"Let's not talk about Conqueror's Haki for now. Time is tight," Silvers Rayleigh said, stroking his beard with a mischievous grin as he looked at Ace. "To help you master the basics of Armament Haki and Observation Haki in the shortest possible time… I may have to use some tricks on you."
Ace would soon understand just how small those "little tricks" Rayleigh mentioned truly were.
Armament Haki, also known as Busoshoku Haki, is a power born from physical discipline and control. And the best way to train it?
Get beaten. Hard.
But to awaken Ace's latent Haki faster, normal beatings wouldn't do. What was needed was direct application of Haki-infused strikes.
Rayleigh's idea of a "little trick" was to wrap a cloth around his Haki-coated fist and continuously strike Ace's body—while Ace stood still and wasn't allowed to dodge.
Under Rayleigh's high-level Armament Haki, Ace's natural Devil Fruit defenses were completely ineffective.
---
Day one: Ace's body turned red from being whipped.
Day two: The red welts turned into bruises and swelled.
Day three: His entire figure was bloated and swollen—Ace barely looked human anymore.
Despite this torturous training, Ace still took an hour each day to fly to the highest altitude he could reach and absorb solar energy for his ongoing flame-tempering regimen. Then he would return… to get beaten again.
---
"Ace," Rayleigh said, striking him again, "being beaten isn't the point. While you feel the pain, focus. Feel the Haki in my strikes."
"Feel it."
"Sense it."
"Then master it!"
Ace was borderline delirious by now. "You should've told me earlier!" he yelled. "You've been beating me for days, and only now you say I need to feel something?! I thought this was just some twisted hazing ritual!"
Still, better late than never. Gritting his teeth, Ace began to focus as Rayleigh instructed. As the strikes continued, Ace concentrated on the unique pressure each Haki-infused blow delivered. Just before he reached his limit, Ace finally felt it—the energy inside himself began to stir.
Smack!
Another strike came—but this time, it hit a surface that felt like stone.
Rayleigh stopped and smiled. "You finally felt it?"
Ace raised his arm. "Yeah, I feel it!" An invisible aura now cloaked his limb—the unmistakable presence of Armament Haki.
It was like a flowing current of energy from within, responsive to his will. Ace could control its texture—soft like water or hard as steel.
---
"Very good. You awakened your Armament Haki faster than I expected," Rayleigh nodded. "Now rest for three days. Focus on understanding your Haki thoroughly. After that, we begin your Observation Haki training."
"Understood, Rayleigh-sensei!" Ace said with excitement.
For the next three days, aside from his daily high-altitude solar exposure, Ace devoted himself to refining his Armament Haki. He experimented with flow control, coverage, and intensity.
At one point, he even asked Rayleigh for a spar to test it—only to get a massive bump on his forehead when their Haki clashed.
Still, it was worth it. That encounter gave Ace an important realization.
Haki isn't just about power—it's about technique.
Even when Rayleigh matched his Haki strength to Ace's, his superior control let him easily dominate the clash. This reminded Ace of Luffy's Gear Fourth: even though Luffy hadn't been stronger in raw Haki than Doflamingo at Dressrosa, his clever application of it balanced the gap.
---
Next came the Observation Haki—or Kenbunshoku Haki—training.
Rayleigh's "trick" this time?
Blindfolded beatings.
But unlike before, Ace could dodge. In fact, he had to.
"Observation Haki is like sharpening your five senses to the extreme," Rayleigh explained while swinging his Haki-wrapped cloth. "When your senses become sharp enough, you can perceive things beyond your vision. You can feel the presence, movements, and even intentions of others during battle."
"Note," Rayleigh emphasized, "it's called reading the opponent—not predicting. Some masters of Kenbunshoku Haki can even glimpse into the future during combat. That's the true power of Observation Haki."
---
Ace's talent with Observation Haki wasn't quite on par with his Armament Haki. Despite Rayleigh's tireless training, it took half a month for Ace to awaken it.
But he did.
"I finally got it..." Ace murmured, blinking in awe.
Rayleigh smiled in satisfaction. "It took a bit longer than expected, but your Haki has awakened. Good work."
Looking at his bruised and scarred body, Ace muttered, "That... was not easy."
When activating Observation Haki, Ace could now feel everything around him even with his eyes closed. Every movement of the air, the rhythm of life—everything became clearer, as if he had unlocked a sixth sense.
Except this sixth sense wasn't vague—it was crystal clear.
---
End of Chapter 34
Next Time: Ace pushes his Haki training further—toward internal destruction...
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