"Armament Haki?"
Both Kuina and Zoro froze, clearly bewildered by the word Dragon had just spoken. The two turned instinctively toward Don.
Even Emporio Ivankov's oversized eyes were fixed on the boy.
He knew Shimotsuki Koushirou possessed Haki, but cultivating it required a strong foundation—and frequent use placed a burden on the body.
Could this brat really have reached the point of awakening Haki in Koushirou's eyes?
Don, however, was looking straight at the man with three blood-red question marks hovering above his head—Dragon. He gave a small nod.
"I see."
Dragon smiled faintly, then sat down cross-legged.
"Haki training isn't as difficult as you might think. In the Calm Belt of the New World, there's an island called Amazon Lily. Most of the people there wield remarkable Haki."
"Amazon Lily?" Don nodded knowingly.
"You've heard of it? Then you know more than most," Dragon remarked with interest.
"Before I came to Shimotsuki Village, I saw a newspaper reporting that the Empress of Amazon Lily had joined the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
"That explains it." Dragon chuckled, then suddenly thrust his hand toward Don. His palm was wrapped in a dark sheen—the manifestation of Armament Haki.
Don's heart jolted. Reflexively, his Observation Haki flared, and he raised his arm to block.
Dragon's grip clamped tight around his wrist.
Don instinctively tried to shift into his elemental form—yet the part held by Dragon refused to transform.
Dragon paused for a heartbeat, then his lips curved. The Haki coiled around his palm flowed directly into Don's wrist.
In that instant, Don felt it—something within his own body, a latent energy, pushing back against the invading Haki.
Before he could fully probe that force, Dragon released his grip.
"That," Dragon said with a meaningful smile, "was your own Armament Haki. Normally, no one could awaken it this way."
His gaze lingered on Don, deep with implication.
A Devil Fruit user… and most likely a Logia.
Don didn't answer. He simply raised his arm again. Before the others' eyes, Armament Haki faintly shimmered into existence.
Kuina and Zoro couldn't sense it, but Dragon and Ivankov felt it clearly.
"So it really worked?" Don was astonished. Even his [System] panel now displayed Armament Haki.
"You'll still need rigorous training," Dragon explained. "If you want to channel your Haki into others, your mastery must reach a higher level."
He had no reason to hide the truth.
And Don understood. Haki could be wrapped around another's body—he hadn't known that. Nor had he expected that when another's Armament Haki touched him, his hidden power would instinctively react.
"Thank you," Don said sincerely.
Dragon waved it off. "No need. Call it my repayment. Thanks to you, Koushirou gathered far more grain than expected—something that greatly aided our cause."
With that, Dragon rose, gestured to Ivankov, and the two headed back toward the dojo.
Don, Kuina, and Zoro watched them disappear into the distance.
"Don… what were you just talking about?" Kuina finally asked, brows furrowed.
"Haki," Don replied. "A power that exists within all people. If you two hope to become swordsmen—true great swordsmen—it's something you must one day master.
On the seas, every strong fighter hones their Haki."
He spoke with quiet certainty.
It was no surprise Koushirou hadn't mentioned it yet. Haki training required a foundation, and it carried strain. Too much, too often, could harm the body.
Perhaps, had Zoro not gotten lost at sea one day, Koushirou would eventually have taught him.
As for Kuina… Don glanced at her, but said nothing.
"For now, it's too soon. When the time comes, your master will teach you."
With that, he rose and walked away.
Kuina and Zoro exchanged bewildered looks.
"This is a power all strong ones possess," Zoro murmured, his eyes alight. "Then I must master it."
Kuina remained silent, but nodded firmly.
So strength wasn't only a matter of the body…
Haki, huh? She resolved to ask her father about it.
Meanwhile, Dragon and Ivankov had returned to meet Koushirou.
"Well?" Koushirou asked with a faint smile.
"A remarkable young man," Dragon admitted with a nod.
"And?" Koushirou's eyes sharpened.
Dragon shook his head. "He has no intention of going to sea right now."
Koushirou accepted the answer calmly.
"But…" Dragon's tone grew weighty, "he's an ability user. Likely a Logia."
Ivankov nearly jumped out of his skin. "That brat's a Logia?!"
Devil Fruits weren't exactly common produce—and a Logia was rarer still.
The Navy's top three powers were all Logia users. Their reputations thundered across the seas, backed by devastating strength.
"It's very possible," Dragon confirmed.
"Chief, shouldn't we recruit him into the Revolutionary Army?" Ivankov urged eagerly.
A Logia user, unless hopelessly useless, was guaranteed to become a top-class force one day.
"Difficult," Dragon said at once, shaking his head.
"That boy's eyes… they're not right. Koushirou was correct. He looks at people differently. Even though he tries to conceal it, there's an innate superiority in his gaze."
Dragon exhaled, faintly disappointed.
But then Koushirou chuckled, shifting the mood. "He's still young. Time may yet change him."
"…True." Dragon nodded, leaving it at that.
After returning to his room, Don quietly summoned his Haki again, trying to keep it steady.
The quality was nowhere near Koushirou's or Dragon's.
But now that he had grasped the power, curiosity burned within him. He even tried to coat his flame with Armament Haki—but failed.
It didn't matter. He would keep practicing.
More use meant more progress.
Of course, [HP] on his panel ticked downward as Haki consumed stamina. Slowly, but steadily.
Armament, unlike Observation, was a heavy drain on the body.
The next morning, before the sun rose, Don had not slept a wink. He slipped out of the dojo, and when dawn broke, he returned drenched, carrying a massive sea fish several meters long.