Chapter 25: Quite Simple
Sabo's perception was acute—or perhaps it should be said that his mastery of Kenbunshoku Haki was extraordinary. He almost instantly noticed Rhodes' gaze and looked back. Then, slightly puzzled, he realized he didn't recognize this person.
Despite his confusion, Sabo remained polite and asked, "Excuse me, is there something I can help you with?"
"I don't believe we've met."
"You must be Sabo, right? I've often heard Nia and the others mention you, praising your strength and talent, saying you're the strongest young warrior in the Revolutionary Army," Rhodes said.
"Is that so?"
Sabo was slightly surprised. He did recognize Nia. "Are you one of this batch's new trainees?"
"Yes."
Rhodes smiled. "Nice to meet you. Let's have a sparring match sometime."
"Okay."
Sabo blinked, momentarily stunned. What was happening? A new trainee wanted to challenge him?
Just as he was processing this, Rhodes turned and walked away, leaving Sabo with his unanswered questions and a hint of amusement.
"You're quite confident, even having the courage to challenge me."
Sabo observed with interest.
Though still young, his strength and abilities had long been recognized by many high-ranking Revolutionary Army members. He had completed countless missions with flying colors and possessed unique insights in both dual-type Haki and martial arts. Within the Revolutionary Army, not only his peers but even average Revolutionary Army officers were far from being his match.
It was quite intriguing that a trainee—not yet even a full member—was boldly proposing to challenge him.
Of course, Rhodes wasn't joking; he genuinely wanted to spar with Sabo to enhance the power of the Book of Knowledge.
However, he was realistic about his limitations.
At this point, he probably couldn't defeat Sabo.
Sabo had long since become Dragon's student and subsequently a Revolutionary Army officer, having experienced countless battles.
By now, his dual-type Haki and signature martial art, Ryusoken (Dragon Claw Fist), had likely been fully developed and mastered, making his strength far superior to that of average Revolutionary Army officers.
If "Black Fist" Slott faced Sabo, he would likely be defeated instantly with a single move.
If Rhodes could master dual-type Haki, the gap would be significantly narrowed.
"I'm now fully qualified to practice Haki. Let me go find Instructor Hack."
After eating, Rhodes approached Hack and explained his purpose.
"You want to learn Haki?"
Fish-man Hack was slightly startled, then said sheepishly, "That's my oversight. With your current physical strength, you're more than capable of practicing Haki."
In reality, it wasn't an oversight—he simply hadn't anticipated Rhodes' rapid progress.
"Just a little over two months..."
Fish-man Hack sighed.
He led Rhodes to a training room and began explaining the nature of Haki.
As someone from another world, Rhodes was well aware of Haki's power, but he didn't know the specific training methods.
In the one piece world, there were three types of Haki: Busoshoku Haki, Kenbunshoku Haki, and Haoshoku Haki.
Busoshoku Haki could enhance both attack and defense, and could be used to resist Devil Fruit powers and even touch the physical forms of Logia users.
Kenbunshoku Haki was the ability to sense the "voice" of enemies and could be used to detect or predict enemy attacks during combat.
As for the final Haoshoku Haki, it could overwhelm or even knock out enemies.
In the pirate world, Haoshoku Haki was also known as the "Qualities of a King." Even in the New World where powerful individuals were everywhere, this qualification was relatively rare.
In comparison, Busoshoku Haki and Kenbunshoku Haki were more common. In the New World, many people could use them, and they had become standard abilities.
After introducing Haki's nature, Hack briefly explained the methods to awaken it.
"First, let's talk about awakening Haki. There are two approaches."
"The first is through combat! In life-or-death battles, when your potential is unleashed to its limits, you have the opportunity to awaken Haki. Of course, this method isn't ideal—it relies on chance and is also incredibly dangerous."
"The other method is meditation. By controlling your mind and thoughts, you actively sense this power lurking deep within your body and draw it out."
"This method is gentler, but it also takes much longer, and you might not even sense it in your entire lifetime."
Hack continued, "Generally speaking, combining both methods is the fastest way to awaken Haki."
"Try sensing it first. As a swordsman, you've grasped the 'breath of all things,' so your perception should be much sharper than a normal person's."
"First, regulate your breathing and focus your mind into a state of complete concentration and emptiness..."
Although his explanation was complex, Rhodes understood it easily.
He slowly closed his eyes, and with a shift of his consciousness, he entered a meditative state.
Almost immediately, he sensed the subtle "breath"—like a pulsating heartbeat—emanating from everything: the ground, the equipment, his clothing, and so on.
For two months, Rhodes had been in this state almost daily, controlling lightning power to strengthen his body. His mastery of this meditative state was simply too advanced.
Following the perception method explained by Hack, Rhodes gradually sank his consciousness deep into his body, and then he "saw" a hazy crimson world, as if flowing rivers of energy were coursing through him, like temple bells resonating in the distance.
In this world, there seemed to be a special power, stirring restlessly, eager for its master's call.
It felt as though if he could just reach out and guide it, this power could be drawn from within his body.
"This seems... quite simple..."
Even in this meditative state, Rhodes couldn't help but think this.
It wasn't as difficult as he had imagined.
The next moment, Rhodes slowly opened his eyes, his expression somewhat puzzled.
"Don't sense it yet? That's normal."
Hack, assuming Rhodes was discouraged by his inability to detect Haki, offered comfort: "Although Haki is a latent power possessed by everyone, 99% of people never awaken it in their lifetime, let alone master it."
"So don't be discouraged. With your talent, you should be able to awaken it within a few months."
Rhodes' expression grew even more peculiar. He held out his hand and asked, "Is this it?"
"What do you mean, 'is this it?'"
Hack froze, an unbelievable thought flashing through his mind.
This realization paralyzed his thoughts, expression, and limbs. Like a statue, he slowly lowered his gaze.
Then he witnessed a scene he would never forget.
On Rhodes' outstretched palm, tendrils of pitch-black substance began emerging from beneath his skin, little by little, strand by strand.
At first glance, it looked like Rhodes had developed some kind of dark marking.
However, as a master of Busoshoku Haki and a skilled martial artist, how could Hack be mistaken about something like this?
"Busoshoku Haki?!!"
(End of Chapter)
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