Voice of All Things

Lorne's beast ears abruptly stood straight up as a sensory frequency he had never experienced before flooded deep into them.

Those voices were far too clear.

The schools of fish's "words" poured straight into his mind, bypassing his eardrums, bypassing his nerves, striking deep into his soul.

"...A warm current is coming. Head east."

"...There's a big one below. Stay away."

Lorne abruptly gripped the edge of the reef, his fingertips digging into the rock and squeezing a crack into it.

"I heard... fish talking?"

He muttered to himself, his pupils contracting violently.

No.

It wasn't just the fish.

An extremely ancient, extremely slow "thought" came from the reef beneath his feet, as though stone weathered for ten thousand years had finally found someone willing to listen.

"...The seawater is cold."

"...It's been so long."

Goosebumps instantly raced up Lorne's back.

The sensation was far too bizarre.

He abruptly opened his eyes, pulling out of his meditative state and panting heavily.

The moonlight was still gentle, the waves still lapped against the reef, and the whole world looked no different from a few minutes earlier.

"...Was I imagining things?"

Lorne stared at the sea beneath his feet. He could see nothing in those dark waters.

Those voices had already faded, replaced by ordinary waves and the distant footsteps of patrol soldiers changing shifts.

"I must be too tired."

He shook his head hard, shaking that strange sensation out of his mind.

"Instructor Zephyr's training really is brutal. It wouldn't be strange to start hallucinating."

That was how he convinced himself.

But he knew those voices had been too real-too real to seem like hallucinations.

Lorne took a deep breath, closed his eyes again, and sank back into that ethereal state.

This time, he wasn't doing it to train, but to verify what he had heard.

His beast ears trembled slightly, faster and faster.

His breathing synchronized with the waves.

His heartbeat gradually slowed.

Those voices returned.

"Glug, glug..."

An enormous life signal rose from the deep sea at tremendous speed, like a moving mountain range.

Three... five... seven!

Those life signals were absurdly large, each comparable to a warship. They were swimming through the depths of the waters around Marineford.

Sea Kings.

Lorne's beast ears stood rigidly upright as he "heard" the conversation between those giant beasts.

"...So many human iron shells. So annoying."

"...Don't get close. That old fellow up there is terrifying. He nearly tore my tail off last time."

"...Head north. There's a warm current to the north, and huge schools of fish are there."

"...The volcano on that little island is about to erupt. Stay well away."

Lorne heard every word clearly.

A conversation spanning the deep sea.

Lorne abruptly opened his eyes, his golden beast pupils blazing in the moonlight with an unprecedented light.

"This isn't Observation Haki."

"This is... the Voice of All Things!"

Memories of his previous life struck his mind like lightning.

Roger had possessed this ability.

Kozuki Oden had possessed this ability.

Luffy had also displayed this ability.

It was an extremely rare gift that stood above ordinary Observation Haki.

It allowed one to hear the "voices" of animals, plants, and even inanimate objects, read the contents of Poneglyphs, and communicate with Sea Kings.

Throughout the history of the One Piece world, the people known to possess this ability could be counted on one hand.

And now, he had awakened it too.

Lorne lowered his head to look at his hands. His fingers were trembling slightly.

"No wonder... my beast ears' perception has always been far more sensitive than normal Observation Haki. So this was the source."

He looked up toward the sea. Those Sea Kings had already swum far away, but the lingering "echoes of their voices" still reverberated in his mind.

Lorne remained silent for a long time.

Then, he made a decision.

"I can't tell... anyone about this."

His expression instantly regained its composure, and a trace of shrewd calculation flashed through his golden beast pupils.

The Voice of All Things.

He understood better than anyone what this ability meant in the world of One Piece.

Once it was exposed, the Celestial Dragons, the World Government, and even the Five Elders would all set their sights on him.

Poneglyphs, Ancient Weapons, the Void Century-the interests and conspiracies entangled in these things were enough to send towering waves sweeping across the entire world.

And right now, he was still far too weak.

"Keep it hidden for now."

Lorne closed his eyes again, forcing himself to calm down.

The most important thing right now is improving the range and precision of my Observation Haki.

He weighed things in his mind.

If I can train my Observation Haki to the level of Future Sight... and combine it with the Voice of All Things...

An utterly terrifying combination surfaced in his mind.

When that time comes, what on this sea could possibly escape my ears?

The corners of Lorne's mouth spread into a smile brimming with ambition.

But the smile soon faded.

"One step at a time. Master Future Sight first. Everything else can wait."

He stood up from the reef and stretched his stiff back and waist.

The sea breeze still blew, and the moonlight remained bright.

As though nothing had happened.

Early the next morning.

Lorne appeared at the underground training ground on time, wearing the same arrogant smile as always.

Zephyr glanced at him.

"You look lively. Sleep well last night?"

"Not bad." Lorne shrugged. "Just had an interesting dream."

"Oh? What kind of dream?"

"I dreamed I punched Kizaru's face right into the floor. That face of his is begging for it."

The corner of Zephyr's mouth twitched, and he chose not to comment.

"Come over once you've warmed up. We're continuing Observation Haki training today. Also-"

He raised his mechanical arm, its metal knuckles clacking coldly.

"Starting today, I'll add Armament Haki exchanges to your Observation Haki training. Your body has already adapted to the circulation of Haki. It's time to use both types simultaneously."

Lorne's beast ears perked up in excitement.

"Dual cultivation?"

"That term sounds disgusting coming from you. Pick another one."

"...Simultaneous training?"

"Shut up. Begin."

Zephyr's fist came smashing toward him, clad in jet-black Armament Haki.

Lorne grinned, a thin black sheen flashing across the surface of his arms.

It wasn't dense enough or stable enough, but it was unmistakably Armament Haki Hardening.

At the same time, his beast ears swiveled rapidly, catching the sound waves of Zephyr's fist displacing the air.

For the first time, the two powers operated simultaneously within him.