Armament Haki?
Kuina and Zoro both froze. They clearly had no idea what Dragon was talking about, and turned to look at Dunn.
Ivankov's eyes widened as he stared at Dunn.
He knew Koushiro could use Haki, but mastering it required a certain foundation, and using it frequently also put a strain on the body.
Did this kid already seem ready to awaken Haki in Koushiro's eyes?
Dunn looked at Dragon, whose head was topped by three blood-red question marks, then nodded.
"I see!"
Dragon said, then sat down.
"Training in Haki isn't actually difficult. There's an island called Amazon Lily in the Calm Belt of the New World, and most of the people there have mastered Haki to a respectable degree."
"Amazon Lily!" Dunn said, nodding.
"You know about it? You certainly know quite a lot."
Dragon smiled.
"Before I came to Shimotsuki Village, I saw a newspaper saying that the empress of the Amazon Lily Kingdom had become one of the Shichibukai."
Dunn nodded, bringing up the news.
"If you're only trying to bring out Armament Haki, it's actually not that difficult."
As he spoke, Dragon suddenly reached out toward Dunn. His hand was wrapped in dark Armament Haki.
Dunn's heart skipped a beat. With Observation Haki already active, he reflexively raised his hand to block Dragon's grasp. Then Dragon's fingers closed firmly around his wrist.
Dunn instinctively tried to turn into an element, but the part Dragon was holding wouldn't transform.
Dragon was taken aback, then smiled. The Armament Haki on his hand flowed around Dunn's wrist.
The next moment, Dunn felt a force inside his body resisting the Haki flowing into him.
Before Dunn could figure out what that force was, Dragon had already withdrawn his hand.
"That's your own Armament Haki. Most people can't use this method."
Dragon smiled, his gaze seeming to hold a deeper meaning.
A Devil Fruit user, and a Logia at that.
Dunn said nothing. After a long moment under everyone's watchful eyes, he raised his arm. Armament Haki appeared over it.
Zoro and Kuina couldn't sense it, but Dragon and Ivankov could.
"That works?"
Seeing that Armament Haki had appeared on his status panel, Dunn was surprised too.
"You still need to train your Armament Haki. To use this method to help others, you'll need to master it much more deeply."
Dragon didn't hide anything.
Even without him saying so, Dunn had more or less understood.
He hadn't expected Armament Haki to be able to flow onto another person, nor had he expected the Armament Haki—or whatever that force was—hidden inside his body to react on its own when someone else's Haki flowed into him.
"Thank you!"
Dragon had helped him, after all. A word of thanks was only right.
"No need to thank me. Consider it a way of returning the favor."
Because of Dunn, Koushiro had helped gather more food, which had greatly benefited the Revolutionary Army. That was why Dragon said this.
With that, Dragon stood, waved, and headed toward the dojo with Ivankov.
Dunn and the other two watched them leave.
"Dunn, what were you talking about just now?" After Dragon and Ivankov had gone, Kuina turned to Dunn and asked in confusion.
"Haki is a power people possess within themselves. If you want to become a swordsman, or even a great swordsman, you'll have to master it.
"The strongest people on the sea have all trained their Haki to a high level."
Dunn thought for a moment, then explained it to them.
Haki training required a foundation, and it put some strain on the body. Frequent use could cause harm, so it was only natural that Koushiro hadn't told the two of them yet.
As for Zoro, if he hadn't gotten lost at sea and been unable to find his way back to Shimotsuki Village, perhaps Koushiro would have taught him to master Haki.
And Kuina...
Dunn glanced at Kuina, then stood up.
"It's too early for you to learn Haki. When you're ready, the dojo master will teach you."
With that, Dunn left.
Kuina and Zoro exchanged glances.
"This is a power that all the strong possess. I'm definitely going to master it."
Zoro's face was full of longing as he said this.
Kuina nodded silently.
So physical strength was only one of the things you needed to become strong!
Haki, huh?
Kuina decided to ask her father about it.
Meanwhile.
Dragon and Ivankov returned and found Koushiro.
"How did it go?"
When he saw them come back, Koushiro smiled and asked.
"He's a promising young man."
Dragon nodded.
"Then..." Koushiro looked Dragon straight in the eye, only to see him shake his head.
"He has no plans to go to sea right now."
Koushiro nodded at that.
"But he really is a Devil Fruit user, and quite possibly a Logia."
Dragon said.
Ivankov had been listening. When he heard Dragon say that, he almost jumped out of his seat.
"That kid's a Logia user?"
Ivankov was stunned.
Devil Fruits weren't exactly common, and Logias were rarer still.
The three Logia users among the Marines' top fighters were famous throughout the sea, and all incredibly powerful.
"Most likely."
Dragon nodded.
"Chief, should we recruit him into the Revolutionary Army?"
Ivankov was clearly interested.
A Logia user who didn't slack off would become a top fighter someday.
"That'll be difficult. There's something off about that young man's gaze, just as Koushiro said."
Dragon shook his head.
"I don't know why he looks at everyone that way. He may be trying to hide it, but that innate sense of superiority is always there."
Dragon sighed.
He was a little disappointed too, for much the same reason as Ivankov.
"It's not impossible, though. He's still young."
Koushiro smiled and changed the subject.
"True."
Dragon nodded, not dwelling on it.
After returning, Dunn brought out his Haki and kept it active.
It was naturally nowhere near as strong as Koushiro's or Dragon's.
But Dunn had just mastered this power, and he was intensely curious about Armament Haki.
He even tried to coat Flame in it, but, of course, failed.
Aside from asking Koushiro for guidance later, Dunn planned to keep his Haki active.
The more he used it, the more he would improve and learn how to use it.
Of course, his health points also decreased as he used Haki, though not very quickly.
But unlike Observation Haki, Armament Haki consumed a great deal of stamina too.
The next day, before dawn, Dunn left the dojo after staying up all night. By sunrise, he was soaked through and carrying a sea fish several meters long back to the dojo.
Before you continue