"Advanced" Haki was roughly what you'd expect from the top officers of an Emperor's crew.
"Top-tier" belonged to true monsters—Emperors and Admirals.
As for "God-tier"… you probably had to devote yourself to a single discipline to reach it.
For example, Garp's Armament Haki was almost certainly God-tier. And Shanks at his peak, with Conqueror's Haki, likely stood in that realm as well.
Roger at his peak might have pushed all three types of Haki toward God-tier… but right now, he'd only just set sail. He wasn't anywhere near his peak yet.
"I'm getting serious, Rono. Watch yourself!" Roger called out.
He was warning him on purpose.
Roger's Observation Haki told him Rono didn't have Armament Haki—and Roger was genuinely afraid that if he swung for real, this kid might die. That was the only reason he bothered to give a heads-up.
Whoosh!
Roger stepped in and brought his heavy blade down.
"Armament—Hardening!"
Rono didn't panic.
He calmly coated both arms in Armament Haki and drove forward—meeting Roger's blade head-on.
BOOM!
The collision screamed like metal grinding against metal. The air itself felt ready to burst. The shock dug deep craters into the ground beneath them.
Wind exploded outward. Nearby trees were flattened, and even the sea churned in widening rings.
Roger's stomach dropped.
Again?!
Advanced Armament Haki?!
You've got to be kidding.
Had his Observation Haki misread him—again?
This kid… was genuinely astonishing.
Rono held for a few seconds, then the sheer force overwhelmed him and sent him flying. He crashed through several trees before he could barely stop.
Even if their Haki wasn't far apart, Rono's raw physical power had only been around Lieutenant Colonel tier. Compared to Roger, he simply wasn't there yet. Getting blown away was only natural.
But Rono didn't care about the pain.
He was thrilled.
Because that single clash—one sword-on-arm impact—had let him "pick up" a ridiculous haul from Roger.
Rono almost wanted to shout:
Thank you, Teacher Roger!
[Ding~ Congratulations, Host successfully picked up: Observation Haki (Advanced)!][Ding~ Congratulations, Host successfully picked up: Swordsmanship (Advanced)!][Ding~ Congratulations, Host successfully picked up: Strength +958!][Ding~ Congratulations, Host successfully picked up: Speed +425!][Ding~ Congratulations, Host successfully picked up: Stamina +698!][Ding~ Congratulations, Host successfully picked up: Combat Experience (Beginner)!]
Just a brief exchange—and he'd ripped all three colors of Haki from Roger in one go, all at Advanced level.
The growth was so absurdly fast that even Rono himself almost didn't believe it.
The future Pirate King really was the future Pirate King. Roger had only just gone to sea—and he already possessed this kind of terrifying strength.
Rono took a breath and opened his status panel again.
[Host: Rono][Age: 17][Strength: 1203 (Vice Admiral tier)][Speed: 610 (Vice Admiral tier)][Stamina: 921 (Vice Admiral tier)][Haki: Conqueror's Haki (Advanced), Armament Haki (Advanced), Observation Haki (Advanced)][Other Abilities: Swordsmanship (Advanced)! Combat Experience (Beginner)!][Devil Fruit: None]
His core stats had leapt by an entire realm, and now he carried Advanced Haki in all three types—plus Advanced swordsmanship.
Rono could say it without hesitation:
Right now, he was already above Vice Admiral level but below Admiral level—at the very least, a genuine high-ranking officer of an Emperor's crew.
Maybe his raw stats still had room to grow compared to the very best of them… but in overall combat power, he had crossed into a completely different world.
And there was one more thing: combat experience.
People underestimated it.
A soldier raised in a greenhouse and a soldier forged on a battlefield weren't the same species.
Even without formal training, someone who fought for their life every day would crush the sheltered one—often by multiple levels.
The Warlords didn't become monsters by sitting quietly. They grew through hundreds of fights, big and small—many of them to the death.
But Rono wasn't worried.
With "Teacher Roger" personally feeding him experience…
He'd catch up soon.
"Rono!" Roger called, watching him stay down too long. "Well? Still want to keep going?"
Roger sounded like he thought he'd won.
"Of course," Rono answered, brushing dirt off himself as he stood. "We're not done."
"Oh?" Roger's grin widened. "Still got strength left? Then come on! I'll beat you!"
There was praise in his voice—real approval.
This kid really was the stubborn, unyielding type.
And the more they fought, the more Roger felt it:
Rono should be his crewmate.
They squared up again and attacked.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Three collisions in a row. Rono got knocked back again—but Roger's expression grew heavier and heavier.
Because he could feel it clearly:
Rono's attacks were getting stronger—each time.
[Ding~ Congratulations, Host picked up: Combat Experience!][Ding~ Congratulations, Host picked up: Strength +598!][Ding~ Congratulations, Host picked up: Strength +456!][Ding~ Congratulations, Host picked up: Speed +98!][Ding~ Congratulations, Host picked up: Stamina +55!]
Rono was practically laughing inside.
Every time he collided with Roger, he gained something. His core attributes were skyrocketing in real time.
"This guy… he's actually growing at insane speed through this fight," Roger realized.
After a few more exchanges—after feeling Rono's strength climb again and again—Roger confirmed it.
"In that case…"
Roger's eyes sharpened.
"I'll go all out."
But even then, Roger didn't stop. If anything, he leaned in harder—deliberately helping Rono.
And just like that, the amount Rono could gain from each clash increased.
Feeling Roger's shift, Rono's respect deepened.
This man was intentionally feeding him growth.
No wonder the Pirate King's crew would one day be so united—because the captain himself had a kind of charisma that pulled people in and made them want to follow.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
They kept trading blows—again and again—until the sky went dark…
…and then bright again.
Finally, Roger lowered his blade and stretched his shoulders like he'd had enough of a long jog.
"Alright. I'm tired. Let's call it."
He'd stopped because he could sense it: Rono had hit something like a bottleneck. Continuing wouldn't produce much more.
"Hey! At least warn me before you stop!" Rono snapped.
Between experts, a perfectly balanced fight suddenly becoming unbalanced was how accidents happened.
Roger's abrupt stop forced Rono to instantly withdraw the Haki he'd just released.
It felt like choking something awful down his throat—pressure jammed in his chest, nauseating and painful.
But he had no choice.
If he didn't pull it back, that last strike would've seriously injured Roger.
"Hahaha—I knew you'd do that." Roger laughed, amused even as he saw blood at the corner of Rono's mouth.
"Tch. And you've got the nerve to laugh?" Rono wiped the blood away and rolled his eyes. "If you hadn't stopped suddenly, I wouldn't have gotten hurt."
Roger really was unbelievably self-willed.
Still… Rono felt genuine gratitude.
Without Roger pouring everything into him, he wouldn't have grown this fast.
His strength had undergone a true qualitative leap. He was, without exaggeration, a real top officer-tier powerhouse now.
And at this point, Rono couldn't pick up any more attributes from Roger.
You could say it plainly:
He'd wrung Roger dry.
"A cage can't hold a bird with ambition," Roger said after the fight, his tone calmer now. "With your ability, you can carve out your own world."
After seeing Rono grow this far in a single battle, Roger finally gave up on recruiting him.
This kid's talent is monstrous. I might not even be able to keep him under control…
Roger's own talent was top-tier—but next to Rono, it almost looked ordinary.
And Rono was still so young. His future might be broader than Roger could even imagine.
A man like that…
shouldn't stand beneath anyone.
Rono let out a quiet breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
"So you finally see reality," he said dryly.
Getting someone like Roger to give up wasn't easy.
To be honest, Rono had been afraid Roger would keep insisting—and that he'd end up unable to resist that kind of personality and charisma, and just… board Roger's ship.