Many factors determined the outcome of a battle.
Strength was the most fundamental point. Between two opponents of the same level, factors ranged from internal determination and conviction to external environmental factors, plus whether their abilities had restraining relationships.
Often, victories of the weak over the strong occurred due to these factors.
But regardless, all of this was built on the foundation of strength.
"Well fought."
Silas sat on the ship's rail with a cheerful smile. "Rocks, you have great talent in physical techniques, but your attack methods are somewhat lacking. If you could turn your weapon into a Black Blade, then Ripley's Armament Haki could not defend against your attacks."
Ripley's method of suppressing Rocks was essentially overpowering skill with force. Knowing Rocks lacked the means to seriously injure her, she could attack without restraint.
When her fists returned to giant size, Ripley's Haki definitely could not cover them completely. Most of the time it was pure strength.
But if Rocks could turn his weapon into a Black Blade, then Ripley would need to cover every attack with Armament Haki defense, or she would definitely be injured by Rocks.
Such consumption was more than Ripley could bear.
"Non-fruit users are either swordsmen or pure physical fighters, and the latter can also be compatible with the former."
On these seas, so-called Black Blades meant wrapping weapons with Armament Haki to make them harder and sharper.
But once the Armament Haki wrapping was removed, weapons would return to their original state.
However, there was an opposite situation.
That was long-term Haki tempering of the blade, where weapons would be strengthened by Haki and even develop abilities to absorb and store Haki.
When weapons completely transformed and no longer needed to absorb Haki for self-strengthening, that was a true Black Blade.
Even without a user, it would be as hard and sharp as when it had one.
On these seas, such Black Blades were countable on one hand.
"Rocks, try my sword."
Silas threw his sword to Rocks.
"Try covering it with Haki."
Silas's Frost Shadow was only one step away from being a complete Black Blade, but who knew how much time this final step would take?
Bringing it out now was perfect for giving Rocks and the others some experience.
"Captain's Great Grade Sword Frost Shadow?"
Not a Supreme Grade Sword, but still one of the twenty-one Great Grade Swords.
One of the top famous blades on these seas.
Though Silas had the title of Great Swordsman in this world, this so-called Great Swordsman actually referred more to swordsmanship mastery.
In other words, even non-top fighters could be Great Swordsmen.
Compared to his Great Swordsman identity, Silas's fruit form and physical technique mastery were more deeply ingrained.
He was a physical fighter who encompassed swordsmanship.
Not a pure swordsman.
So Silas was the direction current Rocks was pursuing.
Rocks's sword was just an ordinary blade.
Through years of battle, it had actually been forged and recast more than once.
But Rocks still had not discarded it.
Not just because this sword carried memories of his past, but more because Silas had said that with sufficiently powerful Haki, even an ordinary sword could cut through Supreme Grade Swords.
Haki was everything!
Rocks tried infusing his Haki into Frost Shadow. Though wrapping Haki around fists and around weapons were both wrapping, the latter was clearly more difficult.
Only swordsmen who could use their weapons like extensions of their limbs could do this more easily.
The moment Rocks infused Haki into Frost Shadow, his expression changed. "This sword is absorbing my Haki!"
When fighting Ripley earlier, because he had been constantly dodging, Rocks's internal Haki reserves were still abundant.
But now, he felt his Haki uncontrollably flowing into Silas's sword, as if the Haki in his body was being forcibly extracted.
Cold sweat immediately broke out on Rocks.
Silas's sword gave him the feeling that in less than half a minute, his Haki would be completely drained.
"Come, attack me!"
Seeing Silas sitting casually on the ship's rail, after hearing his words, Rocks hesitated briefly, then decisively swung his sword.
Whooom!
Everyone present heard a humming sound as a blade light over ten meters long instantly burst from the sword in Rocks's hands. The slash grew larger as it traveled, its sharp aura seeming capable of splitting the entire ship in two.
Facing this slash, Silas simply raised his hand.
Armament Haki Hardening!
Smack!
The blade light that reached Silas was actually shattered by his casual slap.
Everyone was stunned.
Rocks was even more dazed. The slash he had delivered after absorbing most of his Haki was scattered by Silas's single slap?
"Do not look at me like that."
Silas gestured with his hand.
"This involves advanced Armament Haki application. If you want to injure me, you need to learn advanced Armament Haki usage first."
Learning two-color Haki meant becoming a capable independent fighter, but to make a name among New World pirates with bounties over 100 million, mastering advanced Armament Haki was essential.
Though Rocks barely reached the average great pirate level, to catch up to him, there was still an entire great pirate class level to cross.
And most people could not break through this limit in their entire lives.
"Next, Newgate and Linlin."
After thinking, Silas called Linlin over.
"Linlin, I will teach you a sure-win technique now. If you learn it and win, I will make you ice cream afterward."
"Really?"
Linlin looked down at Silas, her eyes immediately lighting up.
"Mm-hmm, really."
Silas placed his hand on Linlin's.
"Try feeling this fluctuation. It is power from within your own body. If you can command how it moves, have it wrap around your body."
"Fluctuation?"
In her view, Silas was a very good uncle. As long as she listened to him, she could always fill her stomach.
And Silas had mentioned ice cream too.
So Linlin seriously tried to feel Silas's power, something Rocks, Newgate, and the others could not do during Haki training.
Silas was just trying it out.
If Linlin's constitution was really due to excessive Haki release, then putting all that Haki into defense was somewhat wasteful.
Haki was generally colorless but highly concentrated Haki began showing visible black color, flowing around Silas's arm like an airstream.
"It should not be that easy to comprehend, right? This is Haki!"
"It took me three whole months!"
"I took a year!"
Ripley, Rocks, and Newgate looked at each other, all feeling Silas might be overthinking. No matter how special Linlin's constitution, she could not learn Haki just by looking once, right?
"I understand!"
Linlin suddenly shouted happily, and a terrifying Haki that made Ripley, Rocks, and Newgate tremble immediately condensed in her hands.
Ripley: "???"
Rocks: "???"
Newgate: "???"
In less than five minutes, extremely terrifying Haki condensed in Linlin's hands. Even Ripley, who had the most Haki reserves among the three, could not help swallowing when seeing Linlin's Haki quantity.
"Is this what genius is?"
"This is a monster!"
Rocks was envious, jealous, and hateful. If he had this level of Haki quantity, he would not have surrendered in the earlier fight with Ripley.
As for Newgate, he looked at the Haki condensed in Linlin's hands, then at his own fists.
Newgate: "I surrender!"
He was straightforward, but not stupid. He would not do something he knew would get him beaten!
Before learning advanced Armament Haki usage, the most direct way to determine Armament Haki strength was quantity.
More Haki meant stronger!
And Linlin's Haki quantity surprised even Silas.
Though it would be difficult against great pirates who knew advanced Armament Haki usage, this level of Haki quantity could keep Linlin undefeated when facing ordinary Haki users.
Silas ultimately still had Newgate and Linlin fight once.
Surrendering without even fighting—what would that look like?
Afterward, Silas repeatedly warned Linlin not to casually use Haki wrapping on people while guiding Newgate just as he had guided Rocks.
The six matches quickly ended.
The final result was as Silas expected. Linlin, who had mastered Haki, successfully seized first place from Ripley.
This greatly dissatisfied Ripley.
"Captain, you are maliciously manipulating rankings! Where is the rule about giving impromptu guidance before matches?"
Ripley looked at Silas with a resentful expression.
"Or is it..." Ripley hugged Silas's arm, bringing her lips to his ear. "Captain, are you afraid of me taking first place?"
After all, compared to Ripley's requests, Linlin's would definitely be simpler.
"Linlin, this is a hard-earned first place. Do not make wishes casually. Wait until you are older to ask Captain for wishes. That is definitely profitable!"
Ripley advised Linlin from the side.
"If you want to eat, just ask me anytime. I manage all the ship's logistics. Take whatever you want!"
Saying this, Ripley even gave Silas a provocative look.
Originally wanting to immediately wish Silas for lots of ice cream, but hearing Ripley say this, Linlin immediately hesitated.
"Is that okay?"
"As long as it does not torture these old bones too much."
Silas shrugged.
Anyway, he held final interpretation rights for such rewards.
Whether to do it or not was still his decision.
Thinking this could manipulate him was a grave mistake.
He would show Ripley what Captain's Authority meant!
The first White Wolf Pirates internal tournament simply concluded, giving Silas a general understanding of his crew members' current strength levels.
A month quickly passed.
Silas, aboard the Millennium Falcon, returned to his loyal Sphinx.