Chakra and Haki

Not long after Gato sheathed his sword, Drake leaped out of the massive crater. Gone was his previous calm demeanor; he had become serious.

"Gato, I underestimated you. You're a very good opponent. Are you really going to refuse the Navy's invitation?"

Drake now understood why the Fleet Admiral thought so highly of this kid. Gato was definitely more than some petty pirate who had just set sail.

Seeing Drake grow serious, Gato responded solemnly as well. "I'm not joining the Navy. What, even a pirate without a bounty like me has caught the attention of someone like you?"

"You're no pirate. Someone who has learned Haki at your age could dominate a region even in the New World."

"Haki?" Gato found that a little strange, but he was a clever man and quickly connected it to a few things.

Chakra was an energy produced by the human body's control over its various component energies and their perfect fusion. It was divided into two types.

One was physical energy extracted from every cell in the body, while the other was spiritual energy accumulated through extensive training and experience.

Didn't that sound very much like the description of Haki?

The so-called three types of Haki were probably similar in nature to chakra. Armament Haki came from the body, while Observation Haki came from the spirit.

As for Conqueror's Haki, only those with exceptionally high talent in both physical strength and spiritual will could awaken it.

One could say that Haki was similar to chakra, but it was nowhere near as versatile and ever-changing.

Haki was simple to use, but that did not mean it could be underestimated. Simplicity often meant that a particular aspect could be developed to the extreme.

Gato believed Armament Haki was like a Yang Release ninjutsu, which was why it was so powerful. Observation Haki was like a Yin Release ninjutsu, which was why it could be so miraculous.

As for Conqueror's Haki, it was somewhat like Yin-Yang Release, but its power was far inferior. Its displayed effects in the pirate world were also inferior to the other two types of Haki; it could only clear out fodder. It was more like proof of one's innate talent.

Armament was one thing, but if it were proven that Observation Haki was a Yin Release ninjutsu, even Kaguya would likely be tempted. Once developed to its limits, it could give rise to many unbelievable abilities, such as Katakuri's ability to foresee the future.

One had to know that even Kaguya could not foresee the future. Otherwise, she would not have been sealed away.

Of course, Kaguya being sealed away was rather absurd as well. Her Byakugan possessed a 60-degree field of vision with no blind spots, yet in the final battle, enemies from three directions somehow blocked off every route of escape?

Like Princess Otohime, she also had the ability to read minds. Could she really not have known what her opponents intended to do? Her defeat could only have been arranged by the plot.

That had gone a little off topic. They were still in the middle of a battle, and Gato naturally had not forgotten that. He quickly reined in his thoughts and faced the opponent before him.

All those thoughts had passed through his mind in an instant, but he had still been distracted for a moment. Fortunately, Drake had not taken the opportunity to attack.

That was because Drake's own thoughts had drifted away as well. He had heard that Vice Admiral Garp, the Marine hero, had a grandson in East Blue. The location matched, and Gato's age roughly matched too. He felt that he had already uncovered the truth.

Otherwise, who had taught Gato to use Haki? And why had the Fleet Admiral taken notice of him before he had even done anything? If Sengoku had not issued such extreme orders, he would have been certain that the boy before him was Garp's grandson.

Sengoku had not expected Drake to make so many associations. As Garp's close friend, he naturally knew that Garp's grandson was Luffy. Gato, meanwhile, was like someone who had appeared out of thin air, causing him no small amount of trouble.

Seeing Gato silently lost in thought, Drake assumed he did not wish to continue. That suited him just fine, since he had not truly wanted to hear anything anyway. Many times, knowing the secrets of important figures was not a good thing.

Though he could not confirm Gato's identity, Drake still decided that he could not kill him in this battle. Sengoku might be the Fleet Admiral, but Garp had long commanded immense prestige within the Navy as well. Neither was someone he could afford to offend.

Capturing Gato alive was still the safest option. As for whether Gato lived or died, he would leave that for those important figures to decide.

He had become a Navy Rear Admiral at such a young age through more than mere brute force.

Thus, he said, "Fine. It doesn't matter if you don't want to talk. Once I defeat you, you'll tell me everything."

ROAR!!!

Veins bulged all over Drake's body as he continuously grew larger, his skin gradually darkening. A savage yet majestic tyrannosaurus suddenly appeared on the bow of the warship.

Humans were so tiny before a ship, yet Drake's transformation forced everyone to notice him.

"Ooh! It's Rear Admiral Drake's Tyrannosaurus form!"

"Ah, how majestic! It's so reassuring to serve under the Rear Admiral!"

A man like Drake naturally would not waste his breath explaining his abilities to an opponent before a fight.

However, the Marines were so excited by the sight that they revealed Drake's Devil Fruit ability in just a few words.

It was not really an intelligence leak. Unless one was blind, anyone standing before a tyrannosaurus whose entire body radiated violent beauty would know what ability he possessed.

Gato finally remembered who this person was. Drake had a highly distinctive appearance, but that memory was far too distant, and he had not introduced himself. It was only after seeing this tyrannosaurus that Gato realized who his enemy was.

The wielder of the Ancient Zoan Tyrannosaurus Fruit—Red Flag Drake—had now revealed his formidable presence to Gato.

As a merchant—well... although Gato was no longer one, it remained an indelible mark upon him.

The former merchant Gato, who disliked competing for superiority and cared only about profit, unexpectedly felt his blood boil at the sight of such an imposing opponent. He grew excited and wanted a grand battle.

A voice seemed to growl deep within his heart: I want to win. I want to win.

The Lord of the Coast from before had been far more spectacular than the tyrannosaurus before him, yet it had not given him this feeling. It was probably the superiority he felt as a human being that kept him from sensing such surging passion when facing a beast.

"Gahahaha, truly impressive."

Gato laughed loudly and drew Bright Light once more. At that moment, Drake had already launched his true assault.

Though Gato's body had become powerful after activating Lightning Enhancement, it still lacked the sharp fangs and claws the Tyrannosaurus Fruit had given Drake. Pursuing excitement by trading blow for blow with him bare-fisted would be utterly foolish.

If chakra truly was Haki, then he was only a beginner. Like an ordinary female warrior of Nine Snake Island, he could only use Haki superficially and was still far from achieving hardening.

By his estimate, basic Armament Haki hardening was roughly equivalent to the completed form of his Roaring Thunder Armor—when lightning-nature chakra could barely envelop his body. Yet he had not even fully mastered the foundational prerequisite ninjutsu.

So for now, his body could not replace a weapon—unless his opponent used his fists as well.