It was another fine, sunny day, and Explorer One sailed leisurely across the sea with the ocean breeze.
Xie Wen sat cross-legged on the deck, the Famous Sword Long Moon laid across his lap, practicing what was called "Sword Meditation."
In truth, Xie Wen knew nothing about Sword Meditation. He had simply picked a way to focus his mind so he could try to awaken Observation Haki.
The idea had only occurred to him earlier, when he was explaining Observation Haki to Nico Robin.
Given how proficient he was with Foresight Slash now, he should already have the foundation needed to awaken Observation Haki. But to actually awaken it, he still lacked the right opportunity, or perhaps enough pressure.
He currently had no way to put himself under intense mental pressure, so he could only work toward a highly focused state of mind. That had led him to seated meditation. And since he had been wielding a Long Sword for so long, he had simply gone all the way and "upgraded" it into this completely inauthentic version of Sword Meditation.
As for whether it actually worked...
Xie Wen opened his eyes and looked helplessly at the two cats who had been staring at him for ages. "How am I supposed to concentrate with you two doing this..." he sighed.
"Stupid Xie Wen, if this is enough to stop you concentrating, how do you expect to awaken Observation Haki, meow?" Sanji Meow shot back, as usual.
"That may be true, but you could at least let me work up to it gradually, couldn't you?" Xie Wen sighed again, then reached out to give the two little troublemakers a thorough petting.
But Sanji Meow dodged his hand and scampered up the mast. "I'm going to check whether we're off course, meow."
Klee