Bab 116: Mentorship
I retracted back to my natural body just in time to see Luffy cocked his arm like a spring before punching the wall of bone in front of him. The black material didn't show any signs of damage, and Luffy gritted his teeth from the pain.
"That was your best one yet, your haki was able to go through my wall, but it's still not enough." Luffy stomped his feet in frustration, "When is it going to be enough, I'm punching with all my strength, but I still can't leave a mark."
I sighed at his child-like antics, "It's no in your physical strength, but how you use your haki. Let me demonstrate." Luffy moved aside, and I took his place, moving so I was only a foot away from the wall.
Raising my palm, I closed my eyes, "Imagin haki as a force flowing through your entire body. It is part of you and yours to command. Before your attack, gather the energy in your fist and strike."
I placed my hand against the wall in one simple movement, and I sent out a shockwave of haki shattering the wall to pieces. "Strength doesn't have to be physical. It's how you use the power inside."
Turning around, I saw Luffy scratching his head in confusion, "I don't get it." I wanted to slap my forehead, but I stopped myself, "I want you to picture the flow of haki through your body. Hold out your hand and try to push me away."
Luffy nodded before widening his stance and extended his hands. I mirrored his movement but kept my hands to the side. Closing his eyes, Luffy's face twisted in concentration as he tried to hit me.
There was a long moment before Luffy was able to create a shockwave. I rocked on my heels a little bit. Luffy checked to see the results, but I only shook my head, "Again."
"Again."
"Again."
"Again."
"Again."
Each time Luffy tried, I was pushed back slightly, but it still wasn't enough. After three hours, Luffy was panting as his arms shook from the effort. Just as he was about to try again, I stopped him, "I want to try something, don't picture haki flowing through your body. Do what feels natural. Your creativity is not something that should be understated."
"Creativity?" Luffy asked while scratching his head. "You are the first person I've seen who has taken your devil fruit to this level. You should be praised for it more. While you may not have perfect your fourth gear, you have come a long way on your own. So I want to see that same energy here, think of your haki as your devil fruit."
Luffy's eyes widened for a moment before he nodded. I watched as Luffy stared straight ahead, his gaze unwavering. And as I watched, I felt something change within him.
His haki started to condense, and instead of his entire arm, bands segmented the limb. Then at once, they pulled back, coming together to form a single thin line. Then at once, the line extended, rushing up Luffy's forearm and shooting out as a blast of energy.
I grunted as the attack hit me, and I backpedaled from the attack. When I regained my footing, I looked down at my chest and smiled when I saw the two hand-sized indentations on my chest.
Smiling at the wounds, I quickly healed them and looked up at Luffy, "That's what I get for letting my guard down. Now let's do that again and try to speed it up a bit. Not all your enemies are going to sit still while you charge up."
Luffy gave me a thumbs-up as he smiled, "No problem Soren-San." With Luffy on the right path, I switched to the last two of my students.
In the lab of the ship, Chopper and I were busy revising his Rumble Balls, "I see where you're coming from, but I still think refining the raw materials will enhance the effects."
Chopper shook his head, "If we do that, the agents won't be able to bind together. The coating would get dissolved too quickly, and the contents wouldn't reach the small intestine and get distributed through the body."
I realized that he had a point, "So how about we change the method of deliverance? An injection is the fastest way to circulate the drug." I looked to judge Choppers feeling and saw he was shaking in the knees.
"Or inhalation maybe as a powder taken through the nose or a vapor. I could make something like an inhaler." Chopper nodded his head in agreement, "Inhaler, that seems the best way to go."
I grinned, "Okay, I just need to make the dispenser and the pressurized containers that you can switch out." Chopper smiled, "You're the best, Soren!"
In the next room over, my clone was having tea with Brooks, with both held the instrument of choice in our hands. Me with the violin and the skeleton with the guitar.
"I never would have imagined that you would be a musician Soren. And the pieces you played were simply exquisite. Did you compose them yourself?"
I shook my head, "Though I would like to take credit, I actually found a treasure long ago, belonging to a pirate called Ludwig van Beethoven. Inside I found a journal filled with musical pieces. Through much effort, I was able to piece them together. I can only hope it does him justice."
Brook took a sip from his cup, which contained milk instead of tea, "I must say we haven't done much training. Though I don't know what we would train in, I'm not much use in a fight."
I held up my hand, "I'm glad you mentioned that because I would like to give you this." I reached into my inventory and pulled out a long flat case. Setting it down on the table I opened the top to reveal a metal guitar that looked like a battleax.
"I imbued this instrument with a devil fruit so depending on the tune you play it can provide a different effect. I hope it serves you well."
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone