Victor wasn't worried about Rebecca or Wendy's training. The foundational drills he'd put them through weren't for nothing—their physical prowess now rivaled, if not surpassed, the top male recruits. With daily Sea King meat boosting their growth, it'd be stranger if they weren't strong.
Victor's schedule was packed but flexible. Mornings were for Observation Haki, refining his awareness by merging his consciousness with it, sharpening the clarity of what he perceived.
Nights were for Armament Haki and nurturing his black blade. Full-body Haki coating and blade tempering could be done simultaneously.
Then came his Shinki training. 'If honed enough, this could become a system like Haki. But is it unique to me, or can others awaken it too?'
"Rebecca, come here." Victor called out.
Rebecca perked up and trotted over. "What is it?" she asked brightly.
"Sit. Hold out your hands." Victor smiled.
Obediently, Rebecca sat cross-legged opposite him and offered her palms—smooth, slender, and unmarred by years of swordplay.
"Both hands. I'll grip them. It might hurt a little—bear with it." His voice was calm.
"H-here? But everyone's watching… Wouldn't it be better to, uh… find somewhere private at night?"
Her cheeks flushed crimson, her voice a whisper. Had Victor not been close, he'd have missed it entirely.
'Thwack!'
A light chop landed on her head. Rebecca blinked, stunned. 'Since when is refusing public affection a punishable offense?!'
"What are you imagining?" Victor deadpanned. "I'm testing a method to jumpstart your Armament Haki awakening."
"O-oh! I thought…" Relief and faint disappointment flickered across her face before she hastily presented her hands like sacred relics.
Victor adjusted her posture, positioning their hands between them at waist height. His palms darkened as Armament Haki surged forth, the black energy thickening until a dark-red aura shimmered at its edges.
Like liquid shadow, his Haki enveloped Rebecca's hands—an experiment inspired by his fight with Akainu. 'If Ryuo + Shinki enhances Haki's precision… can I gently guide it into her body to provoke her latent Haki?'
The theory was sound: by having his Haki particles roam her cells 'without' attacking, her own Haki would eventually retaliate. With enough repetition, her awareness of this internal struggle could trigger full awakening.
"Focus inward. Feel the changes in your hands." Victor instructed. Rebecca nodded silently, eyes shut.
Through his Shinki, Victor dispersed trace Haki particles into her skin cells. Each carried his will, allowing him to monitor their movement within her.
'Just like when Zephyr pummeled me to awaken my Haki—except instead of attacking, my Haki's just… loitering provocatively in her cells. If this works, I could start a damn Haki boot camp.'
He watched with satisfaction as Rebecca's native Haki particles began chasing his intruders. Proof of concept achieved.
Rebecca, however, frowned in concentration. She sensed 'something' but lacked Victor's freakish perception to identify the microscopic battle.
Soon, her focus wavered—maintaining peak concentration wasn't yet within her stamina. The first attempt ended without her sensing the Haki particles.
"Victor… My hands feel strange, but I can't tell what's changing." She sighed.
"No problem. The method works—I just went easy today to avoid pain. We'll practice daily. You'll awaken early, guaranteed." He paused. "But keep this between us. If word gets out, I'll never have time to train myself."
"If anyone asks?"
"Say you're helping me test Haki theories."
The technique was revolutionary. For Rebecca, he'd been gentle—more aggressive stimulation would accelerate awakening. But with six months until graduation, there was no rush.
'If needed… I can always turn up the intensity later.'
But if the World Government ever learned of this ability, Victor knew he'd be reduced to nothing more than a tool—forced to mass-produce Haki users for the Marines. At his current strength, resisting their will wasn't an option.
"I understand. But… what about Wendy? Should we tell her?" Rebecca whispered.
"Not yet. If she hasn't awakened her Haki by the time we're assigned to our own ship, I'll help her then," Victor said firmly.
"Okay!"
"Alright, go train your Six Powers. I need to focus too." He shooed her away.
Rebecca pouted. 'You hold my hands for five seconds and then dismiss me? What a jerk.' With one last resentful glance, she trudged off.
Victor ignored her theatrics, closing his eyes. Truthfully, assisting Rebecca 'had' doubled as training for himself—pushing his Shinki and willpower to their limits.
---
"Instructor Zephyr! A call from Headquarters—they insist on speaking with you directly!" A communications officer's voice cut through the deck.
"Understood. On my way." Zephyr, mid-drill with recruits, acknowledged.
Victor's ears perked up. 'What does the Navy want now?'
Soon, Zephyr strode to the helm, exchanged words with the navigator, and the warship abruptly changed course.
"Teacher, what's going on? Where are we headed?" Victor approached, frowning.
"Change of plans, Victor. Water 7 is off the table. Headquarters just alerted us—the princess of Shifft Kingdom was kidnapped by pirates," Zephyr explained grimly. "As a World Government affiliate, the king appealed to the Navy. We're the closest ship, so we've been dispatched."
"Does it matter? Pirates are pirates. We'll crush them either way." Victor shrugged.
"The fighting isn't the issue. It's the politics. If that princess dies, there'll be consequences—especially for you recruits. It could jeopardize your future postings." Zephyr's jaw tightened. He despised missions shackled by bureaucracy.
"Then we'll just save her. If it's a ransom case, the pirates might release her before we even arrive. Worst case, we turn back."
"It's never that simple. If it were, the Navy wouldn't be involved. We'll assess the situation on-site."
"Guess we've got no choice."
And so, the kidnapping of a single princess rerouted the elite trainees' entire voyage—another unpredictable twist in their naval careers.