Harvest

After entering, Werther followed the passage for only a short distance before reaching its end.

At the end was a sealed room. There was nothing else inside, only two large passages of text carved into the walls.

Werther looked up, and his expression turned strange. This time, the writing was not ancient script, but the common language of the current era.

Werther looked at the first passage, his face filling with delight.

The passage was not very long and was divided into three parts. The first part described the awakening and training methods for Armament Haki. Werther continued reading, and after finishing it all, his first thought was to burn the notebook that recorded Armament Haki.

Compared with the training method on the wall, whether in terms of awakening efficiency or the strength of Armament Haki after a successful awakening, that notebook simply could not compare. Though the passage was simple, it was easy to understand and gave an extremely detailed explanation of methods beneficial for awakening Armament Haki.

After reading it once, Werther had basically memorized the contents and continued looking downward. Sure enough, below it were the awakening and training methods for Observation Haki. This passage not only explained in detail how Observation Haki could be more easily awakened, but also clearly described its growth and the differences between individuals.

Unlike Armament Haki, some people were naturally gifted in Observation Haki, while others had only average talent. The text offered a fair suggestion.

Those naturally skilled in Observation Haki could devote themselves fully to training it. Once their Observation Haki reached a certain level, it would undergo a qualitative transformation.

As for those who were not gifted in it, they should not force it. The time and energy would be far better spent on Armament Haki. The differences in talent between people could truly make one despair.

After reading about Observation Haki, Werther sighed with emotion. The senior who had written such insights had definitely been a powerhouse.

The third part was the shortest. That was right, it was an introduction to Conqueror's Haki.

This time, there were no methods for awakening or training it, only techniques for controlling Conqueror's Haki after awakening it.

After finishing the first passage, Werther felt that he had truly struck it rich this time. He then turned to the second passage.

The moment he saw it, Werther froze.

Because the value of this passage to him might have exceeded that of a Logia Fruit.

This passage was very long and scattered, requiring a great deal of time to ponder and comprehend.

It was the understanding and insights on swordsmanship accumulated over a lifetime by a great swordsman from some past era. There were no recorded moves, but to Werther, a swordsman's understanding and insights into swordsmanship were impossible to put a price on. They were simply too important.

As for techniques, Werther had never believed they could truly be learned. Every person's sword techniques were developed according to their own body and abilities, making them unique.

Werther read only a portion before stopping. He ran all the way back to the ship, grabbed pen and paper, then sprinted back toward the forbidden area.

He made the round trip at full speed in less than two minutes. It was clear just how desperate Werther was.

He carefully copied every word from the wall into an exquisite notebook without missing a single one.

After finishing the transcription, Werther did not hurry to read it. Instead, he continued examining the room. After searching for a long time without finding any clues, he decided not to remain any longer in this unknown forbidden area and returned to the surface with Rabbit.

Werther's trip into the forbidden area had not involved much danger, but the rewards had been enormous. No wonder so many people liked searching for ancient ruins.

Most ruins and treasures were not as filled with traps as Werther had imagined. If someone truly intended to leave something for future generations, why would they set traps? At most, they would hide it more carefully and leave it to fate.

But this time, Werther had not relied on fate. He had entered the forbidden area through brute-force demolition.

Though he had gained a great deal, he had also been left with many questions. For example, what exactly had been the advanced technology of that ancient nation? Though he vaguely guessed it had something to do with volcanoes, there were still things he could not understand.

And why had the final two passages been written in the modern common language? All the writing along the way before that had been ancient script. Everything pointed to something unusual.

Could ancient script not have been a language at all, but something like a code? Werther had suspected this before, because ancient script and modern writing were completely different. Ancient script needed to be deciphered rather than directly understood, unless one was extremely proficient in it.

Modern writing, on the other hand, could be understood directly.

Werther could not make sense of it, so he stopped thinking about such unimportant matters and began studying the newly acquired method for awakening Armament Haki.

The new awakening method was far more reliable than the old one.

Though it still required one to sense it through battle, this training method explained what Armament Haki actually was.

Werther only needed to sit down and carefully feel for it. Once he found the sensation, he could fight or practice.

Returning to the ship, Werther sat cross-legged on the deck, closed his eyes, and began searching for that feeling.

Though it was difficult, Werther discovered that it was not impossible. He simply needed some time.

Not long after Werther sat down, he felt something strange on his face, as though something were poking him.

Could this be the feeling? Werther was thrilled. He had expected the efficiency to improve greatly, but he had not expected to feel something so quickly.

But before Werther could rejoice for long, the sensation of being poked in the face disappeared, leaving him frustrated.

Soon, the sensation returned. Werther seized the opportunity and was just about to thoroughly study the connection between this strange sensation and awakening Armament Haki when he felt something kick him in the stomach.

After opening his eyes, Werther was nearly angered to the point of passing out at the sight before him.

That poking sensation had nothing whatsoever to do with Armament Haki. Rabbit was hungry and wanted Werther to make something to eat, so Rabbit had tried to poke his face to wake him up. Rabbit had always awakened Werther that way in the mornings, but this time, after poking him for half the day without any response, Rabbit gave him a kick.

Rabbit had grown tired of eating ingredients on their own these past few days and wanted Werther to make a vegetable and fruit salad.

Though Werther really wanted to beat Rabbit up, he saw Rabbit's longing gaze and remembered that Rabbit might be the person closest to him in this world. He could not bring himself to do it.

He gave Rabbit the middle finger, then went to the dining room to make a vegetable and fruit salad for Rabbit while getting something to eat himself.

Other than salad, Werther could make plenty of delicious dishes. But because Rabbit was not used to eating meat while Werther was a carnivore, Rabbit's menu had become much more limited.