...
"Grandpa what was that...?" Edam was still a bit shocked. It maybe didn't seemed like so but...after he had read the "Yggdrasil's great arts" he had trained his Ki to a reasonable level, so much that his use of Haki was paling in comparison to his use of Ki.
After some tests he even came to the conclusion that Ki was a hundred of times better to be practiced than Haki and that Haki wasn't really worth his time but now...
He knew that he was thoroughly wrong, his way of thinking had been wrong from the beginning.
He was now reflecting on this error as he entered a dazed state.
Looking at his thinking face that was twitching a lot while interchanging between confusion, revelation and shock, Zephyr said seriously.
"Hum...it seemed that you realized it huh...You surely thought that Haki was a lot weaker than Ki isn't it...?"
"Yes-..."
"Wrong... Edam, remember this clearly from today onward, there is no weak powers only weak users ! No power is trash only the user is..."
"And this saying can be applied to anything, from the external power procured by devils fruits to the internal powers that is Haki, Ki or any other ones, do you understand ?" Zephyr asked Edam while looking straight in his eyes.
"Hum..." Edam nodded with a deep thinking expression.
It seems that Haki wasn't as simple as it seemed to be and couldn't be resumed as avoiding the opponent fist or to reinforce one's defense or to make people fall unconscious...far from that... it was clearly more complexe.
"Hum... but don't worry about this loss it would have been a miracle if you could stand up to that old man's presence at you age...but you did well, Edam." Zephyr said at first in a straight tone and then in a proud and smiling tone as he then ruffled Edam's head.
And it wasn't without any reason at all, after all, that man up there was a living legend who has explored and seen the thruth of this world, someone who stood at the peak of the world.
Saying that he was one of the strongest in the world wouldn't be an exageration at all and his grandson at the age of ten actually stood up this much in front of him, though not entirely... but It was still an achievement to be proud of indeed.
Zephyr then took a look behind Edam, he saw on the stairs steps some foots traces as he thought. 'That old geezer really didn't go easy on him huh...'
At the thirtieth stairs steps and all the way to the fiftieth steps, every of Edam's foot traces were deeply engrained in the stairs with a web-like crack becoming larger and larger according to the number of steps taken.
A proof that the pressure exerted was actually genuine and very much real. At this level, the pressure wasn't just applied mentally but also physically.
This sight would have terrified more than one but the people present were five kids who never truly saw the world and two old monsters who were used to this so...
Seeing this Zephyr couldn't help but said. "I nearly forgot how much this guy's Conqueror's Haki was top notch..."
When he lifted his head he was however a bit surprised to see a familiar face not far away from their position being the fiftieth steps.
Hancock...
Ten steps away on the fourtieth step that is, Hancock was actually holding her grounds and stood up in front of the pressure even though she was struggling a bit and was sweating too.
Her two sisters were far behind on the twenty steps or so, along side Stella as they struggled to go forward.
There were no real reasons as for why they would want to walked forward...
But actually Hancock just wanted to go with Edam while her sisters just want to follow her while... Stella...well Stella didn't have anything else to do so...
When Zephyr looked at Hancock, he thought and sighed. "Ahhh... it's a pity to hand over such a raw diamond to them, she need only a bit of polishing and she would be a perfect marine... and a perfect spouse too, what a pity..." he sighed again and again...
Without stating that Hancock was clearly going to grown into a fine and full-fledged supreme beauty in the future... Zephyr was really wondering if it was not better to just keep her and her sisters with them.
As a great teacher of great reputation and experience, he had know since the first time he laid his eyes on her that she had a tremendeous latent potential.
And as an adult human being he had of course already seen this familiar gaze in that girl's eyes at least a good hundred times already, a gaze that he knew just all too well.
After all he too had fallen to it. He too couldn't resist it, in fact nearly every humans being are fated to fall for it...
Love... a beautiful calamity... indeed...
Meaning that it can be the most beautiful that would happened in one's life as it can be the the beginning of one's suffering.
But good for Z he wasn't part of the latter's and had never regret it. It was even maybe the best thing that happened in his life so far.
'Maybe I should take them with us...I'm sure she would hesitate but still accept it in the end...'
However as he thought about this machiavellian plan his gaze stopped at Edam as he thought otherwise.
'Never mind, knowing him, if he were to see just an ounce of hesitation, he would refuse right away...even though he too..." Z didn't continued and stayed silent for a moment.
Just as some other weird thoughts began to emerged in his old head, he shook it hard and then said.
"Anyway, let's go before I change my mind..." Although he muttered quietly they still hear it as it drew out a questioning expression on Edam and the girl's faces
Although the Veil of Darkness was now gone, the pressure was still there as powerfull as before, menacing and oppressive, heavy and cold.
However when Zephyr began to walked up the stairs, the pressure seemed to disappear as if it was forcefully repelled away to be replaced by a gentler pressure.
Looking closely at his grandpa moving, Edam could see that around him something like a deep purple bubble was expanding rapidly as it pushed back against another bubble that was thoroughly black in color.
The collision was intense, so much that the entire stair's structure was making cracking sounds and was trembling like a leaf, even the air, the space surrounding them seemed to be trembling because of this confrontation.
The pressure emitted from this clash was absolutely oppressing and even somewhat suffocating making even the leaves on the side pressed tightly on the ground.
Looking at this Edam sweated a bit as his eyes were filled with apprehension but this apprehension couldn't prevent a touch of excitement to vibrate quietly in the depth of his dark eyes that had turned pale yellow for a good amount of time now.
However as the pressure was reaching a peak, something strange happened, between the two bubbles there seemed to be something in between, a third one that came violently making the two bubbles exploded brutally as a small shock wave was send out abruptly pushing back the girls behind.
Though Edam was not pushed back he still struggled to stay in place.
Now the awfull pressure was completely gone along with the disappearance of the bubbles.
Zephyr looked behind and said in a complaining voice. "You didn't have to interfered you know..."
He was obviously talking to Garp, who was grinning from ear to ear and said.
"Wahaha...it was too slow and... I'm bored..."
"Tch... Damn Monkey who has no respect..." Zephyr said in annoyed voice.
"Tch... Not my fault if you're too slow to end it..." Garp rebuked back.
"You stupid monkey, I was showing Edam what Haki could do at a high level... !"
...
And then they began to bicker again as they walked upstair, while Edam didn't moved but looked back at the girls who were a bit away and then looked at Hancock ten steps below.
He exclaimed somewhat worryingly as he came to her, " Hey are you alright...?" She was panting quite heavily so he asked.
Even for him, the pressure at the fourthieth steps had been tremenduously immense and monstruous akin to having several mountains on one's back, so seeing her reaching this level was astonishing indeed.
Who would have thought that this seemingly frail girl would be so strong already at such a young age.
" Whoa... you're all sweaty, hope there's a shower in that bar haha..." Edam said looking at her exhausted and panting complexion. Although she managed to keep going, it was still a bit hard to do so...
But...
Although her body was exhausted yet it seems that her heart wasn't exhausted at all and was in perfect condition as it was beating faster and faster now.
And of course it had something to do with the little monkey in front of her, because he was really close to her and was actually holding her shoulders to make sure that she wouldn't fall down.
"Can you walk alone ?" He asked worryingly.
"Ye-, Yeah I can, I'm fine, thanks..." She said wiping out the sweat on her forehead, with a red face. Who know if she was red because she was exhausted or...
"Oh alright" And then he turned to the other girls and asked. "And you three are you alright, do you need help...?"
Stella shook her head gently.
Mariegold "No..."
Sandersonia "It's fine..."
"Alright let's go then..." He replied and then began to walk upstair too, with Hancock following him closely.
They then caught up with the two grandpas who were still bickering even at the front of the door.
Zephyr "Damn Monkey..."
Garp "You damn weak..."
Zephyr "Fist of love my ass..."
Garp " Say the guy who need an aerosol, pfff..."
...
As they were a bit used to this sight they decided to just ignore them and just looked at their goal.
Looking at the bar's name, the four girls were stunned while Edam was thinking.
' Who would have thought that such a bar would have someone so strong in it....'
The bar was actually named "Shakky's Rip-off Bar."