The first morning after their breakthrough, Leo and Luffy, bruised but exhilarated, finally managed to escape the perpetual danger zone. They walked out of the forest, no longer blindfolded, their eyes keen and alert, constantly scanning for threats.
They found Rayleigh back at their makeshift camp, sitting calmly and drinking tea while surrounded by a massive, expertly trussed and cooked Giant alligator.
"Rayleigh!" Luffy shouted, accelerating into a full sprint. "We finally got out of that forest and learned to dodge these beasts easily!"
Luffy, of course, completely ignored the unconscious jungle beasts scattered around the perimeter of the clearing, all knocked out by Rayleigh's Haki while he was gone.
Leo, moving much slower due to his numerous hidden injuries, managed a tired but genuine smile. "That's right, Rayleigh-san. The Observation Haki training finally paid off. We conquered the animals."
Rayleigh put down his cup, his eyes twinkling. He studied them both, noting the faint glow of the Armament Haki that involuntarily coated Luffy's hand, and the sharp, focused edge in Leo's eyes.
"You are not bored, Luffy," Rayleigh corrected gently. "You simply passed the first phase. The basics of Armament and Observation are now imprinted on your spirit. You have conquered the animals."
"So, what's next?" Luffy asked, already eyeing the cooked Alligator.
Rayleigh stood, the very air around him growing taut. "The next step is simple. It is easy to read an animal's mind; their emotions are loud, and their intentions simple: kill and eat. Humans are different. We can defy expectation, lie to ourselves, and cheat fate. Now, you will learn to read people."
Leo's breath hitched. He knew exactly what was coming—the most brutal training session of all. Reading a human's intent is a thousand times harder than sensing a hungry boar.
"I will try to hit you," Rayleigh said, picking up a sturdy wooden staff. "And you will dodge. Every time you get hit, you fail the lesson. You will not be able to rely on instinct or slow, predictable animal movements."
Leo knew he wouldn't be able to stand after this. He's going to hit us with the intent to kill,
But first, the ritual. Luffy and Leo devoured the giant pieces of meat, fueled by the promise of their next brutal lesson. The joy of the meal was the final calm before the storm.
Reading Intent
Rayleigh placed the blindfolds back over their eyes. This time, the silence was absolute. No rustling leaves, no distant roars—just the soft, barely perceptible movement of the greatest pirate in history circling them.
DING!
Leo mentally cursed the System for its terrible timing, but quickly brought up the notification.
NEW CHALLENGE: GRAND MASTER'S TEST
Objective: Master the basics of Observation Haki against the intent of Silvers Rayleigh.
Reward: Special Legendary Item.
Leo's heart hammered against his ribs. Legendary Item? Last time it was the Guardian Shield! A Legendary item could be anything—a powerful sword, or anything.
"What are you waiting for, Rayleigh san? Hit me!" Luffy shouted, ever impatient.
Rayleigh didn't answer with words, but with a sudden, overwhelming release of killing intent.
WHOOSH!
The sound of the staff cutting the air was immediately followed by a dull, fleshy THWACK! as it connected with Luffy's skull.
"YOWCH! Wait, Wait! I didn't see that coming!" Luffy wailed, rubbing his head.
Leo tried desperately to sense the attack. He felt the pure hostility of Rayleigh's will, but the attack itself was too fast, too controlled, and masked by supreme mastery. He instinctively ducked right, but the staff was already swinging left, grazing his shoulder.
SMACK!
"Argh!" Leo cried out, stumbling backward.
The next hour was a flurry of invisible, agonizing strikes. They were thrashed here and there, sent sprawling into the dirt, their shouts of pain echoing through the clearing. Luffy's rubber body protected him from serious injury, but the pain was real. Leo, relying on his Defense and minor Armament coating, was bruised badly.
"You're relying on your eyes!" Rayleigh roared from the darkness. "You must use your spirit! Feel the space between us! Feel the intent before the muscle moves!"
Days bled into weeks under this brutal regime. Leo often found himself sitting up at night, mentally trying to replay the speed of Rayleigh's strikes. He was constantly struggling to quiet the soldier in his mind, the part that relied on logical patterns, not spiritual sensing.
Then, one morning, during their blindfolded sparring...
Rayleigh moved toward Leo, his intent masked but present. Leo felt the air shift, a moment before the staff even moved. He didn't see a future attack, but he saw the impossibility of the present moment. He stepped back and slightly left.
WHOOSH!
The staff whistled harmlessly past his chest. He hadn't dodged perfectly, but he had dodged the kill shot. He then heard Luffy dodge seconds later.
DING!
The System confirmed what his heightened senses already knew.
Objective Complete: Master the basics of Observation Haki against human intent.
XP GAINED: 300 (Level Up! )
Haki: Observation (Mastery 20%) UNLOCKED!
Leo ripped off the blindfold, his heart pounding in triumph. "Yes! Finally! I got it! I can read him!"
But the triumph was immediately dampened by the next message:
DING!
REWARD: Special Legendary Item Summon Unlock
Item Initialization Time Required: 4 Months.
"Four... four months?!" Leo yelled, dropping the blindfold in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? This shitty System doesn't even take his words seriously! It rewards me, then locks it behind a cinematic timer!"
Luffy, who had just successfully dodged an attack of his own, tilted his head. "Four months for what?"
Leo just sighed, throwing his hands up in defeat. "Nothing, Luffy. Just the universe proving that I have to wait for the good loot." He then paused, counting on his fingers. "Wait... four months? That's when the training is supposed to finish!"
Rayleigh emerged from the shadows, smiling genuinely at their combined success. He watched the two of them—the one complaining about some loot, the other celebrating a clean dodge—a quiet, emotional pride settling over his face.
The next generation is ready.
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