The training room fell into silence.
It took a long while before Hatchan snapped out of his shock, his expression complex, as if he'd just been played by a dog.Just a moment ago, he was talking about how difficult it was to awaken Haki—no matter how talented one was, it required a long period of training and combat. Yet in the next moment, Rhode had already manifested Armament Haki...
Rhode looked at him innocently and said, "It seems... not that hard, actually."
"I just closed my eyes and sensed it. Then, with a little guidance, it naturally came out..."
"..."
Hatchan felt his entire being crumble. He could tell Rhode was telling the truth, but precisely because it was the truth, it stung even more.
"Now, can I start training in Haki?" Rhode asked.
"Yes..."
The Fishman Hatchan's tone was heavy. He suddenly felt a sense of helplessness because Rhode's talent was too overwhelming—it was almost unbearable.
Next, Hatchan began explaining Haki in detail. Previously, he had discussed how to awaken it, but now he moved on to how to train it.
Hatchan never would have imagined that the awakening and training of Haki would be taught on the same day...
Armament Haki is closely tied to physical strength.
The stronger one's physique, the stronger the Armament Haki they cultivate. Conversely, if one's physique is weak, even if they develop Armament Haki, it will still be feeble.
Take, for example, the all-female island of Amazon Lily in the Calm Belt of the Grand Line. The entire island is militarized, and nearly everyone can use Haki. But because their physiques are weak, even with Haki, their combat strength remains lacking.
Under normal circumstances, the best time to train Haki is when physical training has plateaued—when significant breakthroughs are hard to achieve in a short time. That way, the gains are highest, and progress is fastest.
But Rhode was different. In just over two months, he had already reached a proficient level in physical training. Conventional restrictions and rules held no meaning for him.
He was, by nature, a monster who defied common sense and left others baffled.
So Fishman Hatchan didn't even bring this point up.
"The strength of Armament Haki varies from person to person, closely linked to physical strength. Everyone is different. But in terms of mastery, there are still some general classifications."
Fishman Hatchan steadied his emotions and began explaining in a calm and detailed manner.
"Developing Armament Haki and being able to envelop weapons or fists to enhance attack power—that counts as the beginner stage."
"Being able to go beyond crude enveloping and instead densely coat weapons or fists with Armament Haki, forming Armament Hardening—that is true mastery of Armament Haki."
"As for the next level, it's covering every inch of the body with Armament Haki, achieving full-body hardening. That counts as expertise."
As he spoke, Fishman Hatchan demonstrated the different levels of Armament Haki control and what they looked like.
"However, I must remind you..."
"The foundation of Armament Haki is still its strength. If the strength isn't there, no matter how perfect the control, it won't make a difference."
Rhode nodded slightly. This aligned with his own assumptions.
Full-body hardening didn't necessarily equate to strength.
Take Vergo, one of the top executives of the Donquixote Family, as an example. Despite being able to harden his entire body, he was still instantly defeated by Trafalgar Law.
The strength of Armament Haki is what truly matters!Just like when Rhode killed Black Fist Slote before, even with his Armament Haki and Armament Hardening, he was still pierced through by Rhode's sword because his strength wasn't sufficient.
"For you, achieving partial Armament Hardening is enough."
"Focusing on defense is an insult to a swordmaster," Hatchan said.
Rhode nodded in agreement.
A swordmaster? What is a swordmaster?
With a sword in hand, cutting down all enemies in the world! This is the belief unique to a swordmaster.
Perhaps it lacked the exhilarating, bone-crunching intensity of martial arts masters or the mystique and grandeur of Devil Fruit users, yet it held a unique romance of its own—both dazzling and perilous.
Seeing Rhode nod, Hatchan's face lit up with satisfaction before turning serious:
"Then let us officially begin your Haki training. You must—"
...
One month later, inside the training room.
Rhode stood with a sword in one hand, holding it horizontally before him. His focused gaze was fixed on the blade, around which faint, peculiar wisps of energy swirled—invisible to the naked eye.
Yet Rhode could sense them clearly. This was the latent potential inherent in every person of this world—the power known as Haki!
Over the past month of training, Rhode had not only made significant progress in the strength of his Armament Haki but had also fully mastered the foundational technique of Armament Coating.
Now, he was practicing Armament Hardening.
"Armament... Hardening!"
With a thought, the ethereal energy around the blade trembled before slowly surging, as if trying to coalesce.
But—
Before the energy could fully condense, or even take on the distinctive glossy black hue of Armament Hardening, it abruptly dispersed.
"Failed again?"
Rhode exhaled softly.
Compared to his peers in the training program, he was undoubtedly far ahead. At just seventeen, he had already begun cultivating Two-Colored Haki, leaving them in the dust.
But in the realm of Haki training, he was still a novice, needing to advance step by step through trial and error.
Fortunately, the fishman Hatchan was both highly responsible and deeply knowledgeable, capable of solving nearly any problem. Thus, Rhode encountered no real bottlenecks—his progress was steady, with occasional flashes of brilliance.
On rare occasions, he succeeded in executing Armament Hardening, but maintaining it was another matter; the energy would quickly dissipate.
This was a pressing issue he needed to resolve.
While training Armament Haki, Rhode also worked on his Observation Haki—and in this area, his progress was even faster.
Or rather, it barely required training at all. The peculiar state he had sensed before was, in fact, Observation Haki—just undeveloped and unusable in combat.
Under Hatchan's guidance, Rhode quickly grasped the application of Observation Haki.
Observation Haki was a sensory ability that allowed one to perceive an opponent's movements, enabling preemptive strikes or evasions.
The stronger one's Observation Haki, the more details they could perceive, the broader their sensory range, and the sharper their reflexes.
At its peak, it could even grant brief glimpses into the future!
This level of Observation Haki was far rarer than Conqueror's Haki. Across the seas, fewer than five individuals were known to possess it.
Abilities involving time—even the faintest, most fragmented glimpses—transcended mortal comprehension, defying imagination.
Rhode's rapid progress left Hatchan, who had been closely monitoring him, somewhat disheartened.
At first, Hatchan could still offer guidance. After all, with years of Haki training under his belt, he had a wealth of experience and unique tricks for practical application.
But Rhode's learning speed was simply too fast—almost to the point of deducing three insights from a single lesson. Before long, he had squeezed Hatchan dry of knowledge.
Now, Hatchan observed Rhode's training with an attitude of "quietly watching you show off," adopting an air of serene detachment. He no longer felt demoralized by Rhode's breakneck progress.Sometimes, Hatchan even thought that even if Rhode told him right now that he had mastered Armament Hardening, it wouldn't seem like that big of a deal.
At most, he'd just be slightly surprised.