But I refused to falter. Drawing upon every ounce of strength and skill, I matched him blow for blow, my determination unwavering despite the growing fatigue that threatened to weigh me down.
"Ice Block: Pheasant Peck," Kuzan declared, his hand directed towards me as he conjured a massive bird made of ice, aiming to engulf and freeze me completely.
With my energy waning, I realized I had no choice but to confront the attack head-on. "Busoshoku Koka," I muttered, shrouding myself in Armament Haki and imbuing Kitetsu with its power. As the ice bird hurtled towards me, I summoned the last reserves of my strength and swung my blade, slicing the bird in half just in time. But before I could recover, Kuzan launched a second attack, and despite detecting it, I lacked the stamina to counter it.
In a matter of seconds, I found myself encased in ice, trapped in an icy sculpture. Yet, thanks to the protective shield of Armament Haki, I remained unharmed by the extreme cold.
"Hahaha, it seems like you brats are having fun," Garp's voice boomed as he descended from the sky. I had sensed his presence earlier, observing our sparring session. Garp approached my frozen form and placed his hand on my shoulder, emitting a sudden surge of Haki that shattered the ice, releasing me from my icy prison.
Grateful for his intervention, I offered my thanks to my mentor before collapsing onto the frozen beach, utterly exhausted.
"How many wins is that, Ross? I'm sure you've been keeping count." Kuzan's voice broke through the haze of fatigue as he joined me, taking a seat beside me. Even Garp joined us, settling in the middle as we reflected on the intensity of our training session.
"Kuzan-san, mark my words; someday I will knock you down and have a good laugh about it," I muttered in frustration, unable to contain my competitive spirit despite being consistently outmatched by him for over a year. If they had heard my inner thoughts, I was sure they would have given me a good ribbing.
"Garp Sensei, why am I not able to use emission yet? I've been practicing as hard as possible, but there seems to be no progress on that front," I couldn't help but voice my concerns to my mentor, who sat between us.
"Brat, are you serious? There should be a limit to how greedy one can be. There are people out there who don't even know what Haki means, and I don't think there is anyone your age who has mastered both Armament Haki and Observation Haki to such a degree. Yet you are not satisfied?" Garp's response was stern, a reminder of the privilege and progress I had achieved at my young age.
"Garp Sensei, it's okay, we can cut him some slack. After all, it's not every day that Ross gets stuck in training. Who knows how many years Ross will be stuck trying to learn emission, and the longer he is there, the more I get to beat him up," Kuzan teased, taking advantage of my momentary frustration.
"Sigh, Ice Brat, it seems like you've become complacent after beating a kid ten years younger than you. And what makes you say that the kid has no way to counter you? It's just that the kid has no control over it and hasn't trained in using it efficiently," Garp interjected, his words carrying both wisdom and a hint of reproach. I simply gazed up at the sky, feigning ignorance, while Kuzan shot me a suspicious glance.
"What do you mean, Garp Sensei? What does Ross have to counter me?" Kuzan's curiosity piqued, unaware of the deeper layers of my abilities.
Garp turned towards me, knowing full well that I wasn't as clueless as I pretended to be. "You can use it, can't you, kid? I know you've been trying to hone that skill in secret when you think no one is looking," Garp declared, revealing his knowledge of my hidden talents. I couldn't help but sit up, sighing in resignation.
"Wait, what are you guys talking about? Why am I the only one being left out?" Kuzan's curiosity grew, sensing there was more to the story.
Closing my eyes, I concentrated, and within moments, more than a dozen little birds flew over and settled around me even as an ominous pressure spread around me. Garp, familiar with the Haoshoku Haki, was unsurprised, but for Kuzan, it was a revelation. But what even Garp didn't know was that I was using a completely different ability of mine to interact with nature. However under such a balance I could use my Haoshoku to a certain degree. Instinctively, Kuzan reached out his hand towards the little birds, expecting them to scatter, but to his surprise, they hopped onto his head and shoulders, playful and unafraid.
"Tell me, brat, what do you know about the third type of Haki, Haoshoku?" Garp's question was directed at Kuzan, who was still preoccupied with the birds. The mention of the Haoshoku Haki didn't seem to ring any bells in his mind.
"Kuzan, if you keep slacking like this, you can forget about becoming an Admiral. You need knowledge alongside strength to reach Admiral status," Garp chided, earning eye rolls from both Kuzan and me for his predictable lecture.
"Fine, forget it. I'll explain it in a simple way. Your junior here is someone who has an ability similar to mine called Conqueror's Haki,"
"Haoshoku Haki is a rare form of Haki that allows the user to exert their own willpower over others. Unlike the other two types of Haki, this type cannot be awakened through training and only one in a million people are born with this ability.It is said that whoever possesses this type of Haki has the qualities of a king,and thus are known as Supreme Rulers."
Garp patiently explained my ability to Kuzan, who listened with wide-eyed astonishment.
"However I feel that this brat is still keeping more things from me, I believe he has something that even I am not capable of "Gap commented while squinting at me as I was playing with the birds.
"Wait, Garp-san, are you saying that Ross is capable of using Haoshoku Haki, and he's even capable of something that you aren't even capable of ?" Kuzan was dumbfounded by this new revelation. To Kuzan Garp was a supreme figure in this world and according to him the Marine Hero was capable of anything.
"The kid has been keeping his ability a secret from everyone, and it's a good thing, too. I hope you'll keep this information to yourself in the future, Kuzan. The kid will be targeted for sure if his ability becomes known. Even some higher-ups in the world government might target him. So, bury this deep into your heart," Garp cautioned, emphasizing the importance of secrecy surrounding my unique abilities.
"And Ice brat, now that you are aware of such advanced things, I'll be using my Conqueror's Haki on you from now on during practice to help you adapt. Most of the apex powerhouses out in the sea are capable of using Conqueror's Haki, so you need to hone your skills to such a degree that you can challenge them without faltering in the future." After gauging both our skills, Garp had decided to let Kuzan experience clashes of the highest degree.
"Yes, sensei. I am looking forward to the training," Kuzan replied, a mixture of terror and excitement evident in his voice. The current Kuzan was altogether a different beast from the one in canon; my presence in this world had changed Kuzan's growth trajectory, and this might have a huge impact in the future.
"So tell me, kid, how much detail about Haki training have you shared with your brother?" Garp knew all of my actions, and he had not put any restrictions on me sharing my Haki experiences with my brother Doffy. I knew that although he said he didn't care about my other life, he used his own sources to occasionally keep track of my brother and the Donquixote family.
"Well, I have shared almost everything you have taught me about Haki, but honestly, I wish you could help them with training so they can grow faster." I couldn't help but share the truth jokingly, knowing that lying to the man was of no use, and he had kept all his words, so I had no issues telling him the truth.
"Brat, are you looking for death? You want me, a Marine, to train a bunch of pirates?" Garp couldn't help but flare in anger, grabbing my head with his huge fist.
"Come now, Garp-sensei; you are training me, aren't you? And you should know I am Donquixote too. And remember, you are not to go after my family " I couldn't help but jest, trying to lighten the mood.
"Remember, kid, you have promised me never to quit the Marines as long as I let you," Garp said while shaking me around like a rag doll, and he knew back then when I had put forth the conditions I had left a loophole so as to keep Garp of my families back just in case because my family were villains after all.
"Yes, yes, Garp-sensei, put me down. I know my promise, so you don't have to remind me. Let go; it hurts," I grunted, still recovering from the fight with Kuzan. Garp's grip felt like being pressed down by a mountain, and it simply hurt like hell, even though I had a monstrous physique.
After shaking me around for a few more moments, he dropped me and reached into his Marine coat, taking out a few bounty posters.
My heart skipped a beat as Garp reached into his coat and pulled out a set of bounty posters. My eyes widened in disbelief as I saw the faces of my family members staring back at me from the paper.
"These are the bounties of the Donquixote Pirates," Garp stated matter-of-factly, laying the posters out on the ground beside the others. "Your brother, Doflamingo, and his top cadres."
Kuzan leaned in for a closer look, his expression unreadable. "They have quite the reputation," he commented, his voice neutral but tinged with curiosity.
The bounty posters displayed the faces of Doffy, Diamante, Pica, and Senor. Despite my efforts to hide it, a flicker of delight danced across my face as I took in the sight. However, I quickly composed myself, my expression becoming neutral once more.
My face twitched slightly as I noted the meager bounties assigned to my brother and his top cadres. Doffy's bounty poster, in particular, caught my attention; it bore the words "Only Alive" and listed a reward of a mere 15 million Belly. It was clear that my family had been active since establishing the weapons factory, but their bounties did not reflect the extent of their influence.
Carefully, I collected all four posters, examining them once again. The highest bounty among them was a modest 24 million Belly, assigned to Diamante. It was a surprising revelation, considering the alarming growth of the Donquixote Pirates.
As I reflected on the modest bounties of my brother and his cadres, a sense of perspective washed over me. Despite their rapid expansion, the Donquixote Family's influence remained confined to North Blue for the time being. Considering it had only been a year since their establishment, such bounties were to be expected.
Furthermore, I reminded myself that Doffy, despite being the head of the family, was only twelve years old. His young age likely played a significant role in the relatively low bounties assigned to him and his cohorts. It was a reminder that their journey to infamy was still in its early stages, and much lay ahead in terms of growth and notoriety.
"Garp Sensei, may I ask why you've brought out these bounty posters?" I inquired, wanting to understand his intention behind showing them to me. While I knew he might be trying to look out for me in his own way by informing me about my family, his motives remained unclear.
"Drop that smirk, kid. I only showed them to you so you understand the path you shouldn't tread," Garp retorted, his tone stern. Both Kuzan and I exchanged knowing looks, amused by Garp's attempt at imparting wisdom. If he truly wanted to dissuade me from following in my family's footsteps, showing me the bounty posters seemed counterintuitive.