Your Future, I Can't Be Sure Of

"Hahaha, coming right up."

Junichi turned with a smile, casually coating himself in Armament Haki as he knocked back several monkeys that lunged at him.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Ordinary punches became like heavy hammers once coated in Armament Haki.

The monkeys he hit all collapsed to the ground in agony, clutching their torn, bloodied wounds and baring their teeth in pain.

At the same time, their eyes immediately cleared, and they retreated from Junichi in fear.

After leaving the forest.

Junichi followed Rayleigh and slowly made his way to the shore.

The two sat on the beach.

"To be honest, I'm starting to doubt my own judgment." Rayleigh removed his glasses and wiped them as he sighed. "My assessments always seem to fail when it comes to you."

"Maybe it's because I'm a genius." Junichi shrugged.

"You really are a genius."

Rayleigh put his glasses back on and looked at him in amazement. "Judging purely by your talent for the two types of Haki, you're already among the top geniuses on this sea!"

"Only among the top?" Junichi asked curiously.

"What else?" Rayleigh glanced at him. "There are people in the New World who are born knowing Haki, as well as special races that don't know Haki but possess bodies comparable to steel."

"Those are the real monsters!"

"Compared to them, you still fall far short."

Junichi merely smiled at that.

His starting point really was inferior to those monsters.

There was no need to deny that.

But the upper limit of a cheater was not something the natives could compare to.

"Still, talent only represents potential. Whether someone can become strong also depends on the opportunities they encounter later in life." Rayleigh spoke slowly. "I originally judged that your future limit would be the level of the Three Powers."

"You can think of it as the level of a Marine Headquarters vice admiral."

"But now, I'm no longer sure."

Rayleigh shook his head gently.

His judgments had repeatedly been wrong. He could no longer see Junichi's future clearly.

But one thing was certain.

As long as this boy did not die, he would definitely become famous across the seas.

"Is that so?" Junichi listened with a smile, his interest piqued.

Once he dealt with Weasel's threat, perhaps he would have the leisure to roam the seas of this world.

Speaking of Weasel.

Junichi began pondering in secret.

His current setup was a Chunin, plus Armament Haki and Observation Haki.

With that combination, he could easily handle ordinary Jonin.

Against an elite Jonin at Kakashi's level, it was hard to say.

And Weasel was even stronger than Kakashi.

"Especially those Mangekyō Sharingan..." Junichi pondered, secretly shaking his head. "My current strength still isn't enough to face Weasel."

With that in mind.

Junichi spoke up and asked Rayleigh for more information. "Mr. Rayleigh, after awakening the two types of Haki, how should I continue training?"

"I was just about to tell you." Rayleigh adjusted his glasses.

He began explaining slowly.

Armament Haki had four techniques of use, usually regarded as four realms progressing from shallow to deep.

Coating, Imbuement, Emission, Internal Destruction.

Coating—this referred to having enough Armament Haki to completely cover the entire body, forming invisible armor and maintaining it for at least three minutes.

Imbuement—this referred to Armament Haki leaving the body and coating an external object to reinforce it.

Emission—this referred to releasing Armament Haki directly outside the body like "energy," creating wide-range attacks.

Internal Destruction—this referred to Armament Haki possessing penetrating power, allowing it to bypass surface defenses and directly damage an enemy's interior.

Most people remained at the "Imbuement" level.

Some imbued bullets before firing them.

Some imbued blades, creating more powerful slashes.

Reaching the "Imbuement" level already made one a core member of a large pirate crew.

As for "Emission" and "Internal Destruction," they were extremely rare. Not only did they require a sufficient amount of Armament Haki, but they also required incomparably precise control.

Only top-tier powerhouses could master them.

Coating, Imbuement, Emission, Internal Destruction... They seem to correspond to skill levels? Junichi thought to himself.

Coating corresponded to the beginner level.

Imbuement corresponded to the proficient level.

Emission corresponded to the mastery level.

Internal Destruction corresponded to the grandmaster level.

Then what corresponded to the transcendent level?

Could it be that no one on the seas has ever reached the transcendent realm? Junichi mused. It's not impossible.

The theoretical upper limit of a cultivation path could be very high.

Yet it was also possible that no one had ever actually reached it.

"As for Observation Haki, there's no particularly clear way to distinguish its levels." Rayleigh continued. "It can only be judged through some general signs."

"At the beginning, it's the beginner stage. You can use it, but only when concentrating."

"After becoming proficient, you can use it anytime, anywhere."

"After that, subtle changes reflecting one's personal style will appear."

"Beyond that, it's said to undergo a qualitative change, allowing one to comprehend the technique of 'foreseeing the future'... but I've only heard of it. I've never seen it myself."

Rayleigh briefly explained the realms of Observation Haki.

Junichi nodded as he listened.

This also corresponded to the levels of "beginner," "proficient," "mastery," "grandmaster," and "transcendent."

Moreover, he knew that foreseeing the future existed.

In the future, more than a decade from now, two people with future-sight-level Observation Haki would emerge at the same time—Luffy and Katakuri.

As for the "subtle changes reflecting one's personal style," that was even easier to understand.

Everyone had different needs.

Thus, some people refined their Observation Haki for precision, some developed it for wide-range perception, and some became capable of reading the emotions of their own kind.

There were many such examples in the original work.

"Now that I've finished with Armament Haki and Observation Haki, let's talk about Conqueror's Haki." Rayleigh did not stop, instead bringing up a new topic.

"Conqueror's Haki." Junichi gave a soft laugh.

Rayleigh looked somewhat surprised. "You know about it?"

"I've heard of it." Junichi nodded directly. "It seems to be an inborn talent, called the disposition of a king. Not even one person in a million can awaken it."

"That's true." Rayleigh nodded.

Rayleigh also briefly explained the levels of Conqueror's Haki.

Beginner—erupts due to surging emotions.

Intermediate—can be freely controlled with one's will.

Advanced—emanates in all directions, its power becoming tangible.

Advanced stage—Conqueror's Haki Imbuement!

In the original work, Conqueror's Haki seemed no different from Armament Haki in its manifestations.

But through Rayleigh's explanation, Junichi learned the difference.

Conqueror's Haki carried an impact on the level of spiritual will.

In other words.

It was a dual attack of physical force and magic.

Armament Haki's defenses could only resist physical attacks. They had no way to resist impacts on the spiritual level.

"That's way too unfair." Junichi could not help clicking his tongue.

"Haha, Conqueror's Haki is just that unreasonable." Rayleigh laughed heartily. "Getting hit by one punch feels like your soul has been struck. It hurts like hell."

Junichi was even more speechless.

Magic-based classes were way too disgusting. Physical fighters were trembling with rage.

I wonder whether I have Conqueror's Haki too. Junichi thought to himself.

That night.

They talked about many things, and Junichi heard quite a few secrets of the seas.

The next day.

Junichi woke up on time according to his biological clock and began training his two types of Haki.