Two years later, on the shores of Ohara, a young Nico Robin sat atop a large boulder, watching the sea.
In the waves before her, a boy a little older than her was swimming freely under the evening sun.
Robin frowned, utterly puzzled.
They were both Devil Fruit users—so why could he swim?
After two years of living together, Robin had learned a fair bit about Mislanda's powers, but she could never figure out why seawater didn't seem to affect him.
As the sun began to set, she cupped her hands and shouted toward the sea,
"Hey! Time to head back!"
The sky was growing dark, and Rayleigh had already prepared dinner for them.
Mislanda quickly swam to shore, water dripping from his hair as he grinned.
"What are you staring at me for? You wanna learn to swim too?"
He reached out and playfully ruffled Robin's hair.
Robin puffed up her cheeks and glared at him. "Don't touch my head! And who wants to learn swimming? I'd like to live a few more days, thank you very much!"
If she dared to jump in the water, she'd sink straight to the bottom.
"Hahahaha! Suit yourself. Come on, let's head back."
"Yeah!"
The two walked home side by side, unaware that shortly after they left, a giant on a makeshift bamboo raft drifted ashore not far away.
The next morning, Robin went to the library as usual.
Even though she lived with Rayleigh and Mislanda, she still studied at the Tree of Knowledge every day — after all, she couldn't earn the title of scholar otherwise.
As for Mislanda, he didn't go to the sea that day, because Rayleigh had decided it was time to begin his next lesson — Haki training.
"Listen carefully, Mislanda," Rayleigh said, placing a handful of pebbles before him. He then blindfolded himself with a piece of cloth.
"Now, throw those stones at me."
Mislanda grabbed a handful and threw them.
Rayleigh dodged each one effortlessly, as if he could see them coming even through the blindfold.
"Use your heart to sense the presence around you — the flow of energy, the intent of others. You'll be able to read the positions, numbers, and even the next movements of those nearby. This is Observation Haki."
"Next is Armament Haki — an invisible armor that can be used for both attack and defense. When used offensively, it can strike even opponents whose bodies have become elemental."
"You should know that from our earlier training. Without Armament Haki, I wouldn't even be able to touch you."
Rayleigh removed the blindfold, his expression calm but serious.
"You're lucky, kid. You've got yourself a Logia-type Devil Fruit. But remember — intangibility isn't invincibility. Once you reach a higher level of power, you'll realize that fruit abilities are nothing compared to Haki."
"I understand!" Mislanda nodded solemnly.
In their weekly sparring matches, every time he turned into darkness, Rayleigh's Armament Haki could still hit him cleanly.
He knew this was Rayleigh's way of forcing him to develop a reflex — never rely too much on your fruit's power.
"Good," Rayleigh said, sheathing his sword. "Now focus. Don't let your mind wander. This next part will be your first direct experience with the third type of Haki. If it becomes too much, signal me to stop."
Mislanda took a deep breath and nodded firmly.
"This third type of Haki," Rayleigh said gravely, "can only be mastered by the very few — it's called Conqueror's Haki."
BOOM!
The air itself seemed to explode.
A tremendous pressure burst forth from Rayleigh's body, sweeping across the entire clearing. The ground trembled, and a wave of invisible force crashed outward like a storm.
Had Rayleigh unleashed his full power, he could have easily knocked out everyone on Ohara in an instant — but this was only a fraction of his strength, just enough for Mislanda to experience it.
Even so, Mislanda's knees buckled under the crushing pressure. His chest felt tight, his lungs heavy, as if an enormous boulder was pressing down on him.
He dropped to one knee, one hand braced against the ground.
But he didn't give in.
Instead of waiting for Rayleigh to stop, Mislanda gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand — pushing back against the invisible weight with every ounce of strength he had.
Rayleigh's eyes widened.
He's actually standing…?
He had expected Mislanda to collapse immediately. Even with his power restrained, it should've been impossible for someone to stay upright the first time they felt Conqueror's Haki.
But Mislanda was defying all reason.
Rayleigh couldn't help but increase the pressure slightly — he wanted to see how far the boy could go.
Another surge of power rolled over the forest like a tidal wave.
Mislanda trembled violently, his legs bending once more — but this time, he didn't use his hands for support.
Rayleigh's sharp gaze watched in silence.
"Come on, boy…"
With a roar, Mislanda forced his body upright again, breaking through his limits a second time.
"Good!" Rayleigh shouted, grinning. "Then let's go one more round!"
He released yet another burst of Conqueror's Haki, even stronger than before.
The pressure doubled. Mislanda's vision blurred. His body screamed in protest.
This is it… my limit.
But then, through sheer defiance, he clenched his fists.
No… I can't be crushed here! If I can't even withstand this, how can I call myself the strongest?!
"AAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!"
Mislanda's roar shook the forest — and in the next instant, a shockwave of his own burst out from his body!
The air exploded outward. The trees around them bent as if caught in a hurricane. Their wooden cabin shattered and collapsed into splinters.
Even Rayleigh stumbled back a step, eyes wide in disbelief.
"This… this is… Conqueror's Haki?!"
His voice trembled.
What kind of monster was this child? What kind of freakish talent?!
He'd only wanted Mislanda to feel what Conqueror's Haki was like — not to awaken it on the spot!
For a moment, Rayleigh wondered if he was dreaming.
Bang!
Mislanda suddenly collapsed, his body hitting the ground hard. After breaking through his limits twice in a row, he was completely spent.
That evening, Robin rushed to his bedside, eyes full of worry.
She barely noticed that their cabin had been destroyed.
"Mr. Rayleigh, what happened to him?" she asked anxiously.
"Don't worry," Rayleigh said with a sigh. "He just overexerted himself. Today was… a bit much."
He glanced toward the ruins of the wooden house and shook his head.
"Robin, I'll leave him in your care for now. I need to rebuild this place."
"Okay, leave it to me!"
Meanwhile, down by the shore, a massive figure was sitting cross-legged, gnawing on an enormous fish.
"I've got to recover my strength quickly… there's not much time left."
If Mislanda were there, he would've recognized him instantly —
Vice Admiral Saul, of the giant race.
His arrival could only mean one thing…
The Buster Call was drawing near.