"Bang!"
Across the rolling surface of the sea, a figure skipped over the waves like a flat stone, bouncing seven or eight times before violently smashing into a sharp, protruding reef.
"The 273rd time..."
Bogard stood by the ship's railing, expressionlessly drawing a tally line in a small notebook. He adjusted his sunglasses, his tone carrying a faint hint of pity for the boy. "About six broken bones. Based on the recovery data I have gathered over the past three days, it will take him approximately four minutes to get back up."
In the center of the deck, Garp stood shirtless, his massive body emitting waves of scalding steam. The pitch-black Armament Haki was currently receding from his terrifying fists like a low tide. He picked his nose, looking slightly annoyed. "Hey, Bogard, did I go a bit too heavy that time? This kid has been soaking in the sea for three minutes already, and there is still no movement."
"Vice Admiral, Devil Fruit ability users lose all their strength when they fall into the sea."
"Ah! I forgot!" Garp slapped his own forehead. "Go fish him out quickly! If he actually drowns, I will have to find another punching bag... No, finding a successor is very troublesome!"
However, just as the medics were preparing to jump into the water, a sudden gust of wind began to swirl within the ruins of the shattered reef.
"Cough, cough... Vice Admiral Garp... huff... huff..."
Kane was soaking wet, and half of his face was swollen like a steamed bun, yet he still shakily rode the air currents back onto the deck.
Baring his teeth in a pained grin, his mouth was still firing off insults: "Just this much strength... it is not even enough to tickle me! Is this really the level of a Marine Hero? I have seen mountain bandits in the East Blue with heavier fists than yours!"
The entire place went silent.
All of the Marine soldiers looked at Kane as if he were some kind of monster.
It had been four whole days.
This lunatic repeated the same cycle of "getting beaten, getting up, mocking the Admiral, and getting beaten again" every single day without fail.
What on earth was this guy's mouth made of? Sea Stone?
Even if every bone in his body was currently broken, his mouth remained incredibly tough!
In contrast to his physical state, a blue light screen flickered wildly on Kane's retina.
[Ding! Continuously humiliating and provoking a Marine Vice Admiral!]
[Disciplinary judgment: Extreme disrespect towards a superior!]
[Settlement reward: +1,000 discipline points!]
[Current discipline points balance: 185,200 points!]
"Almost there... almost there!"
Kane screamed inwardly, his adrenaline soaring.
He had less than fifteen thousand points to go!
To save these hundred thousand points, Kane had practically been risking his life to fleece the system over these past few days.
He had tried to "freeload" the awakening of Haki through Garp's "hardcore teaching" methods, but unfortunately, it seemed all of his talent points had gone into his mouth. Aside from becoming significantly more resistant to beatings, his body had no natural feeling for Haki at all.
"Since freeloading failed, I will just have to grind it out! Old man Garp, drop some more coins for me!"
Kane took a deep breath, and just as he was about to spout more nonsense, a bone-chilling cold suddenly enveloped his entire body.
Veins bulged on Garp's forehead, and on that usually carefree face, a sinister smile now appeared.
"You brat..."
Garp cracked his knuckles with a series of loud, rhythmic pops. "Your mouth is tougher than your bones, eh? Fine, fine, fine..."
"It seems I have been far too gentle with you, giving you the wrong impression of my power."
Boom!!!
A dark red wave of air suddenly erupted with Garp as the center. The sheer pressure alone made the surrounding air feel thick and heavy.
Garp pulled back his right arm, and pitch-black Armament Haki instantly covered the entire limb. This time, the color of the Haki was so deep it seemed to swallow the light, and there were even faint flickers of dark red lightning dancing on his knuckles.
This time, the old man was getting a bit serious.
Without another word, Garp's figure vanished into thin air.
Kane's pupils constricted.
Looking at the fist rapidly enlarging in his field of vision, Kane felt a genuine aura of death. His body's instinct screamed at him: I cannot block it, I absolutely cannot block it! I am going to die!
"Damn it, the fleecing failed..."
This old man really has killing intent!
The little black figure in his mind finally let go of the money bag and screamed: "Recharge! Recharge now! If you are dead, who are you leaving the money for to burn as funeral offerings?!"
"System! Exchange for Armament Haki! Now! Immediately!"
[Ding! Spent 100,000 discipline points.]
[Armament Haki (Basic) has been issued.]
Time seemed to slow down at this exact moment.
Almost the instant the system prompt sounded, a dormant heat within Kane's body was forcibly awakened.
His body, which previously knew nothing about Haki, was suddenly infused with tempered muscle memory. It was that mysterious feeling—the power of pure will turning into physical armor!
"Harden for me... damn it!!!"
Kane crossed his arms in front of his head, pouring all of his willpower along with that newborn power into his forearms.
Buzz!
His arms were instantly coated in a pitch-black metallic luster. Although the color was much lighter than Garp's and the coverage was somewhat uneven, it was the real deal—Armament Haki!
The next second.
Clang!!!
Garp's iron fist smashed into Kane's arms, producing a crisp sound like heavy metal clashing against metal.
A physical shockwave exploded in a ring from the two of them.
The wooden planks on the deck instantly splintered into pieces, and the surrounding Marine soldiers watching the fight were blown away like bowling pins. Even the main mast let out an overburdened creak.
"Pfft!"
Kane was sent flying again, crashing through three layers of railings and creating two hundred-meter-high walls of water on the sea. He slid for a full five hundred meters before finally stopping.
But this time, he didn't sink like a dead dog. Instead, green wings unfurled from his back, and he hovered steadily in mid-air.
He lowered his head, looking at his trembling arms which still held a faint metallic luster.
I blocked it... I actually blocked it?
Although his arm bones were likely full of cracks and it hurt like hell, he had actually taken a serious punch from Garp!
"Is this... the power of pay-to-win?"
Kane's eyes welled up with tears.
It wasn't from the pain, but from pure heartache.
One hundred thousand points! Gone in a single second!
"My money... my points..."
The heartache made it hard for him to breathe.
Yet he still endured the heartache, flew back to the deck, struck a punchable pose, and shoved his pitch-black arms in front of Garp.
"Vice Admiral, is this the Haki you were talking about? It doesn't seem that hard; I learned it with just a bit of casual practice."
A dead silence fell over the entire deck.
Bogard lowered the brim of his hat to hide the shock in his eyes. Four days? He awakened Armament Haki after only four days of being beaten? This kind of talent was simply unheard of in the Marines.
Could there really be a masochistic constitution in this world that gets stronger the more it is hit?
Garp held his punching posture and froze for two seconds.
Then, he withdrew his fist, stuck his finger in his nose once more, and a carefree smile appeared on his face.
"Bwahahaha! Not bad, you brat! Although your mouth is a complete mess, being able to awaken under the pressure of my iron fist means your talent is truly top-tier!"
Garp slapped Kane's shoulder, nearly breaking the bones Kane had just set.
"Although the color of this Haki is a bit light and its hardness is about the same as a biscuit, at least you have reached the entry level!"
Garp's old face was full of pride, as if this was all thanks to his excellent teaching.
Kane's mouth twitched, his heart bleeding.
What the hell do you mean "biscuit"?! That cost me a hundred thousand points!
But... finally, in this New World where monsters roamed, he had his first true trump card for survival.
"Alright, stop smirking there." Garp let go and pulled a dusty senbei from his pocket, stuffing it into his mouth. "Since you have learned Armament Haki, your defense is passably acceptable for now. Go lie down in the infirmary for half a day."
Just as Kane was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Garp's next words made his heart stop.
"Special training for Observation Haki starts this afternoon. Get a blindfold ready. Since you have Armament Haki now, I don't need to hold back my punches anymore."
Garp grinned, revealing a row of ivory-white teeth, his eyes full of malicious fun.
"Vice Admiral, are you a demon?"
"No," Garp laughed loudly, "I am a Marine Hero!"
The sea breeze blew past.
Kane stood on the deck, looking at the balance of only 85,200 on his retina, and then at Garp's fist filled with "love."
He suddenly felt that the speed of earning money could never keep up with the intensity of being beaten.
"System, I want to ask..."
Kane asked silently in his heart, "Observation Haki... is there a discount?"
----------------
You can read advanced chapters here: patreon.com/GregariousLion