A calm state of mind…
Is my heart not pure enough?
Redfield's words stopped Darren cold for a heartbeat, and then his thoughts sank deep, heavy and restless.
Around them, Eternal Hell's onlookers tried to follow along, but most of them couldn't make heads or tails of it. They fidgeted, scratched at their heads, faces reddening with irritation—like they were being forced to listen to a lecture in a language they didn't speak.
Redfield, meanwhile, remained infuriatingly composed. He sat there in the damp chill, checking his wounds and setting a few things back in place with practiced calm. Inside, he marveled at Darren's brute power—and cursed him to hell and back.
This lunatic brat beat me half to death, and now I'm supposed to teach him how to train?
His mouth twitched.
To be fair, Redfield wasn't worried about the injuries themselves. After decades on the sea, getting hurt had become routine. For men like them, trading blows upon meeting was practically a handshake.
What shocked him was how fiercely the boy had "shaken hands."
And when Redfield remembered Darren's earlier line—Only by getting stronger can I survive—he couldn't help the sigh that slipped out.
Kids these days… somehow even more reckless than we were.
---
Darren's mind, however, was already burning through possibilities.
He had to admit it: the old ghost's analysis made an annoying amount of sense.
Observation Haki demanded calm. Focus. A mind that didn't wobble.
Lose your rationality—get swept up in emotion—and Observation Haki went dead.
And Magnetic Field Rotation did exactly that to him.
The moment he activated it, pain and pressure flooded his body like a tidal wave. His strength didn't just rise—it exploded past the point of control. With it came the same familiar madness: a violent itch under the skin, a craving to break things, to tear, to destroy. His killing intent and battle lust climbed fast, and even his Armament and Conqueror's Haki surged like a storm.
But Observation Haki?
Stagnant. Flat. Dead water.
The irony was that in that state, he didn't even need it.
His physical ability climbed so high that most attacks simply didn't matter. With the defenses of his Indestructible Body and the boosted muscle output and nerve response of Thunder Armor, he could eat hits and keep moving, then pour everything into offense.
No Observation Haki?
Fine.
He'd never been a man who liked passive defense, waiting on reads and counters. Darren preferred to crash straight through.
It was a kill-or-be-killed approach, and across the sea, only a handful of people could withstand it for long.
But even he could see it coming: sooner or later, he'd have to adjust.
As his opponents grew stronger, the pressure would rise with them. In a one-on-one fight, he could still brute-force through surprises with sheer durability and speed.
In a group fight, though—
Observation Haki became essential.
And if he could push his Observation to the point of true future sight, then use it while in Magnetic Field Rotation… his overall combat power would jump sharply.
So how was he supposed to master this so-called power of the heart?
Darren's eyes flickered as he chose his words. "So… do you have any methods?"
Redfield's answer came cool and detached. "A pure heart isn't something you can be taught. You quiet your mind and realize it yourself. Discard your five senses and feel the world's changes with your heart."
Darren's brow knitted. He didn't have patience for mystic riddle-talk.
A pure heart… so you want me to become an idiot?
Too much trouble.
"Can't we just spar?" he blurted. "I've heard some people awaken future sight by fighting someone who already has it."
Redfield snorted. "Who?" His voice sharpened with irritation. "That's impossible. If it were that easy, everyone I ever beat would've walked away with future sight."
Darren didn't argue out loud, but he couldn't help thinking it.
I don't believe it either, and yet some people really do pull it off.
Not just future sight. Some even grasp advanced Armament and Conqueror's coating after a single fight.
Then again… that was the Sun God. We don't get to compare.
"So how did you train yours to this level?" Darren asked.
Redfield glanced at him and let a faint smile show. "Mine is different. My Observation Haki… it's innate."
Darren: "..."
"Then let's just settle it with a fight," Darren said, fists tightening as electricity began to crackle around him.
Redfield didn't rise to the bait. Instead, his tone shifted—less mocking, more serious.
"There is something you can try," he said. "That violent, berserk state you enter… it's a side effect of your Devil Fruit Awakening."
Darren's eyes narrowed. "So what do I do?"
"Suppress it," Redfield said simply. "Seal your Awakening. Then train your Observation Haki properly—rigorously. Temper your spirit. Purify your mind. And only after your Observation breaks through into true future sight do you release the seal."
Redfield's gaze held steady.
"By then, your Observation will already be established. When you finally unlock your Devil Fruit again, you'll be able to maintain a measure of rationality and composure even in your Awakened state."
Darren frowned. "Suppress my Devil Fruit… you mean—"
Redfield chuckled, soft and unpleasant. "Exactly."
He leaned down and picked up the cold, heavy shackles lying on the floor.
"You'll wear these," he said, "and you'll train here—under my guidance."
To be continued...