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The gap between those who have mastered Haki and those who haven't is like a vast, uncrossable chasm. Only those who possess this power can truly recognize that fact.
"Not bad. You've grasped Observation Haki this quickly," Arashi said with a smile. His eyes held a glint of approval. While Ace had a solid foundation, his rapid mastery still spoke volumes about his talent. The faster his training progressed, the more time it saved Arashi.
Bartholomew Kuma stood quietly nearby, observing their training like a man with no presence at all.
But in truth, he was deeply puzzled by Arashi. Despite being a Marine, Arashi often helped pirates, whether intentionally or not. This contradiction made it impossible for Kuma to discern his true intentions.
"Alright, let's continue!" Arashi said with a warm smile. "To truly comprehend this power, you must experience it in battle!"
Ace lifted his head and gave a firm nod. With burning fighting spirit, he shouted, "Come on!"
And so, their intense training through combat began once more. Kuma served as Ace's personal medic, watching as the freckle-faced youth was knocked back again and again, only to charge forward every time.
Arashi stood like a towering mountain, seemingly immovable no matter how fierce the blaze.
Ace would keep rushing in, only to be severely injured and collapse, exhausted and unable to rise. At Arashi's signal, Kuma would step in to heal him, relieving his pain and fatigue. The first time this happened, Ace stared wide-eyed in disbelief—but quickly got up again.
"Kuma's here to help accelerate your training," Arashi explained with a grin. "After all, the time you have with me is limited."
Ace took a deep breath and smiled. "Then I owe you both."
Arashi nodded. In truth, very few had ever received his personal guidance.
Among them were Rosinante, Smoker, and Kuina. He believed the best way to push past one's limits was through relentless combat. Only under extreme pressure could hidden potential erupt.
Time was not on Ace's side. Though Arashi didn't know the full details, internal Marine intel hinted that Whitebeard's situation in the New World was far from promising.
Day quickly turned to night. Moonlight bathed the island as Kuma silently watched the two continue their battle. Flames lit the field as Ace charged in over and over, only to be swiftly knocked away by Arashi's powerful strikes.
"He's already reached the pinnacle of this world in terms of Observation and Armament Haki training," Kuma thought quietly.
That night, he lost count of how many times he had to help Ace recover. Time passed unnoticed, and before long, dawn arrived.
"Huff… huff… huff…" Ace bent over, gasping for air. He was drenched in sweat, bulging veins running down his arms. His upper body was bare, muscles defined, and the Whitebeard tattoo on his back shone brightly in the morning sun.
"What's the matter? Giving up already, Ace?" Arashi asked calmly, arms crossed, completely composed.
"Doflamingo should've told you something important: Haki reigns above all else!"
Ace looked at Arashi in awe. "It's only been one day, and I've collapsed countless times. Yet he hasn't shown a single sign of fatigue… This difference…"
"If you can't master Haki quickly," Arashi warned, "you can forget about standing on the world stage alongside legends like Whitebeard or Shanks."
"Again!" Ace growled, gritting his teeth. The battle resumed, and soon it was midday.
By then, Ace had given up on using his Flame-Flame Fruit. He realized that against a monster like Arashi, Logia powers were barely effective and only drained his stamina. Physical combat was the only viable path.
"Bang!" Their fists clashed, sending ripples through the air. Ace's body trembled. He flashed to the side, evading Arashi's counterattack, then twisted his form and threw a punch with his right hand.
In that instant, his eyes widened.
A strange current inside him surged as if by instinct. It moved at his will, flowing into his fist.
"Buzz—"
A formless, invisible aura wrapped around his fist—and with that, he launched his punch.
"Boom!"
Arashi raised his arm, blocking the strike with a jolt. His eyes narrowed—and then he smiled.
"Ha ha ha ha!" he laughed. "Not bad!"
"After just one day and one night, you've grasped both Armament and Observation Haki!"
"I'm quite satisfied with that speed."
On the side, Kuma stared at Ace in shock. He had expected the young man to pick up Haki quickly, but not this fast. To master both types in a single day—it was terrifying talent.
"From now on," Arashi said, "your goal is to completely understand, control, and utilize both types of Haki."
Ace nodded with determination, breathing deeply.
Observation Haki had enhanced his senses and let him predict enemy movements. Armament Haki boosted his physical power, making his strikes far more destructive. Arashi's instruction was simple and direct—but extremely effective.
After a week of non-stop battle, Ace had mastered both.
"Advanced Armament Haki is known as Ryuuou in Wano," Arashi explained.
"By channeling Haki throughout your body, you can unleash a power that penetrates the surface and strikes the insides directly."
"That's the next skill you must learn."
"Ryuuou…" Ace muttered. He'd been to Wano and heard the name, but never knew what it truly was.
Now he understood—it was a high-level application of Armament Haki.
Their combat resumed once more. In this short span, Ace endured the fiercest battles of his life. His opponent was the Marine legend who had defeated two Emperors during the Summit War.
Even Arashi's casual strikes forced Ace to push himself to the limit. Under such brutal, endless pressure, Ace's strength visibly grew. His willpower surged as well. He could feel himself improving—and that thrill of growth lit a fire in him.
Three days later—"I've mastered Ryuuou!" Ace shouted with excitement.
He clenched his right fist and swung it forward. For a brief moment, golden sakura petals seemed to fall from his arm. That invisible Haki now flowed through him like liquid.
"Very good!" Arashi nodded, satisfied. "Your talent has lived up to my expectations."
"Now, the next step."
As he spoke, his eyes suddenly turned sharp.
"Buzz—"
A fearsome wave of Conqueror's Haki exploded from him, blanketing the entire island. The once-bright sky turned black and red in an instant.
Ace's face paled. That overwhelming aura forced him to stumble back.
"What terrifying pressure!"
"It's crushing!"
Arashi stood firm, slowly clenching his fist.
"Crackle—"
Black and red lightning wrapped around his arm, radiating a wild and dominant force.
"Now begins your final stage of training!"
"Conqueror's Haki infusion!"
Ace's pupils shrank. He stared at Arashi's fist, encased in that terrifying energy.
He had witnessed this power during the Summit War. Both his father Whitebeard and Red-Haired Shanks had used it when clashing with Arashi—those bursts of lightning that shook the soul.
But now, feeling it up close, it was entirely different.
"In both quality and quantity…"
"The gap in Haki is overwhelming!"
Despair threatened to rise within him.
"Come, Ace!" Arashi roared with laughter.
"You must master Conqueror's Haki infusion to graduate!"
"Only with it can you step onto the world stage!"
Ace took a deep breath, suppressing his fear. His eyes lit with defiance as he released his own Conqueror's Haki. But it was immediately suppressed, shrinking into a corner under the weight of Arashi's force.
"The gap is enormous…"
"But I will grow stronger!"
His gaze burned with resolve.
"Boom!"
A massive shockwave erupted in the island's center. A figure was blasted high into the air, crashing into the ocean thousands of meters away.
Kuma silently observed the scene, then turned and vanished.
Fire Fist Ace—the famous Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates—was unable to withstand even one serious strike from Arashi.
When Kuma retrieved his unconscious body from the sea, he couldn't help but wonder,
"How can he possibly master Conqueror's Haki infusion?"
Conqueror's Haki itself was already a gift of kings—one in a million. Infusing it into combat was a power only the strongest on the seas could wield.
To Kuma, Ace was powerful, yes—but still far from the summit.
Ace was now enduring the harshest, most intense battle of his life—a fight filled with hopeless disparity.
Facing Arashi's infused fist, he had no way to counter.
"There's only one thing that can face Conqueror's Haki—Conqueror's Haki itself!"
After being knocked out ten times and revived each time by Kuma's seawater, he finally realized the truth.
Neither Ryuuou nor fire could ever threaten Arashi.
They were simply in two completely different leagues.
"I must master Conqueror's Haki infusion… as fast as possible…"
Ace plopped straight to the ground and shut his eyes.
"I'm exhausted! These past days, I've been so tense that my brain has forgotten how to function. Training isn't just about fighting—it takes mental effort too!"
Arashi chuckled. "Interesting! I'm curious—what will you do next? If you're not following my training plan, then tell me your own idea."
Ace frowned in thought. After a while, he suddenly grinned. "I'm going to rest! And then… eat a feast!"
Arashi smiled and gave Kuma a nod. Understanding the gesture, Kuma turned and vanished. Not long after, he returned from the ship with a table full of delicious food and drinks.
"Continue," Arashi said.
Ace burst into laughter and began eating with no reservations. Arashi sat quietly, observing him, then spoke casually.
"Aside from Haki, Devil Fruits are another key factor in strength. Your Flame-Flame Fruit is a powerful fire-type ability, but it's not just about throwing fireballs."
Ace paused, startled, mid-bite.
"Elemental energy can take on various forms and properties," Arashi continued. "For example—" he stretched out his hand, releasing lightning.
"Form. My lightning can change shape into all kinds of objects." He pointed ahead with one finger, and with a clap of thunder, a roaring lightning dragon shot forth.
"Just like your Fire Fist. But there's more." Arashi spread his fingers.
Crack! A surge of lightning blasted forward for thousands of meters, quickly condensing into an enormous, lifelike thunder qilin.
Ace's eyes widened in shock as he stared at the massive beast, easily over a hundred meters tall, roaring before him.
"Elements can also become weapons in our hands." As he spoke, Arashi waved his hand again.
The qilin turned into arcs of blue electricity, gathering into his palm and forming a spear over 20 meters long, covered in intricate lightning patterns.
Ace focused on it. Despite the surrounding lightning, the spear itself looked nearly indistinguishable from a real weapon.
Then, to his amazement, Haki began to coat the weapon.
"Haki can be infused into it too?!"
Arashi smiled and dispersed the spear with a flick of his hand.
"As you can see, elements can become weapons. As your strength grows, so does the scale and destructive power of your Logia Fruit."
"When Aokiji first awakened his Ice-Ice Fruit, he could only make small patches of ice. Akainu's Magma-Magma Fruit started with tiny sparks.
Your Flame-Flame Fruit right now... is still just a matchstick."
Ace began to reflect. He understood now—his Devil Fruit had a lot of untapped potential.
"Look up at the sun, Ace." Arashi pointed above.
Ace squinted at the blazing sun in the sky, radiating intense heat.
"If your flames could reach that level of heat, only then would you truly grasp the essence of your Devil Fruit."
"Flames as hot as the sun..." Ace murmured.
"A heat that burns all. By then, no amount of enemy Haki could withstand your flames."
"So whether it's Haki or Devil Fruit powers, as long as one reaches the peak, it's enough to make you a true powerhouse."
"The three Admirals are examples of the power of Devil Fruits. But Gol D. Roger and my teacher, Garp, were the epitome of Haki."
"But if you could push both your Haki and your Devil Fruit to the absolute limit..."
Arashi trailed off. But Ace's pupils shrank—he understood.
He slowly looked up at the man before him, realizing without a doubt that this was someone who had mastered both Haki and Devil Fruit abilities to the peak—someone standing at the top of the world.
"I get it now!" Ace nodded firmly. He finally knew the path he would walk. A smile appeared on his face.
After the hearty meal, Ace didn't go back to training. Instead, he surprised everyone by tipping over and falling fast asleep.
Arashi narrowed his eyes but said nothing.
Anyone capable of awakening Conqueror's Haki has a strong will of their own.
A person who blindly obeys others could never become a king.
"I'm curious to see what you'll do next." Arashi chuckled and closed his eyes as well.
Training entered a dormant phase.
From that day forward, Ace stopped his relentless fighting routine.
He began to eat and rest regularly. By day, he would sit cross-legged in silence, eyes closed, deep in thought.
Time passed. Ten days went by.
Ace still meditated quietly, but starting that day, he occasionally asked Arashi about combat and Devil Fruit techniques.
Arashi answered every question without reservation, fully embracing his role as "Teacher Arashi."
Whether it was Observation Haki, Armament Haki, or how to enhance Conqueror's Haki, he withheld nothing.
In truth, Arashi was curious—would the bloodline of the Pirate King Roger or the protagonist of this world go further in the end?
In the original timeline, Ace died young, so that question was never answered. But here, the world had already been changed.
From the fierce battles half a month ago to the calm training now, the contrast was stark.
Yet Arashi could clearly feel it—Ace's strength was advancing by leaps and bounds.
"His mind, his will, and his understanding of battle are all evolving rapidly.
It's astonishing," Arashi muttered.
Before he realized it, a month had passed since he first arrived.
And on that very day—
Ace, still sitting cross-legged, suddenly opened his eyes wide. A smirk formed at the corner of his lips.
Crack! Black and red lightning burst out violently. A vast wave of Conqueror's Haki erupted in all directions.
"So this is... Conqueror's Coating?" Ace murmured.
Not far away, Bartholomew Kuma's eyes widened in disbelief.
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