One Piece: Start with Zanpakutō

"Teacher Zephyr really wasn't joking."

"Not only does he have Emission, but he's also mastered advanced Armament Haki techniques like internal destruction."

Gion's pretty face turned pale.

Even though she had immediately hardened her abdomen with Armament Haki, it was useless.

Because Armament Haki hardening could only block external attacks. It could not stop a force that directly destroyed the inside.

The moment Rosen's domineering shockwave struck her abdomen, she felt that power pierce right through her hardened surface, entering her body and wrecking havoc inside.

"Ugh!"

After taking a punch that combined both Emission and internal destruction, Gion let out a pained grunt. Her feet left the ground, and she flew backward dozens of meters like a broken arrow.

"Damn it!"

'This is all because of that Conqueror's Haki burst at the start!'

'If Rosen hadn't disrupted me with that momentary shock, I wouldn't have given him a chance to hit Gion like that!'

Tokikake cursed inwardly, but his eyes were sharp. He had no choice but to grit his teeth and smash his Armament Haki-hardened fist straight toward Rosen's neck.

This was no ordinary punch. Even if Rosen had mastered all three Haki Forms and every technique, taking this head-on would never be easy.

After all, as Zephyr said: skills are not equal to strength.

Everyone had only just begun learning Armament Haki. There might be gaps in skill, but in raw power? He didn't believe there was much difference between him and Rosen.

He refused to believe that after only two lessons — and spending that time purely on learning techniques — Rosen could still improve the actual strength of his Haki so quickly.

"What will you do now?"

Zephyr, who stood at the edge of the square, fixed his sharp gaze on Rosen.

There was no time to dodge.

Would he simply take the hit?

Or would he finally reveal that Arms-Arms Fruit power he hadn't used so far?

Rosen answered Zephyr's silent question with his actions.

Facing Tokikake's iron fist aimed at his fragile neck, Rosen did not dodge or use his Devil Fruit. Instead, he simply turned his neck slightly. Then, under Tokikake's disbelieving eyes, he let his neck — the most vulnerable part of the human body — take the full brunt of Tokikake's heavy Armament Haki punch.

BOOM!

A deafening sound echoed like a cannon blast. A violent shockwave erupted from the collision point, sending sand and dust flying.

Crack!

The ground beneath them splintered, deep cracks spreading like spiderwebs.

Yet, Rosen didn't even flinch.

He stood there, perfectly steady, like an unshakeable fortress.

"Impossible!"

Tokikake's eyes bulged. Then, he noticed purple lines glowing faintly around Rosen's neck where his punch had landed.

"This… isn't Armament Haki hardening. It's not Emission or internal destruction either."

"What… is this?"

"Oh — right. That must be the fifth Armament Haki technique Teacher Zephyr mentioned — Blut Vene (Calm Blood Dress). But wait… skills are skills, strength is strength."

"Especially since Rosen had just used a ton of Haki on Gion! How could he still mobilize enough to defend like this so quickly?!"

Tokikake quickly realized.

"Skin, muscles, bones — using Hardening and Imbuement to strengthen all layers externally."

"Blood vessels — using the Blut Vene (Calm Blood Dress) to create internal defense."

"Same inside and out, no openings at all. No wonder his defense is so unbreakable!"

On the sidelines, Zephyr watched with a mix of shock and admiration.

He knew that if Rosen only used Hardening and Imbuement, or even just Blut Vene (Calm Blood Dress), he would not have been able to block Tokikake's punch so effortlessly.

But Rosen had combined all three.

External: skin, muscles, bones, layered with Hardening and Imbuement.

Internal: blood vessels, protected by Blut Vene (Calm Blood Dress).

Four layers of defense.

Unless Tokikake's Armament Haki was more than twice as strong, and he also mastered Emission and internal destruction, he couldn't possibly break this defense.

It was an overwhelmingly superior mastery that made any attack meaningless.

"Unless Tokikake's Haki strength is double Rosen's, and he has mastered Emission and internal destruction, he has no chance."

Zephyr's eyes gleamed.

This was the true advantage of possessing one more technique than others.

It was the same reason why Admirals generally fell short against the Four Emperors — the Emperors not only had more advanced skills, but also Conqueror's Haki Infusion that most Admirals didn't possess.

"Exactly as expected."

"Blut Vene (Calm Blood Dress), combined with Hardening and Imbuement, evolves into a total defense system."

"Haki of equal strength simply cannot break through."

Rosen calmly stood there, Tokikake's punch still resting on his neck. He didn't even feel pain.

"Hardening, Imbuement, Emission, internal destruction, Blut Vene (Calm Blood Dress)."

"I've tested all five Armament Haki techniques. Observation Haki too."

"Now, only one thing remains… Conqueror's Haki Infusion."

As these thoughts flashed in his mind, the Haki within Rosen's body surged.

A black-and-red lightning-like aura erupted, wrapping around his right leg.

He stepped forward with his left foot, then raised his right knee — like a black dragon roaring to the heavens, distorting the air around it.

"This…isn't Armament Haki!"

Tokikake saw Rosen's right leg wrapped in black-and-red lightning and felt his scalp tingle.

Before Rosen even swung it, Tokikake had already leaped back like a startled cat, putting as much distance as he could.

It seemed he had dodged it.

Even after Rosen's right leg was fully extended, there was still at least half a meter of space between his foot and Tokikake's chest.

"I dodged—"

Just as that thought flashed in Tokikake's mind, Rosen's foot suddenly burst with overwhelming power.

That terrifying pressure surged forward, instantly crossing the half-meter gap and crashing into Tokikake's chest.

BOOM!

Tokikake's entire face twisted in shock. He looked down and saw his chest — his clothes, skin, even muscles — visibly dent inward.

But it didn't stop there.

The black lightning, like coiling dragons, spread from Rosen's foot into his body.

Then…

It exploded in a devastating eruption of Conqueror's Haki from the inside out.

...

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