The air in the stuffy cell was thick and oppressive. Two "Skeleton" instructors watched Pirate Yujin as he wiped sweat from his brow, utterly baffled.
At first, their bet had been nothing more than a casual game.
One of them thought that this small-time, bounty-less pirate would never be able to master Observation Haki.
The other was sure he could.
And so, the bet was made—though no stakes were ever actually set—and the challenge began.
Two days had passed, and by now, neither of them cared much about it.
Yet Pirate Yujin persisted, diligently absorbing the knowledge the two shared.
He had seen the scenes in the original story where Dark King Rayleigh trained Luffy. Though the moments were relatively ordinary, Yujin had memorized several key images.
Combining that with the experiences of his two Skeleton cellmates, he had actually managed to grasp a few insights.
Especially from Ugo Bennett, who had spent eight years learning Observation Haki to master this particular technique.
Everything Ugo said was born from experience.
Compared to Rayleigh's teaching methods with Luffy, Ugo's approach was far more practical.
After all, Luffy only needed one glance to replicate nearly all six techniques of the CP9 members, a feat of sheer genius.
Yujin didn't think he could learn Observation Haki so effortlessly.
After a period of resting with his eyes closed, Pirate Yujin opened them and said, "Two of you, can you try attacking me?"
"What are you joking about? Here? It's hot and we're starving!" Ugo Bennett was the first to object.
Helan Carlson, who had kicked at Yujin earlier, shook his head like a rattle. "You don't need to take this seriously. Learning Observation Haki is of no real use to you."
"Are you saying that mastering Observation Haki will get you out of this airtight cell?"
Yujin smiled and reached for the scorching metal bars. His fingers slipped through effortlessly. "Airtight? Where?"
Helan Carlson rolled his eyes at Yujin. "I was only giving an example."
"You can't even leave this cell, let alone get out of Impel Down's maze-like layout. Just going from the Starvation Hell to the Beast Hell is already a huge challenge."
"Do you think, after all these years, Golden Lion was the only one who tried to break out? Lots of people tried, but only Golden Lion actually escaped."
"So put your idea away, kid." Helan forced a bitter smile and slid back into the shadowy corner of the wall.
Ugo Bennett tilted his head back. "Tomorrow night the jailers will hand out some Hiramisi rations, so conserve your energy. If you keep moving all the time, the little moisture those rations give you will vanish fast."
A flash of memory passed through his eyes. "If you don't want to end up like some of my old cellmates who died from dehydration."
Yujin said in surprise, "Oh? The guards give us food?"
"Of course. They want to torment us, not outright kill us. If they wanted us dead, they'd have shot us long ago. Why go through all this trouble to imprison us?"
"That's true."
Locking prisoners in Impel Down greatly reduces the chance that Devil Fruits will show up in the world.
With fewer Devil Fruits, people lose many of the ways to gain power. That makes the World Government's rule much firmer.
Helan Carlson, still leaning against the wall, glanced at Yujin who showed no sign of stopping his movements.
"Drop it. Even if you somehow escape Impel Down, you'll still have to face the Calm Belt, countless Sea Kings, and the warships chasing you."
"If you were that capable, you wouldn't have been brought here."
"Maybe you're right." Yujin drew a deep breath. "But I'm not the same person I was seven years ago!"
"Also."
"If you two don't report me, I can even let you taste real water for a short while."
Both skeleton-like cellmates gave no reply to that remark.
Because Yujin's arm was cuffed with Seastone handcuffs!
Even if he really had abilities, with handcuffs on, how could he use them?
"Crazy, completely crazy! Only a few days, and he's already losing it." Helan Carlson sighed. "Poor kid!"
"Tiger!"
"Snake!"
Ugo Bennett looked equally regretful. "This kid really has talent, but his brain isn't the sharpest. If I had been locked up in the Impel Down at seven, I would have broken long ago."
"Rat!"
"Snake!"
Seeing Yujin forming hand signs, Helan Carlson asked curiously, "What are you doing?"
With the last Tiger sign completed, Yujin slapped the ground!
"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"
A powerful stream of water shot up from the ground like a fountain, slamming two skeleton-like prisoners into the ceiling of the cell!
The force of the water was so strong it hit their heads with a dull "thud."
The sudden impact left the prisoners dazed. Their heads banged against the ceiling, and golden stars danced before their eyes.
Yet, even in their confused state, their bodies instinctively reacted to the sudden source of water!
Their lips greedily touched the water, drinking it in large gulps, savoring every drop of the precious liquid!
Water ran down their faces. They looked like travelers in the desert who had just found an oasis, desperately drinking and swallowing.
Ugo Bennett and Helan Carlson felt their throats move with each gulp, and satisfaction spread across their faces!
As the water flow gradually weakened, the prisoners slowed their movements, but neither was willing to give up, drinking until the very last drop had been greedily consumed.
Their stomachs bulged slightly from being full of water, and their faces showed a rare expression of contentment and calm.
That expression could have been mistaken for someone who had just taken fifty showers.
"Hic~" Helan Carlson let out a full burp. "How… how did you do that?"
Ugo Bennett patted Carlson's stomach. "No matter how he did it, we… we can't tell anyone about this!"
"Of course not!" Ugo Bennett wasn't stupid. Between licking guards and drinking water every day, he would naturally choose water.
"Don't get too excited yet," Yujin explained. "This water only gives a feeling of fullness. It can also moisten your mouth, but once the effect ends, the water will leave your bodies."
The water created using chakra would disappear as the user's chakra ran out.
This was common knowledge in the ninja world, but the two pirates had no idea.
All they felt was that they were comfortable for now, and that was enough.
"Then, you two,"
"It's time to teach all of your skills without holding back, right?"
Ugo Bennett saluted. "I'll risk my life to make sure you learn Observation Haki!"
Helan Carlson straightened his back. "Same here!"
****
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