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Perhaps it was a moment of synchronicity between Liam and his Stand, or perhaps it was because Liam had just activated his Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) at that precise moment.
As it swept over the area where Hancock and B.I.B. were fighting, Liam clearly sensed the Haki emanating from B.I.B.’s black-armored fists. It was unmistakably Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki)!
Liam threw aside his iron rod, and as it whizzed through the air, still spinning, he was already leaping toward Hancock and B.I.B. Robin, sitting nearby, passed him a towel with her Flower-Flower Fruit (Hana Hana no Mi) powers and asked curiously, “What’s going on?”
“He’s finally unlocked Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki),” Liam smiled as he spoke, while Hancock was inwardly panicking.
She had already felt that this strange armored person was formidable, but now that it had mastered Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki), wasn’t it even more unbeatable?
The black-armored figure’s fists were now cloaked in Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki), flames of blue and red entangled with black energy, as it swiftly closed in on Hancock, pressing her with a left-right assault.
But Hancock wasn’t limited to just using her legs— her hands also became coated in Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki), turning black as she pursed her lips and locked eyes with determination. She clashed fists head-on with B.I.B.
Off to the side, Liam was astonished.
On the battlefield, B.I.B.’s fists seemed to buckle slightly under the force of Hancock’s blow, as if they had been dented. Hancock was just as surprised. “What… why doesn’t it feel as hard?”
The slight glow in B.I.B.’s eyes flickered. It had instinctively tried to reinforce its fists using Tekkai, but for the first time, the technique failed. It was as if trying to draw a circle and a square at the same time with the same hand—impossible.
As soon as B.I.B.’s fists were coated with Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki), it found that it could no longer use its Tekkai skill simultaneously.
Hancock, now standing triumphantly with her hands on her hips and a foot on the fallen black-armored figure, let out a victorious laugh. Robin watched her head tilt further and further back, her long hair cascading down like a waterfall.
Hancock was clearly overjoyed, so much so that she nearly toppled backward. Luckily, her agility saved her from a fall.
“Was that really necessary?” Liam asked, exasperated.
Hancock clicked her tongue, giving him a sly smile. “I do what I want. And besides, this thing’s strange techniques, the ones like yours, suddenly stopped working. Now that it’s only got basic Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki), it think it can beat me? In its dreams!”
In reality, B.I.B. had intentionally fought using only Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) and Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki). But due to its lack of proficiency, it had taken several blows because it couldn’t activate the Haki in time.
“As long as it’s learned the basics, that’s good enough,” Liam said, looking at the black-armored figure. “Strength will improve with time. If I’m not mistaken, Haki is the kind of thing that only gets stronger through actual combat, right, Hancock?”
But as soon as he asked, he knew it was the wrong question. Sure enough, Hancock gave him a look as if he were an idiot. “How should I know how other people’s Haki grows stronger? For me, it just gets stronger on its own, even if I’m just messing around.”
“Maybe that’s what it means to be a genius,” Liam muttered, patting the black armor on the shoulder. “You go ahead and keep working on your Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki). Meanwhile, I’ll prove that with enough hard work, even without any ninja techniques, Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki), or Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki), plain physical training can surpass genius!”
B.I.B. nodded and walked away to reflect on its progress.
Robin, feeling slightly bewildered, thought to herself that Liam was speaking strangely again.
Hancock, surprised, asked, “What are you doing? Do you want to fight again? We just finished!”
Liam cracked his knuckles, grinning, “The armor’s done, but I’m not! Get ready for my regular Iron Fist!”
“Hey! Get lost!”
Hancock dodged and weaved across the training field, their so-called “fight” looking more like a playful chase. Robin smiled slightly.
With Hancock’s strength and personality, it was likely hard for her to have real friends of her age. Adding her charm, which attracted people of all ages, genders, and temperaments, it must be even harder for her to find sincere companionship.
Liam wasn’t just fooling around, either. Even though his focus was on Life Return training, his Stand copied everything from him.
So even without intentionally training Haki, the exposure to Hancock’s Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) during their sparring would subtly register in his subconscious. When B.I.B. remerged, all those small accumulations would be fully absorbed into his abilities.
Later, as evening approached, Hancock once again disappeared, only to reappear with a “BIU” sound, landing on the ground. She turned just in time to catch two shoes flying toward her.
“Don’t run!” Hancock shouted, giving chase as the camouflaged Den Den Mushi sped away, leaving her panting and wondering what on earth that strange creature was.
…
Late that night, Liam, fully prepared and with a full belly, recalled B.I.B. into his body.
In an instant, all the Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) experience B.I.B. had gained surged into Liam’s mind like a tidal wave, along with a profound sense of exhaustion and pain.
But this time, Liam remained still, sitting upright. His mind detached from his body, viewing himself from a god-like perspective. He “ordered” his body to absorb the pain and fatigue without reacting, so as not to disturb “him.”
It was essentially self-hypnosis.
On reflection, Life Return’s most typical techniques, like controlling one’s hair at will or drinking milk to quickly heal teeth, were essentially forms of mental hypnosis over one’s own body.
Robin, wrapped in a blanket, leaned against a tree, watching Liam, now looking plump and round from his feast, sitting motionless like a serene Buddha. She stifled a giggle.
…
Liam extended both hands and slowly clenched them.
He twisted his right fist and tried to channel Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) into it— but failed. It seemed that even though he had just started learning, his control over it was still unreliable.
If not for his clear understanding of Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) and his persistence to keep trying, he might have dismissed his earlier success as a fluke.
This could explain why so few skilled fighters from the Four Seas could figure out Haki without a conceptual understanding of it. Even Enel and others from Skypiea had mastered high-level Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki), but without knowing what Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) was, they wouldn’t have known to try for it.
Liam clenched his right fist again, and with a “Shua!” a layer of black Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) enveloped it successfully.
Lost in thought, he remembered Zoro from the Alabasta arc, who had learned to cut steel. That ability must have been Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki), or possibly even the flowing type of Haki! Zoro didn’t realize it back then because he had no concept of Haki, assuming it was just a high-level sword technique.
Liam squeezed his left hand, this time using the Tekkai military skill. Instantly, his left fist became as hard as steel.
“As I thought, it’s not that Life Return and Haki can’t be used together. It’s just that these two techniques are difficult to use in the same part of the body.”
Liam bumped his left and right fists together.
There was no clashing sound of metal, but he clearly felt that his left fist, reinforced by Tekkai, was harder. However, his right fist, cloaked in Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki), retained its fleshly nature— still pliable and slightly yielding, unlike the rock-solid Tekkai fist.
…
“Why are you still reading those books?”
Resting nearby, Hancock looked at Robin with surprise. She had noticed that Robin had been rereading the same books several times.
Robin replied, “What can I do? It’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to go book shopping.”
“You should have said so earlier!” Hancock stretched out her hand to the ground, licking off the “milk mustache” left from her flower tea. “I’ll take you to the palace to find some books. I remember that Snake Princess has a big collection in her library…”
(End Of Chapter)
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