One Piece: Honey Badger Speedruns the World

The next morning, sunlight pierced through the thin mist.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The crisp sound of metal clashing echoed across the training field.

Vista, wielding a casually broken branch, easily parried Mia's furious barrage of slashes. But as time passed, a look of shock gradually appeared in the eyes of the former Yonko captain.

"So fast...and this power..."

Vista looked at the petite girl in front of him.

Yesterday he could only swing his sword simply, but today, holding both swords, he can instinctively execute his own slashing patterns.

"Is this the Mink Tribe, known as 'born warriors'?"

Vista was secretly astonished. That wild instinct and physical coordination ingrained in her bones, which often required human swordsmen to practice for years to achieve, she had mastered the basics of in just one day.

"stop!"

Vista tossed the branch aside and nodded approvingly: "Mia, your progress is simply enviable."

"Hehe, it's all thanks to Master Vista's excellent teaching!"

Mia wiped her sweat. Although she was panting heavily, her small hands gripping the twin swords tightly did not loosen their grip at all.

Vista stroked his signature curved mustache, his eyes full of admiration: "Your swordsmanship talent is indeed rare. However..."

"On this vast ocean, there exist monsters with bodies as hard as steel, as well as Logia-type Devil Fruit users whose bodies can transform into flames, smoke, or even light."

Against them, even if ordinary swords and blades were broken, they wouldn't cause any harm.

"To sever what cannot be severed, to touch what cannot be touched, one must master a power that transcends Devil Fruits."

"Domineering."

As he spoke, Vista's wrist trembled slightly. A jet-black aura instantly enveloped the casually picked-up branch. It was not an illusion of light and shadow, but a substantial energy that felt incredibly hard and oppressive at first glance.

"This is 'Armament Haki,' the swordsman's strongest armor and sharpest fangs."

……

Not far away, Goss, who had been leaning against a tree trunk listening intently, had his eyes fixed on that dark branch.

Domineering...

Although he now possesses the power of a Devil Fruit, and his physical abilities have increased dramatically due to its power, in the eyes of a true strongman, without Haki, he is still a target full of weaknesses.

Goss knew all too well the rules of this world. In the New World, those who relied too much on their Devil Fruit abilities died the fastest.

Even Logia-type Devil Fruit users are nothing more than slightly harder-to-kill physical entities when faced with top-tier Armament Haki.

Attacks cannot grasp the physical form of a Logia-type being, and defenses cannot withstand the internal destruction of a powerful being...

If I were to encounter a powerful and domineering expert, my lightning would probably be useless before I were blown to pieces by a single punch.

You must learn it.

Only by mastering domineering spirit can I truly possess the capital to roam freely in the new world.

With that thought, the laziness in Goss's eyes vanished completely. He took a deep breath, straightened his body, adjusted his slightly disheveled collar, and strode towards Vista.

"Um... excuse me, just kidding."

Goss walked up to the two men, looked at the branch in Vista's hand that was still entwined with black energy, and his face, unusually, was devoid of his usual playful smile, instead becoming solemn.

"Um?"

Bista looked at him with some surprise.

Goss glanced at Mia, then turned to look directly into Vista's eyes, his tone sincere and low:

"Mr. Vista, about that domineering..."

He paused, then lowered his head frankly and made a request:

"Could you please teach me as well?"

"I don't want to be a sitting duck when facing a true master."

Goss clenched his fist, his voice filled with a pure desire to become stronger:

"Please, please guide me on how to master this power."

"Oh? You want to learn too?"

Vista stroked his beard, looking at Goss's explosively powerful body: "With your physique, awakening Armament Haki should be a natural progression."

"Domineering aura, simply put, is the release of the 'qi' within the body, transforming it into an invisible armor."

Vista extended his hand, and a black aura instantly covered his palm: "Like this. Using this as a foundation, feel the life energy within you and guide it to cover the surface of your skin."

"Guiding energy...that sounds simple."

Goss took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and tried to mobilize the energy within his body. He quickly sensed the flowing power.

"Get hard...!"

Goss roared, trying to imbue his fist with domineering energy.

however.

Sizzle—smack!

Just as that invisible energy was about to condense into form, his berserk heart seemed to be provoked, and he suddenly pumped out a violent purple-black current.

There was no domineering aura as expected.

On the contrary, the fragile "qi" was directly shattered and dispersed the moment it came into contact with the lightning!

"Tsk!"

Goss stared at the smoking hand, his brow furrowed. "What's going on? We can't get it to move at all."

"Just as I thought..." Vista, who had witnessed it all, shook his head, his expression somewhat complicated.

"The lightning flowing within you is far too violent. Ordinary domineering aura requires 'calmness' and 'flow,' but your lightning is too domineering, rampaging through your body."

Every time you try to condense your energy, it's forcibly dispersed by your own electric current.

Goss looked at his palm, feeling the unruly thunder beast within him. Instead of being discouraged, he smiled excitedly: "So... I have to conquer the lightning within me before I can learn Haki?"

Although the training difficulty had become hellish, this only fueled Goss's desire for conquest.

Seeing Goss lost in thought, Besta turned to look at Mia.

"Mia, you've mastered the techniques very quickly. But to become a true 'Great Swordsman,' technique alone isn't enough."

Vista's expression turned serious, like that of a true master: "Everyone has their own 'Way of the Sword.' For example, I pursue the 'Way of Splendor,' where swordsmanship blossoms like a flower."

"What about me?" Mia blinked, looking confused.

"You'll have to find that out for yourself."

Vista pointed to the sword Mia was holding:

Why do you wield your sword? Is it for slaughter? For protection? Or simply to become stronger?

"When you truly understand the 'breath' of the sword in your hand and find your own answer, your swordsmanship will be formed."

……

The midday sun was a bit too bright.

Wanda, the King Bird, hurried through the corridor and pushed open the door.

"Your Grace, we have urgent intelligence."

On the bed, the tall Duke Inuarashi slowly opened his eyes.

Before him stood the three captains of the musketeers, led by Sicilian, and Carrot, who was listening intently with a curious expression.

After reading the intelligence, a cold glint flashed in Duke Inuarashi's sunglasses, but he did not react immediately. Instead, he looked at Carrot.