"So how exactly are we supposed to be get haki?" Nami asked.
The Straw Hats, were sailing on the ocean when Zoro revealed him being from the future, and finally explained haki to them more in-depth. He explained to them all forms of haki that he knows about, and after that was when Nami asked her question.
"People generally just awaken the abilities in highly stressful situations, then refine what they felt so that they could consistently use and somewhat systematically train haki. Did any of you guys felt anything during the fight? Anything remotely close to any forms of haki?" Zoro looked expectantly at the 3.
"Me! I felt like I knew where those cat brothers were, how they felt at the time, and vaguely how they'd attack." Luffy answered while raising his hand.
"Me too! I felt where the kids, Kaya, and Jango were. I thought I saw how those chakrams were going to hit me and the kids back in the forest, before they even did, even though I couldn't actually see where the kids even were. I also felt when Jango was going to attack me."
"I didn't feel anything like it. I have an innate sense of the weather, which would seem similar to most people, but those are based on my actual senses and knowledge. I can subconsciously predict the weather even before properly formalizing it in my head because it's second nature to me now, my body remembers...And besides, I didn't get into a too stressful of a fight back then. I just bombarded them, swung at some of them and looted their ship." Nami promptly answered Zoro when he glanced at her direction.
"Remember that feeling. Now that you've felt it, you would have an easier time in the future sensing it. Recognize it and keep chasing after it...We can also try to artificially induce it through stressful training, but generally that way would take longer because you know you're not actually in a dangerous situation."
"And how'd that work?" Usopp asked
"For Armament, you have to visualize energy flowing toward a point on your body and that flow of energy generating a force. Let me make you feel the difference. Hold out your palms."
When they all held out a palm before him he tapped them once each, then tapped them again with virtually same motion, but then added haki to it.
"Did you feel the difference in power? Even though both the speed of my tap and the mass of my finger remained virtually the same, there's a noticeable difference in force, specially for Luffy, as he generally doesn't even feel weak blunt movements on him." The 3 just nodded at Zoro while looking at their palms, still mystified by what they felt.
"As I said, visualize it and flow it through. Use the wooden boards around to try and replicate what I did. This exercise though, this you could do on your own time. In the observation haki training you're gonna need a partner. Usopp find me a stick and a cloth that we could use to block Luffy's eyes. Luffy, put down your hat, we'll need to close your eyes later."
So Luffy removed his recently scratched up hat and gave it to Nami, who was the one that patched it up. Zoro then tied the cloth around Luffy's eyes.
"Observation haki allows you to see the unseen, and hear the silent. So we intentionally deprive you of your senses to bring it out...And this is what I'm going to use stress you out." Zoro said, brandishing the stick Usopp gave him, then gave Luffy a quick whack to the left temple.
"Ah! What was that for?!" Luffy asked, startled by the hit, but otherwise unharmed.
"Remember what you felt back in your fight Luffy Reach out for it and dodge my swings. I'll slow it down enough for you so that if you do feel it, you'd be able to dodge." Zoro said and continued to swing at Luffy, the interval between each swing being different each time. A few times, Luffy got lucky and actually dodged the swing, but gets hit by the subsequent swing. They did that for a few minutes. Luffy got a bit frustrated and tired of it.
"Your turn Usopp." Luffy said while offering the the blindfold.
"Ok...But please, don't hit me too hard Zoro!" Usopp pleaded to his trainer.
"I'll swing slowly enough that even a baby wouldn't get hurt if they did get hit."
Usopp was was actually a bit enthusiastic when they started, but was having no success just over 2 minutes in. But eventually, he did manage to dodge 4 swings in a row.
"I got it!...Ow!" Usopp shouted in celebration, but Zoro, knowing Usopp likely broke concentration, swung the stick strong enough to hurt him, if it did hit, which it did, because he was.
"Keep your focus Usopp. That's one of the pitfalls of people with observation haki. They get too comfortable because they're able to dodge every attack thrown at them. They get cocky, lose their focus, and then they get hit. Focus and find the feeling again." Zoro ordered, continuing the training.
A little over a minute of the borderline torture later and Usopp managed to activate his observation haki again. This time one can visibly see how much Usopp was concentrating, sweat running down his face and his forehead scrunched up. When Zoro noticed that Usopp entered it once again, he then started increasing the tempo and diversifying the angles of his attacks even more. Usopp managed to keep up for just under 2 minutes before he finally got hit again.
Meanwhile, Luffy got bored mid way through watching, and decided that now is the best time to paint his Jolly Roger, given that he now has a dedicated pirate ship. Nami left long before even Usopp's turn, and was currently monitoring the weather and the ship's sails.
"Zoro, give me one more try! Just one more! I think I'm close to being able to activate it at will. Just gimme another shot!" Usopp petitioned Zoro, to which he acquiesced. Zoro continued and increased his tempo even more, and they did it for 8 more times instead of just 1. Usopp managed to lessen his activation time to just over 30 seconds and increased the timespan when he could maintain enough focus to keep up observation haki to over 4 minutes.
Usopp was exhausted by the end, so he lied down for a moment, after which he heard Luffy shout something. He then removed the blindfold. It took a few seconds for him to get used to the light before he could see, and he was horrified at what he saw.
"What'dya think? Ha! Ha! Ha!" Luffy proudly presented what he was working on.
"You have no artistic skills Luffy."
"Is it abstract?" Usopp criticized.
"Pirate flags are supposed to scare people...and that is terrifying."
"It sucks Luffy, let me try." Usopp said and then he proceeded to paint a Jolly Roger reminiscent of himself instead.
"That's not our emblem." Luffy said, while bonking Usopp. A few minutes later, he then painted the same exact Jolly Roger Zoro remembered. Satisfied, they then all assisted Usopp in painting the sails with their Jolly Roger as well.
After painting, Zoro, Nami and Usopp laid down to rest while Luffy went below the deck.
Luffy, in his bottomless wisdom decided to play with the cannon. He then came out carrying 2 crates of cannonballs towards their singular cannon on the bow of the ship. He loaded it up, aimed, then fiddled with it till it fired, which shocked the rest of the crew.
"This thing doesn't fire correctly..." Luffy complained. Usopp came over to check out the cannon with his captain.
"Can't be. Let me shoot." Usopp said while approaching the cannon to fire it himself.
"Try to hit that rock." Luffy pointed at the tiny lone island visible to them.
"Sure. Based on how you shot it and where it went...This should hit..." Usopp muttered before firing the cannon, to which it actually hit the island.
"That's amazing Usopp. First try!" Luffy praised, as Usopp hit the rock dead center.
"I actually...Of course I'll hit it first try! Didn't I tell you I always hit what I aim at! If you're so impressed, make me the captain."
"Nah, you're now our sniper."
'Am I forgetting something?' Zoro wondered.
'Oh right, those 2 did ride with us for a bit at the start, huh...' Zoro thought to himself. He left the crew's conversation about recruiting a musician. He had 1 foot out the door when he heard the shout.
"Come out and fight, scum! I'll kill all of ya!..Brother Zoro!"
"What's up Johnny?"
"Please help us! Yosaku...He's dying!"
"You know 'im Zoro?" Luffy asked from behind.
"Yeah, an old bounty hunting partner of mine. He said his partner Yosaku's dying, can we help 'em?"
"Yeah go ahead." With Luffy's permission they brought Yosaku over, who did look like he's dying. Johnny expanded on what happened to them and how Yosaku ended up the way he did, as far as he knew.
"You guys are so dumb." Nami directed that at the duo.
"Don't insult my friend's condition!"
"Luffy, Usopp, go squeeze some of the limes at the second to the left, bottom crate, then bring the juice here." Nami ordered to them, and the 2 made haste and quickly followed her orders.
"Lime?"
"It's obviously scurvy. He should recover in a few days."
"Really sis?!"
"Don't call me sis. Scurvy was the bane of seafarers long ago. It's a lack of nutrition, because fruits and vegetables rotted in long voyages back then."
"You're so smart Nami!" Luffy beamed at her, while pouring a pitcher ful of lime juice down Yosaku's gullet.
"These are basic knowledge you need to survive at sea, morons!"
After a few more shenanigans, and a formal introduction from the bounty hunters, the discussion went down from the dangers of sailing, unto the topic of food.
"We need a cook to properly convert our food stores into actually proper food." Nami adviced.
"Yeah, let's go get a cook. What good is a ship without good grub." Luffy said, obviously already hungry.
"If you need to recruit a cook, there's a place I know where you can find cook that can fight. Whether he'll join though, is another thing...Brother, they say the guy you're finding went there. A floating restaurant called Baratie."
Zoro just nodded, already aware of what's going to happen next.
"I'll guide you guys there. It's only 2-3 days north of here."
"I'm Lieutenant Ironfist Fullbody, who's the captain? Identify yourself." Fullbody said on his speaker. The Straw Hats encounterd the Marines just before they arrived.
"My name's Monkey D. Luffy. We just made our Jolly Roger 2 days ago."
"A bunch of rookies..." he muttered.
"Fullbody, quit picking on those kids, we have a reservation, remember?" a beautiful blonde lady on his side then reminded him of why he was here on the first place.
"Yes dear...You guys are lucky, it's my day off. If I meet you again, you're dead." Fullbody threatened them, and then ordered his underling for Going Merry to be sinked. After the pair docked, his subordinates fired at Going Merry.
"Balloon!" Luffy inflated himself to redirect the shot. Unfortunately, it hit Baratie, the floating restaurant where they planned to go.
"Hey chore boy!" Nami poked fun at him.
"Do I become the captain now?" Usopp jokingly asked him.
"Their steaks here tastes pretty good." Meanwhile, Zoro really 'stabbed' Luffy where he knew it'd hurt the most.
"You guys are EATING without ME?!" Luffy was offended by their 'betrayal'. "I'm slaving in here, and you guys are EATING OUT?! SO MEAN!"
"Quiet down Luffy, are they your crew mates?...Hmmm?" Sanji, a blonde man, with a black suit and spiral eyebrows chimed in.
"eat this..." Luffy quietly put boogers on Zoro's drink.
"Why shouldn't we be allowed to eat a nice meal? The food's not bad here. But I do feel bad for you so...Why don't you taste it?!" Zoro said, shoving his drink contaminated by the booger down Luffy's throat. Luffy immediately spat out the drink.
"What'dya do that for?!" Luffy loudly asked.
"What did you do that for?!" Zoro replied, while Nami and Usopp was just dying of laughter.
"O sea, how grateful I am for this day of days...O love! Smile upon me, for I cannot survive this pain. I would stoop to being a pirate, or even a devil, if I could be with you. Such tragedy! The obstacles between us are great!" Sanji said, eyes swooning towards Nami.
"Obstacles?" Zeff then showed up around a corner and walked into the conversation.
"Shit! The old man."
"Go follow your heart and be a pirate, I don't need you anymore!"