Seeing this, Karl couldn't help but feel a little sentimental.
Ain truly was a mature Marine—she possessed surprisingly strong self-discipline and emotional control.
"If that's the case," Karl said casually, "then I'll head off to rest first."
"Wait!"
Karl turned his head. "Is there something else?"
Ain took a deep breath, recalling what Gion had said to her earlier that day, then spoke up.
"I've been resting too much lately. I can feel my strength stagnating."
"If possible… could you give me some guidance?"
Karl scratched his head. "Ah, sure. Now? Or… maybe later—uh, I mean, once we're back at Marineford?"
Ain narrowed her eyes and smiled, like a little fox that had just stolen a chicken.
"Mm-hm! Then it's settled. I'll come find you when we get back—you're not allowed to dodge it."
"Of course, of course. Oh, and about earlier today… I'll apologize on Hancock's behalf. She didn't mean it."
Ain waved her hand lightly. "It's fine. I was impulsive too… haah."
"Still, I interrupted you two. Hancock-senpai won't be angry, will she?"
Karl shook his head without thinking. "No, no. Why would she be? And you're so understanding— even if she were angry, she'd forgive you."
…Wait.
Why did that suddenly sound a little off?
Before Karl could sort out what felt strange, Ain had already drifted away. He scratched his head, then turned and left as well.
The next day, the Seastone warship resumed its voyage toward Marineford.
Inside the Lounge
"Hancock," Karl said casually, "the aura you showed that day when we fought—was that Conqueror's Haki?"
Hancock nodded. "Mm. I awakened it many years ago. Darling… are you trying to awaken Conqueror's Haki too?"
"Not really," Karl replied. "I'm just curious. If I remember correctly, you've already mastered all three forms of Haki. Did you figure all of that out on your own?"
He looked genuinely curious.
But in truth—
The moment has come.
Karl had waited three whole days for this opening.
He wasn't trying to prove anything. He just wanted to tell the system one thing:
What I lost, I'll take back with my own hands.
Hancock had absolutely no guard up around him. Without hesitation, she answered:
"Of course not. On Amazon Lily, we have a special method to help warriors awaken Haki."
"My Conqueror's Haki was awakened during one of the childhood trials. If you want to know, I can tell you~"
Karl's eyes lit up instantly. He pulled Hancock close and planted a firm kiss on her cheek.
"That'd be incredible! But… would this cause you trouble?"
"This is Amazon Lily's secret, after all. I don't want you to feel pressured."
Hancock didn't sense the faintly manipulative undertone at all—only Karl's concern for her.
"Hmph! I'm the Empress of Amazon Lily. Who would dare pressure me?"
"And it's not really a secret anyway. Every Kuja warrior knows it—outsiders just don't."
Ten minutes later—
Ding~
Through Boa Hancock's explanation, the host has obtained the Amazon Lily Haki Training Method.
Haki level-up skill card requirements reduced by 20%.
HOLY—
Karl was instantly overjoyed.
The higher one's Haki level climbed, the more skill cards were required to upgrade it. Even though Karl usually spent all daily Haki cards immediately, he was only around LV5–LV6.
To go further meant either dumping huge numbers of cards… or training Haki manually.
Karl did train, but only slowly—mostly just to adapt to his growing strength.
Which inevitably reminded him of Big Mom.
At one point, Karl genuinely suspected she had some kind of childbearing system—keep giving birth, keep getting stronger.
Meanwhile, he had to slack off just to grow stronger… and even then, still had to adapt afterward.
People really are born unequal.
Still, this training method wasn't quite what Karl had imagined. It wasn't some magical shortcut where Haki skyrocketed just from using it.
More accurately, it involved creating extreme conditions—near life-and-death trials—to force Haki to awaken.
The mortality rate was… very high.
Those who survived almost always awakened Haki—but that wasn't fundamentally different from natural awakening.
So mass-producing Haki users in the Marines wasn't realistic.
However, the methods of Haki usage and refinement described within were extremely valuable.
"…Darling? You look a bit disappointed."
Karl shook his head. "How could I be? I was just thinking how many detours I could've avoided if I'd known this sooner."
"Hehe, it's not too late for you now~"
Knock knock knock.
Just as Karl was about to get a little handsy, he immediately snapped his hand back, sat up straight, and said solemnly:
"Come in."
The door opened.
Ain walked in, carrying two drinks.
"Karl, Hancock-senpai—these just came from the galley. Try them."
Hancock heard Ain call her senpai and assumed she'd conceded. A hint of smugness crept into her heart.
She deliberately stood up, took the drink from Ain's hands, and smiled sweetly.
"Thank you, Ain… little sister."
She expected Ain's expression to sour.
Instead, Ain simply nodded calmly and even smiled back.
"You're welcome. That's just my duty."
"Then… I won't disturb you two anymore. Karl, once we reach Marineford, I'll notify you."
"Oh—yeah, sure!"
Ain turned and left without lingering, completely different from the tense standoff the day before.
Hancock found it strange—but didn't think much of it, assuming Ain had already accepted defeat.
"So, darling," she said, handing Karl his drink, "what exactly is this Seven Warlords meeting about? Will it affect me?"
Karl thought for a moment. "It'll probably adjust the Warlords' rights and obligations a bit, but nothing drastic."
"It's mainly because certain Warlords have been… overstepping lately."
Hancock hurried to clarify, "Not me! I haven't even gone to sea recently!"
"Of course not you," Karl said quickly. "Mostly Mihawk and Moria."
"Maybe Doflamingo too."
Hancock's expression sharpened. "What did they do?"
Karl shrugged. "No idea about Doflamingo. But Mihawk and Moria both tried to make a move on me."
"Especially Mihawk. Just thinking about him irritates me."
Hancock instantly tensed. "What?! What did he do to you?!"
"That doesn't concern you."
Truth be told, among the Warlords, Karl still hadn't crossed paths with Kuma, Crocodile, Doflamingo, or Jinbe.
And as for the 'We're All on the Same Side' questline—
Its completion rate was honestly terrible.
At this point, Karl had completely given up on expecting anything from it.
Do whatever you want, system.
I'm tired.
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