Chapter 48 - The Ultimate Sense
"Why does it matter if I'm a man or a woman?" Rei asked as she rubbed the blood from her lips. She had accidentally bit it when Bartolomeo dropped her. The poison from Gladius was subsiding and she was starting to feel again. She shakily pushed up the upper half of her body and sat cross legged on the ground.
"It doesn't...I just thought that...That means you and Zoro-senpai…," Bartolomeo was dumbfounded as he stared at the back of Rei's head. "AH!" he screamed as he suddenly remembered he had not only shown his privates to her but had asked that she did the same.
"AHHH! I asked you to do such rude and vulgar actions!" he cried, "Zoro-senpai will never forgive me! I have disgraced myself. Robin-senpai must be so disgusted with me."
"What are you talking about?" Rei asked. She rummaged through her utility belt and took out a small vial. She quickly uncorked the top and consumed its contents in one gulp before placing the now empty bottle back into her belt.
"Rei-sama, what is that?!" Bartolomeo asked.
"It's a basic antidote for general poisoning," Rei said as she shielded her eyes to look around her.
"Why?"
"Only people who have never tasted my dad's cooking would ask that," Rei said dryly.
"Rei-sama, what are you doing now?" Bartolomeo asked.
"I'll need you to be quiet for a little while," she replied.
Bartolomeo said something else but Rei ignored him and was lost in her meditation. Even though she was proficient in summoning her own Haki, she had to concentrate and put in a little more effort to engage this new energy. Now that she knew where the energy came from, she knew what she had to do next.
-Flashback, Rei: 6 years old-
"Using your Haki is like using one of your senses. In fact, Haki is the ultimate sense," King Tannenbay said as he held Rei by her ankles over a large tub of cold water. She had her hands tied behind her back as it was customary for this type of training but she didn't struggle like the others. Then again, this training was usually reserved for kids much older than she was.
"Like seeing or smelling," Rei said calmly as she stared at the water directly below her. Her face reflected in the water, mirroring the solemn expression and showing no hints of discomfort or even fear.
"Yes, and you don't have to tell your eyes to see. You automatically do it so that's what will happen when you familiarize yourself with your Haki. Once you do it once, you won't have to do it again," the king explained, "Although controlling it and using it is a different manner."
"So if the ears hear and the eyes see, what organ uses Haki?" Rei asked.
"Have you ever had a bad feeling about something before you know what it is?" The king responded back.
Even though she was held upside down, she still nodded. Rei's mind flashed back to the day in the fields. The day she left the house and the Bounty Hunters tried to attack her.
"How did you feel it? Where did you feel it?" King Riku asked.
"My stomach tightened and my heart felt scared."
"Your body itself is the source for Haki. That's why you feel from the skin, the largest organ that wraps around and protects your body. Your sensation of touching is the closest sense to the sensation of Haki. That's why most of the time when people use Haki they describe it by saying they 'feel' the energy."
"So how do I activate my Haki?" Rei said.
"By drowning out your other senses," King Tannenbay said, "And take the brain out of the equation. You'll need to rely on your gut and your heart."
Rei said nothing as he submerged her head and shoulders into the cold water. She didn't struggle. In fact, King Tannenbay couldn't help but think she was like a block of ice herself. Rei felt her face go numb. Her ears were hurting a little from the cold and her eyes were shut tightly. All of her senses were starting to go and she focused on her stomach. It was tightened because of the cold and even a bit hungry. Other than that, though, she was disappointed to find that she felt nothing.
After 30 seconds, Rei was pulled out of the water. Her teeth chattered but that was the only effect it seemed to have on her. The king raised her up so they were eye level with her still hanging upside down.
"Anything?" King Tannenbay asked.
Rei shook her head. "What am I looking for? Isn't Haki supposed to happen when you're in danger? Maybe I need someone to attack me."
"Yes," King Tannenbay agreed, "Some methods of training is to continually attack the person, while blindfolded, until that person naturally taps into his Haki but that method is only for adults."
"Why?" Rei asked.
"Because you're still a child. You're still growing and your body is still adapting," King Tannenbay said, "To a child, Haki is like a muscle. The more you use it, the more it grows but once you reach adulthood and hit puberty, that's where your Haki limit is set."
"That still doesn't explain why you're not just attacking me," Rei said.
"That only trains you to use Haki actively. I'm trying to train you to use it more passively," King Tannenbay replied, "The more you use it up without thinking about it-"
"The more it'll grow. Like I'm subconsciously training it everyday," Rei finished for him.
"Exactly and when you reach adulthood, your Haki capacity would at least three times that of a standard Haki user and because I'm starting you off so early, it'll be at least double that of a Beffi Island fighter," King Tannenbay said.
"So what am I trying to feel for when I'm underwater?" Rei asked.
"You're not trying to feel anything, Feeling is a sense all on its own." King Tannenbay said, "Remember, Haki is the ultimate sense. Tap into your Haki and you'd be able to enhance your other senses as well."
"Haki is the ultimate sense," Rei repeated and then grew silent. She nodded to indicate King Tannenbay she was ready and she plunged back down into the water.
This time she focused her mind not on her stomach but on her body in general. She felt her heartbeat and her lungs tighten but nothing else.
When King Tannenbay pulled her up again, her frustrated eyes penetrated into his. He chuckled a little, which only deepened her frown. "No luck yet?"
"I concentrated on my entire body and nothing happened," Rei said.
"Have you tried focusing outwards?" King Tannenbay asked, "All your other senses are used to react to what is happening around us, not what is happening internally. You cannot see the inside of your body. You cannot hear it and you certainly can't smell it. The ultimate sense is no different."
"Well, why didn't you say so before?!" Rei demanded.
"I needed you to warm up your lungs and get used to the cold," King Tannenbay said, "So that you can stay longer underwater now."
Without even waiting for a reply, Rei was back in the water.
Although Rei was not underwater and the hot sun was warming on her skin, she was able to concentrate and block out her senses. It helped that the numbing sensation from Gladius' poison had not completely gone away. She didn't plan for this but losing all of her natural Haki seemed to be beneficial because she could just focus on Zoro's Haki and not have to differentiate the two.
She focused her mind downwards into her heart, then her stomach, before opening it outwards into the world. Specifically, she concentrated on the second plateau. With so many executives and Colosseum fighters down there, it would be easy to sense it with Haki, even if there was only a little left within her. She felt nothing at first but after awhile she started to sense a faint trace of energy around the second plateau. Okay, now that I know I still have some of this Haki left...
She pooled the energy back in her so that she was no longer sensing a wide range. She directed it towards the edge of the second plateau, where she last saw Zoro. She saw in her mind's eye a small sphere of cool energy out in the distance. It was the same energy she was feeling in the pits of her stomach. The sphere started to morph into more detail and Rei could sense that it was in constant motion like a flickering flame. It was volatile and very active. At the same time the energy within her started to react in a similar fashion. She let the energy pool around her body and acclimate itself in its surroundings. She felt the bloodlust that seeped into her dreams, although this time it was not as strong as before. It was more of a whisper now.
She pulled the Haki closer like how one narrows their eyes to focus their sights and directed it at the sphere in the distance. A thin thread of energy weaved out from within her and towards the sphere. When it connected, she felt a shock go through her body. The spherical energy ahead seemed to still for a moment. Did he feel it too?
The ground started to shake and it broke Rei's concentration. The thread of energy was still connected though as she opened her eyes.
"Rei-sama!" He rushed over to her, dragging the still sleeping Cavendish by the collar. A barrier encircled them just as stone spikes pierced through the ground and plateau wall. It came at them in every direction but the sharp tips broke once it hit the barrier.
"Pica," Rei said softly as she got to her feet. She turned her gaze towards the second plateau but she couldn't see past the edge. She pressed against the barrier to see if she could get a better look. The thread was still there so she knew Zoro was alive. Where are you?
"Bartolomeo," she said, "I think it's over. You can put the barrier down now."
"Whew, that was close!" Bartolomeo removed the barrier and suddenly, the spikes around them were cut in half. They were sliced horizontally and the top half fell to the ground, clearing their view and allowing Rei to see the island. Rei and Bartolomeo turned to see Cavendish. He was returning his shiny sword back to its sheath.
"You're awake," Rei stated.
"And you're a woman," he responded coolly, noticing Rei's long braid. Some of the strands had gotten loose and it was flying in the wind in thin red wisps.
"The less people know about me, the better," she said, "I like to keep a low profile."
"That's impossible," Cavendish scoffed, "You're a Straw Hat Pirate. You guys naturally hog the spotlight."
"Not on purpose, I can assure you," Rei said as she walked over to the edge to get a better look at the second plateau, "Our captain values freedom not fame."
"Well said, Rei-sama!" Bartolomeo cheered, 'Luffy-senpai is going to be the King of Pirates! The freest man on the sea."
It appeared that the second plateau was also filled with spikes. However, the people below did not fare as well as them. There didn't seem to be any one moving. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She concentrated on her thread and followed it along to the sphere. She turned her head to face in that direction before opening her eyes. Zoro was at the very edge of the plateau and he looked to be unharmed. Where is Pica?
As if he knew what she was thinking, Pica's head formed out of the ground below in front of Zoro. It was ten times taller than Zoro. It opened up its jaws and tried to crush Zoro with his stone teeth but Zoro was fast. With his Wado Ichimonji, he sliced the head in half. Rei could hear the piercing voice from the Stone Stone Fruit user but they were too far away for her to make out what they were saying. Zoro cut the head into quarters and then eights. He stopped and lowered his sword. Is it over?
All was still and quiet for a few seconds but Zoro seemed to have tensed up even more. Suddenly, a loud rumbling and crackling sound came from large stone statue in front of the plateau. "Pica!" Rei shouted at the statue as it reformed its giant head and started to rise. It pulled the earth towards it, making the entire island shake. With the earth, it formed feet and legs. It stood up from its ground and cast a dark shadow over the entire island. It started to walk away from the Royal Palace and towards the King's Plateau.
"Don't tell me," Rei gasped, "It's going after King Riku?!"
She turned towards Bartolomeo and Cavendish, who watched the stone statue with widened eyes. "Cavendish!" she shouted, "Can you cut him from here?"
"Are you crazy?!" Cavendish exclaimed, "He's too far away and do you see how big he is?!"
"And I can't make a barrier that big," Bartolomeo added.
Rei turned her focus back on the plateau below and looked down to see if she could locate Zoro but he was no longer there. She concentrated on the thread and realized he was moving towards the statue. She tried to follow her eyes with the movement of the thread. When she finally spotted him, he was already down on the street. She realized that he was too far away to get to Pica in time but then she noticed who he was talking to. "Orlumbus?" she asked herself, tilting her head to the side as she tried to make sense of the pairing. Her eyes widened. He can't possibly….but that would mean...
"King Riku!" Pica's sharp voice rang out through the island. She looked between Zoro and the Pica Statue. He was still moving towards the King's Plateau.
I need to buy Zoro some time, Rei thought as she took a deep breath, and keep him away from Usopp and the others.
She looked over at Bartolomeo. "I'm going to need you to use your power."
"What can I do?" Bartolomeo cried with despair, "I already said I can't create a barrier big enough."
"No, not that power," Rei said.
"I have no other power."
"Yes, you do. I saw you use it in the Colosseum multiple times."
"What are you talking about, Rei-sama?"
"You have the power to anger people,"
"Huh?"
Suddenly Rei sudden burst of laughter.
"AHHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAH," Rei fake laughed as loudly as she could, "WHAT A STUPID VOICE!"
The air around the island became quite still as everyone froze in place, including Pica.
"HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAH," Rei continued, 'That voice! So ridiculous!"
"R-R-R-R-Rei-sama," Bartolomeo trembled in fear. "What are you doing?"
"Please trust me," Rei begged softly. Pica was unmoving. He was torn between his wounded pride and his devotion to Doflamingo. "Please. I can't do this without you. Please help save my friends."
She put her hands on her hips. She took a deep breath in, bending backwards for emphasis and laughed with all her might. "HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA! That voice! In that body!"
"HAHAHAHAHAHAH!" Rei jumped in surprise as Bartolomeo's laugh was ten times louder than hers. She looked over to see that he had shaped his barrier into a cone. He shouted through it like a megaphone. "A person with that kind of voice must be a sissy! He's a Top Executive?! What a joke!"
The statue of Pica started to turn away from the King's Plateau and towards their direction.
"Why the hell are you sacrificing us?!" Cavendish hissed.
"I'm not,' Rei stated in between her fake laughter with Bartolomeo. "We're not going to die."
"Bring it on you stupid, high-pitched, sissy-voiced bastard!" Bartolomeo shouted.
"How are you going to stop him then?" Cavendish demanded.
"I'm not," Rei replied, "Someone else will."
"Who?!"
Soon Pica was facing them and his eyes shined red with madness. Rei and Bartolomeo continued to laugh. Rei was beginning to feel slightly dizzy from using so much breath. Pica raised his palm over them.
"How dare you," Pica's squeaky voice shook with anger, 'HOW DARE YOU!"
He thrust his palm downwards. Bartolomeo created a small dome barrier over them and sank to his knees but Rei stood tall. She looked defiantly upwards at Pica.
"Rei-sama. I don't know if my barrier will be able to hold him back completely!"
"You are stupid." Rei ignored Bartolomeo and shouted up at Pica. "Only an idiot would need to be told twice that he doesn't have the luxury to go after anyone else. Only a fool would turn his back on-."
His palm was just a few feet away from Rei's face when a familiar voice cried out, "Three Swords Style! Daisen Sekai!"
Instantly, the palm flew backwards and the Pica Statue was cut in half by the waist. The light returned and shined down on Rei's face as she watched Zoro fly through the air. "...the man who is going to be the world's best swordsman," Rei finished softly.
She watched as Pica got cut one slice at a time until he was in thirty different pieces. Granted, they were still fairly large chunks of stone that would kill anyone instantly on impact. Rei knew that Zoro was trying to isolate the man from the stone. Bits of it fell on top of the barrier but these were now manageable portions and they bounced off of the barrier as if it were a trampoline.
"Come out, Pica!" Zoro shouted as he continued to slice up the statue.
"Hnghh," Pica said as he emerged from a section of the stone statue's shoulder as it fell through the air, "Just because you got me cornered, you think you've won?!"
Pica's actual body started to get encased with Armament Haki. "There's no way you can cut me now that I've shielded myself in Haki! After I've pounded you into the ground, you'll be the one who's lost!"
Zoro scoffed, "As long as your Haki is stronger than mine, that is." He raised his swords, "Over the nine mountains, across the eight seas…."
Zoro's blade sliced Pica the man from his shoulder down to his waist and the Top Executive of Doflamingo made no sound as blood poured out of his body. The pain was so severe it had rendered him unconscious.
"...there is nothing I cannot cut!" Zoro started to fall from the air directly above the third plateau. He sheathed his swords and looked down. His eyes locked with Rei's.
"Bartolomeo! The barrier!" Rei shouted without breaking eye contact.
"DDDOOOOOROOO ZENNNPAIIIII!" Bartolomeo exclaimed through his tears and snot. He uncrossed his fingers to wipe away his face and the barrier disappeared. Zoro landed steadily on his feet right in front of Rei. His eye never leaving hers.
"Incoming!" Cavendish shouted and it broke Rei out of her focus on the swordsman and she looked up to see that that the chunks of the statues were falling down to the ground. Some were falling towards them but the largest chunk was falling back towards the King's Plateau.
"Beautiful Sword: Slash: Stardust Prince!"
"Twin Beak Snap!"
"One Sword Style 36 Pound Phoenix!"
The stone pieces turned into pebbles as it fell around Cavendish, Zoro, and Rei. They each held their blades as they watched the largest piece fall towards the King's Plateau.
"KING PUNCH!" Rei heard in the distance right before a large shockwave swept through the air and the large piece burst into a million tiny pieces.
"Oy! Know It All!" Zoro growled at Rei.
She braced herself for Zoro's classic "What the hell did you think you were doing?" lecture and started to turn towards the swordsman. Suddenly, she felt his hand shoot out and grab the back of her neck. Before she could even react, he pulled her forward and kissed her. His frowning lips firmly planted against hers. Her eyes were wide while his was closed. Rei couldn't even breathe as her mind went blank. They stood frozen in place. Neither of them paid attention to the angry shouting of Cavendish or the blubbering cries of Bartolomeo.
