One Piece: Honey Badger Speedruns the World

A few minutes later.

Goss went inside.

Katakuri had his back to him, his tall figure casting a huge shadow on the ground.

"Now that the deal is done, I won't delay payment."

Katakuri turned around, his crimson eyes locking onto Goss, his tone serious:

"But before I teach you, I need to confirm one thing."

hum.

An invisible wave swept across Goss's body in an instant.

Katakuri frowned.

"No?"

His gaze turned somewhat strange.

"There's absolutely no flow of Observation Haki within you. You're a complete novice?"

Goss shrugged, appearing nonchalant on the surface, but inwardly he was cursing.

That's unbelievable.

Even though the Armament Haki, which represents hardness and destruction, was successfully activated during the previous Germa technology activation, and could even be completely wrapped around his body.

Logically speaking, domineering aura is an extension of human potential. Since physical strength and willpower have already reached the required level, the sensory system shouldn't be a dead end.

A flicker of self-doubt crossed Goss's eyes.

Is it because I'm a "time traveler"?

Is it because I rely too much on the "script" in my head?

Because I'm always used to looking at the plot from a God's-eye view, and used to knowing in advance who the good guys and bad guys are, I've lost that most primitive and savage intuition that a living being has when facing unknown dangers.

Because they are omniscient, they are insensitive...

Katakuri remained silent.

He probably never expected that this little pirate, who dared to negotiate with him and became famous as soon as he set sail, was a complete novice when it came to Observation Haki.

"You haven't even learned to crawl, yet you want to fly?"

Katakuri shook his head, his tone turning cold and hard:

"Foresight is the pinnacle of Observation Haki. Right now, you can't even hear the sounds of the present, let alone the echoes of the future."

He silently passed judgment in his heart.

Too slow to react.

On this vast ocean, there are some true "monsters" born with the ability to hear the breath of all things and even sense emotions. It is an innate talent, a gift from heaven.

For someone like Goss, who is already somewhat famous but still has closed senses and can be said to rely entirely on logic rather than instinct, mastering Observation Color from scratch is not difficult; it usually only takes a few months of practice. However, mastering the ability to foresee the future is almost impossible.

He raised his hand and seemingly casually flicked his fingers.

call out!

A candy bean hardened by Armament Haki shot out instantly!

puff!

"Hmm!"

Before Goss could even react, his left shoulder was pierced through in an instant! Blood splattered everywhere!

The excruciating pain caused him to stagger back two steps, cold sweat pouring down his face.

too fast.

Without dynamic vision and advance prediction, it would be impossible to dodge.

"Did you see it clearly?" Katakuri asked.

"……without."

Goss gritted his teeth, clutching his bleeding shoulder.

"Then close your eyes."

Katakuri's voice was unquestionable:

"The eyes can deceive you. Fear can cloud your judgment. There are things in this world that cannot be seen with the eyes."

"This is the first lesson: Listen."

Katakuri raised his hand again, this time with three candies between his fingers:

"Before attacking, a creature will emit a strong intent. That is the fluctuation of its aura."

What you need to do is not to look at my fingers with your eyes, but to use your body, your skin, your instincts to feel where that intention is pointing.

Goss took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

Darkness descends.

All the sounds around me were amplified. The sound of water in the distance, the rapid beating of my own heart...

Feel the intention...

What kind of sensation is that! I can't feel anything except pain!

"If you can't feel it..."

Katakuri's cold voice seemed to be right next to my ear:

"Then learn it with your body. Until your body learns to be afraid."

call out!

puff!

A bullet wound to the thigh! The excruciating pain nearly made Goss kneel down.

"Too slow. Your body is hesitant."

call out!

puff!

My right arm was scraped!

"Too slow to react; your fear is interfering with your judgment."

The next five minutes were nothing short of a one-sided massacre.

Although Katakuri avoided fatal blows, the pain of having his flesh pierced was real.

Goss was like a live target, constantly getting hit, falling, and getting up in the dark.

Blood stained the floor.

Fortunately, Goss possesses an abnormal regenerative ability, and he is constantly recovering from his injuries.

"Shall we continue?"

Katakuri looked at the swaying Goss, his voice devoid of any pity:

"Those without talent may never hear that sound in their entire lives. You will die here."

Goss was panting heavily, his face covered in blood.

But he didn't open his eyes.

He is laughing.

"continue……"

Goss roared hoarsely:

"I'm starting to feel it..."

In the endless darkness and excruciating pain, he seemed to have grasped a very faint clue.

Before each candy bean is shot out, there seems to be a... stinging sensation in the air.

It's like the instinctive chill you feel when a needle is pointed at your brow.

It's not a sound.

It's an intention!

"Again!!"

Katakuri's eyes narrowed.

A candy bean, accompanied by a sharp whistle, hurtled straight toward Goss's left arm!

coming!

In the darkness, no images came to mind for Goss.

But he sensed it!

Right in the direction of my left arm, a red, sharp, malevolent force was rapidly approaching!

Get out of the way!!

The body reacted before the brain.

Goss suddenly veered to the side.

laugh!

The candy flew past his left arm, taking a piece of flesh with it and embedding itself deeply into the wall behind him.

Didn't win!

He dodged it!

Goss suddenly opened his eyes, gasping for breath, his heart pounding like thunder.

Just now... that mysterious feeling...

That's it!

Katakuri looked at the shallow scratch on Goss's face, and his hand, which was about to fire the next candy, froze in mid-air, which was extremely rare for him.

His usually calm and all-seeing crimson pupils contracted violently at this moment, and a red ripple even appeared around them due to the intense emotional fluctuations.

How is that possible?

Only a few times? Five times? Or six times?

Katakuri knew all too well how difficult it was to master Observation Haki.

That is a qualitative change from the five senses to the sixth sense.

Even the most talented child in the entire kingdom would need at least a few days or even a month of practice, with the guidance of a renowned teacher, to cross the threshold from having no feelings to being able to sense malice.

And this man... went from being a complete novice with nothing inside him to successfully sensing my rapid attack intent in less than five minutes?!

The corners of his mouth, hidden beneath his scarf, seemed to curve slightly upwards.

"snort."

"Although it was just a wild instinct, a matter of luck... the seed has been planted."

"This is the first lesson: Awakening."

"However, don't get too excited yet."

Katakuri's voice suddenly turned cold, interrupting Goss's ecstasy.

"A single success might be due to luck, but on the battlefield, luck runs out."

Whoosh—Katakuri's arm suddenly changed.

The once solid muscles instantly transformed into sticky glutinous rice, then branched and extended like willow twigs, instantly conjuring more than a dozen glutinous rice arms that floated around Goss.

Between the fingers of each arm were jet-black candies.

Goss's pupils contracted sharply.

How can we dodge this?! This is practically machine gun fire!

"To truly master it, don't look with your eyes, touch it with your breath."

Katakuri coldly said, "Extend that chaotic mental energy of yours out of your body like tentacles. Even if it's just an inch."

"start."

Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!

This time, it's no longer a single-point sniping attack, but a comprehensive saturation strike!

A dozen or so candies, accompanied by a piercing shriek that seemed to tear through the air, attacked simultaneously from all sides, above and even from the blind spots beneath their feet!

"Damn it!!"

Goss instinctively wanted to run away with his head in his hands, but that strange, stinging sensation returned.

But... it's too chaotic! There's a stinging sensation everywhere!

It felt like being thrown into a bed of needles; my brain simply couldn't process all that information!

*Thud thud thud thud!* A series of dull thuds of flesh being pierced rang out.

"Aaaaaah!!"

Goss screamed as he was riddled with bullets, rolling on the ground, his clothes instantly soaked in blood.

Although he avoided the heart and throat, he instantly had more than a dozen bloody holes in his body.

"It spread."

Katakuri didn't stop; his next attack was already charging: "Don't let the pain stay on your skin, push it out! Imagine your skin isn't your boundary, the air around you is!"

"Push it out..."

Goss lay on the ground, panting heavily, his eyes blurred with blood.

He forced himself to calm down despite the excruciating pain.

Since the body can't avoid them, let the senses touch them first...

He gritted his teeth, desperately trying to mobilize the restless mental energy within him caused by the pain.

Get out of my body!

hum.

Under the pressure of life and death, Goss felt a heat between his brows.

A very faint gust of air was indeed squeezed out of his body.

It was like a thin layer of mist, trembling and clinging to his skin, less than five centimeters thick.

But this faint layer of air is extremely sensitive.

Whoosh! A candy bean shot towards his back.

The instant the candy came into contact with that thin layer of "air"—

Noisy!

In an instant, a vivid image flashed into Goss's mind: a black sphere, spinning at an extremely high speed, about to pierce three inches below his left shoulder blade.

I saw it! Although the reaction time was less than 0.01 seconds, I could still see it!

But it was already too close; there was no time to dodge.

Sizzle! The candy grazed the skin, leaving a bloody mark, but it didn't penetrate!

That's the feeling!

As soon as anything enters this layer of air, my brain can automatically create a model!

This is practically like a panoramic radar!

But maintaining this layer of air is too difficult.

In just a moment of dodging, that thin layer of energy dissipated due to the exhaustion of mental energy.

Then a few more candies were thrown at him.

"Again!!"

Goss crawled out of the pool of blood, his eyes filled with even greater madness. He had found the switch.

……

a few hours later

The world in the mirror seemed to have turned into a slaughterhouse.

The ground was covered with dried bloodstains and scattered with hundreds of broken candies.

Katakuri remained standing there, like a tireless machine, precisely controlling the force and angle of each throw.

And in the center of the field.

Goss was shirtless, with almost no unscathed flesh on his body, and looked horribly gruesome.

But he stood firm. His breathing was steady and long, his eyes were closed, and the horrific scar on his face no longer looked ferocious, but instead exuded an eerie calm.

shhhhhh!

Three more tricky candies were thrown in a spiral towards Goss's head, ribs, and knees.

However, this time...

Goss didn't roll over or fall to the ground in a disheveled manner.

He simply stood there with his eyes closed, tilted his head slightly, took a half-step to the left, and then casually raised his knee.

His movements were fluid and graceful, without any unnecessary flourishes, as if he were waiting for the candy to fly over.

puff!puff!puff!

All three candies missed their target and embedded themselves in the ground.

Katakuri's hand finally stopped.

Even this highest-ranking general, who never showed any emotion, gradually stiffened his expression, hidden beneath his scarf, and even felt a long-lost sense of unease.

What kind of monster speed is this?

Katakuri stared intently at the man standing in the pool of blood.

As a top-tier user of Observation Haki, he clearly sensed it.

The air around Goss, which was originally empty, must now be filled with Observation Haki.

Like an invisible spider web, it spreads wildly outward from Goss as the center.

One meter... two meters... three meters!

It's at least three meters tall!

Katakuri looked at Goss and a chill ran through him.

But the admiration in his eyes grew even stronger.

Goss slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath.

That feeling was wonderful.

The world around was no longer chaotic; the flow of the wind, Katakuri's breathing rate, even the heat generated by the friction of the candy beans in the air... everything was clearly visible in that aura.

"Three meters."

Katakuri looked at the man standing in the pool of blood, yet seemingly reborn, and his admiration was no longer concealed.

"In just a few hours, it went from nothing to something and was able to maintain a stable absolute perception range of three meters."

He stepped forward and tossed Goss a clean coat, covering his battered body.

"Although I haven't yet reached the threshold of predicting the future, in this field, ordinary sneak attacks can no longer kill you."

"As a beginner, your progress is... sickeningly fast."

Goss took the coat, wincing in pain, but still managed a bright smile.

"That's because the teacher is good. This kind of teaching method, which is like being in hell, where danger is everywhere, is indeed very suitable for a body like mine that can recover."

He clenched his fist, feeling the radar inside his body that was still running continuously.

I've mastered the basics of Observation Haki.