Sailing: I was falsely accused of watching Nami bathe, but I'm blind.

Kai kept these principles firmly in mind and repeatedly proved them in actual combat.

When he started punching, he not only pursued speed and power, but also paid more attention to sensing the feedback from the point of impact, looking for the kind of "force" that could "penetrate" the defense and reach the inside.

When he is in close combat, he pays more attention to sensing his opponent's center of gravity and breathing rhythm. He can often use clever grappling or throwing techniques to disrupt his opponent's balance and subdue him the moment his opponent exerts force or changes his move.

As time went on, Kai's fighting style became increasingly unpredictable.

His movements were like those of a ghost, always appearing or disappearing at the most unbelievable angles, perfectly utilizing the surrounding environment and the enemy's blind spots (although he himself had no vision).

His attacks are often completely unexpected, with precise angles and timing that is outrageously accurate, as if he can predict all of his opponent's reactions in advance.

His defense was impenetrable. No matter how swift or incisive the opponent's attack, he always seemed to be able to sense it in advance and neutralize it with minimal cost.

He is like a warrior living in the "future" and in the "mind of his opponent," completely transcending the logic and limitations of normal visual combat.

This unique fusion of unparalleled Observation Haki and superb combat skills makes him an extremely dangerous and difficult opponent.

As Fujitora watched (and sensed) Kai's growth, his eyes revealed increasing satisfaction.

He knew that this seed, which had been struggling tenaciously in the darkness, was finally beginning to bloom with its own unique and dazzling light.

Although the road ahead is still long, Kai has already gained the strength to stand firm on this sea and pursue the "benevolence and righteousness" in his heart.

As Kai's strength continued to grow and his understanding of "benevolence and righteousness" deepened, Fujitora began to set more challenging "tests" for him, not only in terms of strength, but also in terms of character and choices.

Chapter 40 Port Area

This time, they arrived at a relatively isolated island located on the edge of the shipping lane.

The island has only one small town called "Medicine Spring Town," which is famous for producing a precious medicinal herb with special therapeutic effects.

The town's residents have made a living by cultivating and harvesting this medicinal herb for generations. Although their lives are not wealthy, they are peaceful and tranquil.

However, this tranquility has recently been broken.

A group of fierce pirates have their eyes on the medicinal herbs here.

They blocked the town's only outlet to the sea and issued an ultimatum to the townspeople: hand over all the medicinal herbs harvested this year within three days, or they would burn down the entire village, leaving no one alive.

This plunged the entire town of Yaoquan into a state of panic and dilemma.

On the one hand, this batch of medicinal herbs represents the hard work of the townspeople throughout the year and is the foundation of their livelihood.

Without the medicinal herbs, their future livelihoods will be difficult to sustain.

More importantly, the best part of this batch of medicinal materials was, according to the agreement, to be handed over to a sizable naval base nearby.

In exchange, the naval base would regularly send patrol boats to patrol the area, provide basic protection, and bring some essential supplies to the town (such as salt, cloth, tools, etc.).

If they fail to deliver the medicine on time, they may lose the navy as their only "protective umbrella".

Having lost the protection of the Navy, even if they manage to escape this group of pirates this time, they may face more frequent and brutal harassment from other pirates or outlaws in the future.

On the other hand, if they don't hand over the medicinal herbs, they will face annihilation.

Those pirates didn't seem like good people at all; judging from the brutal aura emanating from them, they were definitely capable of doing what they said.

Although there were some able-bodied young men in the town, they lacked weapons and combat experience, and were no match for those battle-hardened pirates.

If you engage with them, you lose the future; if you don't, you lose the present.

The residents of Yaoquan Town were plunged into deep despair and helplessness.

Fujitora and Kai arrived in the town the day after the pirates issued their ultimatum.

The entire town was shrouded in gloom and despair, and the air was thick with fear, anxiety, and arguments.

After Fujitora sensed all of this, he did not intervene directly as he had done before.

He turned his gaze to Kai beside him and said calmly, "Kai, you have seen (sensed) the plight of this town."

On one side are vicious wolves eyeing the prey, ready to strike; on the other side are seemingly reliable, but perhaps not so reliable, 'hunters' (referring to the navy).

This is a dilemma.

Go and find out more details, then tell me your judgment and what you plan to do.

"

After a pause, Fujitora added, "Remember, choices based on morality are not always black and white, right and wrong."

Sometimes, it is necessary to find the least bad path among two evils.

I will not interfere with your judgment, but I will provide you with support when necessary.

"

This undoubtedly placed a very difficult problem in Kai's hands.

This is not only a test of his strength, but also a comprehensive examination of his wisdom, character, and understanding of "benevolence and righteousness".

Kai took a deep breath, feeling the heavy pressure on his shoulders.

He knew that this was not only a test from Fujitora-senpai, but also a matter of life and death for hundreds of people in the entire town.

He cannot afford to be careless in the slightest.

"Yes, senior."

"Kay replied respectfully, and then walked alone toward the town center.

Kai did not reveal his identity directly, but instead walked quietly through the town like an ordinary passerby.

He enhanced his perception to the extreme, like spreading an invisible giant net, covering the entire town and the area near the port where pirates were entrenched.

He arrived at the town square, where many townspeople had gathered, their faces etched with sorrow and their voices groaning.

He stood quietly at the edge of the crowd, listening to their arguments and cries.

Some people advocated handing over the medicinal herbs to save their lives: "What else can we do? We'll all die if we don't hand them over! As long as we're alive, we can always fight again!"

Another group vehemently opposed it: "Give it over? If we give it over, what will we offer the navy in exchange for protection? What will we do then? We're doomed sooner or later!"

Others were praying in despair, or blaming and complaining to each other.

Kai could clearly sense the intense fear, helplessness, anxiety, and deep worry about the future emanating from them.

He could even sense their complex feelings toward that distant naval base—a mixture of dependence, uncertainty, and a lingering distrust (perhaps the naval protection wasn't timely or effective, or the conditions were too harsh).

Then, Kai quietly approached the port area.

The pirates were stationed on several dilapidated pirate ships, while some others had set up a temporary camp on the shore to guard the several fishing boats from the town that had been seized.

Kai cautiously and discreetly sensed the pirates from a distance.

He could sense the intense, undisguised greed and brutality emanating from them.

Most of them were of average strength, but the pirate leader in charge had a much stronger aura, exuding a cunning and bloodthirsty feeling.

Kai also keenly noticed that these pirates were not a monolithic entity. He could vaguely sense some disharmonious, wary, or even hostile fluctuations between several different auras.

This seems like a point that can be exploited.

After understanding the situation of both sides, Kai returned to Fujitora's side and reported to him what he had seen, heard, felt, and learned, as well as his initial judgment.

"Senior, that's roughly the situation."

"Kay said in a deep voice, "The pirates are greedy and brutal, and the townspeople are fearful and helpless."

A direct confrontation would be too risky for the town, as it would lack the protection of the navy and face endless troubles.

If one surrenders, one will lose one's livelihood and the future will be equally bleak.

And it seems that the pirates themselves are not united.

"

Fujitora listened quietly without interrupting, and simply asked, "So, what's your decision?"

Kai paused for a moment, quickly weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

Fujitora's words, "Kindness and righteousness are not simply black and white," resonated in his heart.

Should they directly intervene to help the town fight off the pirates? This seems to be the most direct and "just" approach.

But what are the consequences? The town has lost its leverage in dealings with the navy and may face even greater dangers in the future.

Moreover, given his current strength, his chances of winning against the entire pirate crew alone, especially their formidable leader, are not very high, and he might very well put himself in danger as well.

Chapter 41 weakened the overall strength of the pirates.

Persuading the town to hand over the medicinal herbs? This might save his life in the short term, but it would sacrifice the town's future and go against his inner pursuit of "protecting the weak."

To stand idly by? That was an option he couldn't accept.

“Senior,” Kai raised his head, a thoughtful glint in his eyes, “I believe that we cannot fight this matter by force; we should use strategy to overcome it.”

"

"Oh?" Fujitora seemed intrigued. "Tell me about it."

"

"First of all, the cost of direct conflict is too high, both for the town and for myself."

"Kay analyzed, "Secondly, there seems to be internal conflict among the pirates, which might be exploitable."

My plan is to try to use my perception and familiarity with the terrain (he has already quickly sensed the terrain around the town) to create some chaos, mislead the pirates, make them lose their composure, or incite internal conflicts among them and make them fight amongst themselves.