Impel Down.
Within the sunless prison, the concept of time had long since faded from everyone's minds.
How long he had stayed here, what the outside world looked like now, to Kojin, it all felt like a distant and hazy dream.
He only knew that Seastone's restraint over him was growing weaker and weaker. Or rather, he had already adapted to the curse of the sea, reducing its negative effects to the bare minimum.
The endless battles day and night also caused Kuina to improve at an astonishing rate.
"You've already mastered both Busoshoku Haki and Kenbunshoku Haki?"
"You truly are a talented child!"
Kojin praised with admiration.
As time passed, the girl who had entered this prison years ago and never once left, instead gradually adapting to it, had become increasingly powerful.
The current Kuina could already defeat the Jailer Beasts of Wild Beast Hell with ease.
"Sensei, have I already become one of the top-tier powerhouses of this world, and how far am I from becoming the World's Greatest?"
The ponytailed girl with the fair and delicate face bowed respectfully as she asked.
"The World's Greatest, hm?"
"Without even realizing it, you've already reached this step. With your current strength, you are indeed qualified to set your sights on the one sitting upon that throne."
Kojin smiled lightly and spoke with emotion.
Hearing this, Kuina's eyes brightened with excitement.
Being together with this crazy Sensei had practically turned her into a little madwoman herself. Over this long stretch of time, she had never once slacked off, and in return, she had gained power she never would have dared imagine before.
Ultimate swordsmanship, powerful Busoshoku Haki, Kenbunshoku Haki… She had already surpassed countless swordsmen in this world.
In fact, she believed she had long since exceeded her father, Koshiro.
"But if you wish to stand above all swordsmen in the world… You are still lacking one thing." Kojin's voice rang out once more.
"What is it?" Kuina froze for a moment before hurriedly asking.
"Haoshoku Haki. The greatest swordsmen all possess the Haki to advance without fear and stand at the summit of the world. Haoshoku, known as the qualification of a king among millions, is an innate disposition!" Kojin said softly.
As his words fell, ripples spread through the air. It trembled faintly as an invisible pressure surged outward and swept across Kuina's body.
Her expression changed slightly as she clearly sensed her Sensei's Haki.
"As for you, Haoshoku can only be obtained through your own efforts. This is the only thing I cannot teach you."
Hearing the sigh in his voice, Kuina clenched her fists tightly, but soon determination appeared on her face.
"Sensei, I will definitely master this powerful Haki!"
Kojin nodded in satisfaction.
"Though you are still young, I can already sense the qualities of a king hidden deep within you."
Kuina also smiled.
Then she noticed that her Sensei, who had been sitting cross-legged, suddenly stood up. A faint red glow flashed through his eyes.
"This is?!"
"Kenbunshoku Haki?"
She could clearly sense the waves of Observation Haki sweeping across her entire body.
Immediately afterward, a loud burst of laughter echoed out.
"Hahahahaha! How many years has it been?! Even if my talent was poor, the time has finally come for me to completely grasp you!"
A smile bloomed across Kojin's face. Even someone as calm as him could not suppress his excitement at this moment.
Because in that very instant… His Kenbunshoku Haki had finally truly entered the beginner stage!
Previously, although he had some perception of his surroundings, it still wasn't genuine Observation Haki. He had always understood that clearly.
But starting from that moment, everything had become different.
The flow of air, the brightness of light, microscopic vibrations… Everything, even without using his eyes, could now be perceived with absolute clarity through instinct alone.
This unique perception surpassed vision and hearing, ascending to an entirely different dimension. It seemed to transcend speed itself, to surpass the very basic concepts of physics, allowing one to break free from the constraints of space and matter and powerfully sense all surrounding fluctuations.
Even light itself, even things invisible to the naked eye and inaudible to the ears, could be sharply perceived.
Kenbunshoku Haki, also known as the Voice of All Things or Mantra, was an ability that granted an intense perception of one's surroundings.
Closing his eyes, Kojin allowed his Observation Haki to spread outward.
In an instant, he perceived everything within the dim darkness of Impel Down's underground second level.
The range stretched astonishingly far; within moments, it had already reached two to three kilometers away.
From this perspective, the Observation Haki he had awakened seemed to possess extraordinarily long-range properties.
But at the same time, Kuina's thoughts also appeared clearly within his mind.
"Sensei has only just awakened Observation Haki?"
"But how is that possible?!"
"He's Sensei!"
The voice of her heart conveyed her shock and confusion directly to him. This was the power to strongly perceive the hearts of others, the ability to read thoughts. In Skypiea, it was known as Mantra.
Kojin slowly opened his eyes and looked toward Kuina.
A flash of red light swept through Kojin's eyes.
In his mind, a phantom image of Kuina's body suddenly appeared, swayed slightly, and then quickly dissipated.
Roughly a fraction of a second later, Kuina's actual body indeed moved ever so slightly.
"So this is the ability to predict movements in battle!"
Kojin rapidly familiarized himself with and comprehended the abilities of Kenbunshoku Haki.
For many people in this world, Observation Haki was nothing particularly rare. Through training, they could grasp it rather easily. But for Kojin, this had been the one barrier that truly stumped him. The difficulty of mastering it was on an entirely different dimension compared to Busoshoku or Haoshoku Haki.
And now, it had finally awakened.
It was enough to make him overjoyed.
With a single thought, his Observation Haki rapidly spread outward in every direction as he greedily experimented with this newfound power.
At the same time, the System Panel appeared before his eyes.
"Kenbunshoku Haki, LV1+."
The corners of Kojin's lips curved upward into a smile.
Now that he had truly mastered it, it also meant that his Observation Haki was about to reach max level.
Almost instantly, all the points he had accumulated over the years were poured into Observation Haki.
The "+" symbol behind it trembled violently as the level rapidly skyrocketed, leaping all the way to 100 in the blink of an eye.
At the same time, a flood of mysterious and profound information swept through his mind.
"Ultra-long-range perception!"
"Mind reading!"
"Ultimate battle prediction, Future Sight, Observation Killing!"
"Perceiving the breath of all things, hearing the Voice of All Things!"
At that moment, Kojin instantly mastered every ability of max-level Observation Haki, merging them with himself as naturally as instinct.
In an instant, the range of his ultra-long-distance perception expanded explosively once more.
Within moments, the entirety of Wild Beast Hell was laid bare before his senses.
"So I found you again. Today truly is a double blessing."
A smile spread across Kojin's face.
Then a trace of emotion appeared in his eyes.
Time was merciless.
He had remained within this dark and decaying Impel Down for so long that he no longer knew how many years had passed, and now, the goal he once pursued had finally been achieved.
"After casting off these shackles… How strong has the reborn me become? What does the outside world look like now?"
"Or perhaps… Am I truly prepared for the future?"
Questions surfaced within Kojin's mind, causing him to fall silent for a moment.
But fortunately, he was not in a hurry.
He had long since grown accustomed to time becoming meaningless.
After all, the only thing Impel Down truly had in abundance was time itself.
Clank! Clank!
The chains behind him rattled and dragged across the ground as Kojin strode deeper into Wild Beast Hell.
"Kuina, tell Hannyabal to prepare a basket of fruit for me!"
Leaving behind those words, his figure flickered and vanished from the spot.
"Fruit?"
Confusion appeared on Kuina's face. She turned to look at Fisher Tiger in the distance, but the latter merely shook his head as well, clearly unable to understand Kojin's intentions.
"Since it's Sensei's order, even if it's strange, I should complete it quickly." Kuina stood up and swiftly headed toward the first underground level.
Meanwhile…
Under the intense ultra-long-range perception of Observation Haki, nothing could hide from Kojin's senses.
Ahead of him stood a giant fish-like Jailer Beast over ten meters long, glaring at him with blood-red eyes.
"I've always suspected what kind of Devil Fruit you ate, and whether it truly is the one I imagined. But a monster that failed its awakening holds no reference value. Only by turning you back into a fruit and eating it myself can I truly understand it once again." Kojin sighed softly.
Most Jailer Beasts were Zoan users who had failed their awakenings, turning into mindless monsters.
Their strength was immense, their defenses absurdly high, and their regenerative power utterly monstrous.
One could say that the traits of Zoan fruits were displayed to the fullest through them.
But the fish before him was clearly different.
It could grow to an enormous size exceeding a thousand meters, possessed terrifying physical strength, and could generate attraction and repulsion through inhaling and exhaling.
It also possessed incredible speed.
Despite being a fish, it even had wings.
This creature didn't resemble an ordinary fish at all.
Instead, it was astonishingly similar to a legendary creature Kojin remembered from mythology.
"In the Northern Sea there is a fish, its name is Kun."
The legendary Kunpeng.
No one could doubt the might of the Kunpeng.
In myths, it was said to feed on dragons, and its body was unimaginably gigantic.
If this truly was a Mythical Zoan: Model Kunpeng—
Then Kojin was determined to obtain this fruit.
The battle erupted almost immediately.
Now that he had mastered Observation Haki, Kojin fought at full power.
The Seastone barely affected him anymore. The only inconvenience remaining was his inability to throw punches.
But to him, that was hardly an issue.
"Break!"
With a roar, black-red light flashed across the Seastone shackles around Kojin's ankles.
Then…
Crack!
The incomparably sturdy shackles shattered apart.
"Hahahahaha! From this day onward, I reclaim my freedom! I, Kojin, have returned!"
Amid his booming laughter, Kojin's right leg ruthlessly descended onto the giant fish's head.
BOOM!
The entire second underground level of Wild Beast Hell trembled violently.
The giant fish's skull caved inward, its eyes rolled white, and it instantly lost consciousness.
Standing atop the fish's head, Kojin muttered softly to himself:
"What year is it now?"
(End of Chapter)
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