Pirates: Martial Arts Masters on the Straw Hat Ship

Chapter 27 Luffy and Zoro Master Observation Haki

Ronan glanced at Zoro, then at Luffy, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

The physical talents in the One Piece world are truly unreasonable...

In their previous lives, the first stage of the Thirteen Protectors' training, "the initial formation of the skin membrane," required ordinary people to endure three to five years of arduous practice, even with the aid of medicinal baths.

These two are something else. They've only been cultivating for a day, but thanks to their monstrous physiques and protagonist aura, they've already entered the first level?

Rough, tough skin with tightly closed pores that bounce back when subjected to force is a sign of the initial formation of the skin membrane.

Ronan suppressed his admiration and said calmly, "Your talent is indeed remarkable. Although you are newcomers, your physical foundation far surpasses that of ordinary people."

He paused, his gaze sharpening:

"Now that the first phase is complete, we don't need to waste any more time."

From today onwards, we will directly enter the second stage of the Thirteen Protectors—Bone and Skin of Iron!

"Copper skin and iron bones?" Zoro repeated the phrase, his eyes flashing with a sharp light.

"That's right."

Ronan, with his hands behind his back and facing the sea breeze, explained:

"At this stage, not only will physical strength increase again, muscles will become as firm as iron, bone density will be greatly enhanced, and the ability to withstand blows will undergo a qualitative change."

"When ordinary people are struck by swords and knives, they only leave a white mark, and their weapons may even be shattered by your attacks! This is what you call—forging divine strength through physical training, creating an indestructible body!"

"Shock weapon?!"

Zoro clenched his fist. As a swordsman, he knew better than anyone how difficult it was to cut through steel. Conversely, the temptation to withstand steel with one's own body was an extreme one.

Luffy was so excited that his eyes lit up and he was practically drooling.

"Invulnerable to blades and bullets! What are we waiting for! Ronan, let's get started! I want to become stronger! I want to become a steel rubber man!"

"Don't rush."

Ronan turned around, walked to the side of the ship, and lifted the heavy iron spear weighing over 100 pounds with one hand.

"Buzz—"

The iron spear came into his hand with a dull, resonant sound.

Ronan's demeanor instantly changed, transforming from a gentle mentor into a powerful and imposing war god.

"By the second stage, ordinary punches and kicks will have little effect on your improvement."

Ronan stroked the cold gun barrel, his eyes sharp and stern.

"Next, I will use this eighteen-foot iron spear to attack you."

"During this process, you will not only have to be blindfolded and practice Observation Haki to evade attacks;"

"And at the moment when you are unable to dodge and are attacked by me, you must use your breathing technique to instantly guide your 'qi' to the point of impact!"

"Use your strength and muscles to fight against steel!"

"This will hurt a lot, and you might even bleed. Are you scared?"

"I couldn't be happier!" Zoro tied a bandana around his head and took out a piece of black cloth to cover his eyes.

"Come on!" Luffy pulled down his straw hat to cover his eyes and assumed a fighting stance.

……

For the next whole week, the Going Merry seemed to have become a purgatory adrift on the sea.

Whether under the blazing sun or in a torrential downpour, the deck was always filled with the sounds of metal clashing and the dull thuds of bodies colliding.

"Bang! Bang! Smash!"

Ronan held the iron spear, but did not use the sharp edge of the spearhead. Instead, he transformed the shaft into the most ruthless whip.

With the triple multiplier in battle mode, his strength grows stronger, and his marksmanship becomes faster and more cunning.

"left!"

Zoro instinctively dodged to the right, but the iron spear, like a leech, instantly changed direction and lashed out hard into his back.

"Snapped!"

"Ugh!" Zoro let out a muffled groan, but he did not back down. The moment he was hit, his back muscles bulged, and he withstood the blow.

"Breathe! Don't panic!" Ronan shouted. "Focus your energy in your dantian, and concentrate on the point of pressure!"

On the other hand, Luffy's situation was even more dire.

Luffy tried to inhale to defend himself, but Ronan's spear shaft, with its penetrating "shaking force," struck Luffy directly in the stomach, causing him to exhale all the air he had inhaled.

"Luffy! You can't rely on your Devil Fruit powers!" Ronan's iron spear lashed out like a dragon as he attacked while simultaneously instructing, "Use your Observation Haki to 'see'! Use your body to 'hear' the wind from my spear!"

Nami stood on the second floor of the Going Merry, trembling with fear as she looked down at the scene of carnage (mostly bruises).

"This...is this how martial artists train? It's too brutal!"

For Ronan, it was also a thoroughly enjoyable training experience.

As he continued to be fed training, his strength steadily increased, and his attribute values rose by leaps and bounds.

Before he knew it, Ronan's strength attribute had increased to 16 points.

Sunrise and sunset, ocean waves surge.

The three men's sweat soaked almost every deck of the Merry.

……

morning.

The sun was shining brightly, and the sea breeze was gentle.

The atmosphere in the center of the deck was extremely heavy.

Ronan stood quietly, holding his eighteen-foot-long iron spear.

Opposite him, Luffy and Zoro were both blindfolded, their bare upper bodies covered in purplish-blue bruises—medals left from a week of "hellish training."

However, upon closer inspection, one can see that beneath these bruises, the muscles of the two men exhibit a bronze luster, as if they were refined steel that had been forged through countless hammer blows.

"Are you ready?"

Ronan's voice was very soft, but it sounded like thunder to the two of them.

"Come on," Zoro said in a low, hoarse voice.

"Whoosh—!"

Without warning, Ronan made his move.

This time, he held nothing back. The iron spear in his hand transformed into a black lightning bolt, whistling through the air, heading straight for Luffy's throat!

This shot was as fast as lightning and as powerful as a tiger!

Nami, who was watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but exclaim, "Luffy!!"

Just as the tip of the spear was less than three inches from Luffy's throat—

Luffy's blindfolded face turned to the side very slightly.

There were no unnecessary movements; it was as if he had always been standing there.

"laugh--!"

A sharp gust of wind grazed Luffy's neck, but didn't even break the skin.

Ronan's deadly shot missed!

"good!"

Ronan's eyes flashed, and with a sudden flick of his wrist, the gun instantly bent into an astonishing arc. Using the force of the rebound, it transformed into three afterimages, stabbing towards Zoro's brow, heart, and abdomen respectively!

This move sealed off the upper, middle, and lower routes; a week ago, Zoro would have had no chance of dodging it.

But at this moment, Zoro seemed to have entered a wondrous state.

In his perceived world, the surrounding darkness disappeared, replaced by red dots of light.

He "saw" the movement of the air, and he "heard" the killing intent of the iron spear.

"call--"

Zoro's body moved like a leaf in the wind, his footwork shifting strangely.

Turn your head to the side, tuck in your stomach, and slide down.

The three movements were completed in one smooth motion.

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

All three spear shadows grazed past Zoro's body, the closest one even slicing through the cloth belt tied around his waist, but without harming him in the slightest.

silence.

The entire venue was deathly silent.

Ronan slowly holstered his gun and placed it heavily on the deck.

"That concludes today's practice."

Ronan looked at the two of them, a satisfied smile on his lips: "Take off your blindfolds. Congratulations, you've mastered Observation Haki."

Luffy and Zoro slowly pulled off their eye patches, their eyes squinting slightly from the sunlight after being in darkness for so long.

But soon, an unprecedented look of excitement burst forth in those eyes.

"I...I dodged it?"

Luffy stared at his hands in disbelief: "For a split second just now, I think I really 'saw' it! Ronan's gun moved like it was in slow motion!"

"Is this what Observation Haki is...?"

Zoro clenched his fist, savoring the wonderful feeling of being in complete control: "Practice makes perfect, finally... I've got it."

This is not just an improvement in skills, but a leap in the level of life.