14 – Eating Like a Senju

This kid is really... Shakky felt a headache coming on. Even this has to be about proving himself?

He refused the food she had specifically prepared for him. Instead, he insisted on imitating Rayleigh by eating large chunks of meat!

Could he really compare himself to Rayleigh?

"..." Hancock also cast him a hesitant glance, as if she wanted to say something but held back.

"What's wrong?"

Junichi noticed their stares and looked over in confusion. Shakky and Hancock didn't know how to begin. But gradually, they sensed something was off.

Crunch, crunch, crunch!

He was chomping down on the meat like a grinder. In the blink of an eye, he had devoured an entire leg of meat as thick as a bucket.

Gulp!

With a casual swallow, he downed the meat. Yet his stomach showed no change—like he had only eaten a puff of air.

"What!?" Shakky and Hancock's expressions changed instantly.

Something wasn't right! Wasn't he supposed to have failed his training? Why was his appetite suddenly so huge?

"Hahaha..." Rayleigh laughed from the side and chimed in, "It's obvious you two misunderstood."

He laughed heartily and looked toward Junichi. "Why don't you show them a little something?"

"No problem." Junichi smiled.

By now, he also realized what Shakky and Hancock had misunderstood. He raised his hand.

Whoosh!

The power of Armament Haki surged out, covering his entire arm. On the surface, there was no visible change. But Shakky, who had Observation Haki, immediately widened her eyes in surprise as she looked at him. "Armament Haki?"

"Armament!?" Hancock was equally shocked.

Even though she hadn't awakened Haki herself, she could feel a chilling danger radiating from Junichi's arm that made her hair stand on end.

Faced with their stunned expressions,

He nodded slowly and said, "Thanks to Rayleigh's guidance, I successfully grasped the power of Haki."

"Don't give me the credit. I barely taught you anything. It's your freakish talent," Rayleigh quickly waved it off.

Shakky and Hancock's eyes filled with even more shock.

Seven days.

Junichi had only gone to train for seven days, and he already mastered Armament Haki?

That was insane talent!

Shakky gasped, a little embarrassed. "Sorry. When you two came back early, I thought..."

"You thought I had failed in my training, right?" Junichi asked with a small smile.

Shakky nodded awkwardly. "Sorry."

Hancock also lowered her head.

"It's okay," Junichi replied casually.

Only then did Shakky and Hancock breathe a sigh of relief. Even if it was a misunderstanding, It was fine now that everything was cleared up, and the outcome was a good one.

Crunch, crunch...

After that, they calmly enjoyed dinner.

Junichi devoured his food ravenously, wiping out a meal twenty times his usual intake like a storm.

After awakening Haki, it was as if his body had broken through a shackle, unlocking more potential.

At the same time, the daily intake of high-energy Sea Kings further stimulated his physical growth, causing him to improve at rocket speed.

In just one week, his physical stats had already caught up to the average fifteen-year-old who had set out to sea.

If he were in the Naruto world, no one would question him if he claimed to be a member of the Senju clan.

---

As they finished eating and drinking, Hancock quietly motioned for Junichi to come over.

"?"

Junichi walked over in confusion and followed Hancock upstairs.

"I still haven't thanked you for saving us," Hancock said, bowing deeply. Her black-and-white eyes were filled with deep gratitude and warmth.

Junichi raised an eyebrow.

A bad feeling crept up his spine.

No way… The whole "hero saves the damsel in distress" trope? Isn't that a bit too cliché?

"There's no need to be so formal. The Kuja already rewarded me," he replied casually, acting as if everything had already been settled.

But Hancock didn't see it that way. She shook her head firmly. "The tribe gave you a reward, but I haven't! This is my personal thank-you gift. Please accept it!"

She pulled a brand-new notebook from her pocket—clearly just bought.

She stuffed it into Junichi's hands, then cautiously looked around and whispered, "Read it in private when you get back. Don't let anyone else know."

With that, she ran off, leaving Junichi standing there, curiously staring at the notebook in his hands.

Let's clarify this right now: This notebook wasn't that kind of notebook, it was just an ordinary booklet.

Don't get the wrong idea.

"What kind of thing needs to be read in secret, without anyone knowing?" He walked over to a corner and opened it out of curiosity.

Smack!

After just a few pages, he slammed it shut.

The corners of his mouth twitched violently. "This girl… she actually wrote down the Kuja's Haki training secrets and gave them to me. No wonder she told me to read it secretly… If this got out, she'd definitely be beaten..."

But that was only a small problem.

Getting beaten might be painful, but it wouldn't be fatal. The real issue was Hancock's intention.

"Her feelings are obvious. But she's only 12!"

"I don't do loli!"

His expression gradually twisted into a headache.

After thinking for a moment, he decided to throw this problem back to the Kuja.

He turned and went downstairs.

---

Back on the first floor, the dishes had already been cleared away. Shakky and Rayleigh were sitting at the bar, sipping drinks and chatting. When they saw Junichi coming down, Rayleigh's eyes lit up slightly.

"See? What did I tell you?" he turned to Shakky with a grin. "I knew he would come looking for you."

"Ugh." Shakky clicked her tongue in annoyance.

It seemed the two of them had made a bet regarding Junichi.

With a dark expression, he walked over and placed the notebook on the bar. "If you already knew, why didn't you stop her from giving me this thing? I don't want Kuja Pirates chasing me down. I only read the first couple of lines. I didn't read the rest."

But Shakky's reaction caught him off guard.

"Why didn't you finish it?"

"Huh?" Junichi was a bit dumbfounded.

"This is a rare opportunity!" Shakky said, shamelessly proud. "If it were me, I would've read it all first without hesitation!"

Junichi was speechless.

"This thing isn't exactly top-tier," Shakky continued, shaking her head. "It's mainly meant for people with no talent—at best, it might give you some insights."

Haki was very widespread on Amazon Lily. Even among ordinary warrior women, about half of them have awakened Armament Haki.

Howeve, this kind of specialized Haki development technique comes at a cost—it forced progress by consuming one's potential, leaving no room for future growth.

Their Armament Haki "capacity" was pitifully low. They could barely coat one fist, or maybe just the tip of an arrow. Beyond that, it was useless.

"You've already awakened Haki, so you don't need those awakening methods, but some of the strengthening techniques might still be useful," Shakky concluded.

Strengthening techniques?

Junichi glanced back down at the notebook, puzzled.

Haki techniques were just Hardening, Imbuement, Emission, Internal Destruction, right?

Was there actually more to learn?