Chapter 391: Haki Training
Among the core members of the Rockefeller Pirates, only Barrett was considered a well-rounded fighter.
Caesar and Esdeath, however, had obvious weaknesses.
Caesar possessed incredible physical strength, thanks to his Mythical Zoan fruit, but his offensive capabilities were shallow. Apart from relying on his Devil Fruit's built-in abilities, he had few other means of attack. Against opponents of equal strength, he was mostly on the defensive.
Esdeath, on the other hand, had overwhelming attack power. As a swordmaster, she could stand shoulder to shoulder with the world's top combatants. But her Haki control was sorely lacking.
Her Observation Haki was decent thanks to natural talent, but she couldn't even properly coat her sword with Armament Haki. And her physical combat and fruit abilities remained at basic levels. She had devoted herself entirely to the way of the sword.
These weaknesses had become painfully clear during their clash with the Roger Pirates.
Before, Charlotte hadn't noticed, but against true powerhouses, these flaws were glaring.
In this world of One Piece, Haki was absolutely critical.
Caesar and Esdeath were both relying too much on their Fruits and swordsmanship. It needed to be corrected.
When Charlotte looked over at them, Caesar shuddered.
Charlotte walked over.
"From now on, I'll personally oversee your training. Effective immediately—you'll be training all three types of Haki without pause," he said firmly.
Both Caesar and Esdeath looked grim.
Haki training might sound simple—it was basically non-stop fighting. But the problem was who you were fighting.
If you sparred with someone too weak, it was useless.
But sparring with Charlotte himself?
They weren't sure if their father was disappointed in them or just had it out for them.
Well, Caesar was the one who thought that.
Esdeath gritted her teeth.
"Fine! From now on, I'll focus entirely on Haki. I'll even seal my sword for a while," she declared.
Charlotte shook his head. "Training Haki doesn't mean giving up swordsmanship. On the contrary—it greatly benefits a swordsman."
He drew her western-style rapier from her waist.
It was a gift he had given her on her fifth birthday.
He held it in the sunlight. Its sharp point gleamed coldly.
"There's a type of blade known as a Black Blade—forged by long-term coating with Armament Haki. Every successful swordsman should forge their own Black Blade," he said.
Charlotte summoned his own weapon, the Seven-Star Sword.
It shimmered with a faint green light—his personal Black Blade, imbued with his unique Armament Haki.
"That's a Black Blade. Yours can become one too, if you keep it coated in Armament Haki constantly."
Esdeath nodded solemnly.
As the daughter of the world's greatest swordsman, she trusted his words completely.
Charlotte then looked over at Caesar.
"You too. You may not be a swordsman, but your guandao (polearm) can also become a Black Blade. It will increase both its defense and offense."
"Yes!" Caesar stood at attention.
"Let's go. Barrett, you're joining us too. Your Conqueror's Haki coating is still lacking," Charlotte called.
The four entered the training chamber.
The rest of the crew went off to do their own things—training, wandering, or resting.
Now that the Rumble-Rumble Fruit and Ark Maxim blueprints were secured, Charlotte's next plan was to upgrade the Poseidon—his steel ship.
He would incorporate the Ark's flight system so his ship could soar through the skies.
This wouldn't be like Golden Lion Shiki's "fake" flying ships.
And conveniently, Charlotte's next destination was his black history:
Water 7—the place where he and the Red Count had nearly been sold as slaves.
One of Charlotte's biggest personal regrets.
He still didn't know how he had been caught by a few slavers and almost auctioned off.
Fortunately, he and Redfield had been the only ones to witness that disaster—and all other witnesses had been silenced.
He was sure Redfield wouldn't speak of it either—it was just as humiliating for him.
After spending one last night on Skypiea, Charlotte noticed the island felt tense, almost as if they were preparing for war.
But he had no interest in getting involved.
Using a few giant octopus balloons, the enormous steel Poseidon slowly descended.
Right into the middle of a Marine base.
Surrounded by Navy warships.
Charlotte was… not amused.
With a casual wave, he unleashed a flurry of sword slashes.
Fifteen flashes of sword light tore through the fleet.
Five or six Marine warships were immediately cleaved into pieces.
"Ahhh!"
The naval base suffered massive casualties.
The young rear admiral in charge stood frozen, staring at the disappearing pirate ship.
"Charlotte Rockefeller…"
It was the first time he'd tasted defeat.
"Moshi moshi! This is Grand Line Marine Fortress. We've been attacked by the Rockefeller Pirates—heavy casualties!" the call rang through.
At Marine HQ, Fleet Admiral Kong went rigid as he received the report.
"Rear Admiral Momonga, don't act rashly. Avoid further casualties. Retreat immediately!"
"Yes, sir…" Momonga gritted his teeth, looking around at the wounded and the dead.
One word slipped from his lips: "Understood."
He led the remaining survivors back to the fortress.
Charlotte, meanwhile, ignored the young admiral.
All his attention was on the Ark Maxim blueprints.
"How long to rebuild this ship?" he asked Caesar Clown.
"Hmm… at least three months," Caesar calculated. "With our current manpower and tools."
Charlotte nodded.
"What if we include the shipwrights of Water 7?"
"If we have the materials and the workers, I'd say… one week," Caesar said confidently.
Copying the existing blueprint wasn't hard—especially for someone like him.
He was even more intrigued by whoever designed the Ark in the first place.
To make a ship that could fly… now that was genius.
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