Facing Gladius's solemnity, Dawn looked relaxed on the surface, but inwardly, he took his opponent extremely seriously.
However, Gladius had clearly mistaken him for someone who could use Haki perfectly. In truth, Dawn's mastery of Haki was nowhere near as proficient as Gladius imagined.
Psychologically speaking, the pressure on both sides was the same.
After their brief exchange, Dawn realized that Gladius mainly relied on his ability.
As for hand-to-hand combat, Dawn held the upper hand.
But Gladius's ability was explosions, an extremely dangerous power. If Dawn let his guard down, he could be injured in an instant. Dawn had felt immense pressure from it during their earlier exchange.
Under that pressure, Dawn's use of Armament Haki gradually became more natural as well.
That was only normal. Thanks to the increase in stamina-related "attributes" brought by Ouroboros, not only had his physical qualities improved, but even his talent had gradually become terrifying.
Perhaps due to his age, Armament Haki had previously always been just one step away. But the feedback Dawn had gained from a year of fighting in the West Blue, combined with the training and consolidation after returning to Marine Headquarters, had sent his strength soaring at an incredible rate!
That was why Dawn had wanted to challenge Gladius the moment he saw him. He needed constant battles to stimulate his potential, fully awaken the "attributes" hidden within him, and let his strength rise rapidly.
There was no anger visible on Gladius's face in response to Dawn's provocation. His ability gave off a violent impression, but he himself was extremely shrewd. Dawn could not afford to be careless.
Shave
Dawn had made up his mind to fight him at close range. Though Gladius's ability was also suited for close combat, that did not mean his physical strength could