Chapter 52: Haki
The Black Sail Ship grew increasingly distant. Bogard glanced at the warship, which had one of its masts severed but was already being diligently repaired, and asked, "Vice Admiral Garp, should we pursue?"
"Pwahahaha!"
Garp threw his head back and laughed loudly. "If the bridge is broken, it'll cause quite a bit of trouble, so let's just stay here and guard. Besides..."
He looked at the Black Sail Ship, which was getting farther and farther away and eventually disappearing quickly from view, and said, "We can't catch up. Their ship is very fast."
"Vice Admiral, that man has... that kind of potential. Are you really going to let him go?" Bogard pursed his lips and still tried to persuade him.
That man named Sag was not ordinary.
Not to mention his extremely fast learning and comprehension of combat skills, just that kind of potential alone, if left unchecked and allowed to grow, would cause a great disaster.
No, with that kind of strength, he was probably already a great disaster.
"A natural disaster..." Bogard thought of that evaluation and murmured.
"Pwahahaha!"
Garp laughed again, turned around, and looked at the deserted broken bridge. "Isn't it great!"
"Vice Admiral, you shouldn't say that," Bogard reminded him.
"Ah..."
Garp scratched his head and grinned, "Then forget about it!"
…
"Sag, we succeeded!"
Renettia excitedly rushed to the bow of the ship and cheered, "We escaped from Garp! We escaped the pursuit of a Marine Hero! You really are a natural-born conqueror!"
She turned around, raised her hand to the former slaves and laborers who still seemed incredulous, as if they were dreaming, and shouted, "You are no longer laborers! Celebrate! You've become pirates!"
"Oooooh!!!"
On the Black Sail Ship, the former slaves and laborers let out deafening cheers, celebrating their new lives, free from the day-to-day toil and abuse.
Pirates?
They were originally people without human rights from non-affiliated countries and criminals. For survival, the things they had done were not so righteous. Even if there were some law-abiding people among them, in this huge bridge where the end was never in sight, they would slowly transform into beasts yearning for freedom.
As long as they could be free, what did it matter what they became?
Glancing at the cheers on the deck, Sag raised his arm and looked at his fist. "Successfully escaped, huh..."
"What's wrong, Sag! You completed your plan!" Renettia said with a smile.
"No..."
Sag shook his head, turned to the sea in the direction of the bridge, and said, "It wasn't a successful escape, but... the result is good."
The old guy went easy... really easy.
At that level of battle, even if it had gone according to his plan, Sag would have had to pay a price to break the bridge.
He was even prepared to strike his own 'Setsukatsukō' (pressure points that induce temporary paralysis/death).
Otherwise, escaping from Garp's hands would have been absolutely impossible.
Even so, he couldn't guarantee that he could really escape. Judging from the level of that old man's last punch, he could completely smash the ship with one punch. Two more punches, and he could have said goodbye right there and gone straight to Impel Down.
Even though he had already grasped Busoshoku and Kenbunshoku Haki at that time, it would have been useless.
To be precise, it was precisely because he had grasped the two types of Haki that he could be sure that he couldn't escape at all.
"The gap is too big..." Sag clenched his fist tightly and murmured, "Is this the strength possessed by a powerhouse famous throughout the seas?"
He was definitely willing to fight; if he dared to fight, he dared to die. Sag wasn't afraid of that; he wasn't some kind of cautious freak.
But a battle with such a vast, insurmountable gap was truly unnecessary.
But fortunately, he had mastered these two types of Haki in this battle.
Kenbunshoku Haki was forced out by Garp's powerful punches. Under that kind of pressure, a slight carelessness could result in being knocked down by a single punch. The extreme pressure spurred a frenzied alertness, enhancing his perception, successfully forcing out Sag's Kenbunshoku.
"Sure enough, as I thought, I was already touching this perception, just short of that final step. A life-or-death struggle is truly the way to enhance a person's will and perception."
Kenbunshoku Haki allowed one to sense the power of 'presence.' By emitting perceptive power with extreme calmness, one could read the opponent's position, number, and even the strength of the enemy's aura. One could even instantly read the opponent's next move.
Before being pressured by Garp, Sag already had this perceptive ability. After all, the Fist of the North Star was also a martial art that focused on the internal. Otherwise, how could one observe the enemy's secret pressure points?
It was just that he couldn't bring it out, but now, with the pressure, it was forced out.
"It's not predicting the future, nor is it listening to the voice of all things, just ordinary Kenbunshoku, huh."
Sag sighed, a little disappointed.
He thought he might have something special. After all, with Haoshoku Haki, maybe his Kenbunshoku would be special too.
But the fact was, just like how everyone on the sea said that Logia Devil Fruits were rare, but then an even rarer Mythical Zoan appeared.
Everyone always praised Haoshoku Haki as one in a million, but then someone with a one-in-ten-million superior Kenbunshoku popped up.
Compared to ordinary Kenbunshoku's ability to read movements and sense aura, those with superior Kenbunshoku Haki possessed the ability to predict the future, listen to inner voices, hear the voice of all things, and even influence the minds and thoughts of others, creating strong resonance. It was much rarer than Haoshoku Haki.
Sag just had ordinary Kenbunshoku. However...
He looked at his arm. "Busoshoku Haki..."
Busoshoku Haki enhanced a person's defensive ability, which then evolved into offensive power.
"I see. Before it's fully awakened, people who have touched it will also unconsciously use Haki, but these people can't see the 'color' and can't use it freely."
Busoshoku Haki also made him understand the key to this Haki.
Haki was, after all, a power hidden within people. Especially Busoshoku; everyone possessed it. Once the will was stimulated, their attack power would increase dramatically, allowing them to do things they couldn't do with their full strength normally.
But at that time, this person actually had the power to touch Haki.
During Garp's punch from the sky, he should have already 'touched' it. That's how he blocked Garp's fist and then counterattacked.
Since he had already 'touched' it, Sag could of course control it.
"Fighting spirit, killing intent, intimidation... anything related to strong will can manifest Haki. And to freely control this will, then..."
On his fist and wrist, a dark black color condensed, like black paint sticking to his fist.
"Oh... this is the feeling. Free control, and then covering, that's hardening, huh."
Compared to that unconscious 'touch,' the freely controlled 'hardening' could cover the body with Haki. Through training, it could even be used on every part of the body, thus freely controlling 'hardening.' It could even extend to objects in contact.
This power could comprehensively enhance defensive and offensive capabilities.
And then...
He narrowed his eyes slightly, and the black fist suddenly began to flow, as if a thin layer of air was wrapped around it.
After hardening, it's *ryuo* (flowing/coating)!
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