"What?"
"In that last punch of yours..."
Garp raised a finger, his expression turning serious for once.
"For a fraction of a second, your Conqueror's Haki really did cling to the surface of your fist."
Lorne's pupils trembled.
"Though it scattered right away."
Garp stuffed another handful of Senbei into his mouth.
"It was unstable, and you couldn't sustain it, but you were heading in the right direction."
"Your problem isn't a lack of talent or understanding."
He poked Lorne's forehead with a finger covered in Senbei crumbs.
"Your body just isn't strong enough yet."
"...My body?"
"Conqueror's Haki Infusion isn't something you can figure out just by thinking."
Garp crumpled the empty Senbei bag and tossed it aside.
"Your will is strong enough, and you've found the frequency, but your meridians, muscles, and bones still can't bear the strain of Conqueror's Haki combining with your energy and circulating over your body's surface for long."
"Like just now. You finally managed to press your Conqueror's Haki onto your fist, but the instant you threw the punch, your body couldn't withstand the backlash, and it all collapsed."
Lorne closed his eyes, recalling how that last punch had felt.
It was true.
The instant his golden grit collided with his black-and-red Conqueror's Haki, he had felt an unprecedented harmony. The two powers had briefly become one, pouring into his knuckles.
But immediately afterward, the bones in his right arm had failed to withstand it.
"So what should I do next?"
Lorne asked.
"Keep taking beatings."
Garp said it as though it were obvious.
"..."
"Bwahaha, I'm kidding."
Garp stood and dusted off his backside.
He turned to face the setting sun.
The lingering sunlight dyed his burly outline gold and red.
"What you need now isn't sparring. It's time to let it