Haki training

Early the next morning, off the coast of Marineford.

The salty, damp sea breeze slapped Gern's face as he crouched at the warship's bow, watching the outline of a deserted island gradually emerge in the distance. He yawned.

"So..." He turned toward Zephyr, whose cape billowed behind him.

"Headquarters really classified every training ground as a 'high-risk facility' because of my ability, Teacher Zephyr?"

"What else would it be?" Zephyr snorted, casting a glance at him from behind his sunglasses.

"Your Devil Fruit ability demolishes things faster than Garp eats snacks. Those people in finance have already submitted a joint petition demanding compensation from you."

Gern shrank back, muttering, "You were the one who attacked first..."

"Hmm?"

"I said it's all thanks to your excellent teaching!" Gern immediately straightened up, then looked curiously toward the approaching island.

"So what's this special training going to involve?"

Instead of answering directly, Zephyr suddenly tossed him a pair of Seastone Handcuffs.

Gern instinctively started to catch them, but his expression changed the moment he saw what they were, and he let them drop onto the deck.

"Wait, isn't this a little too advanced?! I haven't even learned Haki..."

"Oh! Wrong pair! I used these to cuff a pirate last time." A dangerous smile curled Zephyr's lips.

Gern: "..."

"Weren't you complaining that headquarters' training grounds were too small? This island should give you enough room to run wild." He pointed toward the conspicuous crater at the center of the island.

"See that crater? In a month, I want it turned into a basin."

Gern followed his finger, then suddenly realized something. Even his voice trembled. "You don't mean you want me to use my fists..."

"Haki is an extension of your will." Zephyr grabbed Gern by the back of his collar and hurled him toward the beach the instant the warship reached shore.

"Learn to feel strength through your body before you start thinking about those flashy vibrations!"

Bang! Gern landed face-first in the sand, getting a mouthful of it.

A moment later, as he struggled to his feet, he saw Zephyr descend from the sky using Geppo, his blackened fists gleaming like metal in the morning sun.

"Remember, boy." Zephyr's landing sent a ring of sand surging outward. "In the New World, people who can destroy islands are a dime a dozen..."

His fist suddenly tore through the air, rapidly swelling in Gern's vision.

"But only those who can protect everything are truly strong!

And the first step toward becoming strong is Haki!!!"

"Haki..." The moment that word left Zephyr's mouth, Gern felt his blood boil. He instinctively held his breath, his pupils narrowing slightly.

The moment he had been waiting for had finally arrived.

Seeing Gern's expression and reaction, Zephyr's lips curved into a knowing smile.

Then he slowly raised his right arm, coated in pitch-black Armament Haki. "Do you remember what I told you at the training ground two months ago?"

"I do!" Gern shouted almost reflexively. "You said Haki comes from presence, will, and spiritual strength!"

"And, of course, it's also the manifestation of conviction!"

"Very good." Zephyr nodded approvingly, the black Armament Haki flowing over his arm like water.

"There are three types of Haki: Conqueror's Haki, Armament Haki, and Observation Haki. They correspond to those three sources of strength."

"Haki is, at its core, conviction made physical!" As he spoke, Zephyr raised his Armament Haki-coated arm and clenched his fist hard, compressing the air with an explosive crack.

"Gern, you'd never encountered Haki before. That's why things played out that way at the training ground.

You've already seen Whitebeard's Conqueror's Haki, and you experienced Armament Haki and Observation Haki two months ago!"

Gern silently nodded at Zephyr's words.

After all, only by witnessing the pinnacle he wanted to reach could the first seeds of a hunger for strength take root in his heart.

"I understand, Teacher Zephyr!"

"If you understand..." Zephyr suddenly gave a mysterious smile.

Just then...

Boom! With a deafening crash, the rock face towering dozens of meters behind them exploded!

Amid the flying rubble, a burly figure in a Marine coat leaped out, laughing. The ground cracked the instant he landed.

"Then get ready to start in earnest, boy!!!"

"V-Vice Admiral Garp?!" Gern's pupils abruptly contracted, and he instinctively took half a step back.

Garp had appeared before him without warning, half a popsicle still hanging from his mouth. For a moment, Gern genuinely couldn't process it.

Zephyr brushed the rubble off himself and shook his head helplessly.

"My Haki is by no means weak, but considering your future potential, my role is better suited to theory!"

Zephyr looked toward Garp and continued, "Add Garp's physical combat training, though, and he'll throw theory aside, using near-death experiences to draw out your true potential!

That will build pure, powerful Haki in you from the ground up, so..."

(In short-Zephyr's theoretical training plus Garp-style brushes with death!)

"It's Zephyr's theory plus my 'Iron Fist' special training!" Garp finished with a booming laugh, suddenly punching a nearby boulder three times a person's height.

Before Gern's horrified eyes, the boulder instantly crumbled to powder.

"Only by experiencing the brink of death can you truly realize how powerful you are."

"W-wait!" Cold sweat beaded on Gern's forehead. "What do you mean by near-death experiences?"

This was fucking Iron Fist Garp, the 'Hero of the Marines,' still not even in his forties, in his prime and chasing Pirate King Roger all over the place!

This guy really could train him to death.

"Heh heh, Gern, this is the first time Zephyr's asked me for a favor since we met!

So..." Garp's smile suddenly turned dangerous as he flexed his knuckles, making them crack.

"I don't have any theories. All I know is that at the end of hell, there's a fist!

True Armament Haki is born only amid the thunder of shattering bones!!!"

"Gern." Zephyr stepped forward at just the right moment, forming a stark contrast with Garp.

"I'm the exact opposite of Garp. All I know is that the ultimate form of Armament Haki isn't an invincible fist.

It's when the people you protect stand behind you, and your back becomes their 'absolute defense'!"

Looking at the two legendary instructors with their utterly different styles, Gern suddenly realized that the special training awaiting him would probably be hellish.

Yet, for some reason, the corners of his mouth rose uncontrollably.

After all, wasn't this exactly what he'd been waiting for?!

"Interesting... This is too interesting!" Gern suddenly burst out laughing, his laughter carrying a wildness he had never shown before.

Zephyr and Garp both raised their eyebrows. Gern's reaction had clearly caught them off guard.

"Teacher Zephyr's absolute defense..."

"Vice Admiral Garp's Iron Fist..."

Under the two legends' gazes, Gern flung his arms wide. "I'll devour everything you have to offer! And then..."

"I'll create a path of Haki that belongs to me, Gern, and no one else!"

Garp froze for a moment, then erupted into earth-shaking laughter. "Hahaha! That's the spirit, boy!"

"Now that's the kind of arrogance I like!" He pounded Gern's back, nearly driving the boy into the ground.

Zephyr, however, looked thoughtful. "Combining two completely opposing philosophies..." His gaze deepened. "That's exactly the kind of person I hoped to teach you to become!"

"But..." Garp suddenly stopped smiling, Armament Haki instantly covering his entire right arm. "First, let me see whether your bones are as tough as your mouth!"

Before Gern could react, the legendary punch that would one day be known as the "Fist of Love" was already hurtling toward him.

In the final instant before he lost consciousness, he dimly heard Zephyr rebuke Garp.

"Garp, why did you attack him out of nowhere?! And with Armament Haki, too?!"

"Haha, I just did it on instinct. Ah, I didn't expect him to be this fragile..."