A Tenfold Gravity Training Room?
Lucas froze for a moment.
Looking at the item that had emerged from the Silver Treasure Chest within his consciousness, he immediately thought of the gravity chambers from the Dragon Ball world.
They were practically mandatory equipment for every powerhouse.
Without training in a gravity chamber, could anyone really call themselves a true Dragon Ball warrior?
That said...
Compared to the original 100x Gravity Chamber, this version had clearly been toned down.
It only offered 10x gravity.
A mere tenth of the original.
"As expected..."
"You get what you pay for."
Taking a sip of strong liquor, Lucas couldn’t help grumbling.
Still, he quickly adjusted his mindset.
A Silver Treasure Chest costing 1,000,000 System Currency only had a 30% chance of yielding an item from another world.
Getting a Tenfold Gravity Training Room was already a stroke of good luck.
Besides...
Compared to the Dragon Ball universe, the One Piece world wasn’t filled with planet-destroying monsters.
For this world...
Ten times Earth’s gravity was already more than enough.
According to the item’s description, it was an ideal training facility for awakening one’s latent potential and advancing toward true strength.
"Admiral Lucas..."
"Could you teach me how to use Haki?"
Ain’s voice suddenly broke his train of thought.
Leaving the system interface, Lucas looked toward her.
He was a little surprised.
The woman who had been dissatisfied with him ever since they met now wore an expression of stubborn determination.
"You want to learn Haki?"
"You’ve been studying under Old Man Zephyr for years."
"You shouldn’t be unfamiliar with it."
Everyone on deck instinctively looked over.
After witnessing Lucas’s overwhelming Conqueror’s Haki earlier that day...
The word Haki had become the center of everyone’s attention.
"Admiral Lucas..."
Ain unconsciously clenched her fists.
"Instructor Zephyr specializes in physical combat."
"Binz and I have studied under him for ten years."
"We’ve already received instruction on Haki."
"But..."
"Neither of us has ever managed to awaken it."
"So we’ve never been able to begin true Haki training."
She looked directly at Lucas.
"You mastered both Armament Haki and Observation Haki just by seeing them once."
"And your Conqueror’s Haki is unbelievably powerful."
"You must understand Haki better than anyone."
"I hope you’ll give me some guidance."
The urgency in her voice was unmistakable.
Two years had passed since the tragedy during the Marine Recruit Academy exercise.
She had always believed that if she trained hard enough...
She would eventually become strong enough to avenge her fallen comrades.
Strong enough to help Zephyr settle the score.
But after meeting Lucas...
After witnessing his overwhelming strength firsthand...
She finally realized...
Some people simply couldn’t be surpassed through hard work alone.
Rather than stubbornly competing...
She would rather lower her pride and ask for advice.
"Armament and Observation Haki..."
Lucas adjusted his glasses and took another sip of strong liquor.
After a brief silence, he shook his head.
"Colonel Ain."
"It’s not that I don’t want to teach you."
"But all three forms of Haki came naturally to me."
"Old Man Zephyr has served as Chief Instructor of the Marine Recruit Academy for decades."
"There’s probably no one better qualified to teach Haki systematically."
"If you’re looking for structured instruction..."
"My understanding probably isn’t as good as his."
"I’m afraid I’ll disappoint you."
"They came naturally..."
Everyone’s faces twitched once again.
If anyone else had said such a thing...
They would have been ridiculed mercilessly.
But after witnessing Lucas’s absurd Conqueror’s Haki...
No one could argue.
If that wasn’t innate talent...
Then what was?
At least believing he was born that way made everyone feel a little better.
Inside the cabin...
Mr. 1, who had remained silent even when Mr. 2 had attempted a rescue earlier, finally spoke.
"Boss Crocodile..."
"Is mastering Haki really that difficult?"
After suffering such a crushing defeat...
He longed for greater strength more than ever.
"Hmph."
Crocodile snorted disdainfully.
"In the New World, Haki is one of the most important ways for the weak to become strong."
"But awakening it isn’t something just anyone can do."
"The difficulty is so great that even I eventually gave up."
"Otherwise..."
"That Straw Hat brat would’ve never defeated me."
He glanced toward Lucas.
"Still..."
"At least this new Admiral knows his limits."
"The Marines aren’t like pirates."
"They’ve already developed a complete training system."
"Zephyr has served as Chief Instructor for decades."
"When it comes to teaching recruits..."
"There probably aren’t many people on the seas who can match him."
"If this brat had lied just to save face..."
"I would’ve looked down on him."
His words carried clearly across the quiet deck.
Nearby, Spandam nodded repeatedly.
Finally...
He had found something that allowed him to recover a tiny shred of dignity.
"I see..."
Ain forced a bitter smile.
"So even you don’t know how to teach Haki systematically, Admiral Lucas."
"Please don’t misunderstand."
"I’m not questioning your strength."
"I just..."
"I want to become stronger as quickly as possible."
"I want the power to protect the people who need protecting."
"Even if I couldn’t find the answer here..."
"I’m still grateful."
"I’ll continue working hard to awaken Haki."
"If there’s nothing else..."
"I’ll return to my quarters."
After speaking, Ain turned away, her shoulders heavy with disappointment.
Tina and Smoker also fell silent.
They, too, longed to master Haki.
When Ain asked the question...
They had secretly hoped Lucas might possess some special method.
Unfortunately...
The answer was exactly what they had expected.
After all...
If they hadn’t managed to awaken Haki under Zephyr’s expert instruction...
How could they expect a miracle elsewhere?
Watching Ain walk away, Lucas frowned while taking another sip of strong liquor.
Then...
The Tenfold Gravity Training Room suddenly came to mind.
If he remembered correctly...
Its description had mentioned something about awakening dormant potential.
If the system wasn’t playing word games...
Perhaps...
It could also help people awaken Armament Haki and Observation Haki.
Thinking of that, Lucas immediately opened the system interface and reread the item’s detailed description.
As he reached the final paragraph...
A smile spread across his face.
Just as expected.
Products from the system never disappointed.
"Colonel Ain."
Lucas called after her.
"Would you like..."
"...to take a shortcut to awakening Haki?"