One Piece: Ascending the Divine Path

In the New World, beneath the Red Line, at Red Harbor, a warship departs from the harbor and moves slowly forward.

on the deck.

Now that he was a major at headquarters, Knight immediately changed out of his ugly sailor uniform. He wore a loose black hooded sweatshirt and dark gray knitted sweatpants. If he hadn't been wearing the Justice Coat, he would have looked more like a student who had just run away from school.

He looked at the man in front of him with some surprise.

Zephyr was doing squats while carrying a barbell that was much larger than the one Knight used when he was training.

The astonishing weight caused the deck where Zephyr was standing to sag noticeably. To prevent the deck from breaking, Zephyr even used Armament Haki to color it.

"Professor Zephyr,"

Knight said with a touch of emotion, "So you've finally been inspired by me and decided to train properly? Well, as long as you're determined, it's never too late, no matter your age."

"You brat, if you can't speak properly, then shut up."

Zefa's lips twitched slightly.

Now that we've decided to return to the front lines, we can no longer afford to slack off.

If it weren't for Knight, Zeffa doesn't even know what would have happened in his last fight with Edward Weevil.

When they tried to intercept the fugitives in the Sabaody Archipelago, they were easily thwarted and unable to stop them at all.

Although he had long felt that he was no longer at his peak, it was only now that Zephyr realized just how weak he had become.

This won't do; our current strength is far from sufficient.

Knight and his two companions chose to follow him, as did the other sailors who joined the naval guerrillas.

He cannot betray that trust.

He's more than capable of dealing with ordinary pirates now, but, as Sengoku said, what if he actually catches up with that group of fugitives? Or even encounter other monsters from the New World?

Can I protect my men from those monsters?

  

The answer is probably cruel.

Therefore, Zephyr believes that he must first regain his original power.

The first thing to do, of course, is to rebuild one's faith, and then, to revive the body that is about to rust.

"Huh? Wait a minute,"

Looking at Knight, who was standing awkwardly in front of him, Zephyr suddenly felt something was off. "What's wrong with you today? Although we're not far from G-1 base, given your personality, you should be training right now."

Knight's diligence is undeniable; unless he's so exhausted that he falls asleep, you rarely see him resting.

"It's all for spiritual practice."

Knight yawned and said slowly, "Zeffa-sensei, I want to learn more advanced Armament Haki techniques."

"More advanced Armament Haki techniques?"

Zefa raised an eyebrow.

It seems that the battle at Sabaody Archipelago really gave Knight, that proud kid, a major setback. He tried everything but couldn't do anything to defeat his opponent.

"Then let me see how far you've progressed in hardening your muscles."

"learn."

Knight nodded slightly, and in the next instant, his dark fist slammed directly into Zephyr's chest.

Zefa's body remained motionless.

"oh!"

Knight looked slightly surprised, his eyes widening slightly. "Professor Zephyr, your reaction was quick!"

His dark fist slammed into Zephyr's dark chest.

Zephyr gave a forced smile, loosened his grip on the barbell, and tapped Knight on the head. "I never said I was here to be the target."

"Hmm!"

Knight covered his head.

It was indeed fast; I couldn't even react in time.

"but,"

Zephyr's gaze toward Knight gradually softened with satisfaction. "You are indeed very proficient in Armament Haki hardening, and you have mastered the ability to release Armament Haki outwards."

This kid has an extraordinary physique, but what's truly astonishing is his domineering talent.

Iron Body and Paper Drawing in the Six Powers can be considered prerequisite skills for Armament Haki and Observation Haki, respectively. Those who are proficient in these two techniques can learn Haki through them.

However, not everyone can be like Knight, who awakened his Haki in less than two weeks after learning Iron Block and Paper Drawing.

After awakening Armament Haki, Knight reached the threshold of Hardening in just two months, and then mastered the Hardening technique in just over a week.

All in all, it only took a little over two months.

The reason it took more than two months was because Knight's power far exceeded that of ordinary people, making it much more difficult for him to control. Otherwise, it would have taken at most a month.

From the time the hardening was completed until now, only four months have passed, and Knight's Armament Haki intensity is already in no way inferior to that of the veteran Vice Admirals of the Headquarters—excluding Garp, Tsuru, and Gion.

This is still based on the premise that he has basically not experienced any real intense battles.

"Listen up, Knight,"

Zephyr then abandoned the outline and instantly switched to a teaching mode, saying, "Different levels of Armament Haki techniques are essentially different levels of control abilities."

He raised his right hand, and in an instant, an invisible stream of energy seeped out from his arm, enveloping it. Then, the invisible energy suddenly collapsed, condensing into a layer of black substance on the surface of his arm.

"I've already taught you about winding and hardening, so I won't go into too much detail."

Entanglement is the most basic and loose way to release the domineering aura hidden in the corresponding part of the body.

Hardening, on the other hand, involves compressing the domineering aura together with stronger control, greatly enhancing both defensive and offensive capabilities, making it a truly invisible armor.

"What I'm going to teach you now is the next step after hardening, called flow!"

As he spoke, invisible currents of energy surged from Zefa's entire body, enveloping him completely.

"The power of Haki in a single part of the body is limited, and the significance of flowing Armament Haki lies in concentrating the Haki from other parts of the body for use."

Knight then saw the domineering aura surging from Zephyr's entire body gradually flow towards his right fist, eventually wrapping around the outside of his dark fist and forming a constantly surging wave of energy.

"It's essentially similar to hardening, both involving the concentration of Haki. However, because the range is larger and the precision is higher, the requirements for control are also greatly increased. Even in the New World, there are not many people who have mastered this technique, and most vice admirals can only admire it from afar."

"But once mastered, the true power of Armament Haki begins to emerge! Both defensive and destructive capabilities are greatly enhanced, and the gap in physical strength alone begins to narrow rapidly."

"At this point, one can unleash all of their domineering aura in one go, unleashing power beyond the limit. But of course, if this attack fails to defeat the opponent, one will be at their mercy."

After demonstrating, Zephyr dissipated his Haki. "How was it? Try the first step of concentrating your Haki first. After you've done that, I'll teach you how to unleash your Haki."

It must be said that this technique is indeed very suitable for Knight, whose domineering presence far surpasses that of ordinary people.

Once mastered, Knight's strength will experience a tremendous leap.

"it is good."

Without hesitation, Knight began to exude an invisible aura from his body.

Thanks to his daily, unwavering, and sincere punches, almost instantly, Knight's distracting thoughts vanished, and he began to focus entirely on controlling the domineering aura that enveloped his entire body.

Under Zephyr's expectant gaze, the air currents swirling around Knight's body began to move slowly.

"Oh?"

Zefa's eyes lit up slightly.

This kid has a really solid foundation.

An invisible current of energy continuously converged towards Knight's right hand, and the current of energy wrapped around Knight's right arm gradually became denser, visible to the naked eye.

But at that very moment, the moving airflow suddenly dispersed and returned to Knight's body.

"call--"

Knight breathed a sigh of relief. "Did it fail?"

"That's already quite an achievement."

Zefa laughed and said, "To be able to do this on your first try, your talent is already quite extraordinary."

"Professor Zephyr, please don't treat me by the same standards you use for ordinary people."

Knight, however, said with some dissatisfaction.

That kid!

Zefa's eye twitched involuntarily.

Knight's performance was already amazing; he almost concentrated all his domineering aura on his first attempt.

Although he ultimately failed, and although his pace was as slow as a tortoise's crawl, he had indeed taken the first step, and in one go, he had taken a very long step.

Zephyr guessed that Knight should be able to grasp the basics of Flowing Armament Haki in no more than two weeks.

Knight has begun a new round of trials.

"Huh? Mr. Zephyr! Are you teaching Knight a new move?"

Binz's loud, boisterous voice rang out, "That's not fair! We want some too!"

This guy has also changed out of his sailor uniform and into a red ninja outfit, also wearing a justice coat over it.

Beside him was Ian, still dressed in a sleeveless vest and super short shorts, a vibrant navy girl.

"Professor Zephyr,"

Aien said solemnly, "We want to become stronger too!"

"You don't need to tell me that; you will indeed need greater power in the new world."

Zephyr nodded slightly. "Let's start with the remaining six forms. First, master this set of physical techniques, and then you can begin training in Haki."

"As for Knight's current training, that's still too far removed from your current situation."

Is it too far away?

Ain glanced unconsciously at Knight, who was completely absorbed, and clenched her delicate fist slightly.

"Understood, Professor Zephyr! Please train us to your heart's content!"

Binz responded loudly.

Knight is right, there's no need to compare yourself to him, just compare yourself to yourself!

So, during the journey to G-1 base, Zephyr trained himself while giving pointers to Knight and the other two.

It must have been tough for Binz, having to practice while leaning on his cane.

Red Harbor is not far from G-1 Base, and in no time, the magnificent naval base was right in front of us.

G-1 Base is the most unique among all the G-series bases. It is a twin star system facing Marinfando across the Red Line and a major fortress protecting Mary Geoise.

This base not only rivaled Marin Fando in terms of building scale and guard configuration, but also had a general stationed here year-round.

Just as the warship approached the G-1 base, a yellow light suddenly descended from the sky.

"Oh, Teacher Zephat, Sashibury Dana!"

A man dressed in a yellow striped suit, draped in a coat of justice, and wearing sunglasses perched on his nose, emerged from the light with a nonchalant expression.

Zephyr put down the enormous barbell he was carrying, glanced at the newcomer, and asked, "Borusalino?"

Admiral Kizaru!