Pirates: Invincible from the Start

Observation Haki!

That was nowhere near as easy to awaken as Armament Haki.

With Armament Haki, even an ordinary person could awaken it through enough training, provided they had some aptitude.

Observation Haki was entirely different. Awakening it truly took both talent and opportunity.

It was not something an ordinary person could awaken.

Indigo was not shocked by Observation Haki itself. It depended on talent, yes, but he had been the ship's doctor aboard the legendary pirate Golden Lion's ship.

He had seen plenty of people with Observation Haki, and even Conqueror's Haki.

What truly shocked him was that the Ant Devil Fruit could help someone awaken Observation Haki so quickly.

If he had known that earlier, he would have sold the fruit long ago.

A-Luo took his time feeling out the changes in his body, then slowly opened his eyes.

The first thing he did was look at Kuta with gratitude.

The Ant Devil Fruit had changed him so much that he felt he could defeat his former self in an instant.

That feeling of power was intoxicating.

Kuta smiled when he saw A-Luo wake up.

As he had suspected, the Ant Devil Fruit really did have other abilities.

The ability to rapidly awaken Observation Haki alone would earn it a respectable place among Zoan Devil Fruits.

With senses that sharp and the physical boost from the Ant Devil Fruit, A-Luo could soon awaken both types of Haki if he trained hard in Kuta's Space Domain.

Whether he went on to practice swordsmanship and become a Swordmaster or trained with a gun to become a Sniper, the results would come much faster.

Kuta smiled at A-Luo. "Tell me, besides your heightened senses, what else can you do?"

A-Luo surveyed his surroundings. The antennae on his head twitched, then both pointed in the same direction.

He turned to look where they pointed and said excitedly, "My antennae can sense changes in the weather nearby."

"Changes in the weather?"

Kuta and Indigo both looked stunned.

Kuta was amazed that the Ant Devil Fruit was so powerful. Wasn't A-Luo a weaker version of Nami now?

Indigo, meanwhile, simply felt it was a shame for Golden Lion. If that man learned what the Ant Devil Fruit could do, he would regret it enough to burst out of hell.

Indigo knew Golden Lion feared nothing except unpredictable weather.

If Golden Lion had found someone—or some ability—that could forecast the weather, his vast Fleet and ability to fly might have let him rule the world long ago.

"How far away can you sense the weather?"

Kuta looked at A-Luo as he asked.

Damn it. If A-Luo could forecast the weather, had Kuta wasted the last dozen years studying his Navigation Book?

Apparently, all that hard work could not beat a shortcut.

A-Luo closed his eyes. The antennae on his forehead swayed as he concentrated for a moment.

He opened his eyes and smiled at Kuta. "A few kilometers in every direction, roughly."

He rubbed his chin and thought for a moment before adding, "Once I train and get a better grasp of the fruit's power, I should be able to extend the range."

"That's absurdly powerful!"

Indigo stood off to one side and sighed. "For people sailing the Grand Line, the greatest danger is never pirates or the Navy. It's the strange, ever-changing weather."

He raised his head and fixed A-Luo with a bright-eyed stare. "And you are now one of the finest Navigators in the world."

Then he turned to Kuta, his face alight with excitement.

This pirate ship, small as it seemed to him, had not only a captain among the world's strongest, but also a first-rate Navigator.

That meant few threats on the Grand Line would be able to stop them.

The thought made him burst out laughing.

"Clack! Clack!"

Kuta could feel Indigo's delight. He was just as pleased.

He smiled at A-Luo. "From now on, you're our Navigator and our Lookout."

"Now, are you going to keep practicing with a sword, or take up a gun?"

A-Luo contained his excitement and looked at Kuta seriously.

"I'm going to train with a gun."

Ever since he realized swordsmanship would not get him where he wanted to go, he had set his sights on firearms.

It was what their crew needed, too.

"All right."

Kuta said nothing more. It was A-Luo's choice, and he respected it.

"You're really going to be the second-strongest on the ship now, aren't you?"

A-Tao walked over, threw an arm around A-Luo's shoulders, and spoke with envy.

She was genuinely happy for him.

Of course, she only acknowledged A-Luo as second from the bottom. There was no way he would surpass her and take third place.

A-Luo pulled A-Tao's arm away and turned to show off the muscles on all four of his arms.

"What do you mean, second? I'm obviously third now!"

"What, you think eating a Devil Fruit means you can challenge me? It's gone to your head!"

Not to be outdone, A-Tao rolled up her sleeve, revealing an arm thicker than an ordinary person's thigh.

Of the three, A-Tao was the tallest and most powerfully built.

Otherwise, Ahua and A-Luo would never have conceded third place to her before.

"Hey! Have you two forgotten about me?"

Ahua could not stand listening any longer. Had both of them gotten too full of themselves?

Did Ahua count for nothing around here?

He admitted he probably could not beat A-Luo now, but he was not about to back down!

"That's enough arguing. I'm going to increase your training. You won't have the energy to bicker after that."

"Then increase it! Who's afraid?"

Ahua shouted, though it was all bravado.

A-Luo shrugged. He wanted to start training right away, so he did not mind.

A-Tao calmly took out a cigarette, lit it, and blew a smoke ring, putting on an air of cool detachment.

Of the three, she was the biggest show-off.

The Carrot on the Path to Power

Kuta looked at the three of them with amusement.

He turned and took the remaining white Devil Fruit from the box in Indigo's hands.

All three fell silent and watched Kuta curiously.

Longing flashed in Ahua's eyes. After seeing how A-Luo had changed, no one on the ship wanted a boost more than he did.

Before, he and A-Luo had competed to see who could slack off more. Now A-Luo was pulling ahead, and Ahua wanted to grow stronger too!

Otherwise, A-Luo would never stop rubbing it in.

Kuta glanced between Ahua and A-Tao.

He could clearly sense Ahua's nervousness. A-Tao, on the other hand, seemed fairly indifferent.

He looked down at the white fruit in his hand, hesitation flashing through his eyes.

This fruit might be nearly useless. Unlike the Ant Devil Fruit, it did not strike him as having much potential.

He honestly had no idea what made the Rabbit Devil Fruit powerful.

The idea of a red-eyed rabbit going berserk was nothing more than a guess.

If one of them ate it and gained no special ability, they would have been better off leaving it alone!

At least someone who had not eaten it would have no reason to fear seawater. If it barely increased their strength while adding a potentially fatal weakness, what was the point?

It hardly seemed worth it.

But when he saw the longing in Ahua's eyes, he made up his mind to let Ahua decide for himself.

He had not offered it to A-Tao because she was already the strongest of the three.

She also had the most patience and the greatest physical strength.

"Ahua, whether you eat this fruit is up to you."

Kuta looked at him and said gravely, "It could be a nearly useless fruit, or it could be as powerful as I suspect."

"What's your decision?"

Faced with Kuta's serious gaze and A-Luo's challenging look, Ahua did not hesitate for long.

"I'll eat it," he said firmly.

To an ordinary person, a Devil Fruit was an unattainable treasure.

Yet here one was, within his reach.

There was nothing to hesitate over. Even if the fruit was nearly useless, could it leave him worse off than he was now?

"All right."

Seeing the resolve in Ahua's eyes, Kuta tossed him the Rabbit Devil Fruit.

"If you've decided, go ahead and eat it."

Everyone watched Ahua expectantly.

A-Luo most of all. He had personally experienced the unforgettable taste of a Devil Fruit.

Just thinking about it made him nauseous.

Ahua looked at the white fruit in his hand. Remembering what A-Luo had gone through, he hesitated.

Then his eyes hardened behind his glasses, and a fierce air came over him.

He stared at the Rabbit Devil Fruit as though it were an enemy.

Opening his mouth wide, he stuffed the whole fruit inside at once.

He strained to swallow it. The Rabbit Devil Fruit nearly choked him and made his eyes roll back before he finally forced it down.

Everyone around him was stunned by his approach.

A-Luo stared at Ahua, his face full of regret. Inside, he wanted to cry.

Why hadn't he thought to swallow his fruit in one go?

Remembering how he had chewed through several mouthfuls of that foul taste made his stomach turn again.

Kuta stared at Ahua in astonishment.

Wasn't that exactly how Luffy had eaten a Devil Fruit?

Impressive!