Marines were continuously sent flying off the Dawn into the sea. Rear Admiral Baburus initially didn't take the two before him seriously. One had a bounty of 150 million, the other 80 million—strong, but nothing exceptional among pirates.
As an elite among Rear Admirals, Baburus believed it wouldn't be difficult to capture bounty hunters at that level. After all, he had already taken down pirates worth hundreds of millions. These two didn't warrant much concern.
He thought it would be an easy takedown—but to his surprise, their teamwork was formidable, and he couldn't subdue them quickly.
He was skilled in wielding both gun and sword simultaneously: his left hand used a wildly slashing blade, his right held a revolver loaded with six powerful bullets—two of them seastone rounds specifically for Devil Fruit users.
His revolver was much larger than a regular handgun and a cutting-edge piece of tech—one of the skills that made him famous.
"Shattering Blade—Rending Slash!" Daz Bones transformed his body into blades. Even with Armament Haki, Baburus's slash couldn't pierce his defense at once.
Daz Bones was shaken from the blow, nearly breaching his defenses. The Rear Admiral was indeed powerful. Despite his recent growth, there was still a wide gap between them.
He crossed his arms in the air and unleashed the Rending Slash, creating a vortex of blade-like winds.
The twin-edged blade storm rushed at Baburus. He didn't retreat—surprised his first slash hadn't worked, he enhanced his Armament Haki and slashed again, tearing through the vortex.
Then, he aimed his revolver at Daz Bones and quickly fired two rounds. Though he carried many bullets, he had to use the six in his gun wisely—reloading took time and gave openings.
At that moment, MR.5 struck with a punch. Not knowing his full strength, Baburus raised a Haki-covered leg to block. Their clash triggered a massive explosion.
His leg bones took a heavy hit. Without Haki protection, the destructive force might have caused injury. Explosions had real killing power.
"Another ability user," Baburus muttered, frowning. He had heard of Daz Bones, a former bounty hunter known to the Marines. But MR.5's powers were largely undocumented—he was a recent nobody in Marine Headquarters.
"Twin-Speed Flash!" Two streaks of sword light flashed past Baburus's chest. He looked down in shock—there was a shallow cut across it.
That was fast!
"Rear Admirals really aren't easy to handle," Daz Bones muttered. He thought he'd had a perfect opportunity: MR.5 had attacked, the admiral responded, and Daz Bones had dodged gunfire.
Even a strong opponent shouldn't be able to defend against his strike while distracted—but it was as if Baburus instinctively predicted the attack and stepped back just in time.
"I underestimated you. But this ends here," Baburus said coldly. Daz Bones was stronger than expected, with a body of steel capable of engaging in melee. But with Armament Haki, he wasn't easy to wound.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
As he spoke, Baburus fired again.
MR.5 tried to dodge, but one bullet suddenly accelerated mid-air. Its tail unfolded into propeller-shaped metal blades, driven by a small explosive booster—its speed exploded.
MR.5 hadn't anticipated this. Normally, they could dodge bullet speeds with ease. And this one looked like a standard shot—at least in its early flight.
Who would've thought it could accelerate? The bullet shot straight at his heart. He was going to die?!
MR.5's pupils contracted in terror and unwillingness. He didn't want to die!
Splat!
The bullet pierced flesh. Since it was a seastone bullet, even Daz Bones might not survive a shot to the heart.
But it had only hit MR.5's arm. Baburus was stunned.
"He dodged?! Is that... Observation Haki?"
Though Haki wasn't rare, it was hard to learn without guidance. Most people who awaken it treat it as instinct.
Groups like the Marines or Kuja Tribe had detailed training methods and institutional knowledge.
For pirates, self-taught Haki was very rare—only a few geniuses could awaken it under extreme pressure. But even then, mastery required further training.
That's why nearly every warrior from Amazon Lily could use Haki, while people like Luffy only awakened it after intense experience without any foundational knowledge.
After awakening, true mastery still needed direction.
So Haki wasn't exclusive to the strong or especially hard to master—it was just that some had systems and teachers, while others had to fumble through it blindly.
Most new pirates were clueless until they got a harsh awakening.
"I'm alive? I think I saw the bullet's trajectory…" MR.5 didn't fully understand, but it might have to do with the harsh training they'd undergone recently under Captain Hathaway.
She often launched fast, hard-to-predict attacks on them. At the time, MR.5 didn't understand why—but now he might be starting to get it.
He hadn't mastered or even properly awakened Observation Haki, but it had just saved his life.
"MR.1, Hathaway's training method seems more effective in combat—maybe you should try it too?" MR.5, surviving death, wasn't afraid. He immediately launched a focused air-burst cannon from his mouth.
"Troublesome power," Baburus muttered as he cut through the blast. But the explosion still pushed him back several steps.
"Power that can destroy anything…?" Daz Bones closed his eyes. It was something Hathaway had once said.
Then he lunged forward with clawed fingers, which now seemed faintly coated in Haki. It was thin—but he believed in it.
"Impossible?! Weak, almost negligible—but that's Armament Haki! They've started unlocking advanced forms?"
They weren't yet a serious threat—but their potential couldn't be ignored.
Only those who had mastered advanced Haki forms could develop reliable training methods. And these pirates clearly hadn't gotten them from the Marines or other powers, which didn't share such knowledge freely.
Even if they did, success still depended on talent.
Unless someone with advanced Haki personally trained them, it was nearly impossible.
Hathaway, if she were here, would be surprised too. She had gained her Haki through relentless killing—bathed in blood and destruction.
Her Haki was brutal, and few could understand her teachings.
She had once tried to teach it to the Lantis people, but none succeeded—not even the powerful Alice. Not because Alice lacked potential, but because Hathaway hadn't spoken with Rosen back then.
Much of what she knew was incomplete. But after Rosen began studying Haki, he shared many insights with her.
Hathaway organized and refined this understanding into a path for developing Haki and began experimenting with it on the crew.
"But even so—today, you die!" After the shock wore off, Baburus's killing intent only burned hotter.
(End of Chapter)