Chapter 21 — Personally Trained: The Fist of Love!
Bogard couldn't quite believe that Yuichiro had actually mastered Observation Haki. To be sure, he made Yuichiro take off his blindfold and put it on himself, testing it carefully. After confirming he truly couldn't see anything, he returned to Yuichiro's side and personally tied the cloth back over the young man's eyes.
"Let's try again."
"Be ready."
For some reason, a spark of competitiveness welled up in Bogard's chest. Once the blindfold was secured, he raised his bamboo sword.
Soru!
In the blink of an eye, Bogard's figure vanished from in front of Yuichiro. When he reappeared, he was already at Yuichiro's side, his bamboo blade cutting silently toward the boy's shoulder.
He deliberately avoided attacking from behind — Bogard knew that some warriors possessed especially sharp senses for threats from their front and rear. Striking from the side, though, often caught them off guard.
Clack!
Even so, Yuichiro reacted the moment Bogard used Soru. His bamboo sword moved with perfect precision, catching Bogard's attack between the crossed blades — and then counterattacked! While holding Bogard's weapon at bay, Yuichiro lifted his leg and kicked sharply toward the officer's waist.
He hadn't just sensed the strike; he'd pinpointed Bogard's position and launched a perfect counter.
Thud!
Bogard hadn't expected Yuichiro, blindfolded as he was, to counterattack at all. Caught off guard, he took the kick full on the side and skidded several meters before regaining his balance.
Yuichiro frowned slightly. That kick had felt like hitting solid iron — Bogard had clearly activated Tekkai at the last instant.
"Unbelievable… this kid can actually sense me!"
Shock flooded Bogard's heart. He was now completely certain — Yuichiro could perceive his movements. Unable to suppress his curiosity, he finally asked:
"Have you trained in Observation Haki before?!"
Yuichiro shook his head. "No… I can simply feel your ki."
The ki he spoke of was the life energy of the Demon Slayer world — not that "three-stage fighting power" nonsense.
In that world, every living being possessed ki. The stronger the person, the fiercer their aura. Yuichiro, who had long since entered the realm of the Transparent World, could sense this energy clearly. Only those who attained a state of complete selflessness could erase their ki entirely.
When Yuichiro slew Muzan, the demon had failed to sense any ki from him at all — assuming he was just an ordinary man. That was when Muzan uttered words strikingly similar to a certain bandit king's: "A Pillar, is it? I've no interest in weaklings like you."
He realized too late just how terribly wrong he'd been.
Though this was a different world, some principles remained universal. All humans breathe. And the breath of a powerful warrior carries a presence far stronger than that of any ordinary man.
To Yuichiro, Bogard's presence was like a brilliant star shining in the night sky — impossible to miss. Even the two "suns and moons" standing watch on the lookout tower were vividly distinct to his senses.
"So he can sense 'ki', huh…"
Bogard didn't fully understand what Yuichiro meant, but he gathered enough from context — the boy could indeed perceive something that let him predict attacks. The training had achieved its purpose.
Continuing further would be meaningless.
Bogard wasn't sure whether this counted as mastering Observation Haki, but since Yuichiro could track his every movement, the result was the same.
That left him uncertain of what to do next. Skip Observation and move straight to Armament Haki? That felt far too soon — he hadn't even planned how to begin teaching it yet.
"Hahahahaha!"
"You really are full of surprises, kid!"
"Bogard, let me take over from here."
A booming laugh rang out behind him. Garp strode over, grinning from ear to ear, and clapped a massive hand on Yuichiro's shoulder.
Yuichiro removed his blindfold and smiled shyly up at him.
"Don't take it off yet!"
"The training isn't over!"
Garp patted him again, laughing heartily. Hearing that tone, Aokiji's eyelid twitched involuntarily — a shiver of unpleasant memory passing through him. He silently offered a prayer for the poor boy's well-being.
"All right, kid! Next up, I'll be your opponent. You'd better dodge well!"
As he spoke, Garp's aura shifted completely. In Yuichiro's perception, the man's ki vanished — utterly gone.
"!!"
Yuichiro had just enough time to register his astonishment before a violent gust struck him head-on.
A split second later, Garp's fist crashed down squarely on top of his head, sending him stumbling forward and nearly sprawling to the deck.
"So it's not Observation Haki after all… he's predicting attacks through an opponent's presence alone."
"The instinct of a true swordsman, huh?"
Garp grinned broadly, already seeing through the situation. In this vast sea, there were indeed swordsmen capable of sensing their opponents' intent to kill — perceiving killing intent, breath, or shifts in aura to read their movements.
But that, he knew, was not the same thing as Observation Haki.
At its peak, Observation Haki could cover an entire island in an instant like Rayleigh's, or glimpse several seconds into the future like Katakuri's. What Yuichiro possessed right now, however, was something else entirely — a refined instinct, not Haki.
"Heh heh heh," Garp chuckled, his grin widening. "I think I get how you're sensing your opponent's attacks now."
"But against me, that won't do you any good."
"If you don't learn proper Observation Haki soon, you're gonna suffer for it!"
The last word barely left his mouth before Garp stepped in and threw a heavy punch toward Yuichiro's chest. The rushing wind of the blow let Yuichiro catch the direction just in time; his bamboo sword shifted horizontally to block.
Crack!
The bamboo split instantly under the sheer force. Garp's fist slammed straight into Yuichiro's chest, sending him flying across the deck.
Thud!
He skidded several meters before crashing down, the loud impact drawing curious glances from nearby sailors.
Yuichiro scrambled up quickly. He'd used Tekkai at the last second, but even so, pain flared sharply through his chest. Every breath burned with a dull, suffocating ache.
"Oh, right," Garp said suddenly, as if just remembering something.
"While you're training Observation Haki, you'll also be working on Armament Haki."
"Armament Haki strengthens your body — makes you tougher, harder to break."
"So, use your 'senses' to find traces of my Armament Haki. Learn it. Awaken your own."
"Then—" Garp cracked his knuckles, grinning wickedly. "—take my punches head-on!"
"If you don't master it quickly, you won't last long!"
Garp's laughter rolled across the deck as he clenched both fists.
Yuichiro knew Garp was holding back, but that didn't make the blows any less painful. He hadn't felt pain like this in years. A clean knockout would have been merciful — staying conscious through every hit, though, that was agony.
"As expected of one of the sea's top warriors," Yuichiro thought grimly. "He's achieved the state of selflessness — completely masking his presence even as he attacks."
"If I'm to dodge Vice Admiral Garp's strikes, I'll need another method entirely."
"Observation Haki… Armament Haki…"
"I will master them both!"
He tossed aside the broken bamboo sword and raised his guard again. For this kind of training, a blade made no difference.
Bang!
Thud!
"Hahahahaha! Not bad, brat!"
"Those hits of yours—are you trying to scratch me?!"
Garp's booming laughter echoed across the deck, mingling with the rhythmic thuds of Yuichiro being sent sprawling again and again.
The old hero clearly enjoyed this — mentoring the younger generation with his trademark "Fist of Love." His grin never left his face.
Aokiji watched for a while before sighing and shaking his head, slipping into the cabin to find the ship's doctor and tell him to prepare medicine.
Bogard, after observing for a bit longer, quietly went below deck to handle the ship's engines, freeing Garp to "focus entirely" on his… instruction.
By the time afternoon rolled around, Yuichiro was finally managing to evade a few of Garp's punches — and more importantly, he could faintly feel the presence of Armament Haki within himself.
It was weak, still forming, but undeniably there. Tentatively, he began channeling it into his defenses.
As for attacking? With his eyes covered and body aching all over, Yuichiro could barely do more than withstand the onslaught for now.
Still, Garp noticed the change — and his grin only grew wider, his laughter louder and more unrestrained.
"What terrifying talent! Truly terrifying!"
"Ahahahahaha!"
(End of Chapter)
20 Powerstones= 1 extra chapter
50 powerstones= another extra chapter.
Let's do this guys!!!