"Watch out!"
Gin saw Xide turn into a white blur and charge at Kuina again. He shouted a warning.
"Golden Armor Shield!"
Just as Kuina was about to be hit, Stone stepped in front of Xide. Golden light flashed across his body, and his clothes transformed into a suit of golden armor.
He shone beneath the blazing sun like a god in golden armor. Unfortunately, Xide still sent him flying with a single punch.
The moment Stone hit the ground, Xide was on him again. White light flashed, and a pale Gale swept past as Xide appeared before him once more.
Kuina cried out and lunged in, sword swinging. Her blade flashed, conjuring a dazzling flurry of afterimages. She struck like a driving storm, light on her feet as Bo surged around Xide.
But Xide was a skilled Logia user. Even when Kuina put a hole through him with her sword, he remained unscathed. She had yet to learn Haki, and her chances against a Logia user were clear.
Ye Chen had his reasons for not teaching her Haki; he was not holding anything back out of selfishness. First, Kuina was still too young to grasp it fully. Second, her foundations were not solid enough. Learning Haki rashly would be like building a Skyscraper on unstable ground: it might topple, and she might grow impatient and neglect the basics.
No martial artist began by learning a peerless technique. They had to start with horse stances and standing drills, then advance one step at a time. Only then could they build a firm foundation and steadily grow stronger.
Learning Haki too early could make someone impatient and unwilling to keep practicing the basics. They might improve rapidly in the short term, but once they reached a certain level, their weak foundation