaching combat techniques, Zephyr had always strictly obeyed Kong's orders and had not taught Yoriichi much.

Kong likely had reservations about Yoriichi's origins. He intended to first cultivate Yoriichi's sense of belonging to the Marines and observe his character. Once he could roughly confirm Yoriichi's loyalty, he would teach him the relevant combat techniques.

But Garp was not the sort of person who hesitated and worried about this and that. Besides, the Fleet Admiral's orders were only slightly better than dog shit to him.

Seeing that Yoriichi had learned the Marine Six Styles so quickly and could already apply some of its techniques in battle, he immediately decided to have Bogard teach Yoriichi Haki.

Garp simply did not care about Yoriichi's background, nor was he afraid of pushing him too hard too soon.

Since Yoriichi could learn it, he might as well learn more.

The warship had officially set sail. Only a handful of Marines stood scattered by the railings around the deck, watching the sea. The deck was spacious and empty.

At the lookout tower, Aokiji had also found Garp. After greeting him, he silently stood behind Garp, lowering his head to look at Tsugikuni Yoriichi and Bogard on the deck.

"Heh, you're here."

"What do you think of that kid?"

Noticing Aokiji's arrival, Garp crossed his arms and let his gaze fall on Tsugikuni Yoriichi on the deck before suddenly asking with a smile.

"He's incredible. I've never seen anyone like him, if he truly had never encountered the Marine Six Styles before."

"To master those techniques in such a short time... that kind of talent is absolutely rare in this world."

Aokiji touched the cap on his head and gave his assessment. Hearing this, Garp's smile grew even brighter as he murmured softly,

"That kid still has a long way to go."

"Yoriichi, the ability I'm going to teach you is called Haki."

"Simply put, Haki is an innate power hidden within the human body."

"Observation Haki, which senses an enemy's powerful presence to predict their movements; Armament Haki, which enhances attack and defense and can also strike Logia Devil Fruit users; and Conqueror's Haki, born from one's spirit, killing intent, and will."

"Based on their functions, Haki can be broadly divided into these three types."

"Both Observation Haki and Armament Haki can be awakened through training. But Conqueror's Haki is innate. Perhaps only one in a million people can awaken it by chance."

At this point, Bogard gave Tsugikuni Yoriichi a deep look before continuing,

"For you, we'll start with Observation Haki."

As he spoke, Bogard reached into his suit pocket, took out a strip of black cloth, and tossed it to Yoriichi.

Yoriichi reached out and caught the black cloth.

"Use this to cover your eyes."

"Observation Haki, put simply, is a power gained by unlocking the potential of the human five senses."

"Smells, sounds, the flow of air, even the terrifying ability to instantly perceive an opponent's thoughts—these are all tangible manifestations of Observation Haki."

"Simply put, it is perception. Perception of everything around you."

"Humans are creatures who rely on their five senses to gather information about the world around them. Of those senses, vision accounts for ninety percent."

"Block your vision, and if you can still accurately perceive everything around you, then your Observation Haki will have reached the beginner level."

"I've heard that some powerful people can use Observation Haki to foresee several seconds into the future during battle. Once you reach that level, your Observation Haki can be considered accomplished."

As Bogard spoke, he removed the sword hanging at his waist and set it aside. He then picked up a bamboo sword and stood before Yoriichi.

Without needing to be told, Yoriichi set his own long sword aside and likewise switched to a bamboo sword. Under Bogard's gaze, he used the black cloth to cover his eyes.

I've done this kind of training before.

Can it really draw out my Observation Haki?

Yoriichi had doubts as he underwent the training. He had practiced similar training back in the Demon Slayer World, but it had not helped him much.

The reason was simple. He had been born with the ability to reach the realm of the Transparent World. Ever since childhood, his perception of everything around him had been terrifyingly strong.

In battle, he did not actually rely that heavily on his vision.

Still, since Bogard had said so, Yoriichi did not mind trying his method. After all, this was a different world. Perhaps the same training might produce different results.

"I'll attack you next, so focus."

"Feel my presence and evade my attacks!"

Bogard explained everything to Yoriichi in great detail. He did not know that Yoriichi already had some understanding of Haki. Still, Yoriichi listened with great care, afraid that some details might differ from what he knew.

Hearing that Bogard was ready to begin the training, Yoriichi nodded to indicate that he was prepared.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!!

Seeing Yoriichi nod, Bogard did not hesitate. He swung the bamboo sword forcefully at Yoriichi's shoulder. This was only a test, and as the bamboo sword cut through the air, it gave off a clear whistle.

Tap!

The bamboo swords met. With a simple horizontal block, Yoriichi easily deflected Bogard's attack.

"Hm?!" Seeing his strike blocked, Bogard froze slightly. He withdrew his sword, then swiftly thrust again. This time, he targeted Yoriichi's lower abdomen. Unlike his previous attack, this thrust was completely silent, without the slightest sound in the air.

Tap! Bogard had expected Yoriichi to take the blow head-on. Instead, Yoriichi, who had been holding his bamboo sword horizontally above his head a moment ago, quickly drew it back and swept downward with precision, knocking aside Bogard's attack.

After two consecutive attacks had been blocked by Yoriichi, Bogard's face was full of astonishment. He involuntarily stopped attacking and turned to look toward the lookout tower, his eyes filled with shock and confusion.

Garp, in the lookout tower, had also witnessed everything on the deck. His eyelid twitched slightly, and he seemed somewhat surprised as well.

"It seems like he's learned Observation Haki before. I had a faint feeling of it when I fought him earlier."

"This kid seems able to predict my attacks."

Aokiji had also watched everything that happened on the deck. Sensing Garp's surprise, he spoke up.

"..." Garp said nothing, but his body unconsciously moved closer to the window. Bracing both hands on the sill, he seemed to want a clearer look at what was happening on the deck.

On the deck, Yoriichi "saw" that Bogard had not attacked for a long while and could not help asking,

"Lieutenant Commander, why have you stopped attacking? What are you looking at the lookout tower for?"

Hearing this, Bogard turned back. Seeing Yoriichi speak with his eyes covered, he was momentarily speechless.

"Are your eyes really covered by that black cloth?" As he spoke, Bogard waved a hand in front of Yoriichi's face. Yet Yoriichi, whose eyes were clearly covered, turned his head along with Bogard's hand and replied,

"Yeah, they're covered. I can't see anything."

Bogard was stunned. He could not help thinking, This kid isn't cheating, is he?!

(End of Chapter)