Soft sunlight streamed through the windows of the villa's living room, falling across the floorboards. The air held a faint blend of herbal medicine and black tea.
Mihawk sat on the sofa with his upper body wrapped in thick bandages. A hint of blood had already seeped through here and there.
His posture, however, was still perfectly straight. Only his face looked a shade paler than usual.
Those hawk like eyes of his were fixed unblinkingly on the man across from him, the man leisurely sipping tea as if nothing in the world could rattle him.
Kael swirled the cup gently, blew on the rising steam, and looked perfectly relaxed.
Bro, quit staring at me. You are handsome, sure, but I am not into guys.
Silence stretched between them until Mihawk finally broke it. His voice was roughened by his injuries, but it had lost none of its edge.
"That final strike yesterday…" He paused, searching for the most precise term. "Was that the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger's Kamusari?"
"Oh?" Kael set his cup down and glanced up, mildly surprised. Then a knowing smile slowly curved his lips. "You have a good eye."
He did not deny it. Instead, he phrased it in a way that fit him much better.
"Let us call it… something I stole."
Stole it?
Mihawk's brows drew together slightly.
"Roger never had any intention of teaching that move to anyone." Kael leaned back into the soft cushions, gaze drifting toward the window.
"But on this sea, I am not the only one who can use it."
A certain red haired figure flashed through his mind, and Kael's mouth softened with a hint of satisfaction.
That kid should be making his name by now.
Pulling his thoughts back, Kael looked at Mihawk again, this time with the air of a senior instructing a junior.
"Kamusari is less of a fixed move and more of a way to use Conqueror's Haki through the sword. You wrap your Conqueror's around your weapon, then unleash it completely through your will and your swordsmanship. Everyone's Haki is different, everyone's will is different, so each person's Kamusari is naturally unique."
He reached out and tapped his own chest.
"So my Kamusari and Roger's are really two completely different things."
Lying to you, brother. There is no real sword technique. I am just hitting really, really hard.
Mihawk listened in silence, the fire in his eyes burning hotter and hotter.
Watching that thoughtful, almost longing look on Mihawk's face, Kael's lips curved into a mischievous smile.
He leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, golden eyes gleaming in the sunlight.
"Want to learn it?"
Before Mihawk could answer, Kael had already flopped back into the sofa, spreading his hands, his expression immediately turning shameless.
"Ahhh, what a hassle. But what can I say, I am such a caring boss."
He deliberately dragged the words out.
"After all, you are my employee now. Hahaha."
Perona and the two maids were not far away, ears perked. When they heard that, they nearly burst out laughing on the spot.
Kael sama is bullying the new pretty guy again.
Kael had already braced himself, ready to face a cold, awkward silence, or some proud response like "there is no need."
Instead, Mihawk's reaction took him completely off guard.
Mihawk rose from the sofa, ignoring the tug of his wound, and bowed his head slightly in solemn request.
"Then… Kael sir, please teach me."
No hesitation. No posturing. No tsundere denial.
That straightforward sincerity froze Kael's smile in place for a second.
Mihawk, your stoic character just shattered on the floor.
Hawk boy, you really…
For once, all of Kael's teasing intent evaporated. In its place was a genuine sense of respect.
Humility in asking for guidance has always been one of the greatest virtues of the strong.
"Alright." Kael put away his grin and nodded. "Once your injuries heal, I will teach you."
…
In the days that followed, Kael sensei shuttled back and forth between two deserted islands. On one, he sparred brutally with Moria. On the other, he taught Mihawk how to coat his blade with Conqueror's Haki.
"Relax and feel it," Kael's voice echoed through the open training ground. "Conqueror's Haki is not your tool. It is the extension of your will. Your job is not to order it around, but to guide it."
Mihawk stood in place with his eyes closed, Yoru in his hands.
Following Kael's instructions, he sank his consciousness deep within, searching for that inborn, coiled up quality in his soul, that innate kingly potential.
Of course the future world's greatest swordsman has Conqueror's. Anything else would be weird.
Hum.
An intangible pressure rippled outward from him.
"Good. Now, try to let it flow into your blade."
Mihawk slowly opened his eyes, a sharp light flashing there.
He tightened his grip on Yoru, guiding that force down his arm and into the black sword.
At first, the power crawled along clumsily, like water struggling through a blocked channel.
But after only a few attempts, some invisible barrier seemed to crack open.
Zzt.
A hair thin strand of black and red lightning flickered across the pitch black blade.
It was faint, but it was there.
Standing to the side, even Kael, who had seen more than most, could not help giving silent praise in his heart.
Monster.
This guy's talent for the sword is just unreasonable.
Normal people who want to reach the threshold of Conqueror's coating have to spend years, sometimes decades, training and brushing against death over and over for that one moment of clarity.
Mihawk, on the other hand, had managed to get Conqueror's Haki to cling to his blade in only three days.
A few days later…
Boom.
Mihawk swung his sword. The blade passed straight through empty air, yet on the enormous boulder in front of him, a deep, jagged crack appeared as if carved from the inside out by some unseen power.
It was still far from the overwhelming force of Kamusari, but there was no question that he had fully grasped the basics of Conqueror's coating.
Kael folded his arms across his chest and nodded in satisfaction.
Lesson over, Mihawk sheathed Yoru and stood quietly, feeling out this entirely new power.
Kael scratched his chin, giving him a very odd look.
Now he finally understood.
So this guy had awakened Conqueror's Haki long ago, he just had not really used it.
No, with his battle IQ, there is no way he did not know Conqueror's could clear out fodder and intimidate enemies.
Which meant there was only one explanation.
He simply felt that knocking out small fry with Conqueror's was nowhere near as satisfying as swinging his sword once and erasing the mob, their ship, and half the sea around them.
In his mind's eye, Kael saw Mihawk's usual stone faced expression as he casually sent out a world shattering green slash that erased a bunch of nobodies along with the island they stood on.
Alright then. So what you like are full screen crits every time you press a button.
Wait, no, hold it.
Mihawk, you still did not shout the name of the move just now, did you?!
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