In his perception, Armament Haki flowed through his body like blood.
But the distribution was uneven.
Most of it was concentrated in his limbs and along the outer layer of his torso. In the region of his organs, only a faint trickle moved at all.
"Haki has its own preferred route."
Rayleigh's steady voice reached him.
"Most people instinctively guide it to the surface. It is the simplest and most direct way to use it."
"But if you want to protect your organs, you have to open up new paths."
"How?"
"How do I open them?"
"Imagination."
Rayleigh said,
"Imagine Haki as a river. Normally you only let it flow along the outer channels."
"Now, you need to let that river run into every corner inside your body."
"Start with the heart."
"That is the core of your life... and the place that needs protection the most."
Bullet focused his awareness on the area around his heart.
He tried to draw Armament Haki away from its usual routes and redirect it inward.
His first attempt failed almost immediately.
As soon as the Haki veered off its main path, it began to scatter and thin out.
"Do not try to shove it around by force."
Rayleigh's tone stayed calm.
"Guide it, do not command it."
"The essence of Haki is a form of life energy. It has its own way of flowing."
"What you need to do is follow those tendencies, then adjust them."
...
Second attempt.
Bullet slowed down.
He stopped trying to yank the Haki off course. Instead, he let it flow as usual along its familiar paths.
Then, as it passed near his heart, he gently nudged a strand of it aside with his will, coaxing it into a side stream.
It worked.
A thin trace of Armament peeled away from the main flow and slipped into the area around his heart.
It was not much, but it was inside.
Bullet did not stop.
He kept guiding it.
Once.
Twice.
Three times...
Time slid by without a sound.
The sun climbed up from the horizon, rose overhead, then began its slow descent.
For a full five hours, Bullet did not move. His entire being was submerged in micromanaging his Haki.
Rayleigh remained at his side the whole time, and the astonishment in his eyes only deepened.
Most people needed months just to sense Haki clearly. Learning to manipulate it with this level of precision usually took years.
Bullet had needed only five hours...
And already, he had begun carving out three new routes for it.
Heart.
Lungs.
Liver.
"Truly a monster born for battle."
Rayleigh murmured to himself.
...
By dusk, Bullet finally opened his eyes.
He let out a long breath.
"How is it?"
Rayleigh asked.
Bullet clenched his fist, feeling out the changes inside.
His heart, lungs, and liver were now each wrapped in a thin shell of Haki.
"I have managed part of it."
He said.
"But the cost is high."
"Just keeping those three organs lined from the inside constantly eats about ten percent of my Haki reserves."
"If I wanted to cover all my organs..."
"That would take an enormous amount of Haki."
Rayleigh finished for him.
"But you have already taken the most important step."
"From here on, it is daily practice. Widen the coverage, improve efficiency."
Bullet nodded, then something occurred to him.
"Mr. Rayleigh, how long did it take you to master internal lining?"
Rayleigh smiled.
"Two years."
"Roger was quicker. About a year."
Two years, versus his five hours.
Bullet fell silent for a moment, then said quietly, with genuine weight,
"Thank you, Mr. Rayleigh."
This gratitude was real.
Without Rayleigh's guidance, he might have spent a long time groping in the dark for the right direction.
Devouring could give him power quickly, but technique and knowledge still needed a teacher.
Rayleigh waved a hand.
"No need for thanks between us."
"But..."
He paused, his expression turning serious.
"Bullet, your growth is too fast."
"So fast it worries me."
"What are you worried about?"
Rayleigh met his gaze.
"You can obtain power quickly, but control takes time to temper."
"Right now, you are like a hammer that keeps getting heavier and heavier."
"If the handle is not strong enough, one day you will swing it... and hurt yourself."
Bullet understood.
Devouring made his strength leap forward in jumps.
But his body's adaptation, his mastery of his techniques, his mental adjustment... all of that needed time.
If he only chased the quantity of power and ignored the quality of his control, something would eventually snap.
"I understand."
Bullet rose to his feet.
"From now on, I will slow down my devouring."
"I will focus on refining the strength I already have, especially my Haki control and beast forms."
Rayleigh's smile held clear relief.
"Good."
"The fact that you can think like this means you have not let power cloud your head."
...
Night fell.
At dinner, Bullet clearly ate more than usual.
The head chef laughed and slapped another double portion of meat onto his plate.
Shanks sat down beside him with his own tray and lowered his voice.
"What were you and Mr. Rayleigh training this afternoon, Mister Bullet?"
"I could feel Haki pulsing at the stern."
Bullet did not hide it.
"Methods to protect my organs."
Shanks' eyes lit up.
"Mister Bullet, teach me too!"
"When you get your Armament to a level Mr. Rayleigh is satisfied with."
Bullet cut into his steak.
"Those were his words."
Shanks' face fell at once, but the gloom did not last. A heartbeat later, fire blazed in his eyes again.
"Just you wait. I will catch up, Mister Bullet!"
At a table farther away, Buggy kept sneaking glances at Bullet, then back at the food on his own plate.
He suddenly found he had no appetite.
...
Late at night, when the ship was quiet, Bullet lay on his hammock, not yet asleep.
In his mind, he replayed the day's gains.
Dragon scale hardness up fifteen percent. Toughness up twenty. Self adaptation improved.
A first grasp of internal lining for Armament, giving basic protection to three vital organs.
And a clear direction for his next steps.
Slow the pace of devouring.
Focus on sharpening what he already had.
He lifted his right hand and curled his fingers into a fist in the dark.
On his skin, those faint dark gold lines glimmered in the moonlight for an instant.
"Still not enough."
Bullet whispered.
"Not nearly enough."
But this time, there was no impatience in him, only calm.
Because now he knew where the road lay, and how to walk it.
Outside the porthole, the stars over the New World shone especially bright.
Bullet closed his eyes.
Tomorrow would be a new day.
And every day, he would be stronger than he had been the day before.
-------------------------
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