Having personally used the King Punch technique once, Bellamy's assessment was: not great. The move was too simple and crude, essentially just dumping all the energy out in one go. Did he really need someone else to teach him something like that?
Dividing that power into ten parts and firing them out using Finger Pistol would be more potent than such a simple, brute-force blast.
"So, am I supposed to create a move like Finger Pistol: Special Beam Cannon now?" The thought seemed quite appealing. Maybe he could modify the special technique of Voidwalker Palm and whip up a Finger Pistol: Dodon Ray too.
These were things he needed to slowly figure out himself; there was no rushing it for now.
After leaving the Lvneel Kingdom, Bellamy and his crew had been sailing for a day and a night. As for their original battered ship, they had simply abandoned it. By now, news that the entire upper echelon of the Lvneel Kingdom had been wiped out should have reached the ears of the Five Elders. Bellamy eagerly anticipated the World Government's reaction. Would it be a massive pursuit, or would they issue a worldwide bounty for him?
Worst case scenario, he'd just enter the Grand Line ahead of schedule. If Bellamy activated his "Helicopter Mode," he wouldn't even need a ship; he could just tow all his companions away through the air. Being able to fly freely was just that awesome.
The so-called Helicopter Mode involved using Life Return to activate all the hair on his body, then transforming it into vortex shapes and spinning crazily. The stamina consumption of this form was definitely no lower than Gear Third. Bellamy had calculated that, gritting his teeth and pushing himself, he could fly for several days and nights without issue. And this was one of the biggest reasons he dared to provoke the World Government.
Due to Bellamy's overly brutal actions and rather thoughtless approach, the large cargo ship they had just commandeered didn't have many supplies stored onboard. The black market boss hadn't even finished preparing their goods when Bellamy burned down half the city, plunging the entire kingdom into chaos. How could anyone do business in such conditions? The black market boss had immediately wanted to kick them out. Mia and the others had no choice but to resort to outright robbery, taking whatever they could grab.
Even so, the supplies currently on the ship were only enough for them to survive at sea for about ten days. And that was with Bellamy having already deactivated his Gear Third: Compression form; otherwise, they wouldn't last three days before running out of food.
"We've rested for a day already. It's time to see what changes have occurred in your bodies after consuming those drops of mysterious liquid."
Aside from Bellamy, none of the others had awakened Observation Haki. The effect of the mysterious liquid on them didn't seem very obvious. They just felt their minds were slightly more agile, their thoughts a little clearer. Beyond that, there didn't seem to be any other changes.
But Bellamy still wanted to conduct some more detailed tests, such as whether the seeds of Observation Haki had sprouted within them. With Bellamy's current proficiency in Observation Haki, he was already capable of guiding them towards awakening it, provided they themselves possessed the necessary aptitude for Haki.
Haki aptitude varied from person to person; without careful testing, no one could say for sure. Bellamy had a feeling that after consuming the mysterious liquid, their aptitude for Observation Haki might have improved. If it was originally at the lowest level (Level 1), perhaps it had now risen to Level 2. As for Bellamy himself, having drunk more than half of it alone, wouldn't his aptitude have jumped five, six, seven, or even eight levels?
Bellamy's current Observation Haki was already comparable to many experts in the New World. Of course, compared to someone like Katakuri, he was still far behind. But compared to ordinary pirates with bounties in the hundreds of millions, he felt he definitely wouldn't be weaker, and might even be considerably stronger.
Calling everyone onto the deck, Bellamy had them sit cross-legged, calming their minds and focusing their spirits.
"Relax. Breathe deeply. Don't think about anything." Observation Haki was the power of the mind; the calmer the heart, the easier it was to awaken.
Bellamy extended his own Observation Haki, enveloping everyone within it. At this moment, their inner thoughts held no secrets from Bellamy's mind's eye. Doubt, confusion, curiosity, worries, all sorts of chaotic thoughts flickered incessantly within their minds.
"Empty your minds. Don't let your thoughts wander." "Don't be impatient, take it slow."
For humans to achieve complete mental stillness, a few seconds or minutes might be simple. But as time stretched on, an unbearable restlessness would surge from within, impossible to extinguish no matter how hard one tried. The more one tried to suppress it, the more agitated one became. Simple meditation might look easy, but it was a true discipline of cultivating the body and mind.
Bellamy stood nearby, slowly guiding their minds towards a harbor of tranquility. Some quickly entered the state, while others struggled to grasp the key. Individual aptitude levels were laid bare in such a test.
To use an analogy, if Drake's Observation Haki aptitude was "Purple," Mia's could be considered "Blue." All the others were merely a barely passing "Green."
"Good, no 'Blanks' at least." Bellamy actually felt that the others had probably been "Blank" originally, meaning they had absolutely no aptitude for Observation Haki. But the fortuitous encounter had forcibly raised their aptitude by one level. If they trained desperately, they might have a slim chance of awakening Observation Haki.
As for Drake, Bellamy could sense he was just one step away from awakening. Drake was naturally taciturn and relatively unemotional, giving him an inherent advantage in this regard. With Mia, Bellamy was confident he could guide her to awaken within two years of intense training. As for the others, it would truly depend on luck.
After testing everyone, Bellamy began to explain what Observation Haki was.
"Observation Haki is an incredibly miraculous power." "It can sharpen a person's five senses, allowing one to perceive the presence and emotional changes of surrounding creatures, and it can also be used to predict and evade danger." "In short, if you awaken Observation Haki, it becomes extremely difficult for enemies to hit you."
If possible, Bellamy hoped all his companions could possess both Observation and Armament Haki. He was actively working towards this.
"From now on, your training will include an additional lesson in meditation." "Meditate with me for one hour every day, completely relaxing your minds." This was the only training method Bellamy could think of. His own awakening method was too dangerous; a single misstep could be fatal, making it basically impossible to replicate.
If they were willing to risk their lives, Bellamy naturally wouldn't stop them. But even someone like Drake wouldn't gamble his life just to pursue power. Not everyone valued power more than life itself. Madmen like Bellamy were extremely rare, even in this chaotic era.