Chapter 28
"Kai, kid! When are you leaving this place?"
The next day in the tavern, Garp asked Kai directly!
Hearing Garp's question, Makino—standing behind the counter—immediately looked at Kai nervously. She wanted to know when he would leave. A thick wave of reluctance surged in her heart!
"Heh heh! In a few days, probably. What about you, old man Garp?"
Kai laughed lightly. After a week of相处, he had long since started calling Garp "old man" straight to his face!
"Heh heh! This old man's heading back to headquarters today. Before I go, I've got a gift for you!"
Garp grinned. He had admired Kai from the very beginning!
"Oh? What is it?"
Kai's eyes lit up with excitement. A gift from Garp? That couldn't be anything ordinary—Garp never did things halfway!
"Heh heh! Come with me! The thing I want to give you can't just be handed over. You'll have to feel it yourself. Whether you can accept this gift depends entirely on you!"
Garp laughed heartily, then turned and walked out of the tavern. Kai quickly followed!
"Could it be… Haki?"
Kai's heart pounded wildly. From Garp's tone, it could only be Haki. The thought of finally learning Haki made him incredibly excited!
"What do I do? Kai's leaving in a few days…"
Watching Kai leave the tavern, Makino felt a sudden emptiness in her chest. Hearing he would be gone soon, thick reluctance flooded her heart!
"Auntie Makino! What's wrong?"
Luffy—still stuffing his face with huge chunks of meat—noticed Makino's expression and asked curiously!
"Nothing! Just keep eating your meat!"
Makino quickly hid her sadness and smiled at Luffy.
"Hehe! Auntie Makino, don't tell me you've fallen for big brother Kai?"
Luffy glanced at her quickly and laughed mischievously. He didn't really understand what "like" meant—he was just teasing. Little did he know he'd hit the nail on the head!
"Little Luffy! You don't want your meat anymore, do you?"
Makino's pretty face flushed red. She immediately pretended to scold him playfully and threateningly!
...
Kai had no idea how lost and reluctant Makino felt after learning he would leave soon. He followed Garp all the way to a deserted stretch of beach!
"Kai, kid! Do you know what other powers exist in this world besides Devil Fruits and swordsmanship?"
Seeing Kai stop behind him, Garp turned with a smile and asked.
"I know! Haki!"
Kai answered immediately!
"Oh? How do you know about Haki?"
Garp was genuinely surprised. He had assumed Kai didn't know anything about it!
"Have you already mastered Haki?"
Garp asked in disbelief, eyes wide. The gift he planned to give was precisely the chance to experience Haki. If Kai had already mastered it, wouldn't he look like a fool?
"Heh heh! No way. I've only heard about it—I don't even know what it looks like!"
Seeing Garp's shocked expression, Kai laughed. But inside, he was thrilled—Garp really was going to teach him Haki!
Ever since watching One Piece, Kai had been obsessed with Haki—almost as much as Devil Fruits! The domineering effect of Haki knocking out thousands with sheer presence had always captivated him!
"I wonder if I have Conqueror's Haki in me…"
Kai murmured inwardly. Everyone had Haki inside them—it was just a matter of whether they could awaken and master it, and what type. People like Rayleigh and Garp had all three colors!
Armament Haki! Observation Haki! Conqueror's Haki!
Armament Haki could be coated on the body, fists, or weapons to increase defense and offense—even allowing strikes to hit Logia users!
Observation Haki let you predict enemy movements and intentions. In Kai's opinion, Enel had the strongest Observation in the original story—his "Mantra" (Heart Net) covered the entire sky island!
Conqueror's Haki—the rarest, said to appear in only one in a million people—the qualification of a true emperor! Weak-willed people would faint at a glance!
Phew~
Hearing that Kai didn't know Haki, Garp finally relaxed. That made sense—otherwise, what kind of gift would he even be giving? He came empty-handed!
"Hahaha! Then do you want to experience what Haki feels like?"
Garp laughed loudly.
"I'll let you feel it personally. Whether you can grasp it depends entirely on you!"
Garp said seriously.
"Good! Old man Garp! No more talking—hurry up and let me feel what Haki is!"
Kai shouted excitedly. Coming to the One Piece world, he was finally going to experience Haki—and from the legendary Vice Admiral Garp himself!
"Hahaha! Fine! But first, let this old man see your strength! Only then can I know how strong of a Haki you can handle!"
Garp laughed heartily. He loved Kai's straightforwardness—he wasn't angry at all!
"Exactly what I expected! I knew you wouldn't teach me Haki so easily, old man…"
Kai chuckled lightly. He drew Wado Ichimonji from his waist, pointed it at Garp—and sharp sword energy instantly condensed along the blade!
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