One Piece: Start with Zanpakutō

"Uwaaaah!!"

Tokikake let out a miserable scream. Mid-air, before even hitting the ground, he spat out a mouthful of bright red blood. His body flew backward like a cannonball, spiraling as it smashed into the square.

Boom!

Crack!

With the sound of a heavy object hitting, cracks spread out like giant pythons around Tokikake's impact point. The square looked like a dried-up riverbed, spiderweb cracks snaking everywhere. Smoke and dust burst up along the cracks, forming thick columns rising straight to the sky.

"So this… is Conqueror's Haki Infusion…"

Lying at the bottom of the crater, Tokikake felt his eyelids grow so heavy he could barely keep them open.

His brain felt like it had been smashed by a mountain—sharp pain, dizziness, complete disorientation.

This sensation reminded him of being stunned by Rosen's Conqueror's Haki earlier, but this time the force was a hundred times stronger.

If simply releasing Conqueror's Haki had a power level of 10, then using Conqueror's Haki Infusion easily surpassed 100.

It was no longer just a king's qualification or a technique to clear miscellaneous fish.

This was a mark of a true king.

"Can't… get up…"

On the other side—

Gion slowly stood up, using her sword as a crutch. She looked at Tokikake lying in the crater, unable to move, his health bar basically emptied, and a chill ran down her spine.

Though she'd only known Tokikake for one day, they were both future general candidates, both learned Armament Haki Hardening in a day—she knew his strength well.

They were equally matched.

One kick from Rosen and he was instantly down.

In other words…

If she had been in Tokikake's place, she wouldn't have fared any better.

"So this… is Rosen's true strength…"

"Teacher Zephyr…"

"You were wrong. Even if it's two against one, it's still completely unfair—to us!"

Gion turned to look at Rosen, standing proudly in the center of the square.

For the first time, she truly felt what absolute oppression meant.

Even two-on-one, they were completely crushed.

"Let's see…"

"Just how much does fighting boost Haki strength?"

"No, actually—just how amazing is the effect of my Haki Core Practice method!"

After punching Gion and kicking Tokikake, Rosen retracted his leg and stood calmly. Instead of going after them, he poured his consciousness into the Haki flowing inside his body.

When he looked inside, he saw that the Three Forms of Haki, originally just three balls of light resting in his upper, middle, and lower Cores, had now visibly changed.

After that battle, the three Haki Cores had transformed into three distinct Haki Seeds of different colors, each entrenched in the upper, middle, and lower Cores.

When Rosen focused his mind, he could clearly feel the Haki Seeds making a subtle "breathing" motion.

Each "breath" slightly increased the overall strength of his Haki.

Not only that—

After transforming into Haki Seeds, these cores didn't just strengthen themselves through battle; they could also passively Practice on their own, steadily growing stronger.

Right now, thanks to that short fight, the improvements were already visible:

[Your comprehension is extraordinary. Through your first battle combined with Haki Core Practice, your Haki strength has improved.]

[Armament Haki strength increased by 30%.]

[Observation Haki strength increased by 20%.]

[Conqueror's Haki strength increased by 20%.]

These notifications popped up in Rosen's mind.

He thought carefully.

"Is it because I used Armament Haki the most during the fight, so its growth was the highest?"

After experiencing the power of his self-developed Haki Core Practice firsthand, Rosen felt completely satisfied.

One short spar.

Visible growth in all three Haki types.

What if he did this a few more times?

Moreover, he noticed that not only battles but also the Haki Seeds' natural "breathing" Practice would steadily strengthen his Haki—as long as they had sufficient "nutrients."

And what was the best source of that nutrition?

Food, Lots and lots of food.

A sudden impulse hit him.

"Forget class… Let's go eat first!"

"Okay, that's enough for today."

"Let's head to the cafeteria and eat."

"I already had them prepare some Sea King meat for you."

Zephyr stepped in just as Gion shakily raised her sword again, clearly wanting to continue.

Tokikake was already down, and Gion wasn't in great shape either. Continuing now would be pointless and only lead to injuries.

Better to rest, eat, and recover—there would be plenty of time for combat training in the afternoon.

Of course…

This arrangement was for Gion and Tokikake.

For Rosen… as Zephyr had said before, today would likely be the last day Gion and Tokikake could be "classmates" with him.

"Sea King meat…"

Rosen's eyes gleamed.

Sea Kings—monsters that dominated the seas, the true apex predators.

Even the smallest ones reached hundreds of meters. The giant-class ones were measured in kilometers, dwarfing even giants.

Zephyr's prepared meat probably wasn't from a super-giant Sea King, but even ordinary Sea King meat had incredible nutrition.

Perfect for Practicing the Haki Core.

"Still alive?"

"Expert indeed."

Zephyr walked up to Tokikake, looking down at him and teasing.

"Teacher Zephyr…"

"You were wrong."

"Even if Gion and I team up against Rosen, it's still the greatest injustice—to us!"

Tokikake propped himself up shakily, holding his head with a miserable face.

"Speaking of which… this is all my fault for pretending to be some 'expert' earlier."

Zephyr remembered Tokikake calling himself a master earlier, and laughed.

Hearing that, Tokikake could only give a bitter smile.

"I'll never act tough again… especially not when Rosen's around…"

"Alright, let's go."

"Time to eat."

Though Zephyr teased, he still carefully checked Tokikake's injuries to make sure he was okay before leading them to the cafeteria.

… 

In the Navy cafeteria

Whether it was the cooks or the other marines eating, everyone was staring in stunned silence at the towering mountain of empty plates at one table.

Or more accurately… at the black-haired young man sitting calmly in front of it all.

"Ten minutes… He's already eaten 100 kilograms of meat…"

"And he's still going!"

"Is his stomach connected to the ocean or something?!"

"Even back when Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan were cadets, their appetites weren't this insane!"

"Eat slower."

"There's plenty of meat."

Seeing that Rosen's eating speed wasn't slowing down at all, Zephyr could only remind him helplessly.

Hearing that there was enough, Rosen finally slowed his pace a bit and turned to Gion and Tokikake beside him.

"Why aren't you two eating?"

He looked genuinely puzzled.

"We want to!!"

"But every time they serve a dish, it's already… in your stomach!!!"

Veins popped on Tokikake's forehead.

After getting kicked into oblivion, he'd come to the cafeteria eager to replenish his strength.

Instead, he sat there for ten whole minutes, only able to watch Rosen inhale meat like a black hole.

"Call in a few more chefs."

Seeing the situation, Zephyr had no choice but to use his instructor authority and summon extra cooks.

With reinforcements, the serving speed finally increased.

When Rosen had eaten around 150 kilograms of meat, Gion and Tokikake finally managed to snag their first bite.

...

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