An Alternative to Haki

Bang!

After a dull thud, Linley used his sudden kick to send Garp out of the ring.

Seeing this, the surrounding Marines were stunned.

Gulp!

Someone, it was unclear who, swallowed first.

In an instant, the stagnant atmosphere was broken.

"Vice Admiral Garp... was kicked out of the ring?"

The Marines began to murmur.

More than ten days ago, they had all heard Garp's established rule:

When Linley was capable of kicking Garp out of the ring, that would be the moment he awakened Haki!

But the current situation was clearly different again.

Linley had managed to kick Garp out of the ring, but he hadn't relied on Haki, but on a newly developed Devil Fruit ability!

"Hmph, so he's using his Devil Fruit ability to compensate for his lack of Haki?"

Smoker, not far away, frowned and said in a low voice, "But if he does that, the drawbacks are also very obvious..."

The scene shifted back to Garp.

He crossed his arms, looking down at Linley, who was lying on his back on the ground.

At this moment, Linley was gasping for breath. The fierce exchange had left him with considerable injuries, so much so that he couldn't even move.

But Linley's mental state was surprisingly good.

He grinned and burst into laughter, "I did it!"

Seeing this, Garp could only shake his head helplessly.

"What an impatient brat!"

With Garp's experienced eyes, he could easily discern what Linley had done.

Linley Barek, using his own Devil Fruit ability, had found his own "substitute" for Haki.

In terms of Observation Haki, Linley had combined his combat experience with superhuman reflexes, along with the speed boost from "Icebound Domain," giving him a perception ability comparable to Observation Haki.

As for Armament Haki, Garp needed to conduct some verification.

He asked Linley, "Hey, brat, can you still use that move?"

Linley understood what Garp meant and nodded with difficulty, "I've rested enough, I can probably use it for a few seconds."

Garp then called out to the Marines nearby, "Smoker, come here!"

Although Smoker was confused, he extinguished his cigar and then came to Linley and Garp's side, giving Garp a salute.

"The most important aspect of Armament Haki is that it allows the user to grasp the physical body of a Logia-type Devil Fruit user."

Garp said to Linley, "He ate the Smoke-Smoke Fruit and is a Smoke Person. Brat, if you can grab him, show me!"

Smoker then understood why Garp had called him over.

Just as he had thought before, using a powerful Devil Fruit ability to replace Haki was not impossible, but it had a fatal flaw: the lack of a means to counter Logia-type Devil Fruit users.

Without the aid of Armament Haki, ordinary attacks were completely useless against an elementalized body!

"Can a Devil Fruit ability really replace Armament Haki?"

Under Smoker's surprised gaze, Linley nodded, then struggled to sit up and said, "Let's begin."

Smoker immediately elementalized his arm, and wisps of white smoke rose.

His pride as a Logia user made it difficult for him to believe this. "Linley Barek, if you can do it, then try!"

Suddenly, as if to respond to Smoker's words, the surrounding air instantly dropped a few degrees, and frost spread again.

"This move really takes a lot out of me..."

Linley grinned weakly and then reached out to grab Smoker's elementalized arm.

Smoker's eyes suddenly widened in shock because he clearly felt that his physical body had been touched by Linley!

In other words, this move of Linley's had already replaced Armament Haki to a certain extent!

"But... why is that?" Smoker asked, confused.

"Perhaps it's the characteristic of the Devil Fruit ability."

Garp explained, "Mythical Zoan fruits are too rare, and our understanding of this series of Devil Fruits is far from sufficient."

At this moment, Smoker couldn't have imagined that years later, the Dark-Dark Fruit, which would stir up world events, would not only possess the power to grasp the physical bodies of Logia users but even possess terrifying abilities comparable to Seastone!

"However, one thing can be confirmed..."

Garp looked at Linley and grinned, "You brat, you're graduated!"

Upon hearing this, Linley finally relaxed his mind and collapsed onto the ground.

Peals of laughter erupted.

It took exactly fifteen days.

He, Linley Barek, had finally gained power on this deserted island that could rival Observation Haki and Armament Haki!

"Well then, to celebrate my graduation—"

Linley grinned and shouted, "Let's have a barbecue party on the grassland tonight!"

"..."

Silence.

The Marines looked at Garp, and only when he nodded in agreement did they erupt into fervent cheers.

"Oh, oh!"

Linley was a carefree and very approachable person.

Previously, the Marines had been quite wary of this Great Criminal with a bounty of 100 Million Beli.

But after spending some time together, especially after Linley had saved several Marines from wild beasts, they gradually accepted him.

And when they witnessed Linley's battle with Garp with their own eyes, their attitude towards Linley became one of even greater admiration for a strong individual!

Therefore, the banquet that evening was very lively.

Linley devoured grilled crocodile meat, replenishing the depleted Energy Value in his body.

Although some people still wanted to drink, they were still in the midst of training, so everyone substituted water for alcohol, celebrating the birth of Linley's new technique.

Seeing this, Smoker could only light one cigar after another, complaining:

"Tsk, don't these people forget he's still a Wanted Criminal!"

Garp laughed heartily upon hearing this, "Hahahaha, Smoke brat, you stubborn old man are just like your teacher, Zephyr!"

The banquet continued until past midnight.

After a short rest, the morning sun rose.

The Marines' hellish special training for another day began.

Last night's banquet was merely a minor interlude; for these elite Marine recruits, becoming stronger was their most important goal!

The only ones who seemed to still be sleeping were Garp and Linley.

The latter was due to the severe injuries he sustained yesterday. Even with his monstrous self-healing ability, the physical fatigue did not disappear, thus requiring more rest.

As for Garp, he had some other reason.

His adjutant jogged over to Garp and said softly, "Vice Admiral Garp, you've stayed on this island for too long. The documents requiring your approval have piled up. Staff Officer Tsuru is already urging you."

"Hoo... hoo..."

Garp's eyes were tightly shut, and he was snoring.

"Vice Admiral Garp, the ship sent from the branch is already waiting for you. Please come with me to handle some work."

"Hoo... hoo..."

Garp rolled over.

"Vice Admiral Garp, you still have many things to handle and cannot rest now."

"Hoo... hoo..."

Garp scratched his belly.

"Vice Admiral Garp, you're pretending to be asleep, aren't you?"

"..."

This time, Garp could no longer pretend.

He rubbed his head and slowly stood up from the ground, letting out a big yawn.

"Ahhh, this old man was injured yesterday and needs to rest for several days now!"

"Vice Admiral Garp, you only had a minor scratch yesterday."

"..."

Garp was speechless.

As expected of the adjutant that little Tsuru arranged for me!

She's got me completely figured out!

Helplessly, Garp could only leave a handwritten note stating "Continue training," and then followed his adjutant onto the ship that had come from the branch to pick him up.

The training on the deserted island continued, but without Garp and his adjutant.

Garp's warship, along with the small boat Linley had borrowed from Makino, still bobbed at the island's makeshift harbor.

Soon, three days passed.

Linley was bored.

Without Garp, Linley could only hunt the fierce beasts in the forest.

After comprehending Icebound Domain and Dragon's Tail Sweep, none of the island's beasts posed a threat to Linley anymore.

Hunting and grilling meat day after day, Linley quickly grew tired of it.

He missed Windmill Village and Makino's cooking.

Just then, a Marine informed Linley that Garp's warship had a Log Pose pointing to Windmill Village, and a Den Den Mushi connected to Makino's tavern.

Linley excitedly ran over, intending to call Makino and have her prepare a large amount of food, then row back to Windmill Village for a change of pace.

Ring ring ring... Ring ring ring...

Click!

The Den Den Mushi was quickly connected.

"Hello, hello, Makino, miss me? I brought back special products from the island for you, so prepare some good food for me!"

However, a man's voice came from the other end of the Den Den Mushi.

"Hehehehe, Linley Barek? We've been waiting for you for a long time!"

"..."

Linley's expression instantly darkened.

"Who are you?"

Please recommend, please collect, pretty please!

ps: Haki will come, Haki will truly come, Haki is coming soon, it's still too early, one step at a time.

pps: Small bugs regarding Garp and the Dark-Dark Fruit have been fixed.