The Pirate Princess Becomes Queen

"I'm ready."

Zephyr, an experienced instructor, blindfolded Vivi with a strip of cloth and then had the female swordsman Ain fight her.

When fighting, Ain uses two short swords and adheres to the principle of "fast, accurate, and ruthless". She had sparred with Vivi before. The female swordsman's swordsmanship was superb and her combat experience was rich, far superior to Tashigi from Loguetown. However, her lack of strength was a fatal flaw. Against Vivi, who was of the same level of swordsmanship, that slight difference in strength could determine the final outcome.

"Watch out!" the female swordsman shouted as soon as she was blindfolded, then thrust her sword straight at her.

For a swordsman, the difference between having sight and not having sight is enormous. Aien had also undergone this kind of blindfolded training, and the result was that she was beaten up by Binz. At this moment, she looked at Vivi with a hint of sympathy.

But to her utter surprise, her thrust was deflected by the blindfolded Weiwei. Using the same familiar tactics and strength, Weiwei not only parried the attack but also nearly slashed her left arm with a backhand strike.

"Fool! What are you thinking about! Concentrate!" Old man Zefa shouted from the side.

Ain quickly focused her mind and concentrated on the battle.

She lightly touched the ground with her feet, took two steps to the left, and then suddenly rushed to the right, trying to play a feint. But what she was met with was a powerful sweeping blow from Weiwei, forcing her to raise her twin swords to parry.

Both of them used naval swordsmanship. Ain was clearly more proficient in this style, but Vivi didn't care about winning or losing. She focused on finding her own Observation Haki and fought quite calmly, while Ain was a bit impatient.

Back and forth, the three swords clashed repeatedly, sparks flying. Vivi's swordsmanship had slightly declined while she was blindfolded, but she could still parry, block, and dodge, and even manage to block three attacks and counterattack with one.

In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged more than thirty blows. Zephyr's expression grew increasingly serious, like that of an old professor who had discovered a new subject.

He suddenly stopped the two of them: "Stop first, I understand. You must be the kind of person with very keen hearing. You can easily perceive subtle changes in the external environment by relying on your hearing. It is indeed a bit difficult to awaken Observation Haki through training. Others cannot awaken it because their perception is too low, but you are because your perception is too high... Here, plug your ears again."

Vivi plugged her ears, and when she fought Ain again, she was in a very sorry state. She went from blocking three moves and counterattacking with one, to blocking five moves and counterattacking with one. The sounds of "clanging and banging" echoed as they fought for more than thirty moves.

She was having a tough time, and the female swordsman, Aion, was on the verge of collapse. Fighting someone who was blindfolded and had their ears plugged like this? It seemed she really didn't have any talent for swordsmanship.

Old man Zefa was also puzzled. He thought for a while before suddenly realizing something: "I understand, it's the smell. You use the smell to determine the enemy's location, right? Here, put on your mask too!"

Chapter Sixty-Nine Training (Part Two)

Goggles, earplugs, and a mask—not only do we have to carry all this cumbersome stuff, but we also have to fight.

Weiwei was almost getting heat rash from thinking about it. Her brain, with its extraordinary perception, was collecting, analyzing, organizing, and summarizing external information in a way that was difficult for ordinary people to understand.

If the speed of information transmission from the retina to the brain is 1, then the speed at which she acquires information through perception and then transmits it to her brain is 100. This is extremely mentally taxing. After just two moves, her forehead was covered in sweat, and her head felt like a steamer, with wisps of white smoke faintly visible...

The outward manifestation was that her swordsmanship level had dropped significantly, her moves were becoming increasingly scattered, and she was not much better than a beginner. Now she could not even block ten moves and could not launch a single counterattack. She was parrying left and right, looking extremely disheveled. However, she could still barely hold on for a while and was not directly defeated due to her limited senses.

She understood Zephyr's meaning, but with her senses of sight and hearing blocked, her heightened perception, honed through long periods of listening to all things, somehow managed to conjure up a shadow of Aion in her mind. Aion outside was stabbing straight ahead, and the shadow in her mind also conveyed a similar meaning of stabbing straight ahead. The meaning was vague, but she could still read its implications.

Knowing that the opponent is thrusting straight at you, why would you foolishly go to meet it? Then there's no point in training. She follows her "feelings" and goes "at will." It looks like the two of them are sparring, but in reality, she's very isolated. She's basically just standing there practicing her sword, fighting her own battles. Whether she can block or how long she can block depends entirely on her "feelings."

Zephyr was dumbfounded. He had been teaching for half his life and this was the first time he had encountered such a situation. Even when he taught Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji, he had never encountered this problem. How was this girl perceiving information from the outside world?

That doesn't make sense!

The old man pondered deeply and finally made a judgment.

“I get it! It’s touch, right? You have an amazing sense of touch. The movement of air allows you to make judgments, even if they’re not very accurate… I’ve never met a student like you in all these years. Come on, put on your gloves.”

Gloves, hat, scarf, plus the goggles, earplugs and mask from before, the old man was still not at ease, so he found her a bodysuit, covering her from head to toe. From a distance, Weiwei looked just like an astronaut!

This time she finally lost. She persisted for three moves, but made a serious misjudgment when dealing with Aion's fourth move, a right horizontal slash. She didn't "hear" the position clearly and mistook the right horizontal slash for a right chop. She raised her knife to parry, but missed. By the time she was ready to "listen" carefully again, her opponent's knife was already at her neck. She had no choice but to raise her hands and admit defeat.

Weiwei took off her messy clothes, her hair and face were covered in sweat, and she sat on the ground, panting heavily.

Karu the duck quickly got her some ice water to drink and fanned her to cool her down, keeping her busy for quite a while.

She paid a heavy price, but after all five senses were covered, she did vaguely sense something—not "listening to all things," but a completely new way of perceiving beyond the five senses.

"Karu, can you massage my shoulders? I'm so tired..." She leaned against the duck like a seriously ill patient, and the duck quickly massaged her shoulders.

Vivi broke down, but Ian broke down even more.

Unaware that her opponent could "hear" the surrounding sounds, Ain believed that Vivi was sparring with her entirely through pre-planning. Her swordsmanship and thoughts were easily seen through by Vivi, who could then fight her with her eyes closed based on her predictions! What did this mean?

This isn't just a matter of poor swordsmanship talent; it's a complete lack of combat ability! Did I make the wrong choice by joining the Navy?

The female swordsman, who always wore shorts that revealed her long legs, had a listless look in her eyes and was extremely disappointed.

Zephyr noticed the great hesitation in the student's heart, but this time he unusually remained silent.

There was no scolding, no cursing, and not a single word of comfort.

This world is so cruel. Ain is 20 years old this year. She can't beat Vivi, who is 13 years old. From 13 to 20 years old, regardless of gender, physical fitness is in a period of explosive growth. If you can't beat her at 13, you have no chance at 14, and don't even mention it after that.

Zefa was well aware of the problems his students were facing; he had encountered the same problems when he was young.

The person who brought him this problem was the naval hero Monkey D. Garp.

Zephyr, Sengoku, Garp, and Tsuru entered the Naval Academy at the same time. All four were considered "monsters" by ordinary people, but there are differences between "monsters".

Years later, Zephyr became "Black Arm" Zephyr, whose fame resounded throughout the seas. Sengoku became the Fleet Admiral of the Navy. Tsuru now looks ordinary, a skinny old lady, but Vice Admiral Tsuru is also someone who can chase Doflamingo and his large group of subordinates around.

All three are pillars of the Navy, but they all know in their hearts that, in terms of pure combat strength, none of them are as good as Garp.

People have different talents. They train hard and increase their strength by 10%, while Garp eats donuts at home and does a little casual training and increases his strength by 20%. By the time they are fifty, their physical potential is completely exhausted and they begin to decline, while Garp's physical fitness still increases slightly when he is sixty.

Zephyr hopes that Ayn can face herself and take this step on her own.

He frowned and carefully examined Weiwei.

In his thirty years of teaching, this was the first time he had encountered such a situation: how did the girl perceive external information after her five senses were covered?

Unable to figure it out, he asked, "How exactly did you sense the direction of Aion's attack? Your swordsmanship is indeed a bit better than hers, but it's definitely not to the point where you can predict so many moves in advance."

Vivi hesitated for a few seconds, considering Zephyr's hatred for pirates and the fact that the ability to hear all things was not universal, she hesitated for a moment.

"It's a vague sensing ability, I can't really explain it in detail."

Her statement, "Don't ask, it's just talent," made old man Zepha frown and ponder for a long time.

"After thinking about it, considering several factors, I think vision has the biggest impact on you. If you want to awaken your Observation Haki, then from now on you should close your eyes. I won't cover you with a strip of cloth anymore. It all depends on your self-awareness. You should pretend to be blind in your daily life."

You need to completely calm yourself down, not through fighting or training, but through everyday activities like eating, drinking, and sleeping, to "see" the world around you and find your own Observation Haki beyond your extraordinary perception.

Pretending to be blind? Is it really necessary to go to such lengths? Vivi subconsciously looked at Karu the duck beside her, who shook his head repeatedly, meaning, "Don't look at me, I'm just a duck."

She gritted her teeth and stamped her foot: "Fine, I'll give it a try."

Chapter Seventy Casino

The Pirate Princess Becomes King, Chapter 70: The Casino. As darkness fell and the daytime hustle and bustle quickly receded, night was approaching in the capital of the Kingdom of Lulusia.

"Da da" "Da da"

Accompanied by the gentle tapping of a bamboo cane on the ground, Vivi walked through the streets of the capital with her eyes closed and a cloak tied behind her back, looking rather forlorn.

In order to suppress her sensory abilities and comprehend Observation Haki, she has not opened her eyes for seven days.

Initially, she found it very difficult to adapt. Even though she tried to control herself and told herself repeatedly that it was all fake and for training purposes, a nameless anger still burned in her heart. It was an inner emotion that arose after she lost her sight.

It's the same old problem: what the mind understands, the body may not.

It's easier said than done. The inconveniences in daily life can bring a lot of anger. Many naval soldiers have lost their sight or limbs because of the war. How did they overcome it? No one can say anything to outsiders. They can only get out of that vortex on their own.

Zephyr instructed Vivi to control her anger. Observation Haki requires calmness, the calmer the better. Suppress her senses and the anger in her heart. Only under these circumstances can she awaken her Observation Haki.

She couldn't bring the guiding duck, nor could she bring the famous sword "Huazhou." At this moment, Weiwei simply tied her hair up and occasionally tapped the ground with her bamboo cane to judge the road ahead. She walked into a slightly dimly lit street, feeling extremely lonely.

Because of the presence of the Navy's G2 branch within its borders, the Kingdom of Lulusia enjoys relatively good security. However, this goodness is only superficial. While things are passable during the day, darkness still lingers in the corners and alleys at night.

Zephyr has seen far too much darkness and is well aware of the many filth within the Kingdom of Lulucia. If he were to allow Vivi, a "blind girl" whose appearance is at least a 90 out of 100, to wander the streets in the dead of night, it would definitely be asking for trouble!

Vivi is meant to awaken her Observation Haki, not to set a trap or test the limits of human morality. Zephyr didn't want to hear news of her killing hundreds of people after using "Lion's Thousand Cut Valley" on the street, so he sent out two tools, the female swordsman Ain and the tall, thin Binz.

They call it "previewing," to see how others awaken their Observation Haki, so you'll have to go through this someday too, and you can prepare yourselves mentally this time.

The two followed at a distance like bodyguards, but they were absolutely forbidden to speak. Zefa's orders were to follow Vivi wherever she went.

On her first day away from the G2 branch, the female swordsman Ain discovered Vivi's weakness.

At first, she thought it was because her eyes were covered, but then she realized it wasn't! This princess Neferutari from Alabasta was absolutely terrible at finding her way around! Terrible to an outrageous degree!

To be honest, after seeing that she also had flaws and was not perfect, Ain's conflicted heart immediately felt relieved.

You're more imposing than me, your swordsmanship is better, and your perception is several times higher, so what? You have no sense of direction!

Instead of wearing naval uniforms, Ain and Binz dressed as ordinary people. Whenever someone noticed the "blind girl" in front of them and gave a playful smile, they would glare at her fiercely and occasionally brandish the weapons they carried.

The two followed a few meters behind, keeping a respectful distance.

At first, they remembered Zefa's instructions: never speak and pretend you don't exist. But they later realized that wouldn't work! Without some help, that princess who was pretending to be blind could walk into the sea!

If you have a bad sense of direction, just say so! But this princess is stubborn and insists on explaining that her goal is the seaside and she wants to practice her swordsmanship in the raging waves!

At first, Ain genuinely believed it, truly thinking that practicing swordsmanship by the sea would dramatically improve her skills...

Later, when she discovered that Weiwei had only stood on the beach for five minutes before turning back, she realized that this was not the case at all.

Therefore, whenever Vivi deviates too far from her destination, she flicks out a small stone to indicate the way.

Today marks the first day since leaving the G2 base. We set off from the base this morning, stopping and starting along the way. Several times we almost ended up in the sea or in the mountains. Just before the two people behind us were about to collapse, Vivi finally arrived at the capital of the Kingdom of Lulusia at dusk.

Being able to maintain inner peace in a chaotic environment meant she had passed the first test. The soldiers at the G2 naval base were all elites, and their daily activities were usually well-organized, with little sign of chaos. The capital of the Kingdom of Lulusia was densely populated, and even more chaotic at night. Overall, it was a relatively suitable place.

Vivi herself possesses Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki. Awakening a basic level of Observation Haki should be easy, but her exceptionally high level of perception indirectly negates her advantage. Therefore, she must use an unconventional method to apply pressure to her body.

After entering the capital of the Kingdom of Lulusia, she began to walk towards areas with more people.

The artisan district? There aren't enough people.

Commercial street? There weren't many people in the commercial area at dusk.

As she walked, she suddenly turned right, tapped her bamboo cane twice, and headed down a path.

“That’s it!…” Ain wanted to remind her, but Binz shook his head at her, so she could only swallow the words that were on the tip of her tongue and followed slowly.

Following the sound, Vivi quickly arrived at the liveliest place in the capital of the Kingdom of Lulucia at night. It was bustling with people. Although it was located on a secluded alley, there were more people here than in the city center because it was a casino!

"Place your bet now!"

"Big, big! Big!"

"Small! Small! Small! Three bigs in a row, this one must be small!"

The gamblers' noise was almost enough to lift the roof off. Weiwei frowned at first; the noise was so loud that she felt like drawing her knife. But then she remembered her purpose and could only suppress her emotions, trying to find inner peace in this extremely noisy environment.

The casino staff were taken aback when they saw her walk in. This was quite unusual; a blind person was actually gambling at the casino.

Vivi didn't care what they thought at all. Smoker knew her, Bello Betty knew her, and surely just some random ordinary person would know her too? What was there to be afraid of? As long as she didn't feel ashamed, it was others who felt ashamed!