Observation Haki

Shaking his head, Dawn dismissed that clichéd line of thinking.

In his view, it was just a coincidence, and everything was tied to his previous training and recent experiences.

It couldn't really be because he'd had a good night's sleep, could it?

After all, on the ship and during Roger's execution, Loguetown was crawling with monsters—he could barely get any rest there!

Even if he'd dreamed of the original owner's memories yesterday, it was probably because returning here, seeing familiar people and places, had stimulated his brain into activating that part of the memory.

As for the awakening of Observation Haki, Dawn had his own thoughts on that.

The battles after setting sail had constantly pushed him, fighting endlessly on a sea with no visible end, keeping his mind and body perpetually tense.

Then, witnessing Roger's execution and the sudden revelation of a backstory straight out of a tale had left him exhausted both mentally and physically.

Finally, after wrapping up a series of affairs yesterday, he relaxed his mind and body, and Observation Haki unknowingly broke through.

After all, the instructors at the training camp had always said his talent was excellent, and he'd gone through the hellish regimen Zephyr had designed.

Before Dawn and the others set out for the East Blue, the camp instructors had even said that going out to gain experience might trigger an awakening one day.

But he never expected to master Observation Haki just by waking up from sleep—it left Dawn a bit speechless. By the usual script, wasn't he supposed to break through in the heat of battle, on the brink of life and death, and then dominate his opponent?

Instead, he'd just lain down, slept, and awakened it.

Still, Dawn didn't feel particularly lucky about this, because it was the result of countless beatings from various instructors, each with their own creative methods, that had brought him to this point.

Regardless, breaking through was a good thing. Before, that final step had been unreliable, flickering on and off, making Dawn afraid to use it in combat.

Recalling the instructors' techniques, Dawn shuddered, realizing that awakening Observation Haki wasn't really a coincidence—it was just the natural culmination of his efforts.

Months before setting sail, at an open-air training ground of the Marines.

At that time, Dawn was blindfolded with cloth strips, cautiously sensing any faint movements around him.

But no matter how hard he tried to perceive his surroundings, the result was always the same: an instructor would whack him with a wooden staff, leaving him wincing in pain.

Day after day of this beating, Dawn hadn't sensed Observation Haki, but he felt he was nearly becoming neurotic, involuntarily focusing on and bracing for the slightest breeze or rustle.

And those weren't even the hardest part. The hardest part was the fear and discomfort of losing his sight when first blindfolded.

He could barely walk steadily, completely losing his sense of direction and balance.

Not only did Dawn have to overcome these difficulties, but he also had to simultaneously guard against beatings coming from unknown directions.

This sense of the unknown was a psychological torment. Some instructors would constantly lay into him like a punching bag, leaving him dazed; others, with a twisted sense of humor, would keep him on edge, then strike the moment he let his guard down.

In short, you never knew what was coming next, so Dawn had to stay constantly tense.

But staying perpetually tense and alert drained his mental energy, leaving him utterly exhausted.

Finally, whenever he made a bit of progress, the instructors would immediately raise the difficulty, ensuring he never had a single good day.

Later, when Dawn's Observation Haki was still unrefined, flickering in and out, things got even worse.

The instructors directly took him to a specialized Observation Haki training camp, where he lived and ate for a month.

And so, round-the-clock beatings began. Ambushes during meals and sleep drove him crazy, with multiple instructors teaming up to strike—you never knew who was next, and some Dawn had never even seen before.

Occasionally, Dawn would spot other unlucky souls suffering the same fate, though they were all much older than him.

All of this left Dawn somewhat frantic and irritable, but thankfully, years of maintaining composure during surgeries on the operating table forced him to stay calm.

This method, completely different from the willpower training on the Boin Archipelago, tempered his soul as a visitor from another world, making it increasingly steady and composed.

With two lifetimes of experience and all the events since arriving in this world, Dawn's spirit had continuously transformed, yet Observation Haki still hadn't crossed that final threshold.

After each training session, the instructors would say Dawn would grasp Observation Haki sooner or later, and he had been somewhat anxious before.

But after setting sail, the battles, Roger's execution, his own origins, and a series of other experiences had made him forget about it—until yesterday, when he finally slept peacefully.

And now, after all the hardship, the cocoon had broken, and the butterfly had emerged!

And now, Dawn, having become that "butterfly," was currently experiencing a "press conference."

At this moment, he wore a red shirt and black tie, hastily made overnight by the palace tailors.

Over that, he draped a black cloak, and paired with Dawn's handsome face and elegant demeanor, he couldn't look more like a prince.

Seeing how, even before Gaius announced his identity, standing on the stage had already drawn the attention of a crowd of young ladies, it was clear how effective the look was.

The design was entirely thanks to Rovena. Having missed her child, she'd learned clothing design, and now it finally came in handy—why wouldn't she be overjoyed to bring it to life?

Dawn was happy to go along with it. After all, just trying on clothes could make her happy and deepen their bond—what was the harm?

And though Dawn had forced himself to call her "Mother," at least he'd said it. But sensing his awkwardness, the two just assumed it was because they'd been apart so long that he wasn't used to it yet, and they comforted him, telling him to take it slow.

But what could he do? He'd only been in this world for a year! He had no memories of living here before, and more importantly, he was a fake!

Even if he'd regained those memories, he was no longer the dead kid.

But after recovering the memories yesterday, Dawn felt the original owner's longing to return home and see his parents.

Though he didn't believe it was the lingering soul of the original body, Dawn decided to accept them—even if suddenly having a family felt a bit awkward.

This was his way of repaying the original owner for giving him a new life!

Not for the benefits of this identity and status, but simply to repay this body for allowing him to live again, to come into this world once more.

That alone was enough for Dawn to act. It was his conviction, and also the decision of a man destined to roam the seas!

Thinking back to the unnamed resentment lingering in this body at the very start of his transmigration, Dawn suddenly understood last night, after recovering his memories, what that feeling of unwillingness had been about.

It was a longing for home.

Rest assured, I'll take care of them, and I'll live on properly in your stead, standing above the heavens!