Ace and Sabo had been following Luffy for a little over half an hour at this point before Ace spoke up.
"Alright, where are you taking us."
"Oh anywhere around here should be good." Luffy said
"I was just kind of curious about how long you two would go without saying anything." "Shishishi." Luffy laughed
The two boys nodded at each other and hit Luffy on the head, leaving two large welts.
"That hurt you jerks." Luffy yelled in pain
"Well you could have said something earlier" Ace and Sabo yelled
"Fine, whatever." Luffy said
"Are you two ready to begin?"
"Yeah" both boys said
"Alright, do you two have any idea what I used on the boar back there?"
"No idea." Ace and Sabo both said
"What I used on the boar back there was called Haoshoku no Haki."
"Haoshoku no Haki" they tilted their heads and the two looked at the third boy confused
"That is what it is called, but I guess it really isn't fair of me to start off with this technique."
"Why is that?" Sabo said intrigued
"Well it is very rare for a person to be able to use this type of Haki, I think the number was one in a million can use this. But I guess there is no real way to find out if that is accurate or not."
Two things from that statement shocked the boys. The idea that only one in a million people could use the Haoshoku no Haki and "this type of Haki" implying that there is probably more than one kind to learn.
"Can you teach us how to use that Haki?" Sabo said
"No" Luffy said very bluntly
"No, what do you mean No?"
"I can't teach it to you because it is not one that you can learn to use."
"You can only learn to control it once you become aware that you possess it."
After those words the two boys became a little disappointed in not being able to learn such a cool technique. But then Sabo asked Luffy another question.
"You said this type of Haki, right?"
Luffy shook his head up and down.
"How many types are there?"
"There are three types of Haki."
"Only three" Ace and Sabo said
"Yes, only three but once you become proficient at using one or both of the other types of Haki you will realize you don't need the Haoshoku no Haki."
"Ok then, so what are the other types of Haki called?" Sabo asked
"The three types of Haki are called Kenbunshoku no Haki, Busoshoku no Haki and the type you have seen before Haoshoku no Haki."
"Everyone has the potential to use the first two. People often end up training one over the other. Often times it is because they can't learn how to use the other one. If someone can use both, more often than not they will pick the one that will complement their own skills and try to use it to balance their weaknesses. If you can learn both you will certainly be a match for most any opponent you come across."
Ace and Sabo didn't say a word they only stood there thinking about what Luffy said.
"Wow, you know a lot about Haki" Sabo said
"Don't give me too much credit; I am just repeating what my Master told me."
"Who is this master of yours and where can we find him?" Ace said
"I would rather learn from the Master instead of the student." Ace said annoyed
"You want to know where he is." Luffy said
"Yeah" Ace and Sabo said in unison
"Honestly, I have no idea where he is" Luffy said grinning, rubbing the back of his head
Ace and Sabo looked at the boy then looked back at each other. They then proceeded to hit the boy over the head again.
"Why did you do that? I wasn't lying when I told you I don't know where he is"
"Even if you wanted to look for another person to teach you we would likely be out of luck here in the East Blue."
"What do you mean by that?" Ace said
"What I mean is that it would be nearly impossible to find someone else to teach you. Not just in the East Blue or the other three Blues but also the first half of the Grand Line. You would likely have to wait to get to the second half of the Grand Line before you find someone to teach you."
"Really, this ability is that uncommon here?" Sabo said
"I really don't know if it is true or not. I am only telling you what he told me."
"Now before we start there is one more thing I need to tell you about Haki. There really is only one way to make your Haki stronger."
"Haki is the spirit of the user manifest, the only way to strengthen it is to get stronger both mentally and physically."
"Does that make sense?"
"Kinda" Ace said
"You will see eventually"
After that the two boys looked at each other not exchanging any words. They then shifted their glare to Luffy signaling they were ready to begin.
"Alright, are you ready?"
"Yeah"
"Well then, where do we start?" Sabo said eager
"Both are hard to learn and will take years to master but I am sure you will be able to learn."
"Which one would you guys like to learn?"
"Does it matter which one we start with?" Ace said
"Not really, both are difficult."
"Well then how about we start with Kenbunshoku no Haki?" Sabo said
"That sounds good to me." Luffy said
"Before I start teaching you I want to show you what you will be able to do someday."
"Ace, I want you to attack me with all you've got."
"Alright" Ace said kind of confused
"As a bonus I am going to close my eyes."
"Seriously?"
"Actually, just to make it clear I am going to be blindfolded while you attack me."
"You have to be kidding me right." Ace said
Luffy pulled out a long piece of cloth from his pocket and tied it around his head, covering his eyes in the process.
"Ok Ace, whenever you are ready go ahead."
Ace took his metal pipe and began to swing it at Luffy to no avail. Luffy was not only able to dodge each and every attack Ace threw at him. Luffy then began to call out which way Ace was going to attack before he did it.
"Swinging down at the right side of my head"
Just as Luffy said that Ace began moving the way he predicted. Again he ducked out of the way to avoid the attack.
"Sabo, I want you to attack me as well." Luffy said while Ace was still attacking
"Are you sure about that?"
"Absolutely"
"Alright"
"Sabo, let's give him everything we've got." Ace said confident that they would be able to hit him.
The two boys began attacking Luffy. Still neither one of them managed to hit the boy even a single time. The two boys kept attacking Luffy. After a while they had to stop as they were not making any progress and probably never would. At least not as they were.
"That is impressive." Sabo said
"I have to admit that would be very helpful in a fight." Ace said rather intrigued
"Ok, I think that is a good demonstration." Taking off the blindfold and holding it in his hand.
"So, who would like to go first?" Luffy asked the two boys
They looked at each other not really certain what was going to happen next. Reluctantly Ace stepped forward.
"I will go first."
"That sounds good to me." Luffy said
"Ok Ace, tie the blind fold around your head just like I had it."
Ace looked at him like he was crazy
"I mean you could do it without the blindfold but where is the fun in that."
"This training is meant to heighten your other senses."
"With enough training this Haki will allow you to sense the people around you, determine how strong an opponent is, as well as predict an opponent's moves like you have seen already."
"There is one other thing about this Haki before you start."
"Kenbunshoku no Haki will not make you any faster. You have to rely on your own speed to be able to actually evade an attack. If you are fast enough you may be able to defeat a user of this Haki even if they know how you are going to attack."
"After hearing all that what do you think Ace?" Sabo said
"I think it will be more effective to train with the blindfold on." Ace said reluctantly
Ace tied the blindfold around the back of his head and covered his eyes. After that the real fun for Luffy began.
"Ace, first thing I am going to do is have you spin around. Once you stop you are going to have to stand still before you begin walking around."
"Why would I do that?" Ace asked
"Because you are ok with your surroundings right now, correct?"
"Yeah, I guess so." Ace said hesitantly
"Well for this you can't rely on your eyes. So being blindfolded and not knowing which direction you are facing will force you to use your other senses to compensate for your lack of sight."
Ok with that Ace spun around. After a minute or so of spinning Ace stopped and stood as still as he could. Once he wasn't dizzy anymore he began walking. Luffy went over to talk to Sabo and told him to walk around and find somewhere to stand. Luffy did the same as Ace was walking around. Once in position Luffy began to talk to Ace.
"Ace I want you to picture the forest in your head." Luffy said
"Ok" Ace said kind of annoyed.
"Now that you have at least a vague idea of the layout of the forest I want you to find Sabo."
"What the hell are you talking about, how am I supposed to do that."
"Listen for changes in the wind."
"Sabo will be standing in place and his body will be redirecting the wind."
"Sabo you have to be quiet for this to work. He has to find you without listening for your voice." Sabo nodded
After a while Ace had made very little progress in trying to find Sabo.
"Ok, we are going to try something else."
"Sabo come here, I need to talk to you."
Luffy and Sabo talked for a minute before they separated.
"Ok Ace, are you ready for part two?"
"Whatever" Ace said
"Sabo is going to be throwing rocks at you"
"He is going to be doing what now?"
"Yeah, believe it or not this works."
"You know it's this or you sit on the ground and I whack you with a stick"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Ace said really annoyed.
"What, my master did this to me and look how I turned out."
"Luffy you might not be the best example." Sabo said sweatdropping
"Really"
"Whatever just do what you want." Ace said
"Let's begin"
Sabo began throwing rocks at Ace. All that was happening was that Ace was getting hit each and every time with the rocks. He was not making any progress which wasn't a surprise at this point. Luffy figured he had had enough for now. So he told Ace that they were done with this for now and that he could remove his blindfold. Ace complied and took off the blindfold.
"Wow that is really difficult." Ace said looking at the two boys
"Of course it is" Luffy said
"It takes a lot of training before you can really put it to use and even more before you can use it effectively in battle."
"But also sometimes, a really tough fight is what will awaken it. You just never know how or when it will make itself known. Or if it ever will at all."
That statement disappointed Ace and Sabo a little bit.
"Come on don't worry, I have no idea when it will make itself know to you." Luffy said trying to cheer the two boys up.
"If it makes you feel any better I can tell that each of you has at least one of the three Haki's lying dormant within you. I just am not good at telling which one it is. I haven't exactly run across a lot of people here who can use it."
That made the two boys cheer up quite a bit.
In reality Luffy knew exactly which forms of Haki the two older boys had lying dormant inside of them. Ace has Haoshouk no Haki and Sabo has Busoshoku no Haki. He wanted to know if he could teach them at least one of the others. He wasn't going to tell which one they had. They would have to discover it themselves.
"Alright then on to Busoshoku no Haki" Luffy said enthusiastically
"This time it is Sabo's turn." Luffy said excited to see what Sabo would do.
"Sounds good." Sabo said.
"Ok, this one is going to be difficult to explain so I think I am going to have to show you."
"Follow me, we need to find a big rock or something to break." Luffy said
After about ten minutes wandering in the jungle they came across a large boulder.
"For this I am going to need either a stick or one of the pipes you guys carry around." Luffy said
"Here you can use mine." Sabo said
"Thanks Sabo."
Luffy turned to look at both boys before beginning his explanation.
"This type of Haki is used to create "armor" around your body." Luffy explained
Ace and Sabo looked at Luffy confused. This was becoming the norm for him today but was to be expected when trying to explain something new to people who didn't understand the concept.
"Ok, it really is just easier to show you than explain" Luffy said before he began the demonstration.
"Busoshoku Koka" was all Luffy said before his forearm turned black
"Wow that is really cool." Ace and Sabo said rather impressed
"It gets cooler."
Luffy took the pipe in his hand and focused before only some of it turned black.
"Ah come on" Luffy said disappointed
"What happened" Sabo said curiously
"The whole pipe was supposed to turn black"
"I guess I still need to work on that." Luffy said kind of irritated
"Well, I guess that is out of the question for now. So instead I will show you another way." Luffy said grinning.
Luffy's arm changed back to normal.
Ace and Sabo sighed they were looking forward to something cool happening.
"Don't worry, what I am going to show you something that is equally as cool. Also it will help with something I have yet to explain."
Luffy got into a stance and began speaking
"Gomu Gomu no…" Luffy began saying as his arm stretched out behind him.
Ace and Sabo fell on their butts surprised at what they were seeing.
…Pistol" Luffy continued as his arm came flying back with incredible speed even for a seven year old.
When his fist made contact with the boulder there was a large visible crack in it. However the boys were not as shocked at the crack as they were shocked that Luffy could stretch his arm.
"What the hell was that?" The two boys said shocked in unison as they got up and dusted off their back sides.
"Oh, what do you mean? The stretching?" Luffy said rather nonchalantly
The two boys nodded their heads furiously waiting for an answer.
"Oh that is easy."
"I ate the Gomu Gomu no mi and now I am a rubber man." For emphasis Luffy said this while stretching his cheek beyond what is physically possible.
"The Gomu Gomu no mi, isn't that a Devil Fruit?" Sabo said
"I thought they were just a rumor" Ace said
"Nope they are very real and there are lots of them all over the world."
"They aren't super common around here but there are a lot of people with Devil Fruit abilities on the Grand Line."
"Speaking of Devil Fruit abilities, learning Busoshoku no Haki is the best way to counter a Devil Fruit users abilities."
"That is aside from actually figuring out a particular fruit user's weakness."
"You certainly know a lot about the world outside of the East Blue." Sabo said
"Yeah, my master liked to talk a lot." Not entirely true but Luffy couldn't tell them he was a time traveler and had already lived this before, albeit different this time around."
"So I have one more thing to show you." Luffy said
Ace and Sabo could only wait with anticipation. Their worlds have been changed considerably in the course of just a single day.
"Busoshoku Koka" said for the second time, hoping that this would go better than last time.
"Gomu Gomu no…" Luffy said as he stretched his arm far behind him.
"…Pistol" Luffy continued as his arm came flying back at the boulder.
This time when Luffy hit the boulder it didn't just crack, it broke apart into dozens of pieces. All Sabo and Ace could do was stare in awe at what they had just seen.
"That worked pretty well." Luffy said grinning
Before Ace and Sabo could get a word out Luffy spoke up and said something else.
"I thought I should mention something about this Haki."
"Not everyone uses this Haki like I do. More often than not people use this Haki and 'equip' it to their weapons making them harder and more effective."
"My master said that there is an island where all the people who live on it can use this type of Haki."
"He told me that this group of people can use this Haki and have a simple arrow penetrate into solid stone."
"This Haki stuff has so many uses it really is incredible." Sabo said
"Okay Sabo, your turn to try this."
"Actually, Since this is really something you have to do on your own, Ace you could probably try as well."
"I think you two might be better off right now trying to get a visible manifestation of this Haki just so you can see as you make progress."
"That makes as much sense as anything else I heard today." Sabo said
"I will try it that way." Ace and Sabo said simultaneously
Sabo and Ace both tried to manifest their Haki like Luffy. They kept attacking random objects in the forest trying to get it to work. They kept going for some time but with no success.
"Well that is enough for today." Luffy said
"This is not something that you can master over the course of a day."
"It could take you years to become really good at it." Luffy said
"I still need lots of work to get better, and I am already pretty good at it."
"Just remember somewhere out on the ocean there is someone who is better at this than you"
"That is fair I guess the world is a pretty big place." Sabo said
"Sabo why don't you come live with Ace and me?" Luffy said hopeful that he accepts
"What do you think Ace?" Sabo said
"Do whatever you want to do." Ace said
"Well then it looks like I am going to be staying with you two." Sabo said and Luffy smiled his big goofy grin.
"We should bring back something for dinner." Ace said
Luffy couldn't help but drool at the thought of meat for dinner.
After finding a large deer in the woods the three boys knocked it out and tied it up. They carried it back to the mountain bandits to cook up for dinner. Back at the bandits hideout the three boys began talking. There Luffy learned of Ace and Sabo's dream of becoming pirates.
"You guys want to become pirates as well?" Luffy asked already knowing the answer
"Of course pirates are the people with the most freedom in the world." Sabo said and Ace nodded his head agreeing.
"That's awesome, because I am going to be a pirate as well." Luffy said
"Wait you want to be a pirate?" Ace said kind of shocked
"Of course I want to be a pirate." Luffy said
"I made a promise to the pirate who gave me this hat."
"Speaking of, who was the pirate who gave you that hat?" Sabo asked curiously
"Akagami no Shanks" Luffy said proudly
"What" was all the boys could say after hearing that name
"What was the promise that you made with Shanks?"
Luffy took off his and said "I promised him that as a great pirate I would give him his hat back."
Ace and Sabo thought about that for a few moments. At first they weren't sure what to think of that promise. They thought it sounded stupid but the more the thought about it the more they understood the meaning of the promise. The simple task of finding Shanks would not be easy on its own but standing face to face with Akagami would mean that he would have to become as strong as one of the Yonko. The two boys finally understood the meaning behind those words. Just before they were able to say anything Luffy opened his mouth and they were shocked by what they heard.
"I'm going to become King of the Pirates" Luffy yelled at the top of his lungs.