Bonus Chapter for 100 PS; Next Goal: 200 (Donate If you want to read more chapter fast)
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When I woke up, I was lying down in a room I recognized.
Heck, this is the infirmary on our main ship.
"You're awake..."
"Captain!"
I heard Daz and Robin's voices next to me. And though she wasn't speaking, I could see Perona's ghost right beside me for some reason.
I tried to turn my head toward them, but...
"Hm? ...Huh, oh?"
What? My body won't move at all. It feels incredibly heavy just trying to turn my head. My eyes work, at least, so I glanced to the side and saw not only Robin and Daz, but Amisu and Hack as well...
"You maintained that speed for both offense and defense for a long time. You won't be able to move for a while." Said Mihawk.
"..."
"Mihawk. You were on the ship."
That scared the hell out of me! I thought my heart was going to stop! What are you doing here!?
"I couldn't keep one of my promises to you. I'm accompanying you to repay the debt."
"A promise?"
"Although I said I would spare your subordinates, I ended up injuring one, even if it was just lightly."
I looked closer to see who he was talking about and saw that Robin's arm was bandaged.
...He probably grazed an arm she sprouted to try and stop him...
"Besides, there's something I want to ask you."
Mihawk said, grinning.
...
You bastard! Robin's injury is just a lame excuse, this is your real goal, isn't it!?
Look! Even Robin has figured it out and is glaring at you!
"What about?"
"About the Haki you manifested at the end."
Oh... so I finally managed to use it. Even if it was by accident.
"Unfortunately, I was using all my brainpower just to control my movements and track you. I don't remember much."
"But you must have been training to use Haki regularly. Otherwise, it would be impossible for someone your age to even begin to manifest it, even faintly." said Mihawk.
"...Well, I have been."
Ugh, this is going to be a little embarrassing. I'm basically going to have to admit that I was trying my best to practice something I vaguely remembered from a manga.
"Everyone, could you step out for a bit?" said Kuro.
"I refuse, as first mate." said Daz while robin also said, "No."
...Okay, I'll let Daz's response slide.
Robin, don't you think cutting off your captain with a single word—no, a single syllable—is a bit much? Hey, don't cry. Please, stop tearing up. It makes it look like I'm the one doing something wrong.
The others are all shaking their heads, too...
"Um, Captain. Leaving you alone with this man when you can't even lift a finger... it's just..."
He's not the kind of guy who would do anything, but... if even Amisu feels that way, I guess I have no choice.
No, that's right... in that case...
"Mihawk."
"What is it?"
"If you want to repay your debt, I have a favor to ask. That's my condition for talking."
If he wants to hear what I have to say this badly, he must see some value in it for himself. If so, he should agree to a small condition.
"...It depends on the favor."
"Teach my crew how to use a sword."
And Haki, if possible. I still can't use it whenever I want.
"Do you think your subordinates would want to learn the sword from the man who cut you down?"
"I've realized we're past the point of being picky."
I thought I'd gather some reliable crewmates in the West Blue and then head to the Grand Line, but instead I've fought future members of the Worst Generation, a Warlord, the forces of a Marine regional headquarters, picked a fight with the World Government, and finally fought the world's future greatest swordsman—a guy who could be a final boss on the level of an Emperor. The difficulty scaling of my life is seriously bugged.
If this were a game, it would be a dead end. If it were a tabletop RPG, I'd be seriously arguing with the GM right now.
On top of that, there's Robin to think about. We need enough power to hold our own against any enemy that might come our way.
"My fighting style is all self-taught based on things I've heard. Even if I wanted to train my crew myself, I don't have enough experience."
"So you're asking me."
"What do you say?", said Kuro.
Hawk-Eyes—he's not wearing his signature crucifix sword or hat yet, but he's definitely the man who will one day stand at the pinnacle of swordsmanship—glanced at the wary Daz and Amisu.
I looked at them too, and they all nodded.
"Very well. It seems someone else is already teaching them about Haki, so there should be no problem."
'...'
Wait, there's a Haki user on this ship right now?
Hack... it wouldn't be strange if he knew it, but I didn't see him use it.
In that case, was it one of the others who was captured along with the fish-men?
Oh, well. I can just hear about it from Daz later.
"So, what was it you wanted to ask?" said Kuro.
As I said that, Mihawk slowly drew the sword at his hip, showing me the blade. Daz and Amisu instinctively tensed up, but Mihawk stopped partway.
"...A crack?"
Didn't you tell Zoro in the original story that even a chipped blade is a swordsman's shame?
"Your final blow caused that. If I hadn't deflected the tip of my blade, it would have been broken."
'...'
I did that!?
"As a result, your wound was shallow. I had intended to cut a little deeper." said Mihawk coolly.
I'm gonna knock you out, ok!!?
"And that last strike... my sword never touched the Haki you projected. It never made contact, and yet, it definitely collided. No... it was almost repelled."
What is that? When Haki users clash, like with Doflamingo or Katakuri, they hit each other head-on, right?
"...I don't know if this is related, but there is something I always focus on when I practice Haki." said Kuro.
Hmm... The only thing I can think of that might be relevant is...
"This is probably old news to a Haki user like you, but Haki is all about fighting spirit. Especially Armament Haki." said Kuro.
Thinking about the future, Daz at the very least needs to learn Haki, or our battles will get tough. It's probably a good idea to review this for everyone's sake.
"You create an image of your fighting spirit as armor around yourself, dramatically increasing your offensive and defensive power with your body or your weapon. So much so that you can strike the true body of a Devil Fruit User, no matter how they've transformed it. Am I right so far?" said Kuro, looking not so sure at Mihawk.
"Yes."
Good, good. I'll have to talk to the Haki user who's apparently on the ship later, but at least I got the basics right.
"That's why Haki and I are a terrible match. Fatally so." said Kuro.
Mihawk's eyes sharpened. This was my biggest worry about learning Armament Haki.
"Haki draws its strength directly from one's self-belief, which makes it a horrible fit for me, since I'm always doubting my own abilities. That's why I figured I needed a much clearer image to master Armament Haki."
"And what is that image?" said Mihawk.
"Well... how should I put it?"
It's like adjusting the balance of offense and defense in Hunter x Hunter... no, that's not it.
What I imagined was more like—
"Imagine all the Haki flowing through your body, and then channeling all the Haki from the parts you aren't using into the one spot you need it."
That's it. It's the Pinpoint Barrier Punch from that certain space battleship anime where they save the world with songs.
Even if my Haki was weak, this was an image that felt like it could break through a strong opponent's Haki defense. So, a super-concentrated special move was the first thing that came to my mind.
It's always the super-concentrated, all-or-nothing moves that let you stand a chance against a powerful foe.
"So, that's what you did then?"
"I wasn't consciously thinking about it, but I probably was. That's all I ever practiced."
At that, Mihawk started laughing loudly. "Hahahahahaha!" What's with you? You're not usually one to laugh so much... Although, now that I think about it, you laughed like that with Zoro when you agreed to train him.
"Perhaps you should be the one to teach Haki. In fact, why haven't you even told your subordinates that it exists?"
"They were all still beginners when it came to fighting. That includes handling their Devil Fruit. I decided it was better to prioritize that first."
Mihawk started laughing again.
I mean, I couldn't possibly teach them with my half-baked knowledge when I hadn't even mastered Haki myself and was still figuring it out. If I sent them into battle with such shaky training, they might have died before they ever got the chance. It's more important to teach them how to fight to survive, not just to increase their attack power.
At least, that's how it is for the Black Cat Pirates.
"Hahahaha. Very well... I've heard a more interesting story than I expected. Oh, and I will handle my end of the deal. I don't know how many of them will be able to keep up, but..."
"I will hammer everything I know about the sword into them."
And so, after we returned to the island, I found myself fighting Mihawk at full power once a week. Which then became once every three days.
Why... why has it come to this... Help me, please help me.
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