Chapter 30 – The Path Ahead!
Just as Casper Lyman was feeling pleased with himself for cutting down two cannonballs, he suddenly noticed a figure standing at the prow of the rapidly approaching Dog-Head Battleship.
It was a young man.
He wore a long sword at his waist, its black scabbard gleaming under the sunlight. His robes billowed lightly in the sea breeze, and his long crimson hair danced wildly behind him.
As the battleship drew closer, the red-haired youth slowly unsheathed his blade, expression calm and unreadable. His eyes fixed on the pirate ship ahead as he raised his sword.
"Huh?"
"What's that kid doing? Is he one of the navy too?"
Casper Lyman frowned in confusion—but in the next instant, that confusion turned into raw terror.
The red-haired youth on the navy ship suddenly swung his sword in midair, even though the two ships were still nearly twenty meters apart. The next moment, the sea before the battleship split apart with a deafening roar as an invisible slash tore across the water, sending up towering waves as it streaked toward the pirates.
Whoosh!
In the blink of an eye, the fierce slash struck the pirate vessel with a faint, almost delicate sound.
A heartbeat later, the attack burst clean through the ship—entering from the stern and slicing straight through to the bow.
"What… what just happened?!" Lyman could see no slash, only that the waves had suddenly stilled. A chill crept up his spine.
And then—before his mind could grasp what was happening—his massive ship, large enough to hold hundreds of men, began to split apart from the middle. Within seconds, the deck buckled, timbers cracked, and seawater poured into the hull. In less than ten seconds, the proud pirate ship was cleaved clean in two, both halves sinking rapidly into the depths.
"Wh-What the hell is this?!"
Eyes wide with horror, Casper Lyman could only watch as the Dog-Head Battleship plowed forward without slowing. Its iron ram crashed through the drifting wreckage and emerged from the other side, not even pausing as it left the pirates behind.
His ship—his entire crew—were like garbage kicked aside from the path of a passing giant. And not a single soul aboard the navy ship even bothered to glance back.
Within moments, the battleship had vanished from Lyman's sight.
The swirling vortex created by the sinking wreck pulled Lyman and his screaming crew down into the depths. Against the might of the sea, they were powerless.
For a long time, the only sound on the ocean was the pirates' fading cries.
Minutes passed. The wind blew softly again. The sea returned to stillness, with only a few scattered planks bobbing on the waves—silent remnants of the despair that had unfolded there.
"Whoa~~"
"What a strike! That ship was massive, and he cut it clean through in one blow!"
"Brother Yoriichi, you're incredible! With power like that, if you don't at least make it to Vice Admiral someday, I'll be the first to object!"
"That's right! Even the rear admirals at Headquarters couldn't pull off something like that!"
On the Dog-Head Battleship, the deck erupted with cheers. The marines crowded around Yoriichi Tsugikuni, their faces full of awe and excitement.
Standing off to the side, Aokiji watched quietly, unable to help feeling a little amazed himself.
Who could have imagined it? It had been just over a month since Garp brought Yoriichi out to sea—and already, he'd grown this strong.
If Aokiji remembered correctly, when they'd first set sail, Yoriichi couldn't even launch a flying slash.
Now, barely a month later, his sword strikes could split a pirate ship hundreds of meters long clean in two.
During the voyage from G-10 Base to Dressrosa, they'd run into more than a few pirates. And every time, Yoriichi and Aokiji had been more than enough—Garp never even needed to step in.
At first, whenever they encountered an enemy ship, Aokiji would freeze the surrounding sea, trapping the pirates in place. Then, after a round of cannon fire, Yoriichi and the marines would charge across the frozen surface to fight at close range.
But after only a week, their tactics changed.
Aokiji stopped freezing the sea entirely. Instead, whenever they found pirates, Yoriichi would use Moonwalk, soaring through the air to close the distance and take the fight directly to the enemy vessel.
Another week passed, and Yoriichi's combat style evolved once more.
Now, when they spotted a pirate ship, the Dog-Head Battleship didn't even need to fire. As soon as they were within a few dozen meters, Yoriichi would simply swing his blade—sending a flying slash that crippled the enemy ship in an instant.
And with each battle, his slashes only grew more terrifying.
Just a few days ago, he had cut apart a massive ship over a hundred meters long as easily as slicing through paper.
From then on, Garp's battleship began moving faster than ever.
When pirate ships appeared in their path, there was no need to stop, no need for cannon fire, no need for boarding.
They would simply charge straight ahead—
and when the ships drew near, Yoriichi Tsugikuni would clear the way.
From the deck, Aokiji watched as Yoriichi Tsugikuni's strength grew at a staggering pace.
Over this period, Yoriichi had advanced to the point where his Armament Haki could now coat not only his blade, but his entire right arm as well.
It was precisely this progress that made his strikes so terrifyingly powerful.
As had been mentioned before, when Armament Haki coats the body, it amplifies both strength and defense — and more importantly, allows the user to strike the true body of a Logia-type Devil Fruit user.
At first, Yoriichi's Haki could only cling to his weapon, hardening and sharpening it so he could land blows even on Aokiji.
But now, with both his arm and sword enveloped, his physical strength and cutting power had increased in tandem.
The synergy of muscle and steel brought his slashes to their current, fearsome level.
By this stage, Yoriichi had truly entered the hall of mastery in Armament Haki.
But the next step forward would not be so easy.
Even if he eventually learned to cover his entire body in Haki, the improvement in his slashes would be limited.
To achieve a true leap in power — a qualitative transformation — he would need to enhance not the range of his Haki, but its density, its inner strength.
Expanding its coverage further would no longer be meaningful.
After all, even someone like Vergo, who could coat his whole body, had still been sliced apart by Law's ability.
That outcome served as a constant warning to Yoriichi: Haki without substance was worthless.
Yet enhancing the amplification of Armament Haki was no easy feat.
Garp actually knew a method to train that very skill, but since Yoriichi still had room to grow in basic coverage, he didn't rush into the second stage.
For now, his focus was on building Yoriichi's body and expanding the scope of his Haki.
As for what the second stage of training entailed? Garp grinned inwardly.
Simple enough — flatten eight mountains with your bare fists.
That was how he'd trained back in the day — back when he punched open Don Chinjao's skull.
But there was no need to hurry.
Yoriichi's growth had already far surpassed Garp's expectations. In the way of Haki, each step must be firm and steady; only then could one stand among the true elite.
Once Yoriichi reached the limit of his current form, there would be time enough to begin the next phase.
As Garp watched his subordinates surround Yoriichi with cheers and flattery, he strolled over, picking his nose and barking:
"What, none of you have work to do? Quit yapping and get moving!"
"This little bit of strength is nothing — he's still got a long way to go!"
He waved the men away, then turned to Yoriichi, his tone firm but earnest.
"Listen up, brat. Don't let these fools' flattery cloud your head."
"You're still far from being called strong."
"You've got talent — sure — but it's only natural your power shot up after learning the Six Styles and Haki."
"Don't get smug. This is just the beginning."
"Your path is long — and from here on, it only gets steeper. Even you might not reach the summit."
He paused, then smirked.
"But once we get to Dressrosa, you might just see for yourself what a true powerhouse looks like."
Yoriichi listened silently and nodded. He had no illusions about his own limits.
In this world, the ultimate form of strength was Conqueror's Haki infusion — the ability to wield one's will itself as a weapon.
He already stood at the peak of swordsmanship, but to climb higher, he would need something greater — a force that transcended all others.
That was the new goal he had set for himself.
He knew well enough — he had only just begun to walk the path of Haki.
Turning toward the sea, Yoriichi placed both hands on the railing.
The wind whipped through his crimson hair as he gazed into the horizon, eyes filled with quiet anticipation.
"I can't wait…"
"To see him with my own eyes."
"The man who will one day become the Pirate King — Gol D. Roger."
(End of Chapter)
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