Chapter 21: Casual Chat After Training

Over the next month, Renji became increasingly reclusive. Within the base, only a handful of people ever caught a glimpse of him. He spent almost all his time focused on training.

He had already exhausted his accumulated simulation space time. Fortunately, Karp was still lingering on the island, otherwise, Renji would have faced many more obstacles in mastering Haki. Additionally, he discovered that physical strength and Haki actually complement each other. Given his robust physique, learning Armament Haki came more naturally to him than to most. The stronger his body, the better it adapted to Haki. Under Karp's guidance, his progress was rapid.

In less than a month, Renji's Armament Haki had grown several times stronger than when he first started, and the area he could cover with it had expanded significantly. With his current strength, he could now withstand a few more moves from Karp in a spar. Unfortunately, his Observation Haki hadn't improved much, likely due to his limited mental strength. He still hadn't figured out how to train his mental strength, which remained stuck at 59 points. Still, overall, the past month had been quite fruitful.

...

On the training field behind the base, Renji lay sprawled on the ground, eyes slightly closed, his clothes drenched in sweat from the intense workout. Though his eyes were shut, he wasn't resting. Instead, he was channeling his mental energy, sensing his surroundings. After a month of experimentation, he realized that the range of his Observation Haki was directly tied to how far his mental energy could extend. The two were closely linked.

From the frown on Renji's face, it was clear that his current mental strength still fell short of his needs. He opened his eyes and let out a soft sigh. "Observation Haki can only cover an island? Improving it is way harder than I thought."

He remembered Karp telling him some time ago that mastering Haki was a long and arduous process. Once Haki reached a certain level, it could evolve into other special abilities. For example, advanced Observation Haki was said to allow the user to sense future events. But all of this was still a mystery to Renji.

Karp, lounging in a nearby chair, was already used to Renji's intense training sessions. The first time he saw Renji train, he was so shocked he nearly called him a freak. The guy trained as if he had no regard for his own well-being, pushing himself to the absolute limit. Karp had never seen anyone so relentless.

"Done training? Come take a break," Karp said, patting the empty chair beside him. He had discovered some great things in the South Blue, and the reclining chair he was sitting on was one of his favorites. Gently rocking back and forth, it was incredibly relaxing.

"I've told you before, training should be done in moderation. Overdoing it can harm your body," Karp advised patiently, sipping his tea. He had high hopes for Renji. The Navy wasn't lacking in combat power, and he felt Renji didn't need to rush to improve his strength so urgently.

After the death of Rocks, his crew had disbanded, and the powerful members had all gone their separate ways. Now, the Navy was the strongest force in the world, while the pirates were fragmented, fighting among themselves for the elusive title of "Pirate King." As the saying goes, "Together they are a flame; apart, they are scattered stars."

If Renji knew what Karp was thinking, he would have scoffed. It was precisely because so many in the Navy shared this mindset that the world was in such chaos. Of course, the World Government preferred to maintain this balance of chaos. With the lower classes constantly at war, the nobles could live comfortably, while the common people were forced to pay exorbitant "Celestial Tributes" for the illusion of peace.

"Vice Admiral Karp, your strength is enough to face any threat in this world. Of course, you can afford to live a comfortable life," Renji said with a wry smile. "But I could face life-threatening danger at any moment. If I don't push myself, are you going to take care of me?"

Karp ignored the last part of Renji's comment, pretending to clean his ears. He relied on Sengoku's snacks to get by—how could he possibly support another person? Still, Renji's words gave him an idea.

"My son, he's about your age, but he acts like such a hothead," Karp mused, changing the subject.

Renji's eyes flickered slightly at the mention of Karp's son. Monkey D. Dragon, influenced by his father, had dreamed of becoming a righteous Marine since childhood. Currently, he was still an idealistic young man, deeply committed to justice.

"That kid, he's always been quiet. He hardly has any friends his age. It's really worrying," Karp said, sighing dramatically like a concerned parent.

Renji almost rolled his eyes. He had always hated people who bragged about their kids. Yes, your son is amazing—can we move on? From what he knew, Monkey D. Dragon was around 20 years old, two years younger than him, but he was already a Navy Captain. And this wasn't some honorary title—he had earned it through sheer combat prowess.

"So, I was thinking of having him learn a thing or two under your guidance," Karp said casually.

Renji's jaw dropped. What was this? A newly promoted Captain like him was being asked to mentor someone who was about to become a Rear Admiral? Was Karp still half-asleep, or had Renji trained so hard he was hallucinating?

Karp waited for a response, but when none came, he raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to turn down my son, are you?"

"I don't think there's much I can teach him..." Renji replied hesitantly.

"Don't worry about that. Whether he learns anything is his problem. You just focus on teaching him well," Karp said dismissively.

A bead of sweat rolled down Renji's forehead. This was the same man who had entrusted his grandson to bandits. His logic was impossible to argue with.

"If you don't say anything, I'll take that as a yes," Karp said with a laugh, sealing the deal before Renji could object. This kid was hard to fool. Dragon had been causing a lot of trouble lately, and sending him to the South Blue for a while seemed like a good idea.

"Vice Admiral Karp..." Renji sensed something was off.

"Ah, this chair is so comfortable. I should bring one back for Sengoku," Karp said, finishing his tea and hopping out of the recliner. He walked away, hands behind his back, humming to himself.

"What a crafty old man..." Renji muttered, staring at the empty teacup. Suddenly, he felt like the epitome of innocence and kindness.

...

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