"By the way, what's this Haki you just mentioned? I've never heard of it!" Rebecca asked curiously.
"Haki, huh? I only know a little about it. I'm not sure how to train it. We'll probably only be able to learn it systematically once we join the Marine," Vik sighed.
This was something he really wanted to master, but at this stage, no one had given him the key to unlock it. Vik thought of the former Admiral Zephyr; he figured his key would probably come from him.
"Vik, just tell me what you know," Rebecca said, a little playfully.
"Alright, then I'll tell you."
"Haki is divided into three types: Conqueror's Haki, which is used to intimidate people; Armament Haki, for attack and defense; and Observation Haki, for sensing presence."
"Conqueror's Haki appears in only one out of millions of people; it's the Aptitude of a king, not something ordinary people possess. When used, those with weak willpower will be unable to withstand it and will faint. Among the Marine, only the current Admiral Sengoku has it, but there are many pirates who do."
"I suspect that within the Marine, due to the hierarchical structure and the need to follow orders, individuals who are self-important and fearless are rare. I believe there are many with this Aptitude in the Marine, but it's difficult for them to Awaken it."
"Armament Haki and Observation Haki are abilities that everyone possesses, but most people struggle to Awaken them throughout their lives. However, a small number of exceptionally gifted individuals can Awaken Haki naturally, and even many animals can Awaken Haki through training. So, as long as we train hard, we can definitely Awaken it."
"Armament Haki is a means of attack and defense. It can transform into an armor-like shield, protecting the entire body and making it impervious to blades and bullets. It can also be imbued into fists, swords, and other weapons to attack enemies with immense power. At its highest level, it can even cause internal damage. This is a flowing Haki, also known as Ryuo in Wano Country."
"What about Observation Haki?" Rebecca asked excitedly.
"Observation Haki has many functions. It can be used to scout the number of enemies, their strength, and their distribution, like a map appearing in your mind. Where people are, how many there are, all can be marked on this map."
"It can also predict other people's next moves and attacks. At its highest level, this can even allow you to see into the future. How far into the future depends on the level of training."
"Then there's one more type, which allows you to see other people's memories. This is truly terrifying. This type of Observation Haki is the rarest, even more so than Haoshoku." Vik was very envious of this type of Observation Haki, which could perceive other people's brainwaves.
"This is a brief introduction to the three types of Haki. Just get a general understanding, and we'll learn it systematically when we get to the Marine."
Rebecca listened, dazzled, her eyes full of adoration.
"Vik, I must learn all three types of Haki!!!" Rebecca declared firmly.
"With your Aptitude and my training, Observation Haki and Armament Haki won't be a problem."
"But Haoshoku will depend on Opportunity. Don't think too much about it for now; spend more time on training. From my insights over the past few months, I suspect that the stronger your body is trained, the higher the chance of Awakening Haki."
"So, before becoming a Marine, we should train our bodies as strong as possible, which will save us time when we start learning Haki."
"Okay!" Rebecca agreed, then began dragging the giant river horse beast's corpse towards the edge of the forest.
They would keep enough meat for two days, and the rest would be taken to town to sell. The two planned to save more money to forge their own swords with good Materials, so the animals in the forest were in for a tough time.
...
One day, Vik was moving cargo at the dock. As he walked from the dock onto the ship, he inadvertently spotted a black dot on the distant sea. He didn't pay much attention, thinking it was a merchant ship. After two more trips back to the ship, he looked again at the approaching vessel.
It was a pirate ship, with a never-before-seen pirate flag on its sail. Vik narrowed his eyes, a cold smile playing on his lips.
The people on the ship didn't notice, still chatting among themselves.
"I say, Huzai, you're not getting any younger; it's time to find a wife. The taste of a woman, tsk tsk tsk... Hahaha."
The young man he was talking to blushed.
"The sea hasn't been peaceful lately; quite a few pirates have appeared."
"Yeah, I heard there's a pirate who can breathe fire."
"Really? Is that true?"
"Of course it's true! My wife's uncle's neighbor's third child's aunt's cousin's husband said so. He's a seafarer and has a lot of news."
"Have you seen the newspaper? The legendary pirate Golden Lion caused a ruckus at Marineford. The Marineford building even collapsed. In the end, it took both Navy Hero Garp and Admiral Sengoku to capture him. He's now imprisoned in the underwater great prison."
"Really? Is Golden Lion that powerful? Navy Hero Garp is from our East Blue, right? So strong!"
"..."
"Everyone, stop for a moment, I have something to say!" Vik shouted loudly, his voice carrying strongly.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at Vik. Captain Buck came over to Vik, asking suspiciously, "Vik, what's wrong? Do you have something to say?"
Captain Buck greatly admired Vik. He was a regular at this dock, and Vik handled the heaviest loads for him. He was always the one who moved the most cargo. A child with more strength than professional adult porters, Vik always took on the heavy and tiring work, and he never complained or asked for more money.
What Buck didn't know was that Vik wasn't actually doing it for the money; he was purely doing the heavy and tiring work to train himself. He even wore extra weights, thinking the cargo wasn't heavy enough. If the Captain knew, he'd surely be shocked.
Vik pointed his hand towards the large black dot in the distance and said seriously, "See that black dot? That's a pirate ship, and it's headed for this island. Everyone, prepare to run for your lives!"
After hearing Vik's words, the porters nearby instantly erupted in panic.
These porters were different from the Captain and others on the ship; they were residents of the town, and the tragic scene from half a year ago was still vivid in their memories.
"No way, it's just a black dot right now. How do we know it's a pirate ship?" The cargo hadn't been fully unloaded, and the Captain sounded a bit reluctant.
"Uncle Buck, my eyesight is much better than most people's. I've already seen the pirate flag on the ship."
"Everyone, hurry and escape. Pirates kill people. It's not worth risking your lives for some cargo. Abandon the ship and hide on the island for now."
The porters on the dock had already packed their things and were preparing to flee. Seeing the panicked crowd, Vik shouted loudly, "Quiet!"
"Everyone, listen to me. Brother Ada, you're the fastest runner. Go find the town mayor immediately and have him bring the security team here for support." Vik said, looking at a tall, thin young man in the crowd.
"Okay, I'll go right away." Ada said, then turned and ran off quickly, his long legs blurring into a phantom.
After instructing Ada, Vik looked at a small, half-grown boy in the crowd and said, "Angus, hurry to the forest and find Rebecca. You know the place. Tell her to bring my sword and come to the dock immediately. Tell her pirates are coming."
Angus's spirits lifted: "I know where it is, I'll go right away."
He knew how powerful Vik and Rebecca were. He had personally seen Vik and Rebecca hunting in the forest. Angus thought, if even such powerful beasts were no match, then pirates shouldn't be a problem either.
Seeing Angus run off, Vik then addressed the crowd, "See the stones over there? Each of you go grab a few, preferably pineapple-sized and round." Vik pointed to the rocky beach by the dock. "After you've moved the stones, go back to town and spread the news about the pirates. Tell everyone to hide in the forest. You are many, so spread out and notify by area; that's the fastest way."
The porters were a bit confused by Vik's words. Pirates were almost here, and he still had time to move stones.
However, seeing Vik's orderly command, he exuded a leader's aura, and they instinctively followed his instructions.
Seeing everyone busy, he turned to the Captain and said, "Uncle Buck, do you have cannons on your ship?"
The Captain was in the midst of an intense internal struggle: whether to abandon the ship and flee, or sail away and flee. If he abandoned the ship, it would be in danger. If he sailed away, he was afraid the pirates would chase and plunder it.
He hadn't heard what Vik said at all, so Vik repeated it before he understood.
"Yes, yes, we also fear pirate robbery when trading at sea, so our ships have cannons, but we rarely use them," Captain Buck replied.
"In that case, Uncle Buck, have your sailors push all the cannons onto the deck, then leave two people to load them, and everyone else can escape. I'll defend against the pirates here," Vik said calmly.
The Captain looked deeply at Vik: "Alright, then I'll leave this to you."
"Ada, you and Bolton stay and help Brother Vik. Everyone else, come with me." Buck said to two tall, dark, bearded men.
Then he said to Vik, "They've killed pirates before; they can help you." With that, he led a group of people away with their weapons. Vik didn't reply, only nodded solemnly.