Chapter 280: Volume 2 – Chapter 182: I Want to Learn Observation Haki

Daren wasn't entirely sure if that punch had really been a "serious punch."

Garp's training style had no logic to it—bizarre and unorthodox, far beyond anything Daren could wrap his head around.

But out of pure trust in the "strongest Marine," he followed Garp's methods step by step, no questions asked.

Training was training, after all. And at his current level, those old methods that once pushed him to his physical limits weren't doing much to boost his "stats" anymore.

Still, in that final punch he threw earlier, he felt like he'd caught a glimpse of something.

It was fleeting—like a spark of inspiration or a physical sensation that couldn't be forced, only stumbled upon by chance.

For a split second, it felt like everything around him disappeared.

It was like peering through a high-powered scope—his vision zoomed in and everything narrowed, becoming intensely focused.

The world around him faded to nothing. His mind went still.

Even though his body was utterly exhausted, power surged through him naturally, as if springing forth from a deep well.

In that moment, all distractions vanished.

There was only the punch.

A blow meant to win—no matter what.

By the time he came back to his senses, the warship before him was in pieces, reduced to nothing but rubble.

What kind of power was that?

As he walked toward the training camp, thoughts spun endlessly in his mind.

If he had to describe it, Daren figured it wasn't some specific technique, or a combination of abilities, and definitely not just brute-force strength. It felt like something more subtle, more profound—something hard to explain.

A perfect unison of mind, body, and technique.

...Could that be the secret to mastering Conqueror's Haki infusion?

The idea popped into his head.

He'd awakened Conqueror's Haki a while ago. He could release it at will and use it to intimidate opponents, but when it came to actually coating his attacks with it—he was still clueless.

Daren tried to recall that brief moment of clarity from earlier. The state of mind he'd entered. He searched for that elusive sensation again.

He knew it had been a fluke.

He was still a long way from fully mastering this kind of complete body control.

But he wasn't discouraged.

Daren had always been patient. Some things couldn't be rushed—they needed time to build up naturally.

With that mindset, he stepped through the gates of the training camp and onto the field.

Zephyr, already waiting, stood with his Marine cloak draped over his shoulders.

"Garp's training is done?"

Zephyr asked, clearly annoyed, a cigar between his teeth as he watched Daren enter the grounds.

Daren smiled and nodded.

"Yes, Zephyr-sensei."

"Hmph! That bastard Garp, just snatching you away without a word!"

Zephyr growled, clearly ticked off.

"And what could he possibly teach you with those crude training methods of his?"

"Even his own son didn't want to train under him!"

Zephyr clearly had strong opinions when it came to Garp's way of teaching.

Daren just smiled without commenting.

He still remembered the first day he started training with Garp—Zephyr had stormed over, furious, and the two of them immediately launched into a shouting match.

It turned into an all-out insult war.

"What do you know about teaching!?"

"I know everything!!"

"Your own son doesn't even want to learn from you!"

"Bullshit!!"

"I'm the head instructor!"

"I can fight better than you!"

"Bullshit!"

"Wanna go?"

"You bastard!!"

And just like that, the two of them went at it shirtless, practically tearing the whole port apart.

The commotion eventually got so loud that Admiral Sengoku and Staff Officer Tsuru had to step in and pull the two bruised-up men apart.

In the end, it was decided that Daren would train under both Zephyr and Garp.

He'd train with Garp in the mornings and follow Zephyr's methods in the afternoons.

Of course, the two of them argued for quite a while over which time slot was better.

After all, training in the morning meant better energy and sharper focus, so the results would naturally be more effective.

Zephyr grumbled a few words before turning his gaze to Daren.

"Daren, be honest with me. With how intense and frequent your training's been lately, can your body really handle it?"

Daren paused for a moment and then said slowly,

"I don't feel like there's any real problem."

Zephyr activated his Observation Haki, sensing Daren's aura. Once he confirmed there was nothing off, he nodded.

"Good. But if anything starts to feel off, speak up. Don't push your body to the point of causing lasting damage."

Then, after a brief pause, Zephyr added out of nowhere,

"And also… watch yourself with that other thing. Don't overdo it."

That thing?

Daren blinked, then quickly realized what Zephyr meant. His mouth twitched.

"Ahem… today's training is going to be light. Consider it a half-day break."

Zephyr switched gears and got to the point.

"You've been progressing way faster than the others in the training camp. With your current strength and experience, sticking to the camp's standard routines… isn't all that meaningful anymore."

"Instead of blindly piling on training, it's better to work on your weak points and patch up the gaps."

"So tell me, Daren, what issues have you been running into in your training? Or is there something specific you want to learn?"

Daren thought for a moment, then looked up seriously.

"Zephyr-sensei, I want to learn Observation Haki!"

"Hmm, Observation Haki is definitely useful… wait, you haven't awakened it yet!?"

Zephyr blurted out before catching himself, then stared at Daren in disbelief.

"No…"

Daren gave a bitter smile.

He recalled the embarrassing moment from earlier when his lack of Observation Haki nearly got him in trouble, and the corner of his eye twitched.

"But that doesn't make sense. If you haven't awakened Observation Haki, there's no way you could've fought guys like Byrnndi World or Kaidou… You shouldn't even be able to see their movements."

Zephyr frowned, muttering to himself.

"It's because of this…"

Daren raised his hand, letting arcs of electricity dance across his fingertips.

"Zephyr-sensei, I have the Jiki Jiki no Mi. I can generate magnetic fields and sense the magnetic signatures of living beings within range. The effect is similar to Observation Haki, though not as precise in real combat."

He paused, then added,

"And even if I can't dodge, taking a few hits head-on isn't going to kill me."

Zephyr: …

Well, fair enough.