One Piece: It All Started When I Found Shanks' Arm

Chapter 74: The Reason I Can't Master Observation Haki Isn't Because I'm Dumb, But Because I'm Too Strong—So Strong It's Game-Breaking

"Vice Admiral Onigumo."

Smoker gave a perfunctory salute before turning back to the railing to smoke his cigars.

He and Onigumo had both been students of Z-Sensei and had known each other for years. In private, they weren't so formal.

"I don't know what you mean by 'pissed off.'"

Smoker stared out at the sea. "If you're talking about watching those nobles throw their depraved parties every day, ordering us around like we're their servants…"

"…and the fact that we have to waste a whole month escorting them, then yeah, I'm pretty pissed off. And I find it strange that you don't seem to have any reaction to it at all."

Just last week, he had witnessed the king of the Peaceland Kingdom, in the East Blue, fly into a rage simply because his coffee wasn't sweet enough. He had brutally whipped six maids to death.

Two of them were only thirteen or fourteen years old.

When he couldn't contain his anger any longer and pushed past the guards to intervene, he had been personally stopped by Onigumo.

"Reaction? What kind of reaction do you expect me to have? You're thirty years old, yet you're still as naive as a teenager. Don't you find that pathetic?"

Onigumo sneered, his "Justice" coat flapping in the wind. "The other two kings are one thing, but His Majesty Altai of the Peaceland Kingdom has one-quarter Celestial Dragon blood!"

"Otherwise, Headquarters wouldn't have taken this so seriously and sent me to escort them. Even I can't afford to offend him. And you dared to go looking for trouble with His Majesty Altai?"

"Remember this, Smoker!" Onigumo grinned, poking Smoker's forehead. "I saved your life. You should be thanking me!"

"With your strength, you should have at least made it to Rear Admiral by now, if not Vice Admiral."

"But what happened? You're always insubordinate for reasons like this, always acting on your own. How many times have you been disciplined by Headquarters, and you still haven't learned your lesson!"

"You're still just a mere Captain, not even as high-ranking as some of the rookies who graduated a few years ago!"

Onigumo's tone was scolding, but it also held a hint of disappointment for his fellow student.

Eight years ago, Smoker was already a Captain at Headquarters.

And eight years later, he was still a Captain at Headquarters.

Last year, he had even been transferred to a backwater place like Loguetown in the East Blue. A Logia user, spending his days dealing with small-time crooks with bounties of a few million Berries at most?

If this mission hadn't happened to pass through his jurisdiction, making him a convenient choice for temporary assignment, he wouldn't have even been qualified to participate in such an important escort mission.

"If I have to be as indifferent as you are to things like that just to get promoted…"

Smoker was silent for a moment, then took a long drag from his cigar. "…then I don't regret it. I'm fine with being a Captain forever."

Hm? His gaze suddenly sharpened, focusing on the sea to his right.

There was a small fishing boat there, sailed by an elderly couple in their sixties.

They had already steered clear of the warship, but they hadn't expected the massive cruise ship behind it to suddenly change course and bear down on them. They were panicked and at a loss for what to do.

"Ram them! Ram them! Ram them!"

His Majesty Altai of the Peaceland Kingdom was riding on a guard's back like a horse, shouting gleefully from the deck.

"A little more to the left! Faster! If those two commoners jump into the sea, I'll miss all the fun!"

Bastard… Smoker's expression turned grim. In an instant, his body dissolved into a thick cloud of white smoke and shot towards the fishing boat.

That guy… he's a hopeless fool.

Watching the cloud of white smoke recede into the distance, Onigumo narrowed his eyes and sighed in disappointment.

Reckless, impulsive, acting on instinct without a thought for the consequences…

Z-Sensei must be going senile in his old age, to think that a guy like Smoker could be the kind of leader who would carry the future of the Marines.

How ridiculous.

...

"Excuse me."

At the Cocoyasi Village docks, Hawkeye gave Genzo a polite nod, indicating that he didn't need to see him off. He turned and looked toward the northeast.

So he's not here?

Hawkeye sighed.

He had just rushed to the East Blue from the Grand Line, finally arriving at the man's hometown, only to hear that the swordsman named Shane had already set sail for the Grand Line.

His luck was really not that great.

The villagers here, on the other hand, had been incredibly hospitable. They had mistaken him for one of Shane's friends and had thrown a banquet for him with fine wine and food. They had even insisted on loading his boat with tangerine products.

The small coffin-like boat started to move, drifting with the current towards Reverse Mountain.

Generally speaking, people setting out from the East Blue for the Grand Line usually stop in Loguetown for a while, right?

Hawkeye's gaze was distant as he looked towards the horizon.

He casually opened a tin can with his bare hands, took out a piece of candied tangerine, and began to chew it slowly. The flavor was sweet and refreshing. He hoped it would bring him some good luck and help him catch up to his quarry soon.

...

Shane stood in the center of the steel-walled training room, his eyes closed, his breathing calm. He tied a black blindfold over his eyes.

"Are you ready, Captain?" Kuina asked, gripping the hilt of her sword.

"Mmm."

He nodded. "Your speed needs to be fast. Don't worry about form."

"Understood, Captain!"

With a low cry, Kuina slashed at Shane's shoulder, but he easily dodged it. She followed with a horizontal slash, but the result was the same.

Shane's body was like a leaf in the wind, seemingly fragile, yet skillfully evading every sharp blow.

After more than a dozen of her attacks missed, Kuina's eyes narrowed. She seized an opportunity. As Shane bent backward to dodge, unable to move his feet in time, she launched a flying slash straight at his abdomen.

Flying Slash!

Let's see you dodge this!

In the next instant, Kuina's jaw dropped. The muscles on the left side of Shane's torso had bizarrely contracted towards the right, contorting his upper body into an exaggerated C-shape.

After the flying slash had passed, his body instantly returned to normal.

Still not working?

Shane took off the blindfold and sighed.

Ever since setting sail, he had been trying various methods to master Observation Haki.

His Paper Art ability had opened a special window in his perception, allowing his body to automatically pick up on subtle movements and air fluctuations.

In theory, with his foundation in Paper Art, learning Observation Haki should have been easier than for a normal person without that base.

But the reality was the complete opposite.

He didn't know if it was because he had mastered Paper Art to an absurdly high degree, or because he was too confident in his own physical prowess and the strength of his Armament Haki.

Or perhaps it was a combination of all three.

To put it simply, external attacks no longer posed a threat to him, let alone a life-or-death crisis.

His body's instinctive reactions were more than enough to handle anything thrown at him. He was never pushed to the limit where he would need to sharpen his perception.

"I'm so weak…" Kuina said, her face crestfallen. "I can't even help you with your training, Captain…"

"What nonsense are you talking about? You're a Swordmaster at sixteen. Give it a little more time, and you'll be able to walk all over the Grand Line. How is that weak?"

Shane patted the girl's shoulder, offering sincere comfort. He then looked out the porthole and sighed wistfully. "If anyone's to blame, it's me, for being too strong…"

I'm just too far ahead of the curve.

He couldn't expect anything from the East Blue. He just wondered if there was anyone in the first half of the Grand Line who could push him hard enough to awaken his Observation Haki.

"We're about to reach Loguetown, Big Bro! Time to get ready to go ashore!" Nami's voice suddenly called from outside the door.

Loguetown…

We're finally here?

Shane and Kuina pushed open the door and saw Nami in the hallway, dripping with sweat as she mopped the floor. With her other hand, she was wiping down the walls.

This was also part of her punishment for lying and running away from home.

Until they entered the Grand Line, not only did she have to help Zeff with the dishes, but she was also responsible for all the chores on the ship.

"I'm so tired, Big Bro!"

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