The morning sun filtered through the canopy, glinting off the dew that clung to every leaf.
In the quiet clearing behind the cottage, Xiang En stood facing a tall, scarred tree. His fists were wrapped in coarse cloth, and his breathing was steady but deep — each inhale like a forge stoking itself for war.
"Focus your will on the surface of your skin," Rayleigh's calm voice echoed nearby. "Armament Haki is the manifestation of one's spirit as armor. It doesn't just protect—it enforces dominance."
Xiang En nodded. His right arm trembled faintly as he clenched his fist. He could feel the energy circulating within him, but channeling it to the surface was another matter. The black coating flickered briefly before fading again.
"Too slow," Kagura commented, lazily leaning against the tree beside him with her parasol. "If this were a battle, the enemy would've already sliced you in half."
"Then why don't you try?" Xiang En retorted, panting.
She grinned. "I don't need black armor to win. I'm built different."
Rayleigh laughed heartily. "She's not wrong."
With a sigh, Xiang En focused again. This time, he remembered Rayleigh's words — 'Envision the invisible armor as an extension of your will.'
He exhaled, lowered his stance, and struck.
Boom!
The impact shook the ground. The bark exploded outward, and a deep imprint formed on the trunk. For the first time, Xiang En saw a faint sheen of black shimmer across his fist — not full Armament, but a beginning.
Kagura raised an eyebrow. "Not bad."
Rayleigh nodded approvingly. "You've begun to coat. Once you master that, you'll be able to use it fluidly across your body."
Xiang En smiled wearily. "Guess I'm finally making progress."
"Progress, yes," Rayleigh said, turning toward the horizon. "But don't forget, Haki is tied to one's heart. A wavering spirit can never wield it perfectly. Remember that."
The old man's tone softened. "That'll do for today. Your body needs rest.
Kagura stretched lazily, then hooked her arm under his to pull him up. "Come on, let's head back. I'm starving."
By the time they returned home, the air near the house carried an odd, savory smell.
Kagura's nose twitched immediately. "Do you smell that? That's… meat."
Xiang En frowned. "A lot of meat."
When they rounded the corner, they froze.
The entire yard was stacked with massive chunks of reddish flesh — each slab thicker than a door, some still bearing traces of deep blue scales. The sight was both awe-inspiring and mildly terrifying.
Klee was running between them with a small knife, humming cheerfully as she tried to "help" cut them into smaller pieces.
Drake, sitting nearby with a drink in hand, waved at them. "Welcome back. Perfect timing — dinner's on me today."
Xiang En blinked. "Dinner…?" He gestured around in disbelief. "This could feed an army!"
"Sea King meat," Kagura muttered, eyes wide with hunger. "Freshly caught?"
Drake chuckled. "Bought, actually. The merchant brought a shipment from the deepwater zone this morning. I figured we might as well stock up."
Xiang En's eye twitched. "How much did all this cost?"
Drake took a slow sip before casually replying, "About thirty million Berries."
For a full three seconds, there was silence.
Then Xiang En shouted, "three million?!"
"Brother Xiang En, do you also want to go fishing with Klee?" Klee noticed that Xia En was listening very attentively.
"Mm, I was thinking if we could blow up one or two Sea Kings, maybe we could drag them back and sell them for money."
Xia En nodded in response, then turned a questioning look towards Drake. He was the only 'local' among the four.
In the past few days, Xia En had bought meat at the market. Perhaps because they were by the sea, the price of fish was generally low, similar to the price of meat in his world before he crossed over.
"Brother Xiang En, do you also want to go fishing with Klee?" Klee noticed that Xia En was listening very attentively.
"Mm, I was thinking if we could blow up one or two Sea Kings, maybe we could drag them back and sell them for money."
Xia En nodded in response, then turned a questioning look towards Drake. He was the only 'local' among the four.
In the past few days, Xia En had bought meat at the market. Perhaps because they were by the sea, the price of fish was generally low, similar to the price of pork in his world before he crossed over.
However, Sea Kings couldn't be caught by ordinary fishing boats, so he figured the price should be a bit higher.
"It depends on the rarity and size," Drake knew what he was going to ask. Having been a Marine and a pirate for many years, he was quite knowledgeable about these things and answered without hesitation:
"An average specimen, a dozen meters in size, could probably sell for about five to six million Berries. The larger the size and the rarer the species, the higher the price will be."
Xiang En nodded with satisfaction after hearing this. The price was even higher than he had expected. And even if they couldn't sell them, he could always cook them for Kagura. Although she had a huge appetite, she wasn't picky about food at all.
"But dealing with them in the sea is much harder than catching a pirate with an equivalent bounty. Most people wouldn't do such a thankless job," Drake shook his head, feeling that Xiang En was being a little too optimistic.
"Sea Kings are much more agile than humans in the water. It's easy to injure them, but very difficult to catch them, unless you have a weapon that can either kill them or make them lose consciousness with a single blow."
As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed that both Xiang En and Kagura had turned their gazes towards Klee. Drake's heart pounded—could this little girl's bombs really do that?
"Did you hear that, Klee? Do your bombs have that kind of power?" Xiang En asked expectantly.
"Don't worry, Brother Xiang En. Klee's new generation Jumpy Dumpty bombs, whether they're ten-meter or even tens-of-meters big fish, can definitely blow them over!" Klee pumped her little fist, her voice full of confidence.
Drake was drenched in a cold sweat. He didn't think Klee was exaggerating, as she had the glorious record of blowing up a Celestial Dragon's slave ship.
If she could blow over a Sea King tens of meters long, what about their small house, which was less than ten meters?
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