I am the Bandit King of the East Sea.

Law decides to continue serving the bandits, while Luffy... recklessly confronts Bartholomew Kuma, demanding that Kuma reveal where he sent his crew flying.

Now that Kuma is no longer a Shichibukai and the two sides are no longer enemies, he had no choice but to tell the whole story: he sent Luffy's crew flying to keep them away from the battlefield of Marineford, a battleground dominated by powerful figures, and the fact that the crew members were scattered all over the country was also for the purpose of allowing them to train on their own.

Upon hearing this, Sieg stepped forward and suggested that the "3D2Y" message could be conveyed to his friends through the newspaper.

For Sieg, it was simple: the Shock Department had moved from the Island of Everything to his giant ship, the Dushan, and it was a piece of cake to have his business partner, Morgans, publish the news in the World Economic Journal.

After twists and turns in the plot, the Straw Hat crew returned to their respective training paths.

...........

Three days later.

Roger and Whitebeard fought for three days, but the duel ended in a draw.

After a private conversation deep inside the island, the two returned looking much better.

With Sig's mediation, the two sides finally reached a consensus on Ace's situation: one was his biological father, and the other was his adoptive father, and they would temporarily stop arguing.

Sabo, Ivankov, Kuma, and other members of the Revolutionary Army left, as did the pirate crews under the Whitebeard Pirates.

Rayleigh and Roger were about to leave when Sieg stopped them and invited them to the reception room of the central castle of the Dushan.

"Roger, Rayleigh, I have something important to ask you."

Sieg rolled up his sleeves, revealing a pair of worn-out, silver-white gloves on his hands.

Sieg stretched out his hand, and a layer of black gradually appeared on his silver gloves, as if a layer of black metal had been added, gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

"Roger, Rayleigh, what exactly is Haki?" Sig raised his hands and asked seriously.

The Armament Haki appeared during the few seconds that Sigurd was defending against Uranus.

Sieg had given up thinking about it, and he couldn't remember the specific details anymore. He only remembered that after the Heavenly King's attack was deflected, the white gloves on his hands were coated with a layer of black.

Roger and Rayleigh exchanged a puzzled look.

Everyone knows that the Mountain Bandit King is skilled in all three types of Haki. He was able to unleash his Armament Haki many years ago, his Observation Haki is also extremely strong and he is suspected of being able to foresee the future, and his Conqueror's Haki is stronger than ever before.

Surely no one really thinks the Mountain Bandit King can't be Haki?

Sieg's question left them somewhat puzzled.

Chapter 1165 The Vast Ocean, Who Rules the World? (7000)

In the world of One Piece, Haki is practically a standard feature for the strong. In the New World version, even nameless random Marines and pirates possess it.

However, Sig only recently acquired Armament Haki. This power is still new and not yet very strong, but its appearance has shattered Sig's initial expectations.

“It’s imposing, isn’t it…” Rayleigh cooperated, not pressing Sieg’s question further, and explained:

"Dominance is a potential power that everyone in this world possesses, just like courage, momentum, and intuition. Everyone has it, but most people find it difficult to unleash it throughout their lives and simply pass by."

“I understand this basic setup,” Sieg continued.

"We all know that there are three types of domineering aura."

"Conqueror's Haki is like an amplification of one's aura."

"Observation Haki is like an enhancement of the five senses and intuition."

"Armament Haki is like the enhancement of physical skills and muscle strength. In the Navy, there is a technique called Iron Body in the Six Powers, which is to harden the body by manipulating muscle movement, as if wearing muscle armor."

"In terms of hardening the body alone, the effects of Iron Body and Armament Haki are similar, or even overlapping."

"A master of Iron Body can also develop Iron Body Fist for attack, which is the same as the development concept of Armament Haki."

“Then—” Sieg asked the question that had been on his mind:

"What is the fundamental difference between domineering aura and pure momentum, intuition, or physical enhancements like iron blocks?"

Rayleigh and Roger exchanged another glance, and this time their expressions became slightly more serious.

There's definitely something to it about Sieg's problem.

Rayleigh began to speak:

"It may seem strange to say these things in front of you, but in my personal opinion..."

"Killing intent, fighting spirit... When you manipulate these intangible feelings, willpower can be transformed into a weapon—that's domineering aura."

“A weapon made of willpower?” Sig caught a glimpse of the word.

“Not bad, willpower.” Rayleigh nodded and continued:

Why is it called "domineering"?

"Of the three types of Haki, Conqueror's Haki is the ability that best fits the name 'Haki.' But there are reasons why the other two types of Haki are classified as the same type of ability as Conqueror's Haki."

"The Conqueror's Haki cannot be strengthened through training; it only grows stronger with the growth of one's mind, body, and spirit. It is a spiritual and mental power, like a materialized aura and killing intent."

"In my opinion, the other two types of domineering power are also spiritual power, only they are more closely related to physical training."

At this point, Rayleigh walked to the balcony and looked down. Through the faint mist, he could see the Dushan's cemetery, as well as Perona, Gecko Moria, and others who were active there.

Rayleigh said, "When one's will wavers and one no longer believes in oneself, one's Haki will also weaken. One cannot deceive oneself."

Back then, Gecko Moria fought a decisive battle with Kaido in Wano Country. All his companions died tragically, and he was the only survivor. From then on, he lived as a couch potato in the Devil's Triangle for ten years.

Crocodile was similar; after being defeated by Whitebeard, she turned to seeking the power of the Ancient Weapon Pluton.

"Unwavering belief is power," Rayleigh concluded.

"Domineering aura is a weapon formed from invisible willpower. It is a power born from an unwavering spiritual will and strengthened through training."

"For this reason, life-or-death battles where one dances on the edge of a knife, and desperate gambles where one is put in a do-or-die situation, often allow one's domineering aura to grow rapidly in the heat of battle."

"Of course, regular physical training is fundamental and essential."

Unlike other shonen manga, One Piece doesn't feature extensive training and power-building storylines.

Several key moments in Luffy's training and strengthening of Haki occurred during battles: including his breakthrough in the battle against Wald, his breakthrough in Observation Haki during the battle against Katakuri, and his breakthrough in advanced Armament Haki during the Wano Country prison competition.

“Take Blackbeard Teach as an example,” Roger added from the side.

"Although he went down the wrong path, he believed he was right."

Even if he were to beg Whitebeard for mercy on his deathbed, his will would not truly yield, because he would always remain true to his own inner convictions...

"This is true dominance!"

Roger said seriously:

"In this world, the strongest people who are proficient in Haki are all like Teach, who are obsessive and determined. Only such people can master and become proficient in Haki and reach the peak step by step."

"Of course, a strong will is just a standard requirement on this sea. So most people think that mastering the key to Haki is arduous training... In a sense, that's not wrong, after all, training is also tempering one's will."

"This is the difference between the three types of Haki and simple intuition, iron body, and aura."

"Of course, this is just our personal understanding, just one person's opinion," Roger said, exchanging a glance with Rayleigh.

"Is that so? Willpower..." Sig pondered for a moment.

He asked again:

"And what about the navy?"

“You should know the navy’s situation better than we do. Didn’t you even put your clones into the rank of admiral?” Roger shook his head.

Sieg pondered for a moment.

Then he understood.

"The Navy possesses a systematic training process for the Six Powers and Haki, and also boasts the largest number of Haki users, unlike pirates who fend for themselves..." Sigurd said.

"The will and conviction of the Navy is the path to justice."

"The admirals each have their own sense of justice, and their stubbornness is no less than that of pirates like Blackbeard and Doflamingo."

“Not bad.” At this point, Roger and Rayleigh looked at Sieg with a slightly strange expression.

In recent days, the Navy has been internally divided, with Zephyr Fujitora leaving to establish the NEO Navy, which has deeply shaken pirates such as Rayleigh and Roger.

“If one day the Navy’s sense of justice collapses and they begin to doubt themselves, they will probably repeat the path Moria once walked,” Rayleigh said softly.

Sieg thought for a moment, then asked:

"I have one last question."

He hesitated for a moment before speaking:

"I have a friend who has been training hard, but he still can't master the domineering aura. Why is that?"

Whether it's Sigurd, Higuma, Dracula... none of them have mastered Haki.

At first, Sieg thought it was a problem with his own aptitude, but now it seems that's probably not the case.

Roger and Rayleigh exchanged glances, both somewhat confused.

Rayleigh frowned: "Hard training usually means a test of willpower. Logically speaking, mastering Haki should be a natural progression in this way..."

Rayleigh couldn't quite figure it out either, but Roger offered a different perspective.

"Sig, this friend of yours, did he somehow manage to bypass the willpower hurdle?" Roger repeated.

"A person cannot truly deceive themselves."

Sieg was taken aback, then suddenly realized as if struck by a thunderbolt.

The shortcut, of course, is hypnosis.

The problem isn't with hypnosis; hypnosis is just a skill.

The key is the way Sig used hypnosis.

Using self-hypnosis to distort one's will in order to overcome difficulties is actually a form of escapism.

There's nothing wrong with escaping in itself.

For example, Blackbeard Teach, who at one moment uttered the bold statement "A man's dream will never end," was later rolling on the ground in pain after being beaten, and when he was severely injured by Whitebeard, he immediately called for his father to beg for mercy.

But this does not mean that Blackbeard's character has collapsed.

Blackbeard is a ruthless man who will stop at nothing. As long as he firmly believes that he is right, even if he begs for mercy, he is still Blackbeard and will not go against his inner thoughts.

However, it is problematic if someone believes that escaping is shameful while using hypnosis to distort their will to avoid arduous training.