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"The last one—" Aero began to speak, but Eddie raised a hand to interrupt him.
"Let me," Eddie said with a grin. "The last one is [Conqueror's Haki]. They say it only appears in one in a million people."
Gin immediately asked, "What does it do? Some kind of special effect?"
"Uh…" Eddie scratched his head and turned to Aero with a pleading look.
Aero shrugged. "I don't know the full details either. From what I remember, once trained, it can knock out weaker enemies just with presence alone."
Aero had seen it once on TV, back when Red-Hair had used it aboard Whitebeard's ship, knocking out a large number of his crew with a single stare. The memory was faint, but vivid enough.
"That's all I really know," Aero continued. "But in the New World, pretty much every major pirate or Marine officer can use at least two types of Haki."
The group had already left the restaurant and was quietly walking down the road, no one saying much everyone still digesting what Aero had revealed.
Aero clarified: most people who could use Haki were in the latter half of the Grand Line the New World.
Which meant that for them, learning Haki right now was practically impossible.
They hadn't even made it to the Grand Line yet. And even if they did, no one would be willing to share such rare knowledge with a no-name crew with no backing.
They weren't connected to any big names. They were just a small crew with ambition.
But Aero had an idea.
"Bugsy might be able to help," he said to himself.
Bugsy might have enough resources to acquire training methods for Haki. If he could get his hands on Devil Fruits, surely Haki manuals could be found too.
They just needed to wait.
Before they knew it, they'd reached the coast. Aero turned around and looked at the three officers following him.
"Don't worry. It's just a matter of time before Bugsy gets us what we need," he said calmly. "But what matters most right now isn't training Haki it's developing the mindset to become stronger. If you don't have the will, even if you get the method, it'll be useless."
This time, they really listened. Their silence now was thoughtful, not uncertain.
Back aboard the ship, Aero stepped into the captain's quarters while the three officers took their usual seats. Without wasting time, he launched into a new topic.
"We're going to meet an old legend," he said. "A monster who circumnavigated the globe over twenty years ago."
He placed a bounty poster on the table one with a clown-like man and a big red nose.
It was in surprisingly good shape, especially compared to the two tattered ones beside it: Arlong, former captain of the Arlong Pirates, and Krieg, admiral of the Krieg Fleet.
"This is our next target. Buggy the Clown."
"Buggy?" Eddie asked, frowning. "The same guy you think is hiding in a place called Orange Town?"
Aero nodded. "Exactly. And Eddie this is where you come in."
Although Aero had the original body's memories, he'd grown up his entire life on Rubber Island. He'd never stepped foot beyond its shores.
Eddie, on the other hand, had sailing experience. That made him the de facto navigator.
Every time they visited a new island, it was Eddie who guided them with a somewhat crude map he had drawn himself. As he liked to say: "If you're stranded out at sea and no one's coming to rescue you, at least die with direction."
"Ah, well—what can I say?" Eddie chuckled, smug. "Even the captain's got to rely on me sometimes."
"But remember," Aero warned, "this isn't a fight. I just want to meet someone who once sailed with the Pirate King himself."
The three nodded together in understanding.
"Good. That's all," Aero concluded, standing and pushing open the cabin door. The sun was setting, dyeing the sky in hues of orange and gold.
"Drop anchor," he ordered. "We'll rest here for the night."
Life at sea was monotonous. The occasional chaos was a welcome break. That's why keeping busy has become a tradition for the Hurricane Pirates.
Most crew members are trained constantly. Gin, for instance, had finally gotten the hang of [Soru] though his control still needed work. More than once, he'd launched himself off the ship by mistake, forcing Eddie to dive in and fish him out.
They were fast learners when it came to physical techniques. But Aero? He'd completely given up on the [Six Powers]. He was now focused on mastering Haki instead.
Two more weeks passed at sea.
It was now June, Year 1519 of the Sea Calendar.
Time flew by. Aero's early goals were nearly complete: allies, reputation, and strength all established in the East Blue.
Now all he lacked was Haki.
And until he had it, he wasn't setting foot in the New World.
So he sailed, trained, and kept pressuring Bugsy to deliver.
Then one bright morning, Aero stood on the deck and finally saw it.
"Captain! That's the island where Orange Town is located!" Eddie shouted from the mast, peering through his spyglass.
Aero grinned.
"Orange Town… here I come."
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