"To be precise, 'Ryuo' (Flowing Sakura) refers to Haki," Rayleigh explained. "It's simply a different term used by the samurai of Wano Country to describe Haki. And yes, this is the method to remove the collar."
Liam dusted himself off and stood up. "Given this unique application of Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki), it's perfectly fine to use 'Ryuo' (Flowing Sakura) as a specific term for it, right?"
"Naturally," Rayleigh chuckled.
Liam gazed thoughtfully at his hands. "Just now, your 'Ryuo' (Flowing Sakura) attack seemed to be blocked by my Haki..."
Rayleigh looked at him in surprise. "Naturally, it can block it! Even if the techniques used are different, at its core, it's still Haki!"
Ryuo (Flowing Sakura), meaning "Flowing Cherry Blossom," signifies Haki that flows and emanates.
If ordinary Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) is like the Golden Bell Shield or Iron Shirt technique, then Ryuo (Flowing Sakura) is a more refined form of protective true qi...
Using Ryuo (Flowing Sakura) with the same method naturally provides the best defense against attacks made with Ryuo (Flowing Sakura). However, ordinary Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) techniques aren't completely ineffective; they simply offer reduced defensive capabilities.
If Liam knew Ryuo (Flowing Sakura), he could have clashed head-on with Rayleigh earlier. But even without it, by consciously focusing all his Armament Haki on defense, he was merely sent flying with minor injuries, nothing more.
"Ryuo (Flowing Sakura) boasts greater destructive power, but it also consumes more Haki," Rayleigh chuckled. "If you're confident in your stamina, you could use it to deplete my Haki."
This made perfect sense. Consolidating Haki within the body to reinforce the physical form was far less taxing than projecting it outward.
"Then let's put it to the test!" Liam grinned, straightening his stance and charging forward.
Only real combat could truly hone Haki.
While this spar with Rayleigh wasn't a full-fledged battle, its intensity was certainly high enough for honing his skills.
Watching his main body and Rayleigh clash again, a flurry of punches filled the air, Haki overflowed, and black lightning occasionally crackled... B.I.B. nodded in understanding. Now it made sense. Ryuo (Flowing Sakura) wasn't a technique exclusive to Kozuki Oden in Wano Country; at least Hyogoro was highly proficient in it. If Ryuo (Flowing Sakura) were truly invincible, the samurai of Wano Country wouldn't have been so utterly crushed by Kaido.
Kozuki Oden's ability to wound Kaido wasn't due to Ryuo (Flowing Sakura) itself, but to Oden's inherent strength.
Despite both using Ryuo (Flowing Sakura), Hyogoro was imprisoned and forced to break rocks, while Luffy could wield Ryuo (Flowing Sakura) with his Elephant Gun to brutally pummel Kaido. This difference stemmed from Luffy's superior power. A weaker fighter, even with Ryuo (Flowing Sakura), likely wouldn't have been able to breach Hundred Beast Kaido's defenses...
With that thought, the Black Battle Armor drifted into the fray, joining the battlefield.
'Training, after all. Naturally, efficiency is key... Double the experience will be invaluable when cross-referencing it with my main body later.'
"Hey, hey, what's going on here...?" Rayleigh exclaimed, catching B.I.B.'s and Liam's fists in his hands. He looked slightly exasperated. "Ganging up on an old man like me?"
Liam chuckled. "This isn't exactly a two-on-one fight, you know! Just now, Mr. Rayleigh, you were fighting at a one-on-half level..."
Instantly, the pressure on Rayleigh surged!
"... " Shakky and Robin stood side by side, watching the three fighters brawl for a while before Shakky suddenly suggested, "Shall we go shopping?"
"Sure," Robin agreed readily, turning to leave before remembering to ask, "What should I call you?"
Shakky smiled. "I'm Shakky. You can call me Big Sister Shakky."
...
And so, Liam and Robin temporarily stayed on Sabaody Archipelago.
Rayleigh had lost a coated ship to him, but such a trivial matter could wait. If push came to shove, Liam could simply buy a ready-made coated ship, Rayleigh wasn't the only coating artisan on Sabaody. The archipelago thrived on its bubble culture, essential for coating ships, and with Fish-Man Island lying 10,000 meters beneath the sea, there was already a market for pre-coated vessels. The quality varied widely, though; if one were unlucky enough to acquire a poorly made vessel...
Bang!
At the training grounds in Den Den Mushi City Fortress, Liam unleashed a palm strike. Rayleigh's pupils constricted as he countered with his own palm strike. The two palms clashed, barely making contact, when an explosive shockwave erupted.
Both Liam and Rayleigh were jolted backward by the shockwave.
"Huh?" Liam glanced at his palm in surprise, and the Black Battle Armor beside him followed suit. "So this is Flowing Sakura?"
"You've only been practicing for a short time, yet you've already grasped the basics?" Rayleigh clicked his tongue in amazement. "You've got quite the talent."
Liam and Standlook shared a smile... well, just Liam, since B.I.B. didn't have a mouth to smile with.
He chuckled. With B.I.B.'s assistance, his training efficiency was naturally doubled. Moreover, as Rayleigh had noted, Liam did indeed possess considerable natural aptitude.
"So..." Liam took a deep breath. "This is the basic form of 'entwine'."
A layer of black shimmered over his hands, the most common application of Armament Haki, used to reinforce his fists.
"And this is 'String Release'..."
Liam stamped his foot. "Vane, bring me a bow."
Rayleigh stroked his chin, watching as a white fluid surged from the ground beneath Giorno's feet, rapidly solidifying into a longbow with a serpentine design.
Liam drew the bow, nocked an arrow, and released it with practiced ease. The arrow, coated in a layer of Armament Haki, shot forth like a meteor and exploded upon impact with a thunderous boom.
"Oh? Is this the Haki you learned from the Kuja?" Rayleigh chuckled. "You call it 'String Release,' I see."
"Exactly." Liam tossed the bow aside, savoring the distinct application of Armament Haki. "'Entwine' is just a standard method of channeling Haki to strengthen one's physical body, while 'String Release' emphasizes Haki's persistence... even after leaving the body, it can continue to exist within external objects."
"Indeed," Rayleigh agreed. "It's not just the Kuja archers. Some skilled gun users also apply similar Haki techniques to their bullets."
"No wonder!" Liam exclaimed, suddenly understanding. "I always wondered why Beckman kept brandishing that gun to intimidate people..."
Ordinary Fire Guns are utterly useless against skilled opponents unless the target is completely defenseless.
"Finally, there's 'Ryuo (Flowing Sakura).'"
Liam spread his palms, recalling the sensation he'd inadvertently unleashed during his palm strike with Rayleigh earlier. "If I'm not mistaken, the core focus of 'Ryuo (Flowing Sakura)' lies in explosive power..."
He murmured to himself, "But it's a restrained kind of explosive power... If it were a full-blown eruption, all the Haki would leak out of the body... You have to maintain the explosive force while suppressing the actual eruption... It needs to be gentle, restrained..."
'This feels like Super Saiyan full power all over again…'
'Maintaining the Super Saiyan's immense power while suppressing its manic frenzy…'
B.I.B. stared at the barely visible, water-like Haki flowing over its host's hands, unable to suppress the thought. But its host shot it a sideways glance. "What are you standing around for? Are you taking a break just because I am?"
Shrugging, Stand A charged at Rayleigh.
Rayleigh sighed. "Don't I, as an old man, deserve a break too?"
B.I.B. and Rayleigh resumed their clash. Liam suddenly remembered something and rushed to knock open the hole in the City Fortress wall. He peered outside, the light was dim and flickering, clearly indicating Vane was still nestled in Robin's bag.
Robin was shopping with Shakky at a mall on Island 42 when her Den Den Mushi suddenly started ringing inside her backpack.
She opened the backpack, and a hole appeared on the Den Den Mushi's surface. Liam's head poked through the opening, and he called out, "Shopping? Perfect! Get me a scarf, will you?"
"A scarf?" Robin asked, puzzled. Shakky leaned over to look and waved a finger into the backpack with a smile.
Liam chuckled, "You know, the kind those 'old geezer' wears."
"Got it," Robin said, zipping up her backpack.
Shakky asked, puzzled, "You understood what kind of scarf he wants?"
Robin couldn't help but laugh and nodded. "Mm-hmm. Let's go."
Back at City Fortress, Rayleigh, having repelled B.I.B., glanced at Liam. "'Old geezer'?"
"Don't misunderstand! I wasn't talking about you..." Liam waved his hands, bursting into laughter.
(End Of This Chapter)
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