"No! I won't fall again! I don't want to be laughed at by my master! I want to defeat him!"
A weak but stubborn aura erupted from little Rosa.
The aura of a king — Conqueror's Haki — awakens!
"Huh?"
Kavi blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected little Rosa to awaken Conqueror's Haki so easily. Was her talent really that incredible?
All the methods he'd prepared to help her cultivate it — like the emotional fluctuation technique — were now meaningless.
'What a waste. I even wanted to see her tormented expression…'
If Kavi knew she awakened her Haki out of pure resentment toward him, he might've had second thoughts.
Retracting his own Conqueror's Haki, Kavi looked at the exhausted little Rosa with satisfaction.
"Not bad. You really are worthy of being the Navy King."
"Remember that feeling. That's Conqueror's Haki. Master it quickly."
Little Rosa beamed. She could finally hold her head high!
"Go rest. I'll teach you swordsmanship later."
Hearing that, Rosa's fatigue vanished. Swordsmanship — that was what truly excited her. Haki was just a way to make her blade stronger.
"Teach me now! I want to learn!"
'So eager… she's always been like this since she was little. What kind of monster will she become when she grows up?'
With no other choice, Kavi led her to a towering tree and picked up a branch.
"Watch carefully."
The ordinary branch — with no Haki, no tricks — slowly passed through the thick trunk of the massive tree.
He tossed the branch aside and asked, "Did you see it clearly?"
"Eh? See what?" Rosa asked, clearly confused.
Then—
Boom!
The towering tree split and collapsed, leaving behind a perfectly smooth stump.
"Wha—?! Master, teach me that move!" Rosa shouted eyes wide with admiration.
'Too strong… Master's too strong…'
"Remember, everything has its own breath. Feel it, follow it. Then you'll understand."
"Now, go try it yourself."
Kavi left her there to comprehend it on her own.
'Hopefully… she can grasp it within a year.'
Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, two years had passed.
Under Kavi's meticulous training, little Rosa had transformed.
"Liu Guang!"
A slash of sword energy burst from Rosa's blade, splitting the massive boulder before her into two neat halves.
She called her blade Drizzle.
"Not bad," Kavi praised, nodding. "You finally look like a proper swordswoman."
"Whew…"
Rosa sheathed Drizzle and turned to look at him.
"…Master. Are you leaving?"
She'd noticed for a while now. The way he moved, the way he stared out to sea. He was preparing to go.
After three years here… it was time.
She'd already mastered all three types of Haki and began grasping swordsmanship. From here on, she just needed time and training.
There was nothing more he could teach.
"…Yeah. It's time to go."
"Can I come with you?"
Kavi paused.
"…No. Where I'm going is too dangerous. You're not ready yet."
Rosa bit her lip, fists clenched.
"Are we… a family?"
Kavi laughed and ruffled her hair.
"Haven't you heard? 'A teacher is like a father for life'. So yeah — I'm your dad now!"
'Dad, huh? Hmph! Who wants to be your daughter…'
But as Kavi's smile faded, he grew serious.
"Rosa, listen. Once you can coat your entire arm in Armament Haki — then, you can go out to sea. Okay?"
"…Okay." Rosa nodded solemnly.
Kavi had told her this many times, Though, she was already strong enough to sweep the first half of the Grand Line, he still worried.
'Just because I don't say it, doesn't mean I don't care.'
"And most importantly — if you ever join the navy, don't expose your Conqueror's Haki unless your life is on the line."
"…Okay," Rosa agreed, though she didn't fully understand why.
Conqueror's Haki was rare — and even more so in the navy. If discovered, it could draw attention from the wrong people.
After making his final instructions, Kavi said goodbye to Mayor Ster, headed to the dock, and boarded a small merchant ship he'd bought.
Just as the ship was about to set sail, Rosa ran out of breath onto the dock, yelling:
"Master! Where can I find you?!"
Kavi waved with a grin.
"No need to find me. Someday — we'll meet again!"
'…I just hope we won't be enemies then.'
New World
A small merchant ship drifted across the sea.
Kavi lay on a reclining chair, basking in the sun.
"System, open my character panel."
[Host]: Kavi
Age: 41
[Physique]: 6588
[Skills]:
Conqueror's Haki (Advanced)Armament Haki (Advanced)Observation Haki (Advanced)Navy Six Styles (Advanced)Swordsmanship (Advanced)Water Walking
[Devil Fruit]: Human-Human Fruit · Pangu Form (Development: 54%)
[Abilities]: Amplification, Pangu Pressure
Over the past three years, Kavi had focused on his Observation Haki and Devil Fruit development.
Now, with Observation Haki at the advanced level, he could see into the future.
When the fruit hit 50% development, a new ability awakened:
Pangu Pressure — a mental attack that strikes the soul, similar to Conqueror's Haki, but more focused and brutal.
Amplification was a technique he had developed himself — enhancing his physical and mental abilities temporarily through the fruit.
All his core skills had reached the advanced stage. But progress beyond this point was slow — likely taking years to reach the peak.
"Captain! There's a ship ahead!" Buggy's excited voice rang out.
"Pirates?" Shanks dashed to his side, eager.
"…Ah, it's just a merchant ship." Buggy's tone fell flat.
The Roger Pirates were in dire straits. Captain Roger held banquets so often that they'd devoured a month's worth of food in ten days.
Now they were practically starving.
"Roger," Rayleigh called, pinching his forehead, "let's use some Berries to trade for supplies. We won't last till land at this rate."
"Hahaha! Since Rayleigh says so, let's do it!" Roger grinned, carefree as ever.
The future Pirate King didn't seem to care they were on the brink of starvation.
"Captain, you're so damn unreliable…" Rayleigh sighed, exasperated.
'If I weren't here, this crew would've disbanded years ago…'
______________________________________________________________________________________
Support Goals:
💎 100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
⭐ 1 Five-Star Review = 2 Bonus Chapters
Thanks for your support!