Counting it out, today was Long Yi's birthday. He was fourteen years old.
And the gift he received was a training plan Zephyr had specially drawn up overnight.
"I heard from that old bastard Karp that you learned Soru in two weeks. Then my demands aren't high—if you can master basic Armament Haki before we return to Marineford, you'll pass."
Hidden behind his sunglasses, Zephyr's eyes were difficult for Long Yi to read. But the faint smile at the old man's lips inexplicably made a few drops of cold sweat trickle down Long Yi's face.
Armament Haki was one of the three types of Haki. Based on how it was used, it could be divided into "Armament Hardening," which strengthened the user, and "Armament Imbuement," which coated the body or weapons.
Haki was not an ability one could comprehend overnight. Although Long Yi had, by a fortunate coincidence, mastered part of Observation Haki, he was far from optimistic about training in Armament Haki.
Even Luffy, the original protagonist blessed with plot armor, had taken a full two years to master all three types of Haki. Long Yi did not believe he had the talent to grasp such a profound power in just two weeks.
But he neither objected nor complained. He simply followed Zephyr's instructions in silence, taking off his shirt and revealing a sturdy, well-built upper body covered in scars.
"Hiss—"
Zephyr remained expressionless and unmoved at the sight of the scars on Long Yi's body. Ain, standing nearby, involuntarily sucked in a breath, her eyes flashing repeatedly with strange light.
The black-haired youth before her was not particularly tall, yet he faintly exuded a fierce, savage air. That suffocating feeling was the unique aura of a vicious ghost whose hands had been stained with blood.
"Not bad. Your