"Boom—!"
A figure skipped across the turbulent sea like a stone skimming water, bouncing seven or eight times over the waves before violently crashing through a protruding reef.
"Two hundred and seventy-three times..."
Bogard stood by the ship's rail, expressionlessly marking a line in his small notebook. Adjusting his sunglasses, he remarked with a hint of pity, "Approximately six broken bones. Based on recovery data from the past three days, he'll likely need four minutes to get up."
In the center of the deck, Garp stood bare-chested, steam rising from his body as the pitch-black Armament Haki receded like tidewater from his terrifying fists. Digging his nose, he grumbled discontentedly, "Hey, Bogard, did I hit him too hard? The kid's been in the water for three minutes with no movement."
"Vice Admiral, Devil Fruit users become weakened when submerged in seawater."
"Ah! I forgot!" Garp slapped his forehead. "Quick, fish him out! If he drowns, I'll have to find another punching bag... no, I mean, finding a successor is troublesome!"
Just as the medics prepared to dive in, a sudden whirlwind erupted from the shattered reef debris.
"Cough... Vice Admiral Garp... huff... huff..."
Soaked and with half his face swollen like fermented dough, Kane shakily rode the air currents back onto the deck.
Baring his teeth, he continued his relentless taunts: "Is that all the strength you've got... not even enough to scratch an itch! Is this the level of the Marine Hero? I think mountain bandits in East Blue hit harder than you!"
Silence fell over the scene.
Every Marine stared at Kane as if he were a monster.
For four straight days.
This madman had repeated the cycle of "getting beaten, standing up, mocking, and getting beaten again."
What material was this man's mouth made of? Sea Stone?
Even with all his bones broken, his mouth remained unyielding!
Meanwhile, a blue interface flickered wildly across Kane's retina.
[Ding! Continuously humiliating and provoking a Marine Vice Admiral!]
[Violation Judgment: Extreme disrespect toward superiors!]
[Reward Settlement: Violation Value +1000 points!]
[Current Violation Value Balance: 185,200 points!]
"Almost there... almost there!"
Kane screamed internally, his adrenaline surging.
Just under fifteen thousand points to go!
To save those hundred thousand points, Kane had essentially been risking his life to scrape together every bit these past few days.
He had attempted to freeload Haki awakening through Garp's "hardcore training," but unfortunately, it seemed all his talent points were allocated to his mouth. Aside from becoming more durable, he felt nothing toward Haki.
"Since freeloading failed, I'll just have to grind it out! Old man Garp, give me more of those coins!"
Taking a deep breath, Kane was about to spout more nonsense when a chilling dread enveloped his entire body.
Garp's veins bulged on his forehead, and his usually carefree face now bore a ferocious grin.
"Brat..."
Garp cracked his knuckles, producing a series of sharp pops. "Your mouth is tougher than your bones, huh? Fine, fine..."
"It seems I've been too gentle with you, giving you the wrong impression."
Boom—!!!
A wave of dark red energy erupted from Garp as the center. The sheer force of his presence alone made the surrounding air feel thick and heavy.
Garp pulled his right arm back, and pitch-black Armament Haki instantly enveloped his entire arm. This time, the Haki was so deep and dark it seemed to devour light itself, with faint dark-red lightning crackling around his fist.
This time, he was taking things a bit more seriously.
Without another word, Garp vanished from sight.
Kane's pupils contracted sharply.
As he watched the fist rapidly enlarging in his vision, Kane felt a genuine aura of death. His instincts screamed: You can't block it! Absolutely not! You'll die!
"Dammit, the wool-gathering failed..."
This old man is really out for blood!
The little black figure in his mind finally let go of the money bag and shrieked, "Top up! Hurry and top up! What good is saving money if you're dead? Who's going to burn paper offerings for you then?"
"System! Exchange for Armament Haki! Now! Immediately!"
[Ding! 100,000 Violation Points spent.]
[Armament Haki (Basic) has been issued.]
Time seemed to slow down in that moment.
Almost as soon as the system notification sounded, it felt as if a dormant surge of heat within Kane's body was forcibly awakened.
His body, which had previously known nothing of Haki, was suddenly infused with the muscle memory of a thousand temperings. That profound, elusive sensation—it was the power of will transformed into armor!
"Harden... damn it!!!"
Kane crossed his arms over his head, pouring all his willpower along with that newly born strength into his arms.
Hum—!
In an instant, his arms took on a metallic sheen as black as ink. Though the color was much lighter than Garp's and the coverage somewhat uneven, it was genuine—Armament Haki!
The next second.
Clang—!!!
Garp's iron fist slammed into Kane's arms, producing a clear, metallic ring.
A tangible shockwave exploded outward from the two in a circular blast.
The wooden planks on the deck instantly splintered. The Marines watching nearby were knocked around like bowling pins, and even the mast groaned under the strain.
"Pfft—!"
Kane was sent flying once more, crashing through three layers of railings. He carved two water walls nearly a hundred meters high across the sea's surface, skidding for a full five hundred meters before finally coming to a stop.
But this time, he didn't sink like a dead dog. Instead, his cyan wings spread behind him, and he hovered steadily in mid-air.
He looked down at his arms, which still shimmered with a faint metallic sheen and trembled slightly.
Did... did I block it?
Even though his arm bones were probably riddled with cracks, even though the pain was excruciating, he had actually taken one of Garp's punches!
"Is this... the power of spending money?"
Kane's eyes grew moist.
Not from the pain, but from heartache.
A hundred thousand! Gone in a single second!
"My money... my points..."
The heartache was suffocating.
But he still forced himself to endure it, flying back to the deck and striking a provocative pose, shoving his blackened arms right in front of Garp.
"Vice Admiral, is this what you call Haki? Doesn't seem that hard—I picked it up casually after some practice."
The deck fell into dead silence.
Bogard lowered his hat brim, concealing the shock in his eyes. Four days? He awakened Armament Haki after just four days of being beaten? Such talent was unheard of.
Could there really be a masochistic constitution in this world that grows stronger the more it's beaten?
Garp froze for two seconds, maintaining his punching posture.
Then, he retracted his fist, stuck his finger back into his nostril, and broke into his carefree grin.
"Pfft—HAHAHA! Not bad, you brat! Even with that foul mouth of yours, awakening under the pressure of my iron fists means your talent is top-tier!"
Garp clapped Kane on the shoulder, nearly dislocating the bones that had just been set.
"Even though the color of this Haki is faint and its hardness is about like a rice cracker's, at least you've started!"
Garp's face was full of pride, as if this were all thanks to his excellent teaching.
Kane's mouth corner twitched, his heart bleeding internally.
Goddamn rice cracker! That cost me 100,000 points!
But...
Finally, in this New World overrun by monsters, he had gained his first life-saving card.
"Alright, stop grinning like an idiot." Garp released him, pulling a dust-covered rice cracker from his pocket and stuffing it into his mouth. "Since you've learned Armament Haki, your defense is passable for now. Go rest in the infirmary for half a day."
Just as Kane was about to sigh in relief, Garp's next words made his heart stop.
"We'll start Observation Haki training this afternoon. Get your blindfold ready—now that you have Armament Haki, I won't need to hold back my punches."
Garp grinned, revealing a row of stark white teeth, his eyes full of mischief.
"Vice Admiral, are you a devil?"
"No," Garp laughed heartily, "I'm the Marine Hero!"
The sea breeze swept past.
Kane stood on the deck, looking at the remaining balance of [85,200] on his retina, then at Garp's fists filled with "affection."
He suddenly felt that the speed of earning money would never keep up with the intensity of the beatings.
"System, I have a question..."
Kane silently asked in his heart, "Can Observation Haki... be discounted?"
--Enjoying the story? Want more chapters? Check out my Patreon and support me for 40+ advance chapters.
Just search for "GoddessTL" on Patreon!"
Thanks!