Pirates: Immortal, I Maxed Out Conqueror's Haki First

"He was crazy enough to lead a bunch of rookies after Roger!"

But Sengoku could do nothing about it.

They had known each other too long. Sengoku knew Garp had always been reckless, especially when Roger was involved. Then his stubbornness bordered on obsession.

"I just hope they'll be all right."

Sengoku sighed. There was nothing he could do.

It had happened plenty of times before, and he had every confidence in Garp's strength.

Meanwhile, aboard the Dog-Head Warship, the storm had passed.

That night, snores thundered through the ship. Everyone slept soundly, and Xia Le was out the moment his head touched the pillow.

When he opened his eyes again, it was already morning.

No one slept in. Some mopped the deck, some washed and hung up clothes, and others exercised.

Except for the figure in the dog-head hat standing at the bow.

"I've always admired people who can sleep standing up," Xia Le murmured.

"Talking about your teacher behind his back isn't polite, Xia Le!" Kuzan said with a grin.

"That wasn't an insult. It was admiration."

Xia Le hung his wet clothes on a rack, then got back to training.

There was still one move of the Six Powers he had yet to master.

He was also keen to learn Life Return, which lay beyond the Six Powers.

Roger ### Training in Kami-e was proving difficult for Xia Le.

He seemed naturally ill-suited to techniques that relied on perception.

He had mastered the other five moves of the Six Powers. Through training, he had even raised Shave, Iron Body, and Finger Pistol to level 2. But the last move still eluded him.

"Xia Le, you don't have to master all six moves."

"You could just learn the basics, or specialize in one or two!" Kuzan suggested.

At Xia Le's request, the two often sparred. Kuzan gave him moves to practice against while Xia Le searched for a way to grasp the technique.

"If you distinguish yourself, you might even get a Devil Fruit someday. That would make you stronger too."

Xia Le shook his head. "A strong body is the foundation of any powerful fighter. A Devil Fruit might help, but you can't rely on it too much."

"You have a point."

Kuzan smiled and nodded.

They wove past each other, clashing at speed as sharp impacts rang out.

Xia Le had grown proficient with Iron Body, Finger Pistol, and Shave. He had reached level 2 through training alone, without spending a single point.

At noon, everyone ate lunch.

Afterward, Garp gave Xia Le some focused guidance.

"Not bad. You've got a talent for physical combat."

"Next, it may be time to train your Armament Haki and Observation Haki."

Garp was pleased with his disciple's progress.

Mastering five of the Six Powers in such a short time put Xia Le ahead of countless prodigies.

"Once you've learned Kami-e, I'll teach you a move beyond the Six Powers: Life Return!"

Garp grinned.

Xia Le's eyes lit up.

Life Return was undeniably useful. It allowed complete control over the body and could speed recovery from injuries through eating.

Then Garp began Xia Le's special training in Kami-e.

But it did not go well.

"How can you be so stupid?"

"No! That's not it!"

"Relax! Let the strength drain from your whole body! Is that how you use Kami-e, you idiot?"

Garp's furious scolding rang across the warship, drawing glances from everyone nearby.

Xia Le clutched his head, grimacing in pain.

He had to admit it: he had no talent for this last move of the Six Powers. No matter how Garp instructed him, he could not find the knack.

"What good is strength if you can't control it? If you can't turn it on and off at will?"

Garp did not hold back.

His teacher's strictness made Xia Le tremble.

"Three thousand push-ups!"

"Three thousand squats!"

"Ten thousand sword swings!"

"Maybe that'll clear your head!"

Garp bellowed.

Xia Le pressed his lips together and obeyed.

He glanced to the side. At some point, Kuzan, Sakazuki, and the others had retreated far away. Kuzan noticed his look and deliberately started whistling, pretending he had seen nothing.

Day after day passed, with no sign of Roger's crew.

Garp seemed confident all the same. He directed Bogard's course, certain they would meet Roger.

For Xia Le, those days brought his greatest setback yet. He even began to doubt himself.

He still had not made the slightest progress with Kami-e, while Garp gave him an earful every day.

"You've hit a wall. Everyone has things they're good at."

"And Kami-e clearly isn't one of yours."

Kuzan found him in secret and spoke in a low voice, as if he understood exactly what Xia Le was going through.

Xia Le bared his teeth and punched him on the head without hesitation.

"Ow!"

Kuzan grimaced. He had not expected Xia Le's fist to be as hard as Garp's.

"I'll master it!"

Along the way, they encountered pirates and fought them.

Garp was remarkably carefree. His favorite thing was to stand aboard the ship and let the rookies handle the enemy themselves, using life-or-death battles to train them.

Combat brought Xia Le rapid progress. His mindset and experience were quickly catching up with Kuzan, Sakazuki, and the others.

That delighted him. He really could grow quickly in battle.

The stronger the enemy, the more he gained.

"A big one with a bounty of 580 million. No wonder he was tough."

"With the rest of the crew, their total bounties came to 1.5 billion."

"And I took down the whole pirate crew myself."

Xia Le let out a quiet breath.

"I picked up system points too."

After maxing out Conqueror's Haki, he chose Shave as the next ability to upgrade.

If he maxed out Shave, its terrifying speed might rival teleportation. Paired with a fist coated in Conqueror's Haki Infusion, it could let him take down anyone in an instant.

It would be an almost certain-kill combination.

"Xia Le, back to training!"

Garp's shout rang out.

Xia Le's expression shifted, helplessness flashing in his eyes.

Kami-e still made no sense to him. He could not find the slightest trick to it, and he suspected it might hold him back for quite some time.

Garp had said that until Xia Le mastered all Six Powers, he would not teach him Life Return.

Observation Haki and Armament Haki were even further out of reach.

Before long, nearly ten days had passed since the Battle of Edd War.

That afternoon, the officer in the lookout suddenly blew the warning whistle.

"Pirate ship ahead!"

It was still too far away to make out the design on its flag.

Garp burst out laughing. "Hahahaha!"

"See that, Bogard?"

"That's Roger's ship!"

Bogard froze. He raised his telescope and looked ahead, but could make out only a black speck. He had no idea how Garp had identified it.

"It's the bond between worthy rivals!"

"I bet he can sense I'm coming too!"

Garp laughed heartily.

Everyone aboard looked ahead.

"Is it Roger?"

"Whoa! Are we about to face one of the three legendary pirates?"

Kuzan rushed over excitedly and threw an arm around Xia Le's shoulders.

Xia Le glanced up at him and curled his lip.

He really believes every word Garp says.

As the two ships drew closer, the officer in the lookout called out the vessel's identity in shock.

"It's the Oro Jackson!"

"It's the Roger Pirates, one of the three great pirate crews!"

Garp laughed and slammed his fists together.

"Now this is getting exciting!"

"Everyone, get ready to fight!"

"We're about to capture Roger!"

Everyone aboard answered at once. Xia Le silently took the saber Bogard handed him, hung it at his waist, and fixed his gaze ahead.