The wind whipped against his face, his knuckles burning hot and glowing red. The teenager in the straw hat ignored his body, which begged him to stop pushing, and focused. He had to strike the enormous monster in the right spot, or it would all be for nothing. None of his attacks so far had pierced the wolf's fur. He had one last chance. So, just as Sabo had taught him so many years ago, he mentally located its core and struck it with all his might. Besides, according to Sabo, he needed a cool name, and he definitely wasn't going to use Crab Claw. The thought of his brother jumping up and yelling "Crab Claw!" made the boy laugh, and a huge grin spread across his face.
An idea slipped into the boy's head. He always smiled wider in the sun... So why not that?
Luffy stared at his hand as he plummeted through the air. His older brother had told him it shouldn't be a fist. He curled his glowing fingers at the second knuckle and extended his thumb to the side, bending his wrist and pointing his palm toward his target. Yes. Something about it felt perfect. The glow began to spread as Luffy continued to gain speed, and the heat created a dome of brilliant light around his falling body, giving him the appearance of a meteor streaking across the night sky.
"YOUR TREASURE WILL BE MINE!" shouted the straw-hatted boy with a huge grin, which the rushing wind only widened. His hand, pausing at his wrist, was consumed by a red glow that intensified before fading, leaving his skin a dark gray. Just before impact, Luffy swore he saw something like a satisfied smile on the wolf's face as he watched him plummet.
"SUN PALM: METEORITE!"
The loudest roar of the night echoed across the clearing, the earth trembling as Luffy's palm struck the monstrous wolf. Cracks flared from the epicenter of the explosion like sunbeams illuminating the night, and a massive cloud of dust exploded into the air. The surrounding area shook violently, but finally fell silent as the blast slowly subsided. Once it did, the clearing seemed to stand still, the roar of the impact echoing in the distance. Directly in front of the cave was a huge, smoking crater, and from above it resembled a sun and moon side by side.
Luffy groaned as he lay in the middle of the crater, rolling onto his back and coughing, a smile playing on his lips despite the pain. Sabo had helped him when he needed it most.
He felt sensation slowly returning to his limbs and began to move them to get the blood flowing again. He had used all the Haki he could to harden his fist, leaving his body vulnerable. He was going to suffer for a while after this. Haki Exhaustion was going to be worse. Shanks had warned him about overusing Armament Haki before his body had matured enough. He had a second flashback that night.
One of the lessons Shanks had given him so many years ago began to replay in his head in the form of another memory as he slowly sat up.
"Luffy, this lesson is really important."
The black-haired boy sat down against the tree where he rested. They had been practicing all day, and he was taking a break. Shanks wasn't kidding when he said he would make it difficult. "I'm listening, stupid Professor Tomato."
"Damn you! One more comment about tomatoes and I'll show you real Haki!" yelled the man with shark-like teeth. He grinned maliciously and eyed Luffy like a predator stalking its prey. "You could even die...!"
That look was never good. Luffy paled and waved his hands to try and avoid the pirate captain's evil glare. He didn't want to remember the last time the man had acted like this. It was truly frightening. "Okay, okay! Good! I'm listening!" he reassured him.
The malevolent aura surrounding Shanks vanished, and his smile returned to normal. "Very well. Now, today's lesson is about Haki depletion."
Luffy frowned. He already knew how tiring it was to use Haki. What was the old man talking about this time?
"Haki exhaustion isn't the same as being tired of using Haki," the man began to explain. "Haki exhaustion is miraculous, and at the same time, it can be terribly inconvenient. Sometimes, it can even kill you. Are you following me, fool?"
A mark appeared on Luffy's head, but inside he paled. He hadn't known you could die from using too much Haki! His mark slowly shrank, and he restrained himself from insulting his master. He didn't want to see those terrifying looks again. "Yeah, I'm with you," Luffy growled.
Shanks laughed. "Good! Good, I'll try to explain it as simply as possible, so even someone as dim-witted as you can understand." The man smiled at the irritated expression on his student's face. "Haki Exhaustion is how the body adapts to the power of your Armament Haki," he began. "When you use more Armament Haki than you can control, your body will stop using it."
Luffy gasped. Stop?! It lasted forever?! If he used more Haki than he could control, he wouldn't be able to use it anymore!
"The reason he stops using Armament Haki is that he's adapting," the redhead explained.
Luffy's head was practically smoking. It was a complicated word, but he thought he remembered its meaning. He knew that when something was adapted, it turned out better on the other side. Well, maybe not always, but he almost always understood that. That excited him a little; he liked improving. Getting stronger.
"Your body is getting used to the new amount of strength that your will imposes on it. Does that make sense so far?" the man asked.
The black-haired boy nodded, the smoke rising from his head into the air. He was really trying, and his hearing was improving. Makino had forced him to start reading and writing lessons a while ago and was usually very patient with him, but sometimes she got really angry when he didn't listen... Really, she got really angry...
Luffy frowned. This all sounded good. What was wrong with not being able to use Haki for a while if it made him stronger?
"You're thinking, 'What's wrong with not being able to use Haki for a while if it makes you stronger?', aren't you?" the man smiled at the gaping boy.
"How the hell did you know?!" Luffy shouted. Had Shanks read his mind?
"No, I didn't read your mind," Shanks laughed as the boy seemed to gape even wider, "You're that easy to read!"
The man took his time, but finally stifled a laugh. "Alright, alright, enough joking around. This could really help you out in the future." From there, it was all just guesswork. Shanks had never taught Haki to anyone so young, nor did he know anyone who could use weapons at Luffy's age. Even so, he was sure he was right. "Timing is what can be dangerous, Luffy. The duration of Haki Exhaustion depends on how far you push your body. So, if you used too much Haki in a fight and didn't finish off your opponent, what do you think would happen?"
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