Den Den Mushi City Fortress
On the empty first floor, the Black Battle Armor sat across from Rayleigh.
Its narrow eyes gleamed faintly as B.I.B. slowly began, "Regarding Conqueror's Haki..."
"Huh? What did you say? I can't hear you very well..." Rayleigh cupped his hand to his ear, as if struggling to hear a snow-filled, poorly-signaled video Den Den Mushi.
...B.I.B. fell silent, understanding perfectly why it usually kept its thoughts to itself.
"Now I can hear you better," Rayleigh said, pulling out a bottle of sake and taking a swig. "Go on."
B.I.B. sat cross-legged with its arms folded, its voice deep and resonant. "Over the years, based on my observations and analysis, I've come to a hypothesis about Conqueror's Haki—or rather, about Haki itself... Haki has always referred to the same fundamental thing: a form of energy within the human body! Armament Haki, Observation Haki, and even Conqueror's Haki are simply different levels of application for this same power..."
"'You'?" Rayleigh's focus seemed to be on something else entirely.
B.I.B. replied: "...I am Giorno, and Giorno is me."
Rayleigh chuckled. "You're truly peculiar..." He waved a hand, correcting himself. "You're truly peculiar."
His carefree tone quickly vanished as he took a sip of wine, saying casually, "Continue."
Stand A slowly explained, "Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) refers to the direct application of one's own Haki. Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki), on the other hand, is the method of perceiving the energy signals within external objects and beings... It's precisely because it's communication at the energy level that allows one to instantly sense situations hundreds or even thousands of meters away, and to process vast amounts of information under Observation Haki with efficiency far surpassing one's normal cognitive abilities..."
"Is that how you see it? I've never thought of it that way before!" Rayleigh paused with the bottle at his lips, pondering for a moment before smiling faintly. "But upon reflection, it seems you're exactly right."
B.I.B. continued: 'This explains two things. First, everyone is born with Haki, but most people don't know how to use it…'
These were the exact words Rayleigh had used when teaching Luffy. As he listened, Rayleigh nodded frequently.
'Second, some people are born with a natural Awakening to a particular type of Haki. Observation Haki is the most common example, while Conqueror's Haki is the rarest. Stand A explained slowly. These individuals aren't born Awakening a specific Haki—Haki itself already exists within everyone's body. What they instinctively possess is the skill to use Haki... It's like how some people are naturally left-handed, or how some can effortlessly accomplish tasks that others struggle to master despite diligent practice.'
Take Hancock, for example. She was born with full mastery of Armament Haki, Observation Haki, and Conqueror's Haki. While ordinary people were still struggling to grasp the basics of Haki, she probably wondered why something as natural as eating, drinking, or even breathing required special training.
Rayleigh nodded. "I have indeed met people born with Observation Haki..."
He stroked his chin and suddenly chuckled. "We even had a samurai on our ship who was born with Armament Haki! Even Ryuo, the Flowing Sakura technique, which is notoriously difficult to master, came to him effortlessly. According to him, he barely needed to learn it at all. As soon as he heard about it, he could use it instantly. An extraordinary fellow."
'Kozuki Oden, who threw his wet nurse around as a baby, caught rabbits at two, tossed bears at four, and frequented brothels by six?' B.I.B. thought to himself, already understanding what Rayleigh was about to say.
Rayleigh took a sip of wine. "I think I know what you're getting at..."
"Conqueror's Haki... it's also a skill that can be learned," he said, wiping the wine from his lips with a faint smile. "That's what you believe, isn't it?"
That solemn tone... B.I.B. couldn't help but feel serious.
Rayleigh nodded. "Exactly. You're right."
'So, Conqueror's Haki is still... Wait, what?' B.I.B. was taken aback by Rayleigh's sudden change in tone. 'This Old Boss Uncle is such a trickster!'
"Conqueror's Haki is like the rare talent of multitasking," Stand A said gravely. "To explain how Conqueror's Haki can target specific opponents, we need to combine the energy-manipulating Armament Haki with the information-gathering Observation Haki. This also explains why some powerful Conqueror's Haki can even cause physical destruction... the so-called 'kingly spirit' alone cannot account for this. Since Conqueror's Haki is also classified as Haki, the answer has been obvious all along—it is fundamentally Haki."
Rayleigh chuckled, taking a sip of his sake. "Did you deduce this from your experiences with that Shanks brat?"
"No," Stand A replied. "Boa Hancock was born with Armament Haki, Observation Haki, and Conqueror's Haki all fully Awakened from birth."
Rayleigh remarked in surprise, "She's so much like Roger? Truly remarkable."
'Was the Pirate King Roger also born a monster with all three types of Haki fully Awakened?' B.I.B. was both astonished and yet found it perfectly reasonable.
'Perhaps it was precisely because of such monstrous talent that the heavens grew jealous and cursed him with an incurable illness…'
As for Hancock? B.I.B. had no concerns whatsoever. 'Even the heavens must be her fans; how could they bear to let her die?!'
"When the power of Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) and the acuity of Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) combine, the so-called 'dual-mind' is actually Haoshoku..." Rayleigh mused. "So that's how it is. Since I awakened my own Conqueror's Haki naturally, I never considered it from this perspective before... But this might explain why Chinjao was always so arrogant..."
Chinjao?
"Chinjao the Drill... an old-timer from a bygone era," Rayleigh said, sipping his sake. "Not many people remember him these days, not since Garp gave him a good thrashing... He was the Pillar of State for Kano Country's navy, always boasting about their Eight Treasures Navy and their so-called 'Hasshō-ken - Eight Impacts Fist'! Looking back, Chinjao's pride might have stemmed from their ability to 'learn Conqueror's Haki'."
Hasshō-ken - Eight Impacts Fist... Stand A pondered.
"What's wrong?" Rayleigh asked, puzzled. "Do you have a grudge against Chinjao?"
No, B.I.B.'s narrow eyes flickered with a faint light. It's because... I'm from Kano Country myself. And... I also know a little Hasshō-ken - Eight Impacts Fist.
Rayleigh was taken aback.
...
Island 29 -
Marco patted the blue flames off his shoulder, straightened his glasses, and stepped into the Gray Zone of the Sabaody Archipelago.
If Rayleigh was going to live in seclusion on this archipelago, choosing Islands 1 to 29 to avoid the Marine's harassment would be a logical choice.
He began his search at Island 29 and worked his way through Islands 28, 27, and so on...
Bars, restaurants, streets...
Marco skillfully navigated through various places suitable for gathering information. Sure enough, he soon overheard something of interest from a group of pirates drinking and boasting loudly.
"Things have been rough lately. Heard another bounty hunter's popped up—some guy called 'Dragon Tongue Lan'..." The pirate hiccuped disdainfully. "What a joke! When he crosses paths with me, he'll learn what a real pirate is! Hā hā hā..."
"A real pirate?" Another pirate shook his head, slurring drunkenly. "Even the 'Dark King' Rayleigh and Giorno Giovanna kept their mouths shut recently. What makes you think you're any different?"
The pirate who had vowed to teach the bounty hunter "Dragon Tongue Lan" a lesson sneered. "'Dark King'? Just an old fossil from a bygone era! Besides, you actually believe those rumors? The remnants of Pirate King Roger's crew were wiped out by the Marine long ago... hic!"
Just then, a hand wreathed in blue flames pressed down on his shoulder. The pirate turned to see a pineapple-haired figure wearing glasses, who smiled warmly and asked, "Rayleigh and Giorno, you mentioned... is there more to their story?"
(End Of This Chapter)
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