Following Bogard out onto the deck, Yorichi Tsugikuni felt as though his mind was still spinning a little.
He hadn't expected that he'd be starting Haki training so soon. He'd already spent nearly a month at Marine Headquarters, and back then, he hadn't even glimpsed real training in either Rokushiki or Haki, let alone had a chance to learn it.
Zephyr had indeed treated him very kindly, but when it came to teaching combat techniques, Zephyr had always strictly obeyed Kong's orders and refrained from imparting too much to Yorichi.
The reason for Kong's caution, most likely, was lingering suspicion about Yorichi's origins. He probably wanted to cultivate Yorichi's sense of belonging to the Marines first, observe his temperament for a while, and only once he felt assured of Yorichi's loyalty would he allow him to be taught any advanced combat skills.
But Garp was not the type to tiptoe around things, worrying about this or that. In Garp's eyes, the Fleet Admiral's orders carried only marginally more weight than a pile of crap.
Once Garp saw that Yorichi had quickly mastered the basics of Rokushiki and could already apply some techniques in real combat, he decided on the spot to have Bogard teach Yorichi Haki.
Garp simply didn't care about where Yorichi came from. He also wasn't worried about forcing Yorichi to advance too quickly.
If Yorichi could learn, then he might as well learn as much as he could.
At this point, the warship was fully underway. On the expansive deck, only a few scattered Marines were positioned along the railings, keeping watch over the sea. The space was wide open and empty.
Up in the lookout tower, Kuzan had already found Garp. After greeting him, he silently stood behind the Vice Admiral, head lowered as he looked down at Yorichi and Bogard on the deck below.
"Heh, you're here," Garp said suddenly, sensing Kuzan's arrival. He folded his arms over his chest, his eyes fixed on Yorichi as a grin spread across his face.
"So, what do you think of that kid?"
"He's incredible. I've never seen anyone like him before, assuming he really hadn't learned Rokushiki prior to joining," Kuzan replied, adjusting the hat on his head.
"For him to master those techniques in such a short time… that level of talent is extremely rare in this world."
Garp's grin grew even wider as he listened, and he murmured under his breath.
"This kid… he's still got a long way to go."
On the deck below, Bogard began speaking calmly to Yorichi.
"Yorichi, the ability I'm going to teach you is called Haki."
"Put simply, Haki is an innate power that lies dormant within all living things."
"By sensing an enemy's strong presence, you can anticipate their movements that's Observation Haki. Then there's Armament Haki, which enhances both offense and defense, and even allows you to hit Logia-type Devil Fruit users. And finally, there's Conqueror's Haki, which stems from sheer spirit, killing intent, and willpower."
"Depending on how it's used, Haki can be roughly divided into those three types."
"Observation and Armament Haki can be awakened through training, but Conqueror's Haki is something you're either born with or not. Out of a million people, perhaps only one might awaken it under the right circumstances."
As he spoke, Bogard paused, giving Yorichi a long, searching look. Then he continued.
"For now, you'll start by learning Observation Haki."
While he was speaking, Bogard reached into the pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out a length of black cloth, tossing it to Yorichi.
Yorichi caught it in one hand.
"Use that to blindfold yourself."
"Observation Haki, in simple terms, is the power that comes from unlocking the hidden potential of the five senses."
"Scent, sound, shifts in the air, and even the terrifying ability to glimpse an opponent's thoughts in an instant… these are all concrete manifestations of Observation Haki."
"In other words, it's all about perception. The ability to sense everything around you."
"Humans rely on their five senses to gather information about their surroundings, and vision alone accounts for 90 percent of that input."
"If you block your vision yet can still precisely sense everything around you, then that means you've at least reached the entry level of Observation Haki."
"I've even heard of some powerful individuals who, through Observation Haki, can glimpse several seconds into the future while fighting. At that point, you'd be considered to have achieved true mastery."
As Bogard spoke, he unclipped the sword from his waist and set it aside, then picked up a bamboo sword and stepped in front of Yorichi.
Without needing any instruction, Yorichi obediently set his own long sword aside and swapped it for a bamboo sword. Under Bogard's watchful gaze, he tied the black cloth securely around his eyes.
"I've actually undergone training like this before."
"But will it really help me unlock my Observation Haki?"
Yorichi found himself having doubts. He'd done similar training back in the world of Demon Slayer, but it hadn't helped him much.
The reason was simple: he'd been born with the ability to access the Transparent World. His awareness of his surroundings had been extraordinarily sharp ever since he was a child.
In combat, he hardly needed to rely on his vision at all.
But since Bogard was recommending this method, Yorichi was willing to give it a try. After all, this was a different world. Maybe the same training would yield different results here.
"From this point on, I'm going to attack you. Stay focused."
"Sense my presence, and evade my strikes!"
Bogard explained everything carefully as he prepared to begin. He had no idea that Yorichi already possessed a fair bit of knowledge about Haki. Still, Yorichi listened attentively, worried that some of the details might differ from what he knew.
As soon as Bogard finished speaking, Yorichi gave a nod, signaling that he was ready.
"Swish, swish, swish!"
The moment Yorichi nodded, Bogard wasted no time. He swung the bamboo sword forcefully toward Yorichi's shoulder. This initial strike was only a probe, but the force of the swing sliced through the air with a sharp whistle.
"Clack!"
With a crisp sound, bamboo struck bamboo. Yorichi simply shifted his bamboo sword sideways, effortlessly deflecting Bogard's blow.
"Hm?!"
Seeing his first attack blocked, Bogard froze for a split second. He swiftly pulled his sword back, then lunged forward again, this time aiming a stab toward Yorichi's abdomen. Unlike the previous attack, this one was utterly silent, producing no hint of sound as it sliced through the air.
"Clack!"
Bogard had fully expected Yorichi to take the strike squarely in the gut. But to his shock, the very next instant, Yorichi, who'd just been holding his sword horizontally above his head, withdrew it and swept it downward in a precise vertical block, deflecting Bogard's thrust perfectly.
Having his attacks blocked twice in a row left Bogard utterly stunned. He couldn't help pausing mid-swing, turning his head toward the lookout tower, his eyes wide with surprise and confusion.
Up in the tower, Garp was also watching the scene on the deck unfold. His eyelids twitched slightly, as though he too were taken aback.
"I've suspected for a while that he might have trained in Observation Haki before. When I fought him, I could faintly feel it," Kuzan said, who had also been observing everything from above.
"That kid seems able to anticipate my moves."
Garp said nothing, but he unconsciously leaned closer to the window, bracing his hands on the sill as if trying to get a clearer look at what was happening on the deck.
Down below, Yorichi noticed that Bogard had stopped attacking and asked curiously:
"Commander, why aren't you attacking anymore? Why are you looking up at the tower?"
Bogard turned around at the question. Staring at Yorichi, who was still speaking while wearing the blindfold, he was left momentarily speechless.
"Did you actually cover your eyes with that cloth?" Bogard demanded. As he spoke, he reached out and waved his hand back and forth in front of Yorichi's face.
And yet, even though Yorichi's eyes were supposedly hidden under the black cloth, his head tracked Bogard's hand movements perfectly. In a perfectly serious voice, he replied:
"Yeah, it's covered. I can't see anything."
Bogard stood frozen in place, utterly dumbfounded. Inwardly, he thought to himself:
Is this kid… trying to cheat me or what?!