The stars glittered, and the long night quietly passed.
The next morning—
Creed left the residence with the daily necessities Garp had prepared for him.
Everyone gathered at the Marine port, and under Zephyr's lead, they boarded a warship.
The ship slowly departed…
"Where are we going?" someone in the group whispered.
"No idea… Isn't the Elite Training Camp at Headquarters?"
Confusion filled their minds, but Zephyr offered no explanation.
After half an hour at sea, the warship stopped at a small island.
From a distance, they could see a Marine base stationed there.
Zephyr led the group to the center of the island, into the Marine base.
"Welcome to the Elite Training Camp."
So this was it. They looked around—ancient trees, thick vines, like a primeval forest.
"You'll undergo closed training here—learning things you've never touched before."
"Teacher Zephyr, like what?"
"Haki," Zephyr said.
"Haki?" Many looked puzzled. In the Advanced Training Camp, they'd never heard of the term.
Zephyr clenched his fist, and his whole arm turned pitch-black, shining with a cold metallic luster.
Everyone froze—then their eyes drifted toward Creed. They remembered he could do it too, and so could their former instructor, Gust.
"This is Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki)," Zephyr said. He turned to two Marine officers: "Come, strike me."
A blade slashed down hard; Zephyr didn't dodge.
Clang~!
With a crisp sound, the blade shattered.
"Shoot me."
Bullets poured like rain, striking him—but he remained completely unharmed.
The recruits stared, mouths agape.
A body that could withstand blades and bullets—truly invulnerable.
"This is Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki). It can make your body as hard as steel, multiplying your defense many times over."
"But… its greatest use," Zephyr paused, "is that a Logia-type Devil Fruit user's elemental form doesn't work against it!"
At those words, realization dawned. No wonder Gust could hit Smoker's true body. No wonder Creed beat Major Lokav.
"Attack me!" Zephyr closed his eyes and nodded at the two officers.
They unleashed a fierce assault, but Zephyr moved as if he had eyes all over, effortlessly avoiding every strike.
Tashigi and the others gaped—how was he dodging while keeping his eyes shut?
"This is Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki)," Zephyr said, opening his eyes.
"Maybe you've never heard of Haki before, but now that you're in the Elite Training Camp, it's different. You're the top recruits—the ones who'll one day hold the New World."
"The New World is full of monsters and bizarre Devil Fruits. Without these two types of Haki, you won't even qualify to step in."
Their eyes shone—learning both Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) and Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki)!
But then—
"However… these aren't easy to master. Don't celebrate yet. Right now, you're not qualified to learn Haki. First, you'll fully master the Rokushiki (Six Styles)."
"From here on, I'll put you through hellish training!"
"Everyone—carry a 50-kg iron ball and run one hundred laps around the forest. I know many of you are Devil Fruit users—if you use your ability, I'll show you what despair is."
"Oh, and…"
Zephyr's face twisted into a devil's grin. "While you run, beware—ten or more Captains are hidden in the forest. Their positions change, and they'll attack you. You must dodge—no Devil Fruit powers. Whoever gets hit the most will have double training tomorrow!"
"Creed stays. Everyone else, move!"
The others shot Creed envious looks before grabbing their iron balls and running out of the base.
…
Creed wondered why Zephyr had kept him.
"Creed, brat—you don't know how to train in Rokushiki (Six Styles), right? I'll teach you."
Zephyr began explaining.
Creed, of course, had no intention of really listening—why learn when you can just extract?
With his A-/rank power, his extraction range was now twenty meters.
He had already found a prime target.
[Abilities]: A/-rank Armament Haki (extractable), B-rank Observation Haki (extractable), A-rank Rokushiki (Six Styles) (extractable), A-rank Fist Technique (extractable)…
[Overall Power]: A+
While Zephyr lectured, Creed started extracting the man's A-rank Rokushiki (Six Styles)—
But not all of it.
He only took Soru (Shave), Geppo (Moonwalk), and Kami-e (Paper Art).
Shigan (Finger Pistol) and Rankyaku (Tempest Kick) were useless to a swordsman like him.
In the original, after Enies Lobby, aside from Geppo (Moonwalk) and Soru (Shave), the rest were rarely seen.
As for Tekkai (Iron Body)—it was just a watered-down version of Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki).
Only Soru (Shave), Geppo (Moonwalk), and Kami-e (Paper Art) were useful.
The first two needed no explanation.
Kami-e (Paper Art) helped control muscles better, allowing more power to be gathered—vital for a swordsman.
And at high mastery, Kami-e (Paper Art) led to a skill called Seimei Kikan (Life Return), extremely useful in prolonged battles.
———
Time passed.
Zephyr finished explaining and began demonstrating Rokushiki (Six Styles) for Creed, giving detailed breakdowns.
In the distance, screams occasionally rang from the forest.
As the sun dipped, casting its last glow across the land—
Smoker and the other fourteen finally finished one hundred laps, stumbling in covered in dirt.
Each bore colorful stains—marks from the paintballs thrown by hidden Captains. The hits hurt like hell and left visible marks.
Worse, the forest was full of traps.
And sometimes, giant boar-like beasts burst out, chasing them down.
They couldn't fight back—only run.
The day had shredded their bodies and minds.
…
When Smoker's group returned—
"That's enough for today," Zephyr said.
He glanced at Creed, disappointed—he'd clearly noticed Creed's lack of focus.
"Creed, do you mean to tell me you've already learned Rokushiki (Six Styles)?"
Creed nodded. "Mm, I—"
In the next second, his figure flickered—
(End of Chapter)
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