Observation Haki

Every morning after that, Carl would arrive early at the small island, find a quiet patch of woods, face the sun, and sit cross-legged.

She adjusted her breathing, attempting to gradually calm her mind. In this state, she tried to extend her consciousness to perceive the surrounding environment.

Although she gained nothing at first, as time passed, she gradually began to sense things around her, though they remained unclear.

In the afternoons, she would practice Observation Haki with Newgate on this island, day after day.

In between, she would also supervise Long Yi and Long Er to check their progress with the Golden Light Incantation.

True to their Dragon-Human bloodline, the two possessed extraordinary physical talent; in just a few days, they were already able to cover their entire bodies with the Golden Light Incantation and could even project it outward.

Clay was perhaps a bit slower, only able to cover his limbs, but he was still progressing much faster than a normal human.

At the same time, she taught them the Five Elements Fist from Dragon Tiger Mountain.

The Five Elements Fist was a martial art created based on the principles of the Five Elements (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth) combined with the human body's five internal organs (heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys).

Practicing the Five Elements Fist could regulate the functions of the five organs and slowly strengthen their physiques; after all, they belonged to a special bloodline, and the potential of their bodies had yet to be fully unleashed.

It was perfect for laying their foundation, and under Clay's leadership, they practiced very diligently every day.

She even had Clay purchase over a hundred orphans aged five to ten on the island, as she firmly believed that children were the easiest to control. She taught them the Five Elements Fist of Dragon Tiger Mountain first to lay the foundation for her future forces; these people would become her first core team. She truly did not expect that, in the future, the strength of a few of these 100 children would even make her look at them with admiration.

There were countless slaves on Hachinosu, and there were thousands of orphans alone.

Therefore, it only took half a day to gather them all.

Clay led them in training every day, starting with nutritional supplements before moving on to unified practice of the Five Elements Fist. As for the Golden Light Incantation, she did not teach it to anyone other than the three of them.

She, meanwhile, went to that small island every day to practice Observation Haki with Newgate, striving to master it as soon as possible.

At first, Carl could only passively endure the impact of the stones, but as she delved deeper, she slowly began to sense the surrounding trees, flowers, and grass.

As time went on, by the tenth day, her sensory ability gradually strengthened, and she slowly began to capture more subtle changes, such as the blowing of the wind, the trembling of leaves, and the flight of insects.

After sensing these subtle changes, Carl tried to integrate this information to predict the occurrence of events. She simulated the direction of these things in her mind, attempting to predict the enemy's movements and intentions to master Observation Haki; this was also the most common way to master it.

On the afternoon of the 13th day, Observation Haki finally saw a breakthrough.

"Whoosh."

Newgate was attacking her body with stones as usual.

"Huh?"

However, this time Newgate was surprised to find that Carl twisted her body slightly, skillfully dodging the small stone.

Carl, meanwhile, had a slight upturn at the corner of her mouth; she had succeeded.

The next moment, she tore the blindfold from her eyes and shouted happily, "I felt it."

"I have mastered Observation Haki."

Just as Newgate threw that stone, in Carl's perception, she could clearly feel the stone flying toward her shoulder.

Although her eyes were covered by the blindfold, the sensation provided by Observation Haki was as if she could see the stone, and she dodged it with ease.

It was somewhat similar to a spider's danger sense; she could clearly know which direction the attack was coming from and which part of her body it was about to strike. She now understood a little why Fujitora could still walk normally despite being blind.

So, Observation Haki was truly like a spy radar, capable of scanning everything around her. It was just that she had only just begun, and her current visual range was only fifty meters in diameter.

"Gurarara!"

Hearing this, Newgate put down the remaining stones in his hand; since she had successfully mastered it, there was no need to keep throwing them.

Newgate's expression was somewhat shocked; she had mastered Observation Haki in just 13 days.

Although she might have just started, it had taken him several months to master it back then. He hadn't misjudged her; Carl was indeed a genius.

"Congratulations, Carl."

"Many thanks for your help, Newgate."

She also knew that without Newgate's help, her awakening of Observation Haki might have been pushed back much further.

"Let me test how your strength is."

Newgate was more interested in knowing how much Carl's strength had changed after awakening Observation Haki.

"Alright, let's do it."

Carl also wanted to test her Observation Haki.

Carl initiated the attack first. A black-gold radiance swirled around her, and a powerful aura erupted from her body, like the vast, boundless, and unstoppable ocean, carrying a domineering force that crushed and conquered everything, instantly covering the entire island.

After covering her entire body with the Golden Light Incantation and Armament Haki, she stomped her right foot into the ground, transformed into a bolt of golden lightning, and charged toward Newgate, swinging her iron fist wrapped in Armament Haki.

Newgate reacted quickly, swinging his long sword covered in Armament Haki to block Carl's attack.

The collision of the golden fist and the black blade created a shockwave that made the entire island tremble.

It immediately attracted the attention of the people on nearby Hachinosu.

"Who is over there?"

"Hurry and go take a look."

After all, a duel taking place right next to Hachinosu would certainly attract the attention of the pirates inside.

"Gwahahaha!"

"It's Carl and Newgate."

Golden Lion Shiki took the lead, drifting toward the small island.

His Observation Haki had already sensed that it was Newgate and Carl locked in a duel.

Charlotte Linlin, John, Wang Zhi, and the others used Moon Walk to dash rapidly toward the island.

Hearing the news, some of the pirates immediately hoisted their sails and sped toward the island.

They, too, wanted to witness this battle between two division commanders; they wanted to see which of them, Captain Carl or Captain Newgate, was stronger.

The scene shifted to the island.

Carl saw Newgate block his attack.

Immediately after, Newgate displayed his superb swordsmanship; his great blade moved with the speed of lightning, sending wave after wave of sword energy slashing toward Carl.

Relying on the Observation Haki he had just mastered, Carl clearly sensed every incoming attack, then tilted his body slightly, dodging the sweeps of sword energy perfectly, and engaged Newgate in a formal duel with the aid of his Observation Haki.

The two sides traded blows, the battle growing increasingly intense.

In the blink of an eye, they had fought for hundreds of rounds, and Carl was gradually falling behind. Although he had mastered Observation Haki, his Armament and Observation Haki were still only at the introductory level, and his overall strength was currently no match for Newgate's.

The only reason he could hold his own against Newgate for so many moves was, first, that Newgate was holding back, and second, because his unreasonable physique restored his stamina every single moment, ensuring that the force behind every punch he threw remained consistent.

The surrounding environment was devastated by their battle; the ground was riddled with countless craters, and trees were uprooted from the earth.

Carl's body was covered in sword wounds.

Fresh blood flowed instantly from the gashes, but a closer look revealed that his wounds were healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.