After changing into fresh clothes, Luffy headed to the mess hall, mentally listing out his goals for the day:
Practicing and deepening his understanding of Armament Haki.
Training his skill in Paper Art (Kami-e).
Joining the pirates' hellish boot camp, maybe?
Drawing and literacy practice.
As he sipped his milk and dug into bread and meat, Uta joined him, looking cheerful as she selected the same breakfast and sat beside him.
"Good morning, Luffy."
"Good morning, Uta."
Hearing her voice melted a bit of Luffy's resolve. He had planned to teach her a lesson today, but her sweet voice quickly softened his mood. It was hard to stay mad.
"Today, I'm going to the palace for music lessons! The king said my voice sounds like it's from another world!" Uta's "bunny ears" of braided hair perked up.
"Wow, congratulations! I managed to awaken Armament Haki, too." Luffy raised his right fist, where a faint, invisible flow of energy gathered.
"Doesn't look like much." Uta eyed his hand, poking at his fist curiously.
"It's still pretty weak. Once it gets stronger, you'll be able to see it with your eyes," one of the older pirates explained, flexing his massive, blackened fist to demonstrate. The stark black color indicated his mastery over a higher level of Armament Haki.
"That's so cool." Uta marveled at the pirate's fist, the strength of which even Shanks hadn't shown her before.
The morning passed with Uta singing for everyone, while Luffy bobbed his head to the beat. The pirates cheered and tapped their chopsticks in time, filling the room with laughter. Shanks observed Uta's progress with pride, quietly puffing on a cigarette.
---
Soon after, Luffy found himself in the palace gardens, eager to test his newly developed Armament Haki.
He felt the invisible energy circulating within him, focusing it in his fist. He approached a towering tree, pressing his fingers against its trunk, then channeled his energy forward with a burst of force. His fist pierced through the tree effortlessly, feeling neither pain nor recoil.
This power… it's incredible!
Excited, he grabbed his Den Den Mushi and called his grandfather. The line buzzed a few times before connecting, but the voice on the other end wasn't Garp's.
"Luffy, what's up?" It was Sengoku, sounding slightly exasperated.
"Grandpa forgot his Den Den Mushi again, didn't he?"
"Yeah, he's probably sleeping somewhere. What do you need?"
"Grandpa Sengoku! How do I use Armament Haki to its fullest?" Luffy didn't mind who he was asking, as long as they were strong enough to help.
Sengoku paused, taken aback by the simplicity of the question. "Armament Haki is a rare power, you know… It's simple in concept but difficult to master," he explained. "The basics are straightforward. You can coat your body to make it nearly invulnerable, or cover your weapon for extra durability and increased attack power—like the warriors of Amazon Lily."
He paused before adding, "Then there's advanced usage, like Emission and Internal Destruction."
"Emission lets you release Haki beyond your body, but maintaining it outside of yourself is hard; it disperses quickly in open air," Sengoku said. "Internal Destruction, though, is the real challenge. It involves bypassing an object's exterior to damage it from within, but that takes incredibly precise control. Try practicing on an apple—if you can damage the inside without harming the skin, you'll know you're on the right track."
"Got it!" Luffy replied, not fully understanding but eager to try. He ended the call quickly, hoping to get started before Sengoku could ask him about his whereabouts.
He decided to attempt Emission first. Luffy concentrated, gathering a small bit of Haki onto his fingernail, flicking it with the intent to project it outward, but the energy remained in place. How can I get it to leave my body?
Luffy pulled out his pistol, channeling his Haki into it. He felt the Haki flow through the gun, knowing it was now part of him, yet also aware of how it began to dissipate in the open air.
Aiming at a nearby tree, he fired a Haki-infused bullet. It shot through the tree trunk, leaving a small hole behind. Through that hole, he could see the trees beyond it.
"It went through four trees… stopped in the fifth," he muttered, tracing the bullet's trajectory. Walking closer, he found the bullet embedded in the fifth tree, still smoking.
That was… amazing! The Haki had strengthened the bullet, allowing it to penetrate much further than it would normally. His own strength extended into the shot, giving him a strange sensation of unity with the bullet.
"What are you doing, firing that thing around here, Luffy? That's dangerous!" A nearby soldier rushed over, clearly worried.
"Alright, alright…" Luffy sighed, reluctantly stowing away the pistol.
The soldier then noticed the tree with the hole. "Did you… do this, Luffy?" He gasped, inspecting the damage. The hole was clean and sharp, but big enough to make him wary of Luffy's strength.
"Thanks for not killing me!" the sol
dier laughed nervously, pulling Luffy into a quick embrace, clearly shaken.
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