"Hmm?" Shanks' sharp eyes flashed as he looked at the person who had suddenly appeared and blocked his attack with just one hand.
He had sensed Rosinante and his group long before they arrived.
With Shanks' Observation Haki, even while fully engaged in battle, he could keep track of his surroundings. A whole group like Rosinante's approaching him? Of course he had noticed.
And when Rosinante stepped forward, Shanks had even felt a faint sense of danger ripple through him.
He had wanted to pull back from his fight, worried about his crewmates, but Bratt's relentless assault gave him no opening to stop.
Still, Shanks trusted his crew. Even if they weren't a match for Rosinante's people, they would make the right call and respond as best they could.
What Shanks hadn't expected was for Rosinante to just step right into the middle of his duel with Bratt without a word.
"This friend looks very familiar," Shanks said, eyes narrowing slightly. "What business do you have here?"
"You bastard! Where the hell did you crawl out from?! I'm having the time of my life fighting here and you dare to ruin it?!" Bratt yelled, face twisted with aggression, his tone full of challenge.
"Heh… your first mate over there said I could have this guy." Rosinante didn't even bother looking at Bratt. He released Shanks' arm and turned to him with a light smile.
"Oh? I see. Well, if my first mate said so… then he's yours." Shanks chuckled, sheathed his sword in one smooth motion, and turned his back on the two of them, walking back toward Benn Beckman as if nothing had happened.
He left his back completely exposed.
Rosinante couldn't help but sigh inwardly — this was exactly the kind of fearless composure worthy of the man with the strongest Conqueror's Haki. That sheer, almost reckless trust and nerve… few in the world could match it.
"You bastard! Do you have any idea how pissed you're making me right now? Do you know what happens when I get pissed off?!"
As Rosinante was silently admiring Shanks' nerves of steel — no, courage — Bratt finally erupted, clearly enraged that someone had just ruined his fun.
"Show some respect, bastard! Do you even know who this is?!" Raijin Kisu snapped, fury flashing in his eyes at Bratt's insolence.
"Respect? Hah! Like I care who you people are! I was enjoying a damn good fight and you dare step in and ruin it? Looks like I'll have to beat some sense into you so you understand just how dangerous I, Bratt the Buzz-Cut, really am!"
Even as he spoke, Bratt's attacks came crashing toward Rosinante in a storm of fists.
"You're Bratt?"
"You ate the Honey Badger Fruit, right?"
"What exactly is so special about it?"
"Is that insane fighting spirit of yours the fruit's doing?"
"Yes, yes, just like that — hit harder! Maybe if you try really hard, you might actually land a hit on me." Rosinante's voice was calm, almost teasing.
Bratt's fists fell like rain, his every strike bursting with murderous intent — but none of them touched Rosinante.
No matter how frenzied Bratt became, no matter how fast he struck, he couldn't land a single blow.
Rosinante was simply too fast. Combined with his powerful Observation Haki, he could sense every attack before it even came, allowing him to step or tilt his head aside with effortless grace, dodging everything without breaking a sweat.
He remained standing right in front of Bratt the entire time, his movements minimal, almost casual — as if he were merely taking a stroll. Occasionally, he would ask another question, his voice calm and curious, as if he wasn't even being attacked at all.
"You bastard!" Bratt roared, his fighting spirit flaring even higher, his aura now almost physically tangible. His attacks became even more ferocious.
But Rosinante had already seen them all coming.
Observation Haki had many forms, and each person had their own style and specialty.
Some were adept at sensing the flow of life energy to gauge an enemy's exact condition.
Some had an Observation range so vast they could sense things from miles away, perfect for sniping.
Some could even read emotions, peering into the very hearts of others.
And some, like Katakuri, had pushed Observation Haki to the extreme, awakening the ability to literally see a few seconds into the future — a gift born of exceptional talent. That was why, despite the countless masters of Haki on the seas, Katakuri alone had achieved that level.
Roger himself had the ability to "hear the voice of all things," an ability born from his unique affinity with Observation Haki.
Rosinante's Observation Haki was unique — it allowed him to sense concepts of energy themselves. He could feel gravity, force, even the presence of a Devil Fruit's power or the spark of life itself.
But Skypiea's "Mantra" was a little different from Blue Sea's Observation Haki. Many people mistake them for the same thing, but they are not quite identical.
Mantra was a kind of mental discipline, a practice that emphasized calming the heart to perceive clearly.
Every master of Mantra on Skypiea could read an opponent's intent and predict their next move through subtle observation — even relatively weak priests with no more than a Marine Major's strength could use Mantra to pre-read attacks.
Even Skypiea's soldiers could achieve this with enough training.
Meanwhile, in the Blue Sea, even those with powerful Observation Haki rarely possessed such accurate predictive ability.
It was the result of the Skypieans' rigorous mental training — the ability to keep one's heart utterly still and clear.
After Rosinante trained in Mantra, he too gained the ability to "pre-read" his opponent's attacks.
Even without his ghost-like speed, this ability alone allowed him to dodge every single strike from Bratt with ease.
"Yes, yes, let it all out! Pour all your fighting spirit into those attacks!" Rosinante laughed as he slipped through the barrage, his body flowing like water, effortlessly evading every blow.
"Amazing… His Majesty's Mantra is getting stronger and stronger. He can pre-read every attack perfectly — there's not a hint of confusion in his heart." Raijin Kisu's voice was full of awe.
Mantra had a flaw — if the user's heart was in turmoil, its predictive ability weakened or even failed entirely.
"His Majesty already had incredibly strong Observation Haki. After training in Mantra, it's only natural that he mastered it so easily. Unlike you, Kisu, who's still a half-baked amateur!" Raqi said with a playful grin.
"I am NOT half-baked! My control over Mantra is already really good!" Raijin Kisu protested.
"Sure, sure — except the moment you get emotional, your Mantra collapses instantly."
Robin and Raqi exchanged a glance and broke into giggles.
Their laughter made Ryan chuckle as well.
Raijin Kisu's face darkened. He couldn't even argue — after all, they were right.
He might seem calm and reliable most of the time, but he was actually very excitable, and whenever he lost his cool, his Mantra would fall apart completely.