Haki is not omnipotent.
Gojo could understand to some extent what Zoro meant by his words. Yes, to some extent.
Each type of Haki has clear limits. Even if one has Haki, if their body or main strength is weak, or if they only possess one of the three types of Haki, they might be somewhat bothersome but not terribly difficult to deal with.
But what if someone has a unique ability, not just Haki? What if they possess at least two of the three types of Haki?
"It's not omnipotent, but it seems like you can do quite a lot with it."
There was a reason why Gorilla tried so hard to prevent Zoro from stepping forward. Gojo thought to himself.
It's too conspicuous and a powerful force.
Especially the Conqueror's Haki among the three was well-suited when cooperating with Suguru. It was a tricky task to drain someone's strength without killing them. Even Gojo, occasionally mismanaged his strength and accidentally killed the curses meant for Suguru.
However, if Zoro and Suguru were ever to fight, Suguru would be overwhelmingly disadvantaged in terms of compatibility. Against Zoro, any deadly technique held by curses below second class would be practically meaningless.
"How much of the Conqueror's Haki can you use?"
"...?"
"How much is the total amount?"
"It varies depending on the person's strength."
Since Conqueror's Haki does not deplete merely by being emitted outwardly, measuring its total amount precisely is extremely difficult.
'It's just a rough guess.'
The range within which Conqueror's Haki can be spread, the presence felt when subjected to Conqueror's Haki, the strength of the people it can bring down, and...
'The power when Conqueror's Haki is wrapped around.'
Zoro had not yet reached the stage where he could wrap others in Conqueror's Haki. He was just at the level of controlling its usage.
'It means my body is still not strong enough.'
It's not surprising. If he couldn't freely use his spiritual powers, how could he wrap others in Conqueror's Haki? Currently, Zoro was compensating for his relatively weak physical abilities with a high level of Haki.
'If it had been a real fight to the death with Satoru, not just sparring, it would have been much harder.'
If Satoru had kept using his power from a distance, it would have been difficult for the current Zoro to counter.
Still, he would have never given up.
Gojo thought deeply as Zoro considered.
"How about you? How strong is your Conqueror's Haki?"
"Still lacking."
Zoro answered promptly. It's natural given his current childlike body, and even in his past life, Zoro's Conqueror's Haki was insufficient. Both in range and in how it was utilized.
Compared to Luffy, it was certainly the case.
"What about the other two Haki?"
"I'm confident in Armament Haki. Observation Haki still has a long way to go."
"Even though you're learning various Haki, it seems they don't all improve at the same rate?"
"That's right."
Being a master of Observation Haki doesn't automatically make one a master of Armament Haki. For Zoro, Armament Haki was his specialty among the three. He needed to improve his proficiency in each type of Haki.
From a distance, Shoko approached.
Seeing her peers, a smile appeared on Ieiri's face with slight dark circles under her eyes. She threw her arms around Gojo and Geto, jumping between them.
"Hi—there!"
"Ah!"
"Shoko, are you done with work?"
"Yes. Tired."
What she had done... wasn't really something to talk about with her peers. She looked back and forth between the two men.
"What were you guys up to?"
"We were learning something called Haki from Zoro."
"Haki?"
"Do you want to learn it too?"
Sensing a trap in Gojo's subtle tone, Ieiri sharply declined.
"No, thanks."
"Damn."
Beep. Toji's phone rang. He checked the message on his opened phone. It was time to go.
"Gojo, Geto. You each have a mission."
"Really?"
Geto's expression brightened. Though he hadn't said it, Geto didn't want to continue the Haki training either.
Zoro, who had been quietly observing, asked Toji.
"Dad, do we have a mission in the next few hours?"
"No."
"Then, I want to go on a mission with Gojo."
"Hmm... Wouldn't it be better to go with Suguru?"
Of course, if it was just about subduing curses, Zoro and Geto would be more efficient than Gojo and Zoro together. But that didn't mean he wanted to go on a mission with just Suguru.
Zoro said thoughtlessly.
"It might not be good for Suguru to subdue too many curses."
"...? Why?"
Oops. Zoro clamped his mouth shut, but Gojo had caught on to something and looked at Geto. He had made a mistake. He hadn't meant to blab about Geto's business.
Zoro bowed politely to Geto in apology.
"Sorry."
"No problem."
Geto hadn't expected to say this, but he felt it needed to be said at least once, as he scratched the back of his head.
"Actually, the curse orbs taste terrible."
"How bad?"
Geto considered beating around the bush, but then he spoke honestly.
"It's like wiping up vomit with a rotten rag and then swallowing it."
"What?"
He had been swallowing that every time he subdued a curse? For Gojo, who couldn't live a day without something sweet, it was truly a horrific ordeal.
"Why didn't you tell us?"
"Just… there's nothing that can be done about it."
If you want to collect curses, you have to swallow the curse orbs, and there's nothing that can be done about their taste. Actually, he had tried pouring teriyaki sauce over them before, but it had no effect. It just tasted like he had eaten teriyaki and then thrown it up.
Gojo suggested seriously.
"What about coating it with sugar?"
"…You sound just like Zoro."
"Zoro said that too? Let's try it!"
"It might get stuck in my throat."
The curse orbs were already a mouthful. Adding a sugar coating might increase their size and make them impossible to swallow in one gulp.
"What about sprinkling some sauce?"
"I already tried that. It just tasted like sauce and vomit."
"Ew."
Gojo stuck out his tongue. Ieiri patted Geto's back in a comforting manner.
"I'll see if there's a drug or something that can temporarily numb the taste buds."
"…No, thanks, Shoko."
He'd rather swallow the rag than use some unknown drug or concoction.
Gojo put his hand on Geto's shoulder.
"After the mission, let's come back and try coating the curse orb with sugar."
"I told you, it won't work."
"What if we apply it very thinly?"
Despite the absurdity of the serious suggestion, Geto was flabbergasted. Still, there was no harm in trying, so he reluctantly nodded.
"Let's give it a shot."
"Okay! Leave it to me!"
We'll definitely make it sweet! Encouraged by Gojo's bold promise, Geto found himself laughing without realizing it.
...
That evening, after finishing their mission, Gojo and Geto completed the sugar solution for coating the curse orbs in the kitchen. Now, all that was left was to briefly dip the entire curse orb into the hot sugar solution and then let it harden.
Gojo nudged Geto aside.
"I'll do it."
"No, I want to do it."
"What are you talking about? I cook better than you, Suguru."
"But I'm the one who has to swallow it. Obviously, I should do it."
Here they go again. Familiar with the atmosphere, Shoko slowly moved away from the kitchen counter where Gojo and Geto were.
Crunch, crunch. Sitting in a corner of the kitchen, Megumi and Tsumiki were nibbling on a piece of thick, transparent hardened sugar coating. They had received just one each, promising to brush their teeth afterward.
"I'm going to do it."
"No, I'm doing it."
"...Satoru, do you want to get hit?"
"Heh, you'll never get it from me."
Gojo triumphantly lifted the curse orb and dropped it towards the pot filled with sugar solution.
"Watch, to coat it thinly, you just dunk it like this—"
Bang, crash!
The curse orb slipped from Gojo's hand, hitting the rim of the pot with a clear clang. The teetering pot then fell to the kitchen floor, and the curse orb rolled under the counter.
"..."
"..."
A silence fell between Geto and Gojo for a moment. Megumi and Tsumiki, who had been crunching on sugar pieces, watched the scene and cheerfully exclaimed.
"He caused a mess!"
"A mess!"
Geto, laughing brightly, grabbed Gojo by the scruff of his neck.
"You did that on purpose."
"Oh, did I?"
Gojo knew the curse orb was slippery. He thought it would land nicely in the pot, not knowing it would hit the rim and overturn the pot.
Forebodingly, Geto laughed even brighter after hearing Gojo's answer.
"Actually, it doesn't matter."
Whether intentional or not, they were bound to clash.
Geto put Gojo in a rear naked choke. Gojo choked out.
"Ha, I surrender! I surrender!"
"Not yet."
Gojo's face turned pale as he tapped on Geto's arm, but Geto, with a smiling face, did not let go.
Crack.
Meanwhile, Zoro at another table had sliced Geto's curse orb in two with a knife. As soon as it split, the orb disintegrated like a subdued curse, turning into black ash.
"...Ah."
The black ash that was once a curse orb remained on the cutting board. Watching Zoro look bewildered, Toji shook his head and briefly commented.
"What a mess."
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