"The essence of cutting steel lies in sensing the 'breath of all things' and transmitting one's own will into the blade."
'This concept is practically knocking on the door of Observation and Armament Haki,' Bardock thought, looking down at his sword. 'As long as you know the theory, you can easily awaken both types of Haki on the spot. Like this.'
Bardock raised his sword horizontally across his chest with his right hand. After concentrating for a moment, an invisible force coiled tightly around the steel. In the words of Shanks and Rayleigh, this was an "invisible armor," but Bardock could perceive it clearly. It didn't just protect the sword from damage; it drastically amplified its offensive power.
Truthfully, Roronoa Zoro had actually met all the conditions to awaken Haki during his fight in Alabasta. However, Koshiro had never taught him about the advanced stages of Haki, which was why Zoro hadn't taken that final leap back then.
Recalling Dracule Mihawk's signature slashing motion, Bardock swung his sword horizontally through the air. A massive, crescent-shaped flying slash shot out diagonally, effortlessly slicing the ruined building in front of him neatly into top and bottom halves.
"A Flying Slash! The destructive power is way higher than a Rankyaku, and the range is far superior. I guess I'm officially a Master Swordsman now," Bardock grinned.
'But Armament Haki isn't just for weapons. It can coat the body, too.'
The severed upper half of the ruined building began sliding off its base, plummeting straight toward Bardock. Coating his left fist in Armament Haki, he unleashed a full-power punch, completely obliterating the massive chunk of concrete into a shower of pebbles and dust.
Cough! Cough!
Amidst the billowing dust cloud, Bardock waved his hand, spitting out a mouthful of grit. 'Note to self: don't do something that stupid again. I just inhaled half a building for absolutely no reason.'
"Alright, let's test out Observation Haki next."
Bardock closed his eyes, calmed his mind, and projected his senses outward.
"Uh-oh. This is bad. Daz Bonez is about to kick the bucket."
It turned out that Daz Bonez had fainted from massive blood loss the moment he was cut. Normally, an injury like that wouldn't actually kill a major fighter in the One Piece world. Zoro had survived wounds like that multiple times, and Usopp had endured far worse only to bounce back as a brave warrior of the sea three days later.
However, when Bardock shattered the falling building, a massive pile of rubble had rained down directly on top of the unconscious bounty hunter. To make matters worse, since Bonez was out cold, his Dice-Dice Fruit powers had automatically deactivated. Stripped of his steel body, he had nearly been crushed to death by the falling debris.
Massive blood loss plus being crushed by concrete? Yeah, he was definitely knocking on death's door.
Bardock frantically dug him out of the rubble, pulled out a handful of Blood Dandelions, and pressed them directly into the bounty hunter's various lacerations before shoving one into his mouth for good measure.
"As expected of the Heal-Heal Fruit. It really can bring someone back from the brink of death instantly," Bardock sighed in relief as the wounds knitted themselves shut. "You're incredibly lucky you ran into me, man."
It was a good thing Daz Bonez was still unconscious. If he had been awake to hear that, he definitely would have thrown a few Atomic Slashes at Bardock's face. Who was the one that nearly killed him in the first place?!
'Who am I? Where am I? What just happened?'
Those were the first three questions that drifted through Daz Bonez's mind as he slowly regained consciousness. Then, the memories hit him like a freight train. He had been defeated. A swordsman had effortlessly cut open his unbreakable steel body. He had become someone else's stepping stone on the path to becoming a Master Swordsman.
He reached up and rubbed his chest where the killing blow had struck. The skin was completely smooth. There was no blood, no pain, not even a scar. It felt like it had all been a bizarre dream.
"How long are you going to lie there?"
Bardock was sitting on a piece of rubble nearby, resting his chin on his hand. Seeing Bonez wake up but refuse to get off the ground—just patting his own chest in confusion—Bardock couldn't help but speak up.
"You?!" Daz Bonez bolted upright, staring at the boy. "So it wasn't a dream. I really did lose. You cut through my steel body... but how did my wound disappear?!"
"I used a miracle medicine on you, of course," Bardock said, pulling out a glowing Blood Dandelion and holding it up like an infomercial host. "The Blood Dandelion! One pill clears all wounds, two pills refresh the mind, and three pills banish fatigue! It's the absolute must-have miracle drug for home living, travel, and maritime adventures!"
Daz Bonez stared at him, utterly speechless. After a long moment of silence, he finally asked, "Why did you save me? A medicine like that must be unimaginably precious."
"It is. An ordinary person wouldn't even see half a petal in their entire lifetime, and not even the Celestial Dragons have access to it. Fortunately, I happen to have quite a few on hand. As for why I saved you... I think you're pretty capable. I want you to join my crew and become my comrade."
Bardock didn't just have "quite a few" on hand; he practically had an infinite supply. As long as he kept donating blood and Mansherry had the time, she could probably hand one out to every single pirate in the West Blue. But that didn't make its life-saving properties any less miraculous.
Daz Bonez nodded slowly, processing the offer. "Join your crew? Are you pirates?"
"No. At least, not right now," Bardock shook his head. "Allow me to formally introduce myself. I'm Bardock. Currently, I'm the captain of an adventuring crew. Our goal is to freely explore the seas. Eventually, we'll enter the Grand Line and head straight into the New World.
"Along the way, we're definitely going to clash with all sorts of monsters, and there's a very high chance we'll end up crossing the World Government's bottom line and getting massive bounties placed on our heads. So, I can only say that we aren't pirates yet."
Daz Bonez stared into Bardock's golden eyes. "I'll join you. It doesn't matter to me if we become pirates; I'm getting sick of the bounty hunting business anyway. But I have one condition." His gaze hardened. "I want you to teach me how to cut steel. Exactly like you did to me."
"Cut steel? Of course! I can even teach you how to awaken Haki—Armament Haki to drastically enhance your defense and attack power, and Observation Haki to grant you superhuman perception."
Bardock didn't mind the condition in the slightest. The moment someone stepped onto his ship, he would do everything in his power to maximize their combat potential. Even if Bonez hadn't asked, Bardock would have forced him to learn Haki. After all, his role on the ship was the exact same as Leo's: frontline combatant.
"Haki?" Bonez frowned slightly. "How does that compare to cutting steel?"
Growing up in the West Blue, Daz Bonez had never encountered a true master of the New World who had awakened Haki. To him, the ability to effortlessly cut steel was the absolute pinnacle of strength.
"Want to find out? I won't even use my sword this time."
Bardock placed 'White Iron' onto the rock next to him and walked out into the open street, stopping a few feet away from the bounty hunter.
"You asked for it!" Bonez snarled, his competitive spirit flaring. "Spar Claw!"
Daz Bonez instantly launched a blindingly fast assault. His fingers, palms, forearms, and shins shifted seamlessly into razor-sharp blades as he relentlessly attacked Bardock from every conceivable angle.
He was actually fighting far more aggressively than he had during their previous clash. But almost immediately, he noticed something terrifying. Earlier, when Bardock was holding a sword, he had been forced to actively parry Bonez's strikes or use his explosive speed to retreat out of range.
Now? Bardock wasn't counterattacking at all, nor was he retreating. He was simply weaving and dodging within a space no larger than a single square meter. Yet, he effortlessly evaded every single lethal slash. Sometimes Bardock even casually turned his back, only to tilt his head at the exact millimeter needed to let a blade whistle harmlessly past his ear.
Bonez finally stopped his assault, breathing heavily. Recalling Bardock's earlier words, he asked, "Is that the perception-enhancing 'Observation Haki'?"
"Exactly," Bardock grinned. "And next up is the defense and attack-enhancing Armament Haki. Shigan (Finger Pistol)!"
Bardock knew that even with Armament Haki, a standard physical punch might not inflict critical damage on a steel body. That wouldn't do; he needed to imprint the absolute invincibility of Haki into Bonez's mind. So, he coated his right index finger in black Armament Haki and prepared to execute the Rokushiki assassination technique.
"Steel Body!"
Having witnessed the absurdity of Observation Haki, Bonez didn't doubt Bardock's words. He pushed his Devil Fruit to its absolute breaking point, hardening his body far beyond the density of standard steel.
Thwack!
Meeting almost zero resistance, Bardock's Haki-coated finger punched a clean, bloody hole straight into Daz Bonez's shoulder.
Combining the piercing power of Shigan, the indestructible force of Armament Haki, and the esoteric technique of feeling the "breath of all things," the result was completely inevitable.
Yet, instead of crying out in pain, Daz Bonez looked down at his bleeding shoulder with an expression of sheer, unadulterated joy. He dropped to one knee, bowing his head in absolute reverence.
"Boss. Daz Bonez is at your service."