In the corner, Sanji squatted silently in the shadow of the mast, smoking cigarette after cigarette, his eyes dim and unreadable beneath his blonde hair as he stared at his unchanged legs.
"Damn it..." He clenched his fists tightly. "Why does it have to be that moss-head... When will I ever learn Haki..."
Nami keenly noticed Sanji's unusual behavior and was just about to go over to comfort him when suddenly—
"Boom!"
A cannonball landed near the Merry, and Strowberry's roar came through the loudspeaker: "You pirates... don't get too arrogant! Prepare to fire all cannons!"
Kaido impatiently picked his ear. "So annoying." He turned his head to Luffy and said, "Kid, watch closely! This move is called—"
"Haoshoku: Clear the Field!"
With a dragon's roar, black and red lightning erupted from Kaido as the center, instantly sweeping across the entire sea area, causing the Marines on the nearest five warships to faint in droves, and even the three Vice Admirals had to resist this pressure with all their might.
Rayleigh was not to be outdone: "Zoro! Let's start the next lesson. The key points of training Observation Haki are similar to those of swordsmanship. Since you want to become the Worlds Greatest Swordsman, you should naturally be able to master Observation Haki quickly..."
"Really?"
"Really!"
Hearing Rayleigh's confirmation, everyone lost their composure. They had thought Luffy was already invincible, but they hadn't expected Zoro to be one too!
"Whoa!" Luffy's eyes went wide, his rubber chin dropping straight to the deck, staring fixedly at the three famous swords Zoro had wrapped in advanced Armament Haki.
"You guy, Zoro!" He pulled his own skin in frustration, stretching it out half a meter. "How come you're learning Haki faster than me!"
Zoro sheathed his swords nonchalantly, a smug arc forming at the corner of his mouth: "Hmph, this is the talent of a swordsman." He deliberately glanced at Sanji in the corner. "Unlike some people who haven't even mastered basic Armament Haki..."
Sanji: If there is an afterlife, I would like to be a shell.
Kaido laughed thunderously at the sight: "Worororo! Luffy, you brat, what are you so envious about?" His giant dragon claw pressed down on Luffy's head, rubbing it vigorously. "Just say what kind of Haki you want! I can help you awaken it with one strike!" As he spoke, he raised his kanabo "hassaikai", black and red lightning crackling on the staff.
"Really?" Luffy's eyes instantly turned into stars. "What about Observation Haki? Can you settle that with one strike too?"
"That's right!" Kaido held up two fingers. "The first strike for awakening, the second strike for mastery!"
He leaned down, his alcoholic breath spraying all over Luffy's face. "Do you know why you're the protagonist? It's because of this constitution of yours—" The kanabo suddenly tapped lightly on Luffy's temple. "A monster talent that gets stronger the more you get beaten!"
Luffy:...
Nami stomped her feet in anxiety: "Wait! If you hit your head too much, you'll become an idiot!"
"It's fine!" Luffy was already excitedly posing. "I'm the man who's going to be the Pirate King!"
Kaido nodded with satisfaction: "That's the spirit!" He swung his kanabo, Haoshoku lightning gathering into a vortex on the staff. "Watch closely, the secret to awakening Observation Haki is..."
"Thunder Bagua: Three Worlds Descent!"
The kanabo came crashing down with destructive force, but suddenly changed direction three inches from the top of Luffy's head, sweeping towards his waist and abdomen at an eerie angle!
In the nick of time, Luffy's body suddenly moved on its own. With his eyes tightly closed, he clearly saw the attack trajectory of the kanabo in his consciousness and accurately leaned back to dodge the fatal blow.
"Huh?" Luffy looked in surprise at his body, which had dodged uncontrollably. "What was that just now..."
"This is Observation Haki!" Kaido pressed his advantage, his kanabo turning into a sky full of shadows. "The body perceives danger earlier than consciousness!"
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Luffy swayed left and right on the deck like a drunkard, yet miraculously dodged all the attacks. His eyelids twitched violently, and fine beads of sweat oozed from his forehead, but the corners of his mouth stretched wider and wider.
"I see it!" He suddenly shouted. "Even though my eyes are closed, I can'see' the trajectory of the staff!"
Zoro crossed his arms and snorted: "This guy... learns fast."
Sanji silently extinguished his seventh cigarette, looking at his legs with no signs of Haki, feeling even more depressed.
Kaido suddenly stopped and stood upright: "Not bad, kid!" He patted Luffy on the shoulder. "Now, for the second strike, I won't hold back. This is the strike that can awaken it!"
"Wait!" Rayleigh suddenly interjected. "Observation Haki requires a gradual approach! If you force growth like this... it's very easy to die suddenly!"
"Less chatter! Look at who you're talking to. Have you ever seen a protagonist in those books get beaten to death?" Kaido glanced at Rayleigh with disdain. "My teaching is efficient!" He turned to Luffy, "Are you ready? After this strike, I guarantee you'll be able to foresee the future three seconds from now!"
Luffy took a deep breath, reset his stance, his eyes resolute: "Bring it on!"
"Stop it!!!" Nami and Chopper's screams resounded through the sky.
But it was too late—the kanabo wrapped in Haoshoku had turned into a black lightning bolt, crashing towards Luffy's crown with the force to split mountains and seas!
At this life-or-death moment, Luffy's pupils suddenly lost focus, his body shifted slightly by a millimeter, and the kanabo grazed his hair, smashing the main mast of a Marine warship behind him into dust!
"Did... did it work?" Usopp asked with a trembling voice.
Luffy slowly opened his eyes, a glint of red light flashing in his dark pupils: "I saw it..." He pointed blankly at the sky. "In three seconds, a seagull will poop on Kaido's head..."
"Plop."
A white object landed precisely on Kaido's horn.
The entire sea area fell silent instantly.
Kaido silently wiped his horn, then suddenly burst into earth-shattering laughter: "Worororo! Good! Very good!" He then looked at Rayleigh, "How about that, Rayleigh? Luffy has already mastered Observation Haki, what about your Zoro?"
Rayleigh: "...He just awakened it, foreseeing the future is out of the question."
"Worororo! I won this round!" Kaido laughed, "Next is the final Haoshoku, I'll get it done in one strike!"
Rayleigh: "Hmph! We'll see."
On the other side, Luffy touched the two bun-sized lumps on his head, his rubber fingers pressing down to make a "plop, plop" sound.
His eyes suddenly lit up, as if he had discovered a new world: "I really didn't die! I really am the protagonist!" He jumped up and down excitedly, like someone who had found treasure. "Then I can definitely learn Conquerors Haki Infusion too!"
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