Scattered Armament Haki

In the abandoned backstreet.

Linley blew on the white mist from his fist.

"Huh? What did you say? You're talking too much, I couldn't hear you."

Vergo's right hand, which had just thrown a punch, was still trembling uncontrollably. He looked at Linley's fist, which was still emitting white cold air, and exclaimed in shock, "Armament Haki?"

But then, Vergo shook his head and answered his own question, "No, the nature is very similar, but there's still a difference. Could it be a Devil Fruit ability?"

Linley flicked his wrist and turned his gaze to Vergo.

"Vergo, you actually got two things right."

"First, those four years as a gladiator, while giving me excellent combat abilities, indeed became my shortcoming in comprehending Haki."

This was something Linley had realized while meditating alone on the grasslands during his training with Garp on the uninhabited island.

Garp was a man with a big heart and was unaware of the rules of the Sabaody Arena; otherwise, he wouldn't have trained Linley with ordinary methods.

Just as Vergo had said, the distorted training method of the Sabaody Arena had given Linley excellent combat abilities, but in terms of Haki, he was a complete beginner.

One leg long, one leg short – this had become a fatal flaw in Linley's cultivation path, making it so that Linley could see the threshold of Haki but could never reach it.

To compensate for this deficiency, only time could be used, through extensive and prolonged training, to correct those "four wasted years"—

However, this was the solution for ordinary people.

As for Linley, he had found a path that suited him better.

Just like during those four years in the Sabaody Arena—

Only battle!

Accumulating experience and finding answers through continuous battles, and thereby breaking through the bottlenecks caused by his own flaws.

The accumulation of combat experience and awareness gave Linley a neural reaction speed comparable to Observation Haki.

The ferocious beasts on the uninhabited island and Garp had allowed Linley to develop his Devil Fruit ability to a point where it could rival Armament Haki.

Battle after battle, Linley was getting closer and closer to true "Haki."

Until this moment—in the backstreet of Loguetown.

Under Vergo's full-body Armament Haki hardening assault, Linley's comprehension of Armament Haki reached another level!

He grasped that sliver of "feeling" and combined it with his Devil Fruit ability, ultimately creating a very special situation.

Generally, Armament Haki is attached to the body or weapons, enhancing personal defense, acting like invisible armor, and can also be evolved into offensive power against enemies.

However, the "variant Armament Haki" that Linley used by combining it with his Devil Fruit ability at this moment was like smoke, dissipating around him and surging continuously with his aura.

This was by no means Armament Haki emission; rather, the Armament Haki had been scattered in the air from the very beginning!

Vergo looked at Linley before him, whose figure was becoming slightly blurred due to the dissipation of Armament Haki.

After a brief moment of shock, Vergo suddenly burst into laughter.

"Unstable aura, uncertain Haki, unable to even attach it to your body, your Armament Haki is simply incomplete!"

Vergo frowned and roared, "Linley Barik, are you trying to make a fool of me?"

Linley, however, shook his head, spread his arms, and let the extremely unstable Armament Haki around him rage. He grinned and said, "Vergo, don't you want to hear the second thing you got right?"

Hearing this, Vergo's forehead couldn't help but show veins. He suddenly stepped forward and swung his fist, intending to end the battle.

Bang! Bang!

Two consecutive punches landed on Linley's body. The impact felt exactly as Vergo had expected—

What was raging around Linley at this moment was immature Armament Haki, with almost no defensive capabilities!

However, Linley merely twisted his neck and stared directly at Vergo, exclaiming in amazement:

"Oh oh! As expected of Armament Haki, it doesn't hurt at all when I get hit!"

Vergo at this moment just wanted to roar:

It couldn't even attach to his skin and had no defensive function; it couldn't be called Armament Haki at all!

But then, Vergo noticed something unusual.

The Armament Haki that had originally dissipated around Linley, scattering chaotically, along with the surrounding cold frost, was now showing a tendency to converge towards his body!

Under Vergo's somewhat shocked gaze, Linley grinned and laughed heartily:

"The second thing you got right, I really am a genius!"

The frost formed by the Icebound Domain around them rapidly contracted. The Icebound Domain, which had originally spread for more than ten meters, now contracted to about one meter around Linley.

More concentrated frost, mixed with the scattered Armament Haki, formed a raging storm around Linley!

By forcibly compressing the immature Armament Haki with the Icebound Domain, completely abandoning the defensive capabilities of Armament Haki, he greatly increased his speed and power.

White frost and black Armament Haki mingled, and Linley, standing within it, was like a raging humanoid storm!

The combination of Devil Fruit ability and Armament Haki led Linley's techniques into a brand new form—

Hero Skill: Icebound Domain – Armament Haki Form!

Linley couldn't help but laugh heartily.

"Let's fight again in the second round, Vergo!"

"You should call me Mr. Vergo!"

Vergo's brow furrowed. He had had enough of the arrogant man before him.

But more crucially, from that frost and storm of Armament Haki, he felt a deadly danger!

Raising his black fist, Vergo punched Linley in the face.

Bang!

Linley didn't dodge. Instead, he took the blow head-on with his forehead, then threw out his own fist to counterattack!

Hero Skill: Subdue with Might!

Bang bang!

Two heavy punches landed on Vergo's body. While gritting his teeth and enduring the pain, Vergo couldn't help but sneer.

Linley was indeed dangerous at this moment, but this danger was still in its infancy.

More accurately, Linley's move had just been developed and was not yet fully complete!

"What a pity, such a shame!"

Vergo burst into laughter. "Do you think your immature new move can break through my Armament Haki!"

Linley also grinned, half-crouching his body and getting into a punching stance again, shouting, "Can't I?"

"Turn into meat paste!"

Vergo threw out his heavy fist again, hitting Linley directly in the face.

With a dull thud!

When Vergo retracted his fist, he found Linley still standing there, not having retreated even half a step.

Linley pressed his finger to his nose, blowing out the blood clot with his breath, then wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Hoo, it seems this move still needs time to be perfected."

He grinned and laughed heartily:

"So, Vergo..."

"Will you turn me into meat paste first, or will I knock you down first?"

Fists collide, that is—

"Come on, let's try!"

Let the battle begin!