"Haki… what exactly is Haki?"
Locked firmly by Xiao's presence, Luffy felt his entire body trembling.
It was as if invisible pressure was pressing down on him from all directions, making it hard to move. A suffocating sense of danger weighed on his chest.
His Observation Haki, still faint and unstable, was sending him a clear warning.
This attack was different from the previous two.
If he got hit this time, he might really die.
He had to learn Armament Haki.
Only then could he survive.
"Third base~~"
Xiao swung the bat again.
Luffy's mind raced. He forced himself to remember the feeling from the first two strikes—the pain, the pressure, the moment of impact.
Just before the bat landed—
A thin layer of Armament Haki spread across his head.
Dong—
The sound echoed like a heavy bell.
This time, Luffy wasn't sent flying.
He remained standing.
He had blocked it.
"Not bad… you actually learned it."
Xiao looked at him with genuine surprise.
Three strikes.
That was all it took for Luffy to grasp the basics of Armament Haki and use it in real combat.
"Armament Haki is only the beginning," Xiao said calmly. "Now I'll increase the intensity. You have ten seconds to keep up. If you can't… you die."
He raised the bat again.
"10…"
"Shut up!"
Luffy shouted back.
Ace was about to be executed. The timing was being pushed forward. He didn't have time to stand here and train.
"I already learned it! Stop blocking me!"
He tried to rush past.
But no matter which direction he moved, Xiao stepped in front of him again, cutting off every path.
"3…"
"2…"
"1."
Xiao vanished.
The bat descended at high speed.
Clang—
The impact smashed Luffy straight into the ground. Only half his body remained above the surface.
But he didn't lose consciousness.
His Haki hardened further under the pressure.
"10."
Another round began.
This time, the Whitebeard Pirates couldn't stand it anymore.
Luffy had been acknowledged by Whitebeard himself. He was part of their advance force.
How could they let him be stopped here?
A group of pirates charged toward Xiao.
"Get out of my way."
Xiao swung his bat.
Each strike sent a pirate flying backward. Some collapsed immediately. Others tried to get up and rush again.
They didn't retreat.
Even knowing they couldn't win, they kept charging.
Xiao clicked his tongue.
"Troublesome."
He understood their mindset.
They were loyal to Whitebeard. Their belief was simple and absolute.
For Whitebeard, they would give their lives without hesitation.
There was no point trying to shake that kind of resolve.
So, he didn't.
The bat continued to rise and fall.
Every ten seconds, it struck Luffy's head again.
Luffy's progress began to slow.
At first, he had managed to block cleanly.
Now, he staggered with every hit.
Armament Haki consumed stamina.
And Luffy had none left.
He had already fought his way out of Impel Down.
He had endured Magellan's poison—Venom-Venom Fruit, one of the deadliest in the sea.
He had been saved by Emporio Ivankov, who used hormones to force his body back from the brink of death—at the cost of ten years of his lifespan.
He hadn't rested.
He came straight to Marineford.
He was already running on stimulants and willpower alone.
Now, under repeated Haki strikes, his body was reaching its limit.
That he hadn't collapsed yet… was already a miracle.
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