Observation Haki?

Zephyr was astonished, because he could tell that Randall was stronger than he had been yesterday.

It was only a small improvement, but how much time had even passed?

Even counting the time he had spent sleeping, it had been less than twenty-four hours!

Randall was still very weak, so getting stronger was easy, but surely it shouldn't have been this easy!

All those thoughts flashed through Zephyr's mind in a single instant.

He glanced at Pietro, then nodded, granting his request to fight.

Seeing Zephyr nod, Pietro immediately stepped out of the crowd and stood opposite Randall.

"Yesterday, I was just careless and didn't watch out for your sneak attack.

Today, I'll show you what I can really do!"

Pietro deliberately spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear.

In fact, he genuinely believed what he was saying.

As long as he went all out, this kid wouldn't stand a chance!

Randall felt a little annoyed at his words.

But he said nothing, merely deciding to hit a little harder in a moment.

Zephyr frowned as well, but said nothing.

The other trainees, meanwhile, seemed to understand at last.

No wonder this guy beat Pietro. He'd ambushed him, and Pietro had underestimated him.

That made sense. Pietro's signature move, Godspeed Shave, was a headache even for people ranked above him.

How could he possibly lose to someone like this?

For a moment, those who had been intimidated by Randall's victory began to regret their hesitation.

If they stepped up and beat Randall, they might catch Zephyr's attention!

Watching Pietro and Randall face off, almost everyone felt that as long as Pietro didn't underestimate his opponent again and used Godspeed Shave right away, victory was assured.

There was no doubt about it.

Except for Aequus and Milers.

Anyone who could take a slash from Milers at half strength head-on and emerge almost unscathed was anything but ordinary.

The instructor beside Zephyr approached Randall and Pietro, asking with a glance whether they were ready.

Once both confirmed, he shouted.

"Begin!"

Pietro charged first.

Seeing how swiftly his opponent approached, Randall raised both arms in front of himself to block.

But halfway through his charge, Pietro vanished from Randall's sight.

"There it is! Pietro's signature move, Godspeed Shave!"

"Even among us, only a little over half can use the Six Powers proficiently. This is probably this kid's first time seeing them!"

"Heh, Pietro's Godspeed Shave is twice as fast as Shave! This kid's done for!"

"..."

The trainees immediately grew excited.

If Pietro crushed him this decisively, surely this kid wouldn't be allowed into the Elite Camp!

It wasn't that they had a grudge against Randall.

They just felt damn cheated whenever they thought about how hard it had been for them to get into the Elite Camp.

Zephyr shook his head helplessly.

Although the trainees had deliberately lowered their voices, his Observation Haki still picked up every word clearly.

Half a year had passed, and they still hadn't even mastered the basics of using the Six Powers.

And they had the gall to say it out loud.

Honestly, this was the worst class he'd ever taught!

While everyone whispered among themselves, the situation on the field changed again.

Basic Shave required kicking off the ground dozens of times in an instant.

Pietro, however, could do it over a hundred times in an instant!

Halfway toward Randall, he unleashed his full speed and appeared behind him as though he had teleported.

The instant he appeared, he raised his fist and drove it toward Randall's unguarded back.

He would defeat Randall as quickly as possible.

Only then could he wash away his humiliation.

As far as he was concerned, this one punch would settle everything.

At this speed, his opponent couldn't possibly react.

But just as his fist was about to hit its target, Randall stepped sideways with his left foot, shifting his body a few centimeters as though he had eyes in the back of his head.

Those few centimeters were enough to make Pietro's sure-hit punch miss.

How was that possible?

Pietro was stunned, both that his opponent had detected his position and that he had actually managed to react!

But he had put all his strength into the punch and couldn't pull it back!

Worse still, missing the punch briefly threw his entire body off balance.

Of course, Randall wasn't about to let such a perfect opportunity slip away.

He drew back his right fist and slammed a solid punch straight into Pietro's face.

He even had time to curl his lips into a smile at Pietro.

With a bang, Pietro's momentum sent him spinning a full three hundred and sixty degrees in midair before he flew far away.

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

Only when Pietro hit the ground did the trainees finally register what had happened.

They stared blankly at Pietro, wondering if they had been hallucinating.

What exactly had just happened?

Wasn't Pietro supposed to finish the fight in one hit?

How had he ended up being sent flying instead?

They were shocked, but Zephyr was even more shocked.

The moment he saw Randall dodge, one thought sprang into his mind—

Observation Haki!

But after calming down, Zephyr realized that Randall hadn't displayed any signs of Observation Haki just now.

Then he quickly thought of the strange energy inside Randall's body.

Could it be because of that energy?

Could that energy also serve the same purpose as Observation Haki?

Zephyr's guess was correct.

The reason Randall could detect Pietro behind him was precisely because of his ki.

Ki itself was a form of life energy, so it was naturally highly sensitive to other living beings.

And thanks to yesterday's nutritious meal, the ki within Randall's body had grown stronger.

That, in turn, had made Randall's senses sharper and more accurate.

Within a small radius, they could almost rival Observation Haki!

So Pietro was out of luck.

After lying on the ground for a few seconds, Pietro finally accepted the cruel reality.

He climbed to his feet and stared darkly at Randall.

"How could you have detected me? Were you putting on an act yesterday?"

Randall shrugged and said:

"Yesterday, we really were pretty evenly matched. But today? You'd better concede."

Ki that could function like Observation Haki was far too overpowered.

It effectively neutralized Pietro's greatest strength—his speed.

He couldn't win.

But Pietro exploded as soon as he heard that.

"Are you kidding me? You're nowhere near good enough to beat me!

You just got lucky before! I won't give you another chance!"

Randall sighed.

If you're going to be this stubborn, I'll make you face reality.

His gaze sharpened, and he kicked off the ground dozens of times in an instant, vanishing from the spot.

Shave!

At the sight, cries of "Holy shit!" erupted among the trainees.

This guy could actually use Shave?!

And he was so proficient at it!

Where on earth had this monster come from?

At that moment, they suddenly began to understand.

They understood why Zephyr had made an exception and brought him into the Elite Camp.

Because compared with him, they hardly felt worthy of being called Elite Camp trainees.