After Ye Chen left, Lucci stood there in a daze, motionless for a long time.
Night had fallen. A chilly wind cut through him, making him shiver, but his legs felt rooted to the ground. He stood as straight and still as a statue, as immovable as a boulder.
Haki?
Should I learn it? Deep down, Lucci resisted the idea. But he was also a man who never stopped striving to grow stronger.
Ye Chen knew Haki. That much was obvious. If Lucci refused to learn it, killing Ye Chen would be out of the question. Even defeating him would be difficult.
Lucci went into every clash brimming with confidence. Yet while he grew stronger, Ye Chen never stood still. The gap between them seemed to be widening.
In less than three months, Ye Chen's swordsmanship had gone from that of a complete novice to the point where he could fight Lucci to a standstill with their lives on the line. His progress had far exceeded Lucci's expectations. If Ye Chen hadn't switched to practicing swordsmanship, Lucci might already have been no match for him.
In truth, if Ye Chen used Haki, he could have beaten Lucci with hand-to-hand combat alone.
"Hmph. It's not like I begged him to teach me. He offered. Why shouldn't I learn?"
Lucci wrestled with the question for a long time. His pride refused to accept Ye Chen's "charity," but his determination to complete his mission and never admit defeat drove him to use almost any means necessary.
Should he choose strength, even if it meant accepting "charity"? It was embarrassing, but Lucci finally consoled himself. "He asked me to learn. That doesn't count as charity, does it?"
When they returned to the dojo, Zoro was already waiting at the entrance. He had been there