Chapter 17 : One Piece (7)

“You damn brat!”

“Haha! Too slow, too weak!”

I watched Yamato, wielding her kanabo like a seasoned warrior, effortlessly cutting through the pirates.

“She’s strong.”

I supported her rampage, taking out any stragglers with magic from a distance.

‘As expected of Kaido’s daughter.’

Yamato was only eight years old, yet she was easily overpowering adult pirates, seasoned veterans of the New World. She fought with a ferocity that belied her age, a testament to the blood of Kaido, the “World’s Strongest Creature,” flowing through her veins.

‘Easily low to mid D-rank.’ She possessed the strength of a proper Hunter, surpassing the novice F and E ranks.

“Nothing to worry about.” The pirates she faced were, at best, low to mid E-rank. Yamato wouldn’t lose unless she got careless.

I shifted my focus from Yamato to the pirates she was fighting, particularly those who displayed even a rudimentary understanding of Haki.

‘I think I’m getting a feel for how to use Haki.’

Mana, the source of supernatural abilities, existed in every world: my reality filled with mana beasts, the curse-ridden world of Jujutsu Kaisen, and this vast ocean world of One Piece. However, the method of wielding mana differed.

In my reality, we used pure mana directly. In Jujutsu Kaisen, it was mixed with negative emotions to create cursed energy. And here, in One Piece, willpower was combined with mana to create Haki.

Perhaps this was due to the inherent nature of humans in each world. Humans in my reality were adept at wielding pure mana. Those in Jujutsu Kaisen specialized in manipulating mana infused with negative emotions. And the people of One Piece excelled at channeling their willpower into mana. Each world had instinctively developed a method of mana manipulation best suited to their nature.

Based on this hypothesis, I was in a prime position to learn Haki. This body, Shine’s body, was naturally attuned to it.

“Mix willpower with mana.” I was starting to understand.

The three types of Haki: Armament Haki, the spirit of armament; Observation Haki, the spirit of observation; and Conqueror’s Haki, the spirit of kings. Infuse mana with willpower, focusing on armament for Armament Haki, observation for Observation Haki, and sheer dominance for Conqueror’s Haki.

“Got it.”

I felt the mana within me, infused with my will, transform into Haki.

[Acquired Lowest-Grade Armament Haki (F)!]

[Acquired Lowest-Grade Observation Haki (F)!]

[Acquired Lowest-Grade Conqueror’s Haki (F)!]

[…!]

[All three types of Haki acquired!]

[The three types of Haki are merging!]

[Acquired Low-Grade Haki (E)!]

“Alright, let’s test this out.”

I was about to jump into the fray and use my newly acquired Haki when I paused. More messages appeared.

[…]

[…]

[…]

[Trait: Enhanced Senses (C) is reacting to Haki!]

[Skill: Wolf’s Sense of Smell (E) is reacting to Haki!]

[Skill: Wolf’s Hearing (E) is reacting to Haki!]

[Skill: Low-Grade Haki (E) is reacting to sensory skills and Traits!]

[…!]

[…!]

[…!]

“Huh?”

[All sensory skills are merging with Haki!]

[…!]

[Trait: Radiant and Adaptive Angel is reacting to the Haki fusion!]

[Adding holy energy to the fusion!]

[Acquired Skill: Divine Haki (B)!]

<Skill: Divine Haki (B)>

Willpower imbued with holy energy.

Abilities:

Armament of the Divine (Toushinki)

Observation of the Divine (Kanshinki)

Dominance of the Divine (Tenshinki)

“Whoa…” I stared at the messages in disbelief. An entirely new form of Haki.

“You again, angel Trait?” But it wasn’t just the angel Trait this time. The Wolf’s Sense skills and the Enhanced Senses Trait, acquired from the wolves, had merged with Haki. Then, my angel Trait infused the fusion with holy energy, creating Divine Haki, a form of Haki tailored to me.

“This is incredible.” I mentally processed the information about Divine Haki and channeled Armament—no, Toushinki—into my fist. A golden film coated my hand.

“Toushinki maximizes defense and attack power, and allows for freeform transformation.” I shifted the Toushinki on my fist, forming knuckles, claws, gauntlets—anything I imagined.

Chuckling, I experimented with Kanshinki and Tenshinki.

Kanshinki extended my senses over a 100-meter radius, allowing me to perceive not only presence, like regular Observation Haki, but also approximate strength and status. A more versatile form of Observation Haki.

Tenshinki was the most interesting.

‘It incapacitates weaker opponents and temporarily enhances my skills.’

Like Conqueror’s Haki, Tenshinki could knock out weaker foes, but it also possessed a skill-boosting ability. By combining Tenshinki with mana while casting a spell, I could amplify its power.

‘It can’t be used on higher-ranked skills, though.’ A minor drawback that would likely disappear as the skill leveled up.

‘And Toushinki and Kanshinki will also grow stronger.’ These abilities, enhanced versions of basic Haki, had limitations due to Divine Haki’s current low rank. I couldn’t use advanced techniques like internal destruction with Toushinki, future sight with Kanshinki, or imbuing attacks with Conqueror’s Haki with Tenshinki. These would likely become available as Divine Haki evolved.

“N-no! My chance to get rich…!”

“Yamato, is that the last one?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

I approached Yamato, who was beaming after defeating the last remaining pirate, presumably the captain.

“Good. Let’s loot everything and find another target.”

“Aye aye, Captain!”

As Yamato excitedly searched the ship, I glanced at the unconscious pirates scattered across the deck. Yamato hadn’t killed them, likely out of some unconscious reluctance. Still, she had effectively incapacitated them with her kanabo, showing that she heeded my advice about not hesitating.

“I’ll finish the job.” I drew the Holy Spear from my Inventory, swiftly ending their lives, and tossed their bodies into the sea, leaving them for the fish and sea kings.

[Class Limit not exceeded.]

[Stats will not increase!]

[Acquired Low-Grade Swordsmanship (E).]

I was dissatisfied with the results. My stats didn’t increase, and the only skill I plundered was a useless, low-rank Swordsmanship.

“Damn it. I need to raise my Class.” It was frustrating that Plunder was now ineffective for stat growth.

“This skill is too low-rank to be of any use.” I sighed, closing the messages. Then, new messages appeared.

[Mid-Grade Radiant Swordsmanship is absorbing Low-Grade Swordsmanship.]

[Mid-Grade Radiant Swordsmanship proficiency increased by 7%!]

“Ha, that’s better.” My Radiant Swordsmanship, which had been slow to level up, received a significant proficiency boost.

I smiled and turned towards Yamato, who was calling me excitedly. She had found something below deck. I approached her and froze.

“What’s this? Do you know, Shine?”

“…Why is this here?”

Resting atop a pile of gold and jewels was a Devil Fruit. Not just any Devil Fruit, but one worth 5 billion berries, possessing one of the most versatile and powerful abilities in One Piece:

The Op-Op Fruit.

A heart-shaped fruit. Our first pirate raid had yielded an unexpected treasure.