Cose didn't waste any time. He stepped forward, his expression a mixture of respect and shrewd calculation.
"You want to learn Haki. I can teach you," he began, his voice direct. "With your current physical condition, mastering Armament Haki won't be difficult. Add your ridiculous training speed to the mix, and you'll pick it up in no time."
He gestured to the others, then back at Kai.
"As you are now, your strength is already at the very top of the Freezing Hell. Even if the four of us came at you together, we would not be your match. But… if you want to break out of this prison, you're going to need help."
His eyes hardened, laying out the cold, hard facts.
"At the very least, you need numbers. The more people who try to escape, the more chaos we can create. The more chaos, the higher our chances of success."
"The strongest person in Impel Down is the Warden, Magellan. He wields the power of the Poison-Poison Fruit, a Paramecia type, and his strength is off the charts."
"You need us. You need our help to create that chaos, to draw the attention of the guards and the Jailer Beasts. And we… we need a leader. We need someone strong enough to stand against Magellan."
He raised a hand, anticipating Kai's refusal.
"We don't expect you to carry us all the way to freedom. That's not realistic. Whether we escape or not will ultimately depend on our own abilities. But after we succeed, after we are free from this hell, we are willing to become your subordinates. We will follow your lead."
The offer hung in the frigid air.
On the upper levels of Impel Down, no one ever dreamed of escaping. They were too weak. But here, in the frozen depths of Level 5 and the eternal hell of Level 6, escape was the only thing the prisoners dreamed of. It was just a question of possibility.
Every single prisoner here had a bounty of over 100 million Berries. In the first half of the Grand Line, they would have been Supernovas. None of them were weak. All of them were ambitious. They were just missing a spark to reignite that ambition, a catalyst to turn their hopeless dreams of freedom into a concrete plan of action.
Kai was that catalyst.
His progress was so fast it was terrifying. In two short months, he had ascended into the ranks of the truly powerful. He was a master of martial arts, a swordsman capable of cutting steel, and he had awakened Observation Haki.
And that was after only two months.
What would he be like after another month? Or six? They knew it wouldn't even take that long. At his current rate, it was no longer a question of if Kai could fight his way out of Impel Down, but when.
Kai had to admit, Cose had a point. He needed them. A lone escape would be incredibly difficult. A mass breakout, a riot that engulfed the entire prison in chaos, was a much better strategy. The more chaos, the better his chances.
Still, he couldn't let them think he was desperate.
"I can learn Armament Haki on my own, even without you" Kai said, his tone dismissive.
Hague, the Devil Fruit user who had attacked him with needles, quickly interjected.
"With our guidance, you can master it much faster. You'll save a lot of valuable time."
"That's true" Kai conceded after a moment, giving a slight nod. "Alright, fine. Teach me"
There was no point in arguing further. With his current strength, he could probably attempt an escape right now. But mastering Armament Haki was a critical final step. It was the key to dealing with powerful Devil Fruit users like Magellan, and after the escape, the Marine Admirals who would surely be sent to hunt him down.
Mastering it now would drastically increase his odds of not only escaping but staying free. There was no point in breaking out just to get captured again.
Cose nodded, satisfied. The lesson began immediately.
"Haki is the latent potential that exists within every living being," he started
"You've already awakened Observation Haki, which isn't my specialty. It's a power that's harder to awaken, requiring a certain degree of natural talent. My expertise is in Armament."
"To master Armament Haki, there is one absolute prerequisite. You must have a powerful, well-trained body, and a will that has been forged like iron."
He looked Kai up and down.
"Your physical strength is immense. Logically, grasping the basics of Armament Haki should be easy for you. The only reason you haven't awakened it yet… is likely because your will is not yet strong enough."
"So, from this moment on, there is only one thing you must do."
Cose's voice dropped, becoming grim and serious.
"You must fight. And you must kill."
"Through constant combat, through the act of taking lives, you will temper your will."
Kai fell silent. He knew Cose was right. This was his greatest weakness. In his past life, he had grown up in a world of peace. He was a normal person, not some secret agent or hardened soldier. How could he possibly have a will of iron?
He had only been in this new, brutal world for just over two months.
A normal person would need to train for more than a decade to achieve his current level of physical power. Over that long period of relentless training, their will would naturally be hammered and forged into shape. Once their body was strong enough, awakening Haki would be the next logical step.
Kai didn't have a decade. So he had to take the shortcut. The fastest way to forge his will was through constant, life-or-death battle.
And through killing.
In the days that followed, more prisoners joined Cose's group. They became Kai's new training partners. It wasn't one-on-one sparring. It was ten, sometimes more, attacking him all at once.
And every single one of them fought with the genuine intent to kill.
Even with his Observation Haki, facing a dozen hardened pirates, each with a bounty over 100 million, was an immense struggle. Getting injured, drawing blood, it became a normal part of his daily routine. He wasn't the only one getting hurt. In the brutal, no-holds-barred brawls, his "sparring partners" often ended up just as battered as he was.
Three days passed in this bloody crucible.
For Kai, with his 100-times multiplier, it was the equivalent of three hundred days, nearly a year, of non-stop combat training.
And still, he had not awakened Armament Haki.
Cose and the others gathered, their faces grim. After a short, hushed discussion, they came to a conclusion.
"Now… there's only one way left," Cose said, his voice heavy.
"Let's do it."
"It's time to kill."
"We'll kill everyone else in the surrounding cells."
His next words were cold and practical, devoid of any emotion.
"Combat and true slaughter are the fastest ways to forge your will. At the same time, we need to keep this breakout plan a secret. The other prisoners have already seen us sparring with you. Too many of them have guessed what we're planning."
"In two days, the guards will make their rounds. Someone is bound to talk. Someone will snitch on us in the hopes of getting a reduced sentence. We can't let that happen."