One Piece: I Maxed Out Conqueror's Haki First Because I Can't Die

"Pluton, Rayleigh."

"Whitebeard, Edward Newgate."

"Kozuki Oden."

"Golden Lion, Shiki."

"Just thinking of their names gets my blood pumping."

Kuzan spoke with excitement.

"If you met any of them now, you'd only get yourself killed," Xia Le said calmly.

"Haha, fair point."

"I'm still too weak! But Xia Le, one day I'll be as strong as they are. I'll become a hero like Vice Admiral Garp."

Kuzan grinned, brimming with enthusiasm.

Xia Le smiled faintly and nodded. "Yes, you'll become an admiral."

"We'll work hard together!" Kuzan declared.

Just then, Bogard came over with a brand-new Marine uniform and placed it before Xia Le.

"Here are your new clothes!"

"And here's your rank insignia."

Xia Le looked down and froze.

The uniform was much like the one he wore, only new. The insignia, however, marked him as a major—the same rank as Kuzan.

"That's incredible! You must be the fastest anyone's ever been promoted after joining the Marines, Xia Le!"

Kuzan gave him a thumbs-up in admiration.

"Don't I have to go through a probationary period?" Xia Le asked, puzzled.

"You're my disciple and my subordinate. I know better than you what you can do and what position you should hold," Garp said with a chuckle, picking his nose.

In truth, judging by the boy's display of Conqueror's Haki, he could easily have held a flag-officer rank. But his fundamentals were still too weak, so major was about right.

After a moment's surprise, Xia Le changed out of his torn clothes.

An officer's uniform came with the iconic white cloak of justice. As the sea breeze caught it and sent it billowing behind him, it lent him an unmistakable air of authority.

Garp then personally pinned on his insignia.

"From now on, you're a Marine major!"

"It's a little quick, but wartime calls for haste. And my disciple has earned it!"

Garp paused, studied the handsome face of the black-haired young man before him, and gave his shoulder an approving pat.

"Not bad! You look the part!"

"We still have some time before we reach the battlefield in the New World. I'll teach you hand-to-hand combat."

"Bogard will teach you swordsmanship."

"How much you learn is up to you!"

Those Two Guys

Xia Le said nothing. Somehow, Garp had made him his disciple.

From start to finish, the heroic vice admiral had not once asked for his opinion. It was much the same way he treated his grandson: the boy's wishes never entered into it.

Still, Xia Le did not particularly object.

When Xia Le had first arrived in this world, the man before him had saved his life. He could not be killed, but being thrown into Impel Down for the rest of his life, or subjected to endless torture, would have been suffering beyond imagination.

Being impossible to kill did not make him invincible.

Training began soon afterward.

Garp might have been boisterous, but he never wasted time once he made up his mind.

"The Six Powers, as the name suggests, consist of six techniques."

"Any Marine officer who's undergone formal training will know of them and have mastered at least one or two."

"Those with enough talent and dedication learn all six."

Xia Le listened intently. He knew of the Six Powers, of course. Iron Body in particular had been notorious in his previous life.

"Now, attack me."

"To learn the Six Powers, your physical abilities must first surpass those of an ordinary human."

So Garp told him.

Xia Le nodded and threw a punch at Garp.

Garp caught it in one large hand. Surprise flickered in his eyes before he said, "Now kick. Put everything you've got into it."

Xia Le immediately raised his leg and kicked at Garp's palm.

Thud!

At the dull impact, Garp nodded. "That's enough!"

"You're physically capable of learning the Six Powers."

Inside, Garp was astonished. The force behind that punch and kick already exceeded the basic Doriki needed to learn the Six Powers.

By Garp's rough estimate, Xia Le's Doriki was around 850.

That was an absurd figure. Some people endured grueling trials and trained for over a decade just to reach it.

And how long had this boy been training?

One bout of surfing at sea and one close-quarters fight with blades.

Garp could only chalk it up to extraordinary talent.

At this rate, the kid might soon overtake Kuzan in the fundamentals.

Garp could hardly believe it.

Training in the Six Powers began at once.

To Xia Le's relief, he was no poor student. Even with his ability to add points, it would have done him no good if he lacked the aptitude to learn the techniques in the first place.

Seven days later, the warship passed through the Red Line by a route reserved for the Marines and entered the New World.

During those seven days, Xia Le mastered his first of the Six Powers.

"Iron Body!"

Xia Le gave a low shout.

The muscles and skin across his body tensed, becoming as hard as steel.

Many people in his previous life had mocked Iron Body, but after training in it, Xia Le quickly realized it was a practical defensive technique.

On his panel, a new entry appeared beneath Conqueror's Haki.

Six Powers: Iron Body LV1+

That meant he could add points to Iron Body as well, improving it as quickly as possible.

Conqueror's Haki was a trump card for critical moments, not something to use routinely. The Six Powers, by contrast, were suited to ordinary attacks.

Xia Le set himself a goal: master all six techniques as soon as possible.

That afternoon, he picked up a standard-issue Marine saber and began studying swordsmanship under Bogard.

After an hour of instruction in stance and the use of force, the weapon in his hands was replaced by a two-ton dumbbell.

"Whoosh!"

As he swung it, the dumbbell whipped up a fierce gust with a low howl. Sweat flew from his body and spattered across the deck.

Great strength was forged through effort and training beyond what most people could endure.

"Hahahahaha!"

"I've told you, Fleet Admiral Kong, I refuse your offer to promote me to admiral!"

"I've only just arrived in the New World. An admiral doesn't have the freedom a vice admiral does!"

Garp's booming laughter carried over.

"This is an order from the very top of the World Government, Garp!"

"You can't be so willful!"

Xia Le could hear Kong's stern voice clearly.

"I don't care whether it's the World Government or those five old men. I refuse!"

"I've got no interest in being an admiral!"

Garp spoke as casually as ever.

"Think it over, Garp. This is the fifth time you've turned down a promotion," Kong said with a frown.

"I still refuse. There's nothing to think about!"

"Also, I should report that I've taken on a disciple named Xia Le. He has plenty of potential and talent."

Garp laughed.

"As long as you're happy," Kong sighed.

The Den Den Mushi call ended.

Kuzan hurried over, his face alight with excitement. "That was so cool, Vice Admiral Garp! How many times have you turned down a promotion to admiral now?"

"Don't follow my example, young man!"

"I'm just set in my lazy ways."

Garp grinned.

Xia Le said nothing and kept swinging the heavy dumbbell.

Three days later, the warship arrived at G-5, a fortress base in the New World.

There, Xia Le saw the Marines' other two pillars of strength for the first time.

Admiral Sengoku the Buddha!

Admiral Black Arm Zephyr!

The two admirals came out side by side, followed by stern-faced officers.

Xia Le noticed that every officer wore a flag-officer insignia on his shoulders. Their bearing was steady and imposing, and the hard edge of battle veterans was plain to see.

Clearly, they were all formidable fighters who had survived countless battles.

"Garp, we've been waiting a long time for you."

"The situation in the New World isn't looking good."

Zephyr's voice was grave.

Garp burst out laughing. "I picked up a talented youngster on the way. That held us up a little."

Then he grabbed Xia Le and pulled him forward.