He gave up trying to catch sounds from the outside world and instead focused all his attention on his pair of beast ears.
He began to "listen" to his own heartbeat, the flow of his blood, his breathing...
Then, with himself at the center, he slowly spread that sensation of "listening" outward.
In an instant, the entire world changed.
In his "hearing," there were no more noisy echoes, no more elusive sounds of wind.
In their place were individual, perfectly clear "notes of life."
He "heard" the powerful thump, thump of his own heart, like a war drum.
Then, at the other end of the training ground, he "heard" another, entirely different sound.
It was steady and restrained, yet held terrifying power that could erupt at any moment like a volcano. Every "beat" seemed to merge with the pulse of heaven and earth.
That was Zephyr's "sound"!
Just then, he clearly "heard" that sound belonging to Zephyr suddenly deepen! An aggressive burst of "noise" abruptly rang out!
Here it comes!
Lorne's body reacted faster than his brain.
Rather than dodging in any direction, he abruptly raised his left arm, placing it precisely across the right side of his neck.
Smack!
Zephyr's knife-hand strike, which he had been certain would land, struck Lorne's forearm instead and was firmly blocked.
The entire training ground instantly fell deathly silent.
Blindfolded, Lorne slowly curled his lips into a wild smile.
"Teacher... I think I 'heard' you."
Zephyr slowly withdrew his hand and stood still. For the first time, his perpetually impassive face and lone eye revealed uncontrollable... shock!
What... is this?
Zephyr roared inwardly.
He could feel that the perceptual fluctuations Lorne had given off the instant he detected his attack were different from any kind of Observation Haki he knew!
It was not a vague perception of "presence," much less an intangible prediction of the "future."
It was a kind of...
It's practically like... he heard my heartbeat and killing intent directly!
This precision... this talent...
As Zephyr looked at the blindfolded boy before him, whose smile was more confident than ever, a thought so absurd that even he found it ridiculous rose uncontrollably from the depths of his heart.
Garp... you bastard, where on earth... did you pick up a monster like this?!
Chapter 38: A Monster's Game
"Again!"
Before Zephyr could recover from his shock, Lorne had already shouted excitedly.
That sensation of "listening" to the entire world had given him a sense of control unlike anything he had experienced before. It fascinated him even more than simply smashing enemies apart with his fists!
"Hmph, you only got lucky once. Don't get carried away!"
Zephyr snorted, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in his heart. He concealed his presence again and began moving at high speed around the training ground.
This time, he no longer held back.
He moved faster and concealed his intent to attack even more deeply.
Yet in Lorne's world of "listening," Zephyr's powerful "note of life" was like a bonfire in the night, perfectly clear no matter how he moved.
Whoosh!
A silent sweeping kick came from Lorne's blind spot, aimed at his legs.
But the instant Zephyr's calf muscles tightened and his intent to attack arose, Lorne had already "heard" that destructive burst of "noise."
Instead of retreating, he advanced, suddenly stepping forward and chopping his right leg downward like a battle-axe!
Bam!
Their legs collided squarely in midair with a dull thud.
What?! Zephyr's shock could not have been greater.
If the first time had been a coincidence, this was genuine anticipation!
This kid really could "hear" his attacks before he made his move!
"Teacher, your heartbeat... is getting uneven."
Lorne grinned, his beast ears twitching smugly.
He could clearly "hear" a fleeting irregularity in Zephyr's mountain-steady heartbeat after their clash.
"Enough boasting!"
His remark thoroughly irritated Zephyr, whose attacks grew even fiercer.
An incredible battle of attack and defense unfolded in the underground training ground.
One moved like a phantom, appearing and vanishing without a trace, every attack silent and aimed straight at a vital point.
The other stood in place with his eyes covered, yet seemed to have eyes in the back of his head, always making the most precise blocks and counterattacks half a step ahead.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The sounds of fists and feet clashing rang out incessantly.
The longer Zephyr fought, the more alarmed he became.
He realized that Lorne's Observation Haki had taken a completely different path from his own, or even Garp's and Sengoku's.
Their Observation Haki leaned more toward wide-ranging "perception" and "prediction" of the future.
But with the aid of his monstrous ears, Lorne's Observation Haki had become an extreme form of "precision targeting" and "emotion reading"!
Like radar, he could precisely lock onto a single target's vital signs in a noisy environment, and could even judge their emotions and next move through minute changes in their heartbeat and breathing!
Damn it... this ability was practically made for assassination and tracking!
Zephyr cursed inwardly. If this fellow became an assassin, he would be every powerful fighter's nightmare!
"Teacher, just dodging isn't any fun!"
As Zephyr's thoughts churned, Lorne suddenly spoke, breaking the standoff.
"Next, it's my turn!"
Before his words had faded, Lorne vanished from where he stood!
Six Powers: Soru!
So fast! Zephyr's gaze sharpened.
He immediately spread his Observation Haki, trying to catch Lorne's movements.
Yet all he "saw" was a jumble of presences.
As Lorne moved at high speed, he perfectly blended his presence into the flowing air, making it difficult to distinguish his true location.
This was a technique Zephyr had taught him. He had never expected Lorne to put it into practice so quickly and turn it against him.
No, that's not right!
Zephyr's Observation Haki suddenly detected something unusual.
He ignored those jumbled presences and instead concentrated on "listening."
He heard a wild heartbeat rapidly approaching, like pounding war drums!
It's Lorne!
Without thinking, Zephyr turned and unleashed a heavy punch coated in Armament Haki!
Yet his fist struck empty air.
"Hey, Teacher, I'm over here!"
Lorne's teasing voice came from behind Zephyr.
Zephyr's pupils contracted sharply, and a chill rose along his spine.
When?!
He whipped his head around and saw that Lorne had somehow circled behind him, his blindfolded face wearing the smile of someone whose prank had succeeded.
"Your Observation Haki can sense presences, but it seems... it can't tell the real ones from the fake ones," Lorne said with a smile. "Just now, I only sent a little bit of 'sound' elsewhere."
Zephyr fell silent.
He looked at Lorne with an exceedingly complicated expression.
He understood.
Not only could Lorne "hear" other people's sounds, he had even begun trying to "imitate" and "create" false sounds to confuse his opponents' perceptions.
This had already gone beyond "learning."
This was... creation!
On his very first day of learning Observation Haki, this fellow had already begun developing his own unique applications!
"A monster... a true monster..."
Zephyr muttered to himself, suddenly feeling a little weary.
Teaching a student like this was simply too demoralizing.
He felt as though all the combat experience and teaching principles he had accumulated throughout his life were as fragile as paper before this monster.
"Teacher? Teacher? Why aren't you saying anything?" Lorne waved a hand in front of Zephyr's face. "Are we still fighting? I feel like I could keep going for three more days and nights!"
"Of course we are! Why wouldn't we?!"
Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Zephyr instantly bristled.
He tore the black cloth off Lorne's face and roared, "Kid, don't think you're invincible just because you've grasped the basics!"
"You haven't seen what truly makes Observation Haki terrifying yet!"
Zephyr abruptly took a stance, and an unprecedented aura erupted from him.
"Open your eyes wide and prick up your ears! Watch closely and listen carefully!"
"An advanced application of Observation Haki-"
"Future Sight!"
The instant those words fell, Zephyr moved.
In Lorne's world of "listening," he clearly "heard" Zephyr's intent to attack arise on the right.
Without thinking, he immediately turned sideways and punched to intercept.
But halfway through his punch, he discovered to his horror that Zephyr had actually appeared on his left!
How was that possible?!
His "listening" couldn't have been wrong!
Bam!
A heavy punch landed squarely in Lorne's abdomen, sending him flying backward once again.
He crashed hard onto the ground, too consumed by disbelief to pay attention to the pain.
"Why..."
"Can't figure it out?" Zephyr slowly withdrew his fist, his expression serious. "Because the moment you 'heard' my intent, I had already 'seen' the 'future' where you punched to intercept me, so I changed the path of my attack in advance."
"Before a powerful fighter who can see the future, none of your actions can hide!"
Zephyr's words struck Lorne's heart like a heavy hammer.
Future Sight...
Of course he knew what that was.
It was an ability only the highest-level Observation Haki could master, a realm only figures on Katakuri's and Luffy's level could reach.
"What? Feeling discouraged?" Zephyr sneered at his dazed expression. "Giving up already? Where's that arrogance of yours that could punch a hole in the sky?"
"Giving up?"
Lorne slowly got up from the ground and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. Rather than showing the slightest dejection, he wore an intensely excited, almost crazed smile.
"No... I'm just... so excited!"
An unprecedented fire burned in his beastly eyes!
"So there's still such interesting scenery at the end of this road!"
"Future Sight? That sounds... absolutely fantastic!"
Lorne clenched his fists, his bones cracking in a series of pops as his fighting spirit soared.
"Teacher! Again!"
"I want to see which is faster, your 'future' or my fists!"
Watching that fighting spirit blaze up again, Zephyr finally curved his lips into a faint, gratified smile.
This was the student he had chosen.
Never admitting defeat, always striving higher, a beast... that never feared a challenge!
"Good!"
Zephyr roared and met him once more.
"Then let me see whether your 'will' can overturn the 'future' I see!"
Before you continue