Sailing: I was falsely accused of watching Nami bathe, but I'm blind.

"Yes, senior!" Kai replied without hesitation in a deep voice.

Chapter 35 Comprehension

He took a deep breath and quickly reviewed everything he had learned during this period in his mind.

Then, he gripped the short sword in his hand, which had accompanied him through countless life-or-death battles, and strode towards the rampaging pirates.

His steps were not fast, but exceptionally steady, each step seemingly containing some kind of power.

He no longer exuded the same fierce aura as before; instead, he possessed a calmness and focus as solid as a rock.

His "mind's eye" scanned the entire battlefield like radar, clearly taking control of the location, aura, weapons, and even the emotional fluctuations of every pirate.

"Huh? Another one coming to die?" The pirate captain, who was grinning maliciously as he swung his spiked club and smashed a fruit stand, noticed Kai approaching alone. A contemptuous smile appeared on his face. "Judging by your build, and you're blind? Haha! You've got the door to hell on your own! Men, cripple him!"

Several pirate henchmen standing on the perimeter chuckled and brandished their swords as they charged toward Kai.

Kai remained completely calm.

With his enhanced Observation Haki, the movements of these henchmen were as clear as slow motion in his eyes (and mind).

He could predict their attack intentions, weapon trajectories, and even their next landing point.

Just as the first pirate's curved blade was about to strike his shoulder, Kai's body darted to the left like a ghost, narrowly avoiding the blade.

At the same time, the short knife in his hand was raised at an incredible angle, and the tip of the knife accurately sliced ​​through the opponent's wrist holding the knife!

"Ah!" The pirate screamed as a deep, bone-revealing wound was slashed across his wrist, and his scimitar fell to the ground.

Before the other pirates could react, Kai pushed off with his feet and shot forward like an arrow, instantly bursting between the other two pirates.

He transformed his left hand into a knife, precisely slicing across the neck of a pirate, causing him to black out and collapse to the ground.

At the same time, he reversed his grip on the short sword in his right hand and slammed the hilt into the temple of another pirate, knocking him unconscious as well.

In the blink of an eye, the three pirate henchmen had lost their fighting ability!

Kai's displayed strength and swift methods surprised the remaining pirates. Even the pirate leader's contempt vanished, replaced by a solemn expression.

"Interesting! Looks like he's not just an ordinary blind man!" The pirate captain slammed his massive spiked club on the ground with a dull thud. "All of you, attack him together! Kill him!"

The remaining dozen or so pirates received orders and, shouting, attacked Kai from all directions.

Swords flashed and clubs clashed, engulfing Kai in an instant.

Kai immediately found himself in a tough fight.

Although these pirates were not as strong as their leader, they were numerous and fearless.

He pushed his Observation Haki to its limit, constantly dodging, blocking, and counterattacking amidst the encirclement.

His figure was like a small boat navigating through turbulent waves, sometimes facing perilous situations and sometimes being struck, but always managing to turn danger into safety at the most crucial moment.

He kept Fujitora's teachings in mind, no longer resorting to brute force, but instead using his senses to find the enemy's weaknesses and his movement techniques to create opportunities.

He constantly changed positions, sometimes using the terrain and sometimes taking advantage of the gaps between enemies.

His attacks no longer aim for a one-hit kill, but rather focus more on efficiency and rhythm, often defeating one enemy after another with minimal cost.

The battle was extremely arduous.

Kai's body was constantly taking on new wounds, and his strength was rapidly depleting.

But the calmness and focus in his eyes remained undiminished.

His every beat of the metronome controlled the rhythm of the battle.

Standing not far away, Fujitora leaned on his cane and quietly "watched" (sensed) Kai's battle.

He could clearly sense Kai's every dodge and every counterattack, the flow of domineering energy within him, and the subtle changes in his emotions.

When Fujitora saw that Kai, despite being at a disadvantage, was able to calmly cope, integrate what he had learned, and even gain insights during the battle, a hint of relief appeared on his usually calm face.

This subtle emotional fluctuation was also keenly caught by Kai, who was completely focused on the battle, at a certain moment.

This recognition from his senior was like a warm current flowing into Kai's body, invigorating him and making his previously tired body feel full of energy again!

"Now!" Kai seized an opportunity, using a pirate's body as cover to avoid the leader's spiked club sweep, then suddenly crouched down and charged forward like a cheetah towards the pirate leader who had been in command!

"You're asking for death!" the pirate captain roared, and his huge spiked club, accompanied by a whistling sound, slammed down towards Kai's head!

Faced with this powerful and devastating blow, capable of splitting rocks and shattering monuments, Kai no longer dodged.

He concentrated his Observation Haki to its maximum, clearly "seeing" the trajectory of the falling spiked club and the weak points in the distribution of its power.

Just as the spiked club was about to strike him, the short knife in his hand thrust upwards at an extremely sharp angle!

Ding!

A crisp clang of metal clashing rang out! Kai's dagger didn't collide head-on with the spiked club; instead, it precisely struck a tiny point of force on the side of the club! A subtle force was transmitted through the tip of the blade, instantly altering the club's trajectory!

The massive spiked club grazed Kai's body and slammed heavily onto the ground beside him, shattering the stone slab into pieces!

The pirate captain, due to excessive force and a missed attack, exposed a huge opening!

Kai had been waiting for this opportunity! He spun around like a top, lunged forward, and the short knife in his hand turned into a flash of cold light, piercing deeply into the pirate captain's arm that was holding the spiked club!

"Ah—!" The pirate captain let out a heart-wrenching scream, and the huge spiked club, which he could no longer hold, crashed to the ground with a thud.

Kai struck successfully, but without lingering, he immediately withdrew and retreated, creating distance.

With their leader gone, the remaining pirate henchmen were thrown into chaos. Seeing Kai, who resembled a god of death, they lost all courage to fight, dropped their weapons, and fled in all directions.

Chapter 36 Teaching

Kai leaned on his short knife, breathing heavily, blood dripping continuously from the wounds on his arms and body.

Although the process was arduous, he ultimately defeated the entire pirate crew through his own strength!

He raised his head, facing the direction where Fujitora was. Although he couldn't see him, he could clearly feel Fujitora's tangible "gaze" filled with approval and satisfaction falling on him.

An unprecedented and immense sense of accomplishment and satisfaction instantly filled Kai's heart.

This is not just the joy of victory in battle, but also a complex emotion of upholding a certain form of justice (protecting the townspeople) through one's own strength and gaining the recognition of respected elders.

He knew this was just the beginning.

His road ahead is long, and he will encounter even stronger enemies and more difficult challenges.

But he was no longer confused, nor was he driven solely by hatred.

He found his direction and also found his own meaning in the fight.

His "insight" not only allows him to see enemies in the darkness, but also... the light of "benevolence" in the darkness.

During his training with Fujitora, Kai not only improved his strength rapidly, but also deepened his understanding of the world.

Once Kai's Observation Haki reached a certain level in terms of perception range, accuracy, and the ability to capture intentions, Fujitora began to guide him to explore a deeper and more mysterious realm—perceiving the voice of all things.

“Kai,” Fujitora said calmly as the two arrived at a remote, ancient forest, “you can now clearly ‘see’ the movements around you and sense the presence and general intentions of creatures.”

However, these are still at a relatively superficial level of perception.

True 'insight' can not only see appearances, but also understand 'heart's voice', and even touch the faint 'voice' hidden deep within all things.

"

"The Voice of All Things?" Kai repeated, somewhat puzzled.

He seemed to have heard the word somewhere before, but its specific meaning was vague.

"yes.

Fujitora nodded. “Everything in the world has its own ‘spirit’.”

Every blade of grass, every tree, every stone, every drop of water, every bird and beast, and even the earth itself, is telling its story in its own way.

However, ordinary people are bound by their five senses, so they cannot hear or see.

The pinnacle of Observation Haki can potentially reach this level, allowing one to listen, understand, and resonate.

"

Fujitora gestured for Kai to sit cross-legged under a towering ancient tree.

"Now, calm down and clear your mind of all distractions."

Don't deliberately 'listen' to anything, and don't try to 'analyze' anything.

Let your senses, like dandelion seeds, gently scatter outwards, blending into this forest, feeling its breath, experiencing its pulse.

"

Following Fujitora's instructions, Kai slowly closed his eyes (though this was just a habitual action for him), adjusted his breathing, and tried to detach his consciousness from capturing external physical information, attempting to feel those more subtle and abstract things.

At first, it was very difficult for him.

His perception was filled with all sorts of "noise"—the rustling of leaves in the wind, the buzzing of insects flapping their wings, the chirping of birds in the distance, the gurgling of underground water... These physical pieces of information that he had previously tried so hard to distinguish and capture had now become obstacles that prevented him from perceiving the deeper levels of existence.

He felt as if he were in an incredibly noisy market, with countless sounds and fragments of information flooding his mind, giving him a splitting headache and making him feel agitated.

"Calm your mind."

Fujitora's voice rang out at the right time, like a clear spring flowing by, soothing Kai's inner anxiety, "Don't try to 'grasp' every voice, that will only make you lose your way in the flood of information."

What you need to do is 'filter' and 'sediment'.

Like sand and stones in water, let the surface, noisy information sink down, and feel the deeper, more tranquil 'flow' itself.