Armament Haki?
Both Kuina and Zoro froze in confusion.
They clearly had no idea what Dragon was talking about, so they both turned their heads to look at Ban.
Ivankov’s large eyes widened in surprise as he stared at Ban.
He knew Koushirou was capable of using Haki, but awakening and training it required strong foundations and immense physical endurance—using it frequently placed a heavy burden on the body.
Had this young boy already reached the level where Koushirou considered him ready to learn such advanced techniques?
Ban looked steadily at Dragon—the man with the three blood-red question marks hovering above him—and nodded calmly.
“I see,” Dragon said simply, before sitting down cross-legged right there on the ground.
“Actually, training Haki isn’t as difficult as many people think.
In the New World, on the Calm Belt, there is an island called Amazon Lily.
Almost everyone born there masters impressive levels of Haki from a young age.”
“Amazon Lily,” Ban nodded in acknowledgment.
“You know it?
It seems you truly possess quite a lot of knowledge,” Dragon smiled.
“Before I arrived at Shimotsuki Village, I read in the newspaper that the Empress of Amazon Lily had officially been appointed as one of the Shichibukai,” Ban replied.
“Awakening and truly mastering Armament Haki isn’t actually that hard,” Dragon said.
Suddenly, he moved swiftly, reaching out his hand straight toward Ban.
His arm and hand were visibly coated in a dark, heavy layer of Armament Haki.
Ban was shocked.
His Observation Haki activated instantly, and instinctively he raised his arms to block the incoming strike.
But in the next moment, his wrist was firmly and tightly gripped in Dragon’s powerful hand.
Automatically, Ban tried to turn his body into fire—the Logia intangibility—but the area gripped by Dragon remained solid; he couldn’t transform there at all.
Dragon was slightly surprised, but soon a knowing smile appeared on his face.
The Armament Haki flowing in his hand began to transfer and wrap directly onto Ban’s wrist.
The next second, Ban felt a distinct reaction deep within his own body—an inner energy seemed to rise up, instinctively resisting and pushing back against the invading foreign Haki.
Before Ban could carefully sense and understand exactly what this energy was, Dragon released his hand and pulled back.
“This reaction you feel…
that is your own innate Armament Haki,” Dragon said gently.
“This method I used is one that ordinary people usually can’t endure or utilize properly.”
He smiled meaningfully at Ban, his gaze sharp and knowing.
A Devil Fruit user…
and a Logia type at that.
Ban remained silent for a while under the watchful eyes of the other three.
Then, he slowly raised his arm.
A faint but distinct coating of dark Armament Haki appeared on his skin.
Kuina and Zoro couldn’t sense it, but both Dragon and Ivankov felt the energy clearly.
“Did it really work just like that?” Ban murmured in surprise, quickly checking his system panel.
Sure enough, Armament Haki was now listed among his mastered abilities.
“To be able to use this method to help others awaken their Haki, you will need to reach a much deeper level of mastery yourself.”
Dragon didn’t hide anything from him.
Even without him explaining, Ban roughly understood what had happened.
He had never imagined that Armament Haki could be transferred or infused directly into someone else’s body.
Even more surprising was that when his own body encountered external Armament Haki, the dormant power within him had instinctively reacted and awakened on its own.
“Thank you,” Ban said sincerely.
Regardless of the method, Dragon had helped him immensely.
“No need to thank me.
Consider it my way of thanking you,” Dragon replied calmly.
Koushirou had managed to gather far more supplies this time precisely because of Ban’s generous contribution, which was a huge help to the Revolutionary Army.
After speaking, Dragon stood up, waved casually, and turned away, walking back toward the dojo with Ivankov following behind him.
Ban, Kuina, and Zoro stood watching until the two figures disappeared from sight.
“Ban…
what exactly were you two talking about just now?” Kuina asked, turning around with confusion written all over her face.
“Haki,” Ban explained, thinking carefully about how to put it simply.
“It is a power that everyone is born with, lying dormant deep inside.
If you two truly want to become master swordsmen—or even Great Swordsmen—you will absolutely have to master it eventually.
“Almost every powerful figure you meet out on the sea has trained their Haki to incredibly high levels.”
Haki training requires a solid foundation, and it places a considerable burden on the body.
Frequent use can even cause physical damage.
It was quite normal that Koushirou hadn’t mentioned any of this to the two children yet.
As for Zoro, if he hadn’t gotten lost at sea and been unable to find his way back to Shimotsuki Village later on, Koushirou might well have taught him how to master Haki eventually.
And Kuina…
Ban glanced at Kuina, then stood up.
“Haki is still too advanced for you two.
When the time comes and you are ready, Master Koushirou will teach you,” he said simply before turning around and leaving.
Kuina and Zoro exchanged confused glances.
“So this is the power that all the strongest people possess…
I definitely have to learn it too,” Zoro declared, his face full of admiration and longing.
Kuina nodded silently.
So, just having a strong body wasn’t enough to become a top-tier powerhouse after all!
Haki, huh?
she thought to herself.
She decided she would go ask her father about it later.
“How was it?” Koushirou asked with a smile as he saw them return.
“A remarkable young man,” Dragon nodded in appreciation.
“Then…” Koushirou looked straight at Dragon, but the latter slowly shook his head.
“He has no intention of leaving the island or going out to sea right now.”
Koushirou nodded understandingly.
“However…
he is definitely a Devil Fruit user, and most likely a Logia type,” Dragon added.
Ivankov, who was listening attentively, nearly jumped out of his skin in shock upon hearing this.
“That kid is a Logia user?!” he exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Devil Fruits were extremely rare treasures, much less the Logia type—the rarest and most powerful category of all.
Everyone knew about the three Admirals of the Navy, who possessed Logia abilities and were renowned across the seas as absolute powerhouses.
“It is highly probable,” Dragon affirmed.
“Leader, should we try to recruit him into the Revolutionary Army?” Ivankov asked eagerly.
A Logia user, as long as they were willing to train and improve, was guaranteed to grow into a top-tier fighting force in the future.
“It won’t be easy,” Dragon shook his head directly.
“There is something about the look in his eyes…
just as you described.”
“I don’t know exactly why, but the way he looks at everyone is very unique.
Even though he tries his best to hide it, there is always this faint sense of natural superiority radiating from him,” Dragon sighed softly.
To be honest, he felt quite disappointed, much like Ivankov.
Having such a talent within reach but being unable to bring him into their ranks was a missed opportunity indeed.
“It’s not completely hopeless.
He is still very young, after all,” Koushirou smiled, trying to lighten the mood and steer the conversation elsewhere.
“True enough,” Dragon nodded.
He decided not to dwell too much on the matter for now.
After returning to his room, Ban focused his energy and successfully summoned his Armament Haki, maintaining its activation steadily.
In terms of quality and intensity, it was naturally far inferior to what he had seen from Koushirou or Dragon.
However, having just awakened this power, Ban was filled with curiosity and fascination about its possibilities.
He even tried to infuse and wrap the Haki around his sword Flame, but unfortunately, he wasn’t skilled enough yet, and the attempt ended in failure.
Aside from planning to ask Koushirou for more guidance and training later, Ban decided to keep his Haki active continuously from now on.
By using it as much as possible, he believed he would naturally improve and discover more ways to utilize it effectively.
Of course, he noticed that his HP was slowly decreasing while his Haki was active—not at an alarming rate, but steady nonetheless.
Unlike Observation Haki, Armament Haki consumed a massive amount of physical stamina and energy.
The next day, long before dawn broke, Ban quietly left the dojo.
By the time the sun rose above the horizon, he returned, completely soaked from head to toe, carrying a massive sea fish several meters long slung heavily over his shoulder.
“Monday to Friday – Update 3 Chapters a Day”
“Saturday and Sunday – Off”