Pirate King: I'm determined to be the King of Sons-in-Law!

Chapter 45 "Master Teacher" Loya

Warship, training room.

Barbells, arm strength machines, sandbags—basically all kinds of training equipment are available, and the weight of the barbell plates is also astonishing.

Zoro's eyes lit up.

He used to train with stones and other objects as weights, which was quite shabby, and he had never used professional equipment.

It makes my hands itch just looking at it.

But before that, there's another problem.

What is domineering aura?

"Domineering aura is a latent power in everyone in this world. It's not much different from feelings like killing intent, imposing presence, or intuition. Simply put, it's turning willpower into a weapon!"

Loya began his deception.

He wanted to test whether Zoro could master Haki; if so, he might be able to learn from him.

It's okay if you can't learn it. Just consider it a shared learning experience, a chance to get closer to each other, and a preparation for recruiting each other in the future.

Just like blind dates, even if you're eager to marry the other person, you still need a short period of getting to know each other. If you confess your feelings right away, you'll most likely be seen as a pervert.

"Turning will into a weapon?"

Zoro frowned, having never heard of willpower as a weapon before. If he hadn't seen Loya's serious attitude, he would have thought Loya was playing a trick on him.

How could such a thing be possible!

You may not understand.

Loya drew his longsword, gazing at the gleaming blade, and asked with a smile, "Zoro, did your swordsmanship master teach you how to cut iron?"

"I taught it."

Zoro nodded.

When he was very young, he asked his master, Koushirou, if there were any swordsmen in the world who could cut through iron like mud.

The master's answer was yes!

"Tell me about it?"

"Um."

Zoro recalled his master's words and didn't suspect that Loya wanted to steal his skills. After all, his master was just the owner of a rural dojo, and his students were mostly children.

"My master said that there are swordsmen in this world who can cut through anything, yet they can also cut through iron with the same sword!"

As he spoke, Zoro seemed to want to imitate Koushirou and demonstrate "Buza" (not to be killed), so he threw out a piece of paper and drew his sword to slash at it as if facing a formidable enemy.

"Whoosh!"

The paper tore in two.

Loya feigned shock.

"Is this what they mean by 'Buza'?"

"No, that's not true!"

Zoro, his face dark, said, "'Not cutting' means that even if you try to cut a fragile piece of paper, it won't be cut."

"Oh, I understand."

Loya also picked up a piece of paper, threw it into the air, and casually swung his sword, explaining at the same time: "What your master called 'not cutting' is actually the application of Haki."

"Whoosh."

The paper tore in two.

The training room was quiet.

It's like two bronze-level players seriously discussing how terrible a pro player's skills are, only to find themselves feeding like crazy within ten minutes of their turn to play.

"I am not a swordsman."

Loya's unusually calm explanation naturally led to the next topic.

"Zoro, when you were training before, did you ever have a very quiet feeling where all the sounds around you were crystal clear, and you could even hear your own heartbeat?"

"have!"

Zoro's spirits lifted.

He had similar feelings, and more than once; that particular feeling was like being on the verge of death.

"That was the prototype of Observation Haki!"

Loya's expression became much more serious: "Haki is mainly divided into two categories: Observation Haki and Armament Haki. Observation Haki is the power of hearing, which can also be understood as perception."

"Plants, trees, earth, rocks—all things in this world have their own unique breathing sounds, even swords and paper are no exception."

"When you can hear their voices, listen to their breathing, you will know how to wield your sword without harming them, and you will also know how to kill them."

"Listening to the breath of all things—that is one manifestation of Observation Haki!"

The training room fell silent once again.

Zoro's eyes widened.

Compared to Koushirou's explanation, Loya's was more detailed, and most importantly, he had indeed had similar feelings.

"How exactly do I do it?"

"."

If I knew, would I need to teach you?

A large part of this information came from you!

Loya thought to himself, "I'm furious."

After some consideration.

"Let your mind be at peace."

Loya gave him that knowing look that couldn't be explained in words. He'd said everything he needed to say; now it was up to him to figure it out for himself.

Haha, can't figure it out?

That's your own problem.

Fortunately, Zoro isn't the type to pry into things, and Loya's words have given him a lot of inspiration.

"Thanks!"

Zoro bowed gratefully in thanks.

He had a strong premonition that there was a thin sheet of paper in front of him, and that if he could break through this paper, he could master the power of "Buza".

There's another question.

"Mr. Loya, you just mentioned that there's another type of Haki called Armament Haki. What is that?"

"Observation Haki is the power of 'Never Cuts,' while Armament Haki is the power of 'Cutting Iron'!"

Loya felt very strange at that moment.

It seemed like he was instructing Zoro, but during the explanation (summary), he himself had a sudden realization.

Yes, he believed it.

He believed his own interpretation of domineering aura and genuinely thought that this was exactly what domineering aura should be like!

Can’t figure it out?

That's because you're useless!

Loya's mind went blank.

If no one can guide me, then I'll teach myself?

Upon closer reflection, Rayleigh's statement, "Unwavering belief is power," is indeed a powerful form of psychological suggestion.

His process of guiding Zoro was also a process of sorting out known information and a reaffirmation of his own understanding.

"Phew~~"

Loya let out a long sigh, looked at Zoro's hungry eyes, and instead of answering immediately, he thought about it seriously.

Think about the connection between Iron Cutting and Armament Haki, think about the essence of Armament Haki, think about how to make Zoro understand, and think about how to make yourself understand.

a long time.

"Zoro, has your sword ever broken?"

"It broke several times."

Zoro answered truthfully.

Aside from Wado Ichimonji, the quality of his other swords was very poor, and he had interrupted his battles and training several times before.

Loya nodded with a smile.

"Even the finest swords will wear down and break during use; this is common sense."

"But do you know that for a true swordsman, a nick on the blade is the greatest shame, let alone a break?"

"The sword is a swordsman's closest companion, an important partner in battle; however, wielding it with brute force will inevitably lead to the destruction of the sword and the death of the sword!"

A chipped blade is a swordsman's shame!

Zoro heard this for the first time, but he felt a strong sense of agreement. As a swordsman, no one doesn't love their sword.

Even a very ordinary knife, if broken in his hand, would make him sad and resentful, and even feel ashamed and apologetic.

Yes, that feeling is humiliation!

Zoro pressed on, "How can I prevent the sword from breaking?"

"It's very simple."

Loya fell silent.

"Contain your intense will upon the blade!"

"Domineering aura is the power of will. You can imagine it as wearing armor invisible to the naked eye to protect yourself, as a sharp spear to attack, or even as an indestructible blade!"

"As long as the blade is imbued with Haki, it becomes indestructible. Until your Haki collapses, the blade will absolutely not be harmed or break!"

"It's not just about hardness; your blade will also become sharper, easily slicing through steel and everything in the world!"

"If this continues, it might even be forged into the legendary Black Blade!"

Black Knife!

Zoro's pupils contracted.

He had heard the legend of the Black Knife, which was said to be so hard that even a dinosaur could not bend it by a millimeter, making it the hardest knife in the world.

But he never imagined that the black blade was actually forged through human willpower!

Zoro could feel the gates of a new world slowly opening before him, allowing him, who was at the bottom of the well, to see a wider sky.

Who exactly is this mysterious naval lieutenant?

(End of this chapter)