Chapter 74: My Inability to Master Observation Haki Is Not Due to Stupidity, But Rather Because I

"Mr. Ghost Spider."

Smoker casually saluted, then leaned over the railing again to puff on his cigar.

He and Ghost Spider were both students taught by Zephyr and had known each other since early days, so there was no need for such formality in private settings.

"I don't understand what you mean by 'unhappy'."

Smoker gazed at the distant sea surface, "If what you're referring to is watching those nobles hold debauched gatherings every day, ordering us around and treating us like slaves..."

"... and we still have to waste a whole month escorting them the entire way, then yes, I am quite unhappy, and I also find it strange why you have absolutely no reaction to this?"

Not to mention events from long ago; just last week.

He personally witnessed the King of the Pis Kingdom in the East Blue, merely dissatisfied with the sweetness of the coffee served, fly into a Lei Ting rage and whip six maids to death.

Two of them were merely half-grown children of thirteen or fourteen.

When he could no longer suppress his fury, pushed aside the guards, and rushed in to intervene, he was personally blocked by Ghost Spider.

"Reaction? What reaction do you expect? You're thirty years old; acting as naive as a teenager, don't you find that pathetic?"

Ghost Spider sneered, the Justice cloak behind him fluttering loudly in the wind, "Of those three kings, the other two might be disregarded, but His Majesty Altai of the Pis Kingdom possesses one-quarter Celestial Dragon bloodline!"

"Otherwise Headquarters wouldn't value this so highly as to send me to escort them back; even I dare not offend him, yet you dare to actively seek trouble with His Majesty Altai?"

"Remember this, Smoker!"

Ghost Spider bared his teeth, poking Smoker's forehead with his finger, "I just saved your life; you should be thanking me!"

"With your strength, not to mention a Rear Admiral, the position of Commodore at Headquarters would be well within your reach."

"But what happened? Always due to similar reasons—disobeying orders and acting willfully—you've been disciplined by Headquarters countless times yet still show no remorse!"

"To this day, you remain merely a Colonel, inferior even to many rookies who graduated just a few years ago!"

In Ghost Spider's tone, besides reprimand, there was a hint of frustration toward a fellow junior disciple who failed to live up to expectations.

Eight years ago, Smoker was already a Colonel at Headquarters.

And eight years later, he remained a Colonel at Headquarters.

He was even transferred last year to a godforsaken place like Loguetown in the East Blue; a Logia-type user spending all day dealing with petty thieves whose highest bounties are only a few million Berries?

If not for this mission coincidentally passing through his jurisdiction and the convenience of nearby deployment, he wouldn't even have qualified to participate in such an important escort task.

"If becoming promoted requires me to be indifferent to such matters like you..."

Smoker fell silent for a moment, then suddenly took a hard drag on his cigar, "... then I have no regrets; staying as a Colonel like this forever is just fine."

Hmm? His eyes suddenly narrowed as he looked toward the sea on the right.

There was unexpectedly a small fishing boat there, steered by an elderly fishing couple in their sixties.

They had already maneuvered to avoid the warship, but didn't expect the large cruise ship behind to suddenly change course, bearing down straight toward their small vessel, leaving them flustered and panicked.

"Ram them! Ram them! Ram them!"

His Majesty Altai of the Pis Kingdom, currently riding a guard like a horse, was shouting vigorously on the deck.

"Turn a bit more to the left, move faster, otherwise if those two commoners jump into the sea, I won't get to enjoy the show!"

Bastard... Smoker's expression suddenly turned gloomy; in an instant, his body transformed into thick white smoke, shooting upward and heading straight for the fishing boat on the sea.

This fellow is truly an irredeemable idiot.

Watching the patch of white smoke recede, Ghost Spider narrowed his eyes slightly and sighed with some disappointment.

Reckless and impulsive, acting on instinct, disregarding consequences...

Instructor Zephyr must really be getting old and blind to say that someone like Smoker would become the kind of leader to take over the Navy's future.

Looking at it now, how laughable.

"Excuse me."

At the Cocoyasi Village dock, Hawk Eyes politely nodded to Genzo, indicating there was no need to see him off, then turned and lifted his gaze toward the northeast.

So he's not here after all?

Hawk Eyes sighed.

Having rushed from the Grand Line to the East Blue, he had finally made it to the other's hometown.

Yet he heard that the man named Siano had already set out, heading toward the Grand Line.

His luck really wasn't very good.

Still, the villagers of his hometown were truly enthusiastic, treating him as Siano's friend, laying out a banquet with fine wine and dishes to entertain him, and even forcibly stuffing a boat full of tangerine products onto him.

The coffin-shaped small boat set off, drifting with the current toward the direction of Reverse Mountain.

Logically speaking, people departing from the East Blue to venture into the Grand Line would all stay in Loguetown for a while, right?

Hawk Eyes gazed into the distance with deep eyes.

He casually peeled open an iron can with his hand, took out a preserved tangerine slice, put it in his mouth, and slowly chewed; the flavor was clear and sweet, and he hoped it would bring him good luck to catch up with the other party soon.

Siano stood in the center of the training room cast from refined steel, closed his eyes to concentrate his breath, and reached out to bind his eyes with a black cloth strip.

"Are you ready, Captain?" Sister Sister Guyina gripped the hilt of her sword tightly, looked up, and asked.

"Mm."

He nodded, "Speed must be fast; don't worry about sword forms or rules."

"Understood, Captain!"

Sister Sister Guyina let out a low shout, her blade suddenly slashing toward Siano's shoulder, only to be easily dodged by the latter; she slashed horizontally again, with the same result.

Siano's figure was like a leaf in the wind, appearing fragile yet skillfully evading every fierce strike.

After Sister Sister Guyina slashed empty more than ten times in succession, her eyes suddenly narrowed; seizing the opportunity while Siano bent backward to dodge and couldn't shift his feet in time, she raised her hand and slashed out a sword beam, heading straight for Siano's waist and abdomen.

Flying Slash!

Let's see how you dodge this one!

In the next instant, Sister Sister Guyina stared wide-eyed as the muscles on the entire left side of Siano's waist and abdomen strangely contracted inward toward the right.

This caused his upper torso to twist into an exaggerated C-shape.

And the moment the sword qi swept past, his body instantly returned to normal.

Still no luck?

Siano removed the black cloth strip and sighed.

Ever since setting sail, he had been employing various methods to try and master Observation Haki.

The ability granted by Paper Drawing was like opening a special window in his perceptual world, allowing his body to automatically capture those subtle movement trajectories and air fluctuations.

Logically speaking, with the foundation of Paper Drawing, comprehending Observation Haki should have been easier for him than for an ordinary person with no base.

But contrary to expectations, things went awry.

Whether it was because he had cultivated Paper Drawing to an excessively peak level, or because he was overly confident in his physical constitution and the strength of his Armament Haki.

Or perhaps all three factors combined.

To put it plainly.

External attacks simply failed to evoke any sense of threat in him, let alone that great crisis and terror between life and death.

The involuntary, casual reactions of his body were sufficient to handle them easily, never pushing his perception to its strained limits.

"I'm really so weak..." Sister Sister Guyina said with a bitter expression, "I can't even cooperate with you, Captain, during training..."

"What nonsense is this? You were already a Sword Master at sixteen; give it a little more time and you'll be able to walk sideways through the Grand Line. How are you weak?"

Siano patted the young girl's shoulder, offering sincere comfort, then gazed out the porthole and lamented sorrowfully, "If anyone is to blame, it can only be that I am too strong..."

The version is just too advanced.

He couldn't expect much from the East Blue; he only wondered if there would be any experts in the first half of the Grand Line they were about to enter who could push him to awaken Observation Haki.

"We're about to arrive at Loguetown, Brother! Time to prepare to go ashore!"

Nami's shout suddenly came from outside the door.

Loguetown...

Have we finally arrived?

Siano and Sister Sister Guyina pushed open the door and stepped out, only to see Nami dragging a mop down the corridor, drenched in sweat, while using her other hand to wipe the walls along the way.

This was also her punishment for secretly leaving home and lying through deception.

Before entering the Grand Line, not only would she have to assist Zeff by washing dishes, but all the miscellaneous chores on the ship would also be entirely her responsibility.

"So tired, Brother!"

Upon seeing Siano, Nami instinctively acted spoiled and complained, "My waist is about to break! We agreed, right? This punishment is only for these few days; once we cross Reverse Mountain, you can't make me do all these things alone anymore..."

"None of this 'Brother, Brother' nonsense, Cleaner Nami; how many times have I said it? Address people by their titles when working!"

Siano clasped his hands behind his back and scolded sternly.

This demeanor actually seemed quite convincing; Sister Sister Guyina chuckled, while Nami rolled her eyes, leaned on her mop, and said weakly, "Yes, Captain..."

Author's Note: The name "Mandarin" fits the manga art style, but a pure phonetic translation indeed lacks memorability in web novels; therefore, after much consideration, I have decided to change the ship's name in subsequent plots to one that better matches the protagonist group's title. Yesterday afternoon, I reset and deleted the content regarding the ship's name from yesterday's chapters; here, I sincerely apologize to the reader "Explosive Mountain Uncle" who proposed the original plan, and I also thank the other readers for their comments and suggestions.

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(End of Chapter)