Pirate: I, Buggy, am the Emperor, the Emperor of the Clown King!

Baji stood opposite Kulocas, arms crossed over his chest, the hem of his clothes fluttering in the sea breeze.

Nami and Nojiko stood half a step behind him, while Mochi and Kabaji stood further back.

"Since you want to learn, then I'll tell you what domineering is."

"Domineering aura, simply put, is the latent power that humans are born with."

"Willpower, spirit, and courage—when these things come together and manifest themselves, they become domineering presence."

Everyone possesses the potential to be powerful, but most people never awaken it in their lifetime. Just like everyone has two hands, but not everyone can play beautiful music.

Although this sounds like nonsense, it's unlikely that you can connect the dots without using any nonsense at all.

Moreover, this refers to a holistic, macro-level definition.

Kurokas paused, his gaze sweeping over the group of people.

"There are three types of Haki: Observation Haki, Armament Haki, and Conqueror's Haki."

He first held up one finger.

"Observation Haki—is the power of hearing, and can also be considered as mental stillness."

"By enhancing one's sixth sense, one can perceive the aura, quantity, and emotions of living beings, thereby predicting the opponent's actions."

"High-level Observation Haki can even allow one to briefly see the future."

"Its core training lies in meditation and perception."

"You need to learn to eliminate distractions and let your senses expand like water to capture the existence of every living thing in your surroundings."

As Crocus spoke, he closed his eyes.

"For example, right now I can feel the breathing, heartbeat, and body temperature of all five of you."

"Bucky's heartbeat is the most stable, Nami's heartbeat is a little faster than normal, Mochi's blood pressure is a bit high, Kabaji's right hand muscles are slightly tense, and Noji's breathing rhythm is even."

"This information doesn't need to be seen or heard; it only needs to be 'perceived'."

Crocus continued, "In this respect, it's because I'm a doctor, so his Observation Haki development is more refined in terms of the human body... and this characteristic also determines that everyone has different strengths."

There is no shortcut to training Observation Haki. For those without talent, spending time "listening" every day is the best form of practice.

"Start by distinguishing quantities, then move on to distinguishing locations, then to distinguishing emotions, and finally to predicting actions."

Then Crocus raised his second finger.

"Armament Haki - it is also a power of the mind, but it is the [dynamic] aspect."

"To condense one's spirit into an invisible armor, wrapping it around the body or weapon to enhance attack and defense."

"Its greatest function is to be able to touch the physical body of Logia-type Devil Fruit users and break the myth of invincibility through elementalization."

"What you need to do is concentrate your mental energy on a certain point in your body, and make that thought become reality."

Crocus raised his right hand, slowly closing his five fingers.

"The simplest way to train is to imagine that your arms are covered with an invisible armor."

"At first, you just imagine it, and then you have to make that feeling of coverage real."

"When you can sense the presence of that armor, Armament Haki is not far away."

"Going a step further, we would extend this coverage to weapons."

A layer of black luster appeared on Crocus's right hand, spreading from his fingertips to his wrist. "When you can do this, you've entered the field."

Finally, he raised his third finger.

"Conqueror's Haki - it is the quality of a king, a talent that is one in a million, innate and cannot be acquired through learning."

"Its essence is the overwhelming power of a king's qualities and will; it is the spirit of freedom."

"When released, it can intimidate and stun those with weak wills with its own aura. Conqueror's Haki cannot be trained; it only strengthens as the user's aura grows."

"Those with strong Conqueror's Haki will have a natural advantage in training Observation Haki and Armament Haki, as their strong will can better guide and command their spirit."

Crocus glanced at Bucky every now and then as he spoke.

To be honest, Crocus used to think that Buggy didn't have the talent for Conqueror's Haki.

But the current Bucky gives Crocus a different feeling. It's hard to say whether he misjudged him back then.

Crocus lowered his hand and glanced at the crowd.

"The essence of all three types of Haki is spiritual power, but each has its own emphasis. Mastering Observation Haki and Armament Haki is enough for you."

After all, even Crocus himself doesn't possess Conqueror's Haki; it's said to be purely innate and truly a mysterious phenomenon.

He turned around, picked up a stone from the reef, and weighed it in his hand.

"Next, I will explain the specific training methods to you. I will only explain it once; how much you can remember is up to you."

He began to explain, his voice neither hurried nor slow, his logic clear and logical, as if he were a professionally trained speaker.

The training of Observation Haki is divided into three stages.

—The first stage: Closed-eye perception. Set aside one hour each day to close your eyes, clear your mind of distractions, and perceive the life force around you. Start with one person, then two, then ten, until you can discern the location and movements of each person.

—The second stage, dynamic perception. Maintain perception while moving; whether running, jumping, or fighting, make Observation Haki an instinctive reaction.

—The third stage is emotion perception. It involves not only perceiving actions but also emotions, thereby predicting the opponent's next move.

Armament Haki training is also divided into three stages.

—The first stage, Concentration. Focus your mental energy on a specific point in your body, such as your fist, arm, or chest, and imagine there is an invisible layer of armor there. Repeat this visualization every day until that feeling of "coverage" becomes real.

—The second stage, hardening. Under the influence of willpower, mental power is drawn out and transformed into real armor. Initially, it may only last for a few seconds, but with training, it will last longer.

—The third stage, extension. Extending Armament Haki from the body to the weapons.

"...blah blah blah...like this...like this..." Crocus explained in great detail, pointing out the key points and common mistakes at each stage.

Baji stood there, listening to Kurokas's explanation, and the vague memories in his mind gradually became clearer.

After transmigrating into this body, he inherited the memories of the original owner, Buggy, but the original Buggy hadn't studied seriously back then and didn't have much of an impression of this aspect.

While Rayleigh was teaching, Bucky was either counting treasure, making faces, or arguing with Shanks.

All I can remember are fragments of words, and my understanding is only superficial.

Rayleigh didn't care at all whether Bucky could learn it or not; he had absolutely no sense of responsibility as a teacher.

It can be said that it fully embodies the freedom of pirates.

It's really quite an achievement that Buggy the Clown was able to figure out Armament Haki and Observation Haki on his own using those fragmented memories.

If you want to go further, the current efficiency is relatively slow, and you can only explore it slowly on your own.

But now that Crocus has helped fill this gap, it can be said that the training efficiency has been greatly improved.

"Willpower is the core..." Bucky said in a low voice.

The main reason he was able to learn it through trial and error was that he was willing to immerse himself in the power of dark desires and firmly chose the path of using desire to command power.

Absolute mental power is the foundation of everything.

If we had to put it in a way, it does resemble the Heart Wall AT position of a certain autistic teenager's world, where the spiritual aura materializes and interferes with the material level.

After Crocus finished speaking, he paused and glanced at Bucky.

So Bucky said directly, "Crocas, you're much more reliable than Rayleigh."

"Rayleigh?" Crocus raised an eyebrow, his tone full of disdain. "That mediocre teacher?"

Bucky recalled his memories and said with some emotion, "Back on the ship, when Rayleigh was teaching Shanks and me, do you know how he taught us? ...like this...like that...like that...like that...when the feeling comes, it comes out."

Crocus's lips twitched. "That guy has never been a good teacher. He's a genius himself, so he thinks everyone else is a genius... He's a complete scourge on students."

Kurocast paused, then added, "Don't compare me to that mediocre teacher."

"I am a doctor, and doctors value systematic and standardized procedures."

"Treating the sick and saving lives requires utmost carelessness."

"Teaching others is the same."

Crocus thought for a moment and continued to complain, "Shakky choosing Rayleigh? She must be blind!"

Of course, this was just talk; in reality, everyone on Roger's ship genuinely wished Shakky and Rayleigh well when they got together.

At most, everyone just talks a big game.

Although Roger and his crew weren't exactly good people, their moral standards were relatively high compared to most pirates.

At least the Roger Pirates were much more united than the Rocks Pirates.

Shakky herself is a pirate, and it's perfectly normal for pirates to talk nonsense with each other.

laugh.

Bucky nodded and said nothing more.

The two of them were secretly talking badly about Rayleigh behind his back, but the problem is that Rayleigh really is a jerk.

Rayleigh is very strong, but his personality is really unreliable.

Crocus shifted his gaze from Buggy to Nami, Nojiko, Mochi, and Kabaji.

"How much of what I just said did you understand?"

The four people exchanged glances.

Nami nodded, then shook her head: "I understood about half of it, but I wrote it all down."

"You wrote it down?" Crocus was somewhat surprised; this talent was quite impressive.

Nami pointed to her temple and said, "Almost exactly the same."

Crocus raised an eyebrow again.

He glanced at Bucky, who nodded slightly.

Nojiko stood next to Nami: "I only understood part of what she said, but I managed to remember the general outline."

Mochi and Kabaji, however, were not so relaxed.

Mochi's brows furrowed into a deep frown, and his lips moved slightly.

Kabaji's fingers tapped incessantly on the hilt of his knife, his gaze somewhat unfocused.

Mochi finally spoke, "I didn't quite understand..."

Kabaji nodded: "Me too."

Crocus looked at them and said nonchalantly, "It's normal. The training of domineering power is, in essence, a test of talent and comprehension."

"If you two don't understand, go ask the ones who do."

"The rest, you can practice slowly."

Whether he can master it or not is none of his business.

Anyway, he only teaches once, and he has taught what he needs to teach and said what he needs to say.

Mochi and Kabaji exchanged a glance, then quickly looked away.

They both looked at Nami.

Mochi's heart skipped a beat.

Kabaji's heart skipped a beat.

The two looked at each other again, and this time there was a tacit understanding in their eyes—they would have to try even harder to please Nami from now on.

Nami is now the general manager of the Buggy Pirates, in charge of money, supplies, routes, and personnel.

She is now demonstrating a level of comprehension in her studies that far surpasses theirs.

What does this mean?

This means that anyone who wants to learn Haki training will have to find Nami!

This is the true Grand General of the Buggy Pirates!

As for asking Pakistan for advice?

Mochi thought for a moment and then shook his head.

Kabaji thought for a moment and then shook his head.

Captain Bucky was usually kind to them, generous with money, and never stingy, but his eyes, looking out from behind the mask, always carried a kind of oppressive feeling that made people afraid to act rashly.

Should we ask Bucky for advice?

What if Bucky thinks they're too stupid and looks down on them?

Forget it, I'll just have to appease Nami.

Nami seems much easier to talk to than Buggy, no matter how you look at it.

"Alright. I've said everything I needed to say. The rest is up to you." Crocus didn't care about anything more; once he finished speaking, his mission was complete.

To be honest, if it were anyone else, Crocus wouldn't bother with it.

He actually took care of Bucky and Shanks when they were young for a period of time, which is why they have this bond.

As the saying goes, a friend of a friend is not my friend.

But my friend really is my friend.

This can be understood as Roger's former comrades not caring at all, even if Roger's son Ace were executed, they wouldn't bother to even look at him.

But if it were Shanks or Bucky who were executed, they might not necessarily go to save them, but they would definitely still watch over them and show concern.

Just then—

boom--!!!

A loud bang came from afar.

It wasn't the sound of thunder or waves, but a deeper, heavier sound, like a mountain collapsing.

Everyone turned their heads at the same time and looked in the direction from which the sound came.

The enormous island whale, Laboon, is ramming its head against the red earth.

Its body rose from the sea, its blue skin gleaming coldly in the sunlight, like a moving mountain.

Its head was raised high, and after accelerating for a short distance, it crashed into the red wall.

boom!!!

The entire coastline trembled at the moment of impact.

Rocks rolled down the mountainside, splashing up a huge spray of water.

Lab's head slammed into the red earth, producing a dull, deafening roar.

a bit.

Two times.

Three times.

...It kept crashing.

"This is truly awe-inspiring..." Nami stood behind Buggy, looking at the enormous whale.

Nojiko didn't say anything, but simply reached out and took Nami's hand.

Having just arrived at the Grand Line, we've already witnessed this unimaginably enormous creature; it's truly awe-inspiring.

Mochi and Kabaji were also looking in that direction, their expressions somewhat complicated.

The island whale Laboon has a head height of 200 meters and a body length of 400 meters.

It can be described as a living island.

In the distance, the pirate henchmen who were setting up camp were shouting and yelling.

"Aaaaaaah!"

"Why did it crash into that mountain? Is it crazy?!"

"It has injuries on its head... many injuries..."

"It's bleeding... Oh my god..."

The pirate henchmen lay on the ship's gunwale, stood on the reefs, and crowded around the tents, all with their heads tilted back, mouths agape, and eyes wide open, watching the giant beast crash into the red earth again and again.

Each impact was accompanied by a loud bang, and each bang made their bodies involuntarily tremble.

Just then, Crocus suddenly said, "Bucky."

Bucky turned his head and looked at Crocus.

The old man stood in front of him, his face expressionless, but something flickered in his eyes behind his round-framed glasses.

"What's wrong?" Bucky asked.

Crocus was silent for a moment.

The sea breeze blew between them, ruffling Crocus's floral shirt and rustling Bucky's clothes.

In the distance came the booming sound of a lava ball crashing into the red earth, one after another, like a heartbeat.

"Don't die," Crocus said.

Although he didn't know why Bucky wanted to go to sea, and didn't believe Bucky's previous reasons at all, it didn't matter; he respected other people's choices.

This is what pirates are like.

Pirates are bold and unrestrained, so their way of getting along is somewhat different from that of ordinary people.

For example, if an ordinary person discovers that a friend is about to commit suicide, they will generally try their best to stop them.

On the pirate side, if they find out that a friend is about to commit suicide, in most cases they will offer help by asking if you want them to help.

...This point is actually quite abstract.

Once you choose to go to sea, your life and death are in the hands of fate, and your wealth and status are determined by heaven. Just respect your choice.

It's good to live a long and successful life.

It's only natural that they would die in some unknown corner.

"I don't want to see you die in front of us old folks," Crocus added.

Watching someone grow up from a young age truly feels like raising your own child.

Bucky looked at Crocus and knew what he meant.

After the Roger Pirates disbanded, the crew members went their separate ways.

Some people died, some went into seclusion, and some are still adrift at sea.

Crocus chose Twin Capes. He had seen too many pirates rush down from Reverse Mountain, full of vigor and high spirits, and then never return.

He didn't want to see Bucky become one of them.

Bucky's response was to burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha!"

He laughed wildly, arrogantly, like a true madman.

Then the laughter stopped abruptly.

"I will not die," Bucky stated calmly, stating a fact.

Crocus looked at him and remained silent for a long time.

Then he nodded: "I've said what I needed to say, and I've taught what I needed to teach... The rest is up to you."

Bucky looked away and turned to the four people behind him: "Go back, all of you."

Nami nodded.

She glanced at Nochiko, who nodded slightly.

Mochi and Kabaji nodded as well.

Bucky didn't say anything more, and started walking towards the Giant.

I'll stay here for a few days; there's no rush to leave anyway.

——❛˓◞˂̵✧——