The training of Armament Haki was progressing with an almost unbelievable smoothness!
As mentioned before, going from 0 to 1 is far more difficult than going from 1 to 99.
On the first day of training, Caesar had already mastered the proficient release and the most basic Coating Hardening.
By the fifth day, he had successfully made his Armament Haki flow!
On the eighth day, he achieved Armament Emission!
And by the fifteenth day, he had mastered Internal Destruction!
Boom—
With a punch that shattered a tree trunk from a distance, Caesar looked somewhat smugly at King, who was standing not far away.
"How about mastering Internal Destruction in half a month?"
"Not bad."
King's reaction was more subdued than Caesar had expected.
"Just... not bad?"
Caesar widened his eyes slightly: "How long did it take you to master Armament Haki?"
King thought for a moment, then crossed his arms and replied indifferently, "About a year."
"So what does that make you?"
"It makes me stupid."
"..."
Caesar was momentarily speechless: "So, in your opinion, what counts as fast?"
"You must have heard of BIG MOM of the Four Emperors, right?"
King explained, "According to Mr. Kaido, that woman mastered the power of Haki just by glancing at it."
Caesar couldn't help but laugh in frustration: "Do you even hear yourself? That woman has the constitution of an Iron Balloon. She was able to take down a giant village at the age of five. In other words, she was already qualified at five!"
"Speaking of which, what about my father-in-law? How long did it take him to master it?"
"If it's just Coating Hardening, one day."
King elaborated, "But in terms of comprehension, Mr. Kaido is indeed not as good as you. Back then, no one taught him the more advanced techniques. He only mastered them after coming to Wano Country and fighting against the samurai."
Is that even comparable?
No matter what, I've seen the script, so I had some expectations...
Moreover, Caesar considered himself quite intelligent. This kind of metaphysical power is difficult to learn, but to master it, all it takes is a bit more effort.
It seems that teachers in the pirate world are all like this—if you don't ask, they won't teach.
When Luffy first set out to sea, his strength was enough to suppress Arlong with one hand, and his martial arts could crush Crocodile. He was also the grandson of Marine Garp, yet he didn't know a thing about the Six Powers or Haki.
And then there's that mediocre teacher, Rayleigh...
In two years, all he taught was Coating Hardening!
He didn't teach Flow Emission or Internal Destruction at all. Even if time was tight, he could have at least mentioned them!
In fact, if it weren't for that blow from Kaido, Luffy wouldn't even have known that Conqueror's Haki could be coated!
Thinking of this, Caesar suddenly turned to King: "Speaking of which, is Flow Emission the only use of Haki? Does Conqueror's Haki have any other uses besides coating?"
King remained silent for a couple of seconds: "You'll have to ask Mr. Kaido about that. All I can teach you is Armament Haki."
"Forget it, I'll just have to research it myself."
Caesar waved his hand. Even if there were more advanced techniques, they weren't something he could master right now.
The key to Armament Haki isn't how fast you learn it, but rather the intensity and total amount of Haki you possess!
Newly awakened Armament Haki isn't particularly strong. To someone like Kaido, it's as flimsy as paper.
In terms of quantity, it requires continuous battles to gradually adapt the body, slowly refining stronger and more abundant Haki with less physical exertion!
"Come and fight me, King."
Caesar gestured to King with a hook of his finger. "I want to see how much I still lag behind you seasoned veterans in terms of Haki intensity and volume."
King nodded, equally curious about Caesar's current strength.
"Come on, let me see what you've got."
The two stood at a distance, facing each other. Caesar crouched slightly, his hands resting on his knees.
With a soft hiss, a faint pink hue enveloped his body. Seeing this, King quietly prepared himself.
He had seen Caesar use this blood-pressurizing technique multiple times before. In this state, Caesar's speed and strength would increase dramatically. Even without Haki, it would be enough to give King a hard time.
By the way, since this technique also enhanced muscle hardness and strength, using Armament Haki would further amplify the user's speed and power.
So, what would the combined effect be like?
King watched Caesar's figure intently, his expression serious and focused. The current Caesar was someone he had to take seriously.
Over the past two months, what had shocked King the most about Caesar wasn't his rapid learning of Haki, but his ever-changing, seemingly limitless physical prowess!
Physical strength was the foundation of Haki!
Mr. Kaido was right—no matter how fast one's physical strength grew, it still required at least a year of accumulation.
But this kid... was he in a growth spurt?
King kept his eyes fixed on Caesar, not daring to let his guard down for even a moment.
He knew Caesar's fighting habits well. If he so much as blinked, this kid would vanish from his sight in an instant.
Like a ghost!
Using Observation Haki to track Caesar's presence, King's pupils suddenly contracted. Caesar, who had been over a dozen meters away, had appeared right in front of him in an instant!
King's eyes widened slightly, his pupils reflecting the image of Caesar's fist descending toward him.
Caesar wore a faint smile on his face, his fist wreathed in dark red lightning. The air around it ignited into thin strands of flame due to the terrifying speed. Yet, strangely, despite the overwhelming force of the punch, King didn't hear a single sound.
He's even more confident than before...
A thought flashed through King's mind, and then a tremendous force struck his face, plunging him into darkness.
The next moment, an ear-splitting sonic boom erupted!
When King opened his eyes again, he was greeted by the familiar ceiling of his room.
Kaido and Caesar, the unlikely father-in-law and son-in-law duo, were sitting casually nearby, drinking.
"Orohohohoho! Finally awake, eh, King?"
Noticing King's movement, Kaido burst into laughter. "I heard you got knocked out by this kid with a single punch! How embarrassing!"
"Hahahaha, it wasn't a fair fight, not at all!"
Caesar laughed heartily. Unlike the Ancient Zoan types like dinosaurs or mammoths, the Vampire Fruit leaned more toward speed rather than raw strength, especially since his was an upgraded version.
If you weren't paying attention, it was easy to get caught off guard.
"There's no such thing as an unfair fight."
King rubbed his face and shook his head slightly. "Conqueror's Haki Infusion combined with Armament Emission... I was careless. I didn't dodge."
"You just got the wind knocked out of you. You don't even have any visible injuries. Honestly, the physical resilience of you Lunarians is just absurd."
Caesar marveled as he looked at King, feeling quite pleased with himself.
He hadn't expected that punch to knock King out, even if it was only for a brief moment. In a battle, even a mere two seconds could determine life or death.
If even King couldn't withstand it, then there probably weren't many below the level of the Four Emperors who could take that hit.
But what excited Caesar the most was that while King was unconscious, he had secretly collected something from him.
[Collected Item: Lunarian Race]
[Rarity: SS]
[Collection Value: SS]
[Evaluation: Born with the ability to fly and possessing superhuman defense. How could such a race be wiped out by a bunch of swine?]
[Achievement Unlocked: Collect a Rare Race]
[Achievement Reward: Bloodlust Potential]
[Bloodlust Potential: Further enhances bloodline evolution. After obtaining the lineage factor of an enemy, it can permanently strengthen your own bloodline, evolving adaptive abilities.]
[Note: Only effective on bloodlines. Devil Fruit abilities are acquired later and require special methods to obtain.]
When Caesar saw this achievement reward, he was stunned.
If he wasn't mistaken, his Vampire ability could evolve corresponding racial abilities by ingesting lineage factors.
Although it wasn't permanent, it was highly practical.
And if it weren't for this achievement reward, he might not have realized this for a long time.
But it didn't matter. Temporary power was never truly his own, so even if he had realized it, Caesar wouldn't have cared.
Now, however, it was different. Permanent bloodline enhancement and the evolution of adaptive abilities.
Seeing this, Caesar immediately released King and without hesitation, bit down on King's arm…
In the room, King sat up, suddenly holding his forehead, looking puzzled as he clutched his head. "Why do I feel… a bit dizzy?"
Maybe it's just a bit of anemia…
Caesar thought to himself.
The wound he had made wasn't large, and after biting, he had even given King a bit of his own blood to help heal the wound. Feeling slightly guilty, he released his Thrall control, pretending nothing had happened, and sent King back.
Now he could vaguely sense that some kind of power was brewing within him.
That power was intense and warm, like a burning furnace, continuously supplying him with energy.
"Well, I did hit him in the head. Maybe it's a slight concussion. Eating some meat should help."
Caesar ordered some food to be prepared and then turned to Kaidou. "With Conqueror's Haki Infusion and Armament Emission, can I fight you now?"
"Oh? Interesting… Are you so eager to challenge me already?"
Kaidou looked at him with slight surprise. "If it's as you said before, in two years you might really surpass me. But it's only been a little over two months. Are you getting cocky?"
"No, I can't foresee the future, and my Haki isn't strong enough yet."
Caesar shook his head. "I just want to see how much I still lag behind the level of the Four Emperors. Besides, didn't you say you'd personally train me?"
"Hmph, suit yourself. Just know I won't hold back."
Kaidou chuckled. "Might as well do it now. A brat who doesn't know his place needs a good beating!"
Both of them could fly, and soon they were in a remote area within Wano Country.
Without a single word of warning, Caesar went all out from the start!
Blood surged!
Conqueror's Haki Infusion!
Armament Emission, infused with Internal Destruction!
The black wings amplified his speed to the extreme, a near-instantaneous burst that drew a flicker of surprise in Kaidou's eyes, followed by a long-lost sense of exhilaration!
The Eight Precepts swung out abruptly, the scent of alcohol rising from Kaidou's throat.
"Thunder… Bagua!"
Boom—
The sound of a sonic boom erupted. After a brief clash, Caesar's feet carved deep trenches into the ground as he was sent skidding back over a dozen meters.
"That speed of yours reminds me of a certain annoying yellow monkey," Kaidou said with an excited grin. "Your strength isn't bad either, but… the purity of your Haki is still too low!"
Purity?
Caesar's eyelids twitched slightly.
Are you the legendary Kaidou of the Vanma clan?
Before he could ponder further, Kaidou's massive, several-meter-tall figure suddenly leaped into the air, the Eight Precepts raised high above his head before crashing down toward Caesar with immense force!
"Conqueror of Three Worlds: Ragnaraku!!"
Seeing this, Caesar was about to dodge when a sudden sense of threat washed over him.
Has he predicted my movements…?
Sensing something amiss, Caesar firmly planted his feet, drew in a breath, and swung his fist.
Once again, his fist was clad in both types of Haki. However, unlike their previous exchange, Caesar immediately felt the overwhelming pressure of Kaidou's strength.
No, it wasn't just strength.
It was the Haki!
Both his Conqueror's and Armament Haki were being completely suppressed!
If his Haki was like wood, then Kaidou's was like steel!
Realizing this, Caesar shifted his body slightly, using the momentum to propel himself into the air. He flipped several times to dissipate the force before steadying himself with a flap of his wings.
"You're a slippery one, aren't you…?" Kaidou snorted, clearly displeased with Caesar's evasive maneuvers.
Caesar didn't respond, instead gazing thoughtfully at his fist. Then, he suddenly looked at Kaidou and asked, "Mr. Kaidou, is the advanced stage of Armament Haki limited to just the flow state?"
"Oh?" Kaidou raised an eyebrow, intrigued, as he hoisted his Spiked Club onto his shoulder. "Kid, have you ever heard of people who can read minds? They're the darlings of Observation Haki, born with an innate, meticulous mastery of it. As for Armament Haki, while its usage is generally uniform, there are indeed a few individuals who have managed to develop some unconventional methods. Why? Do you have some ideas?"
Caesar remained silent, continuing to channel his Armament Haki.
He concentrated it in his fist, letting it flow.
Then… he accelerated it, creating friction!
This was inspired by the way Uzumaki Naruto, from the neighboring village, had trained his wind-style chakra nature transformation. If Haki could flow, then it should also be possible to create friction, right?
However, the prerequisite was to split the Armament Haki into two parts.
No, perhaps it wasn't that complicated, especially since there was also Conqueror's Haki…
But whether it was splitting Armament Haki or simultaneously controlling two types of Haki with high precision, the difficulty far exceeded that of simple Armament Emission.
After a brief attempt, Caesar realized that his current level of Haki control wasn't sufficient to achieve this idea.
Moreover, the rate at which Haki was consumed was terrifying, far exceeding the previous rate by several times.
But fortunately, he wasn't entirely without gains. Just as the two streams of Haki rubbed against each other, Caesar faintly felt that the intensity of his Armament Haki had slightly increased!
In other words, enhancing Armament Haki through friction was indeed feasible.
But were there other methods?
What about compression?
"Hey, kid..."
Caesar was lost in thought when a shadow suddenly loomed over his head.
Kaidou had appeared before him without warning, standing on a Flame Cloud, his face dark with anger. "You dare to lose focus while fighting me? Who gave you the courage?"
Caesar laughed. "Sorry, I just had a sudden inspiration. Let's call it a day here."
"What are you thinking, you fool?"
Kaidou sneered, his Spiked Club slamming down heavily. "No matter what ideas you have, battle is always the best catalyst for growth! Since you dared to throw a punch at me, you better fight until the very end!"
"Thunder Bagua!!"
(End of Chapter)