199 199. Kenbunshoku Haki

Zoro woke up groggily the next day. His head was ringing and his body was aching all over.

He saw Shinobu working on something at the desk. He gathered strength and tried to sit up, only to fall off the bed.

Shinobu raised her head and saw him fall. She walked over and helped him sit straight.

"Your body is still recovering, try not to move."

She said and picked up a vial of drug from a nearby cabinet.

Without asking for Zoro's permission she injected it into his body.

Zoro frowned, "What's that?"

Shinobu raised the empty vial and said, "A drug I made. It will accelerate your healing process by several fold. With the latent potential you have, your body will recover by sun down."

She threw the vial to a trash can and continued on with her work.

Zoro tried to move his body but immense pain assaulted him as he did.

"Just lay down and rest."

Shinobu didn't take her eyes off of her work and said.

Zoro hesitantly obeyed and laid down. His mind was filled with his fight with Leo.

"I couldn't even catch a glimpse of him...

He muttered.

Shinobu heard him and raised her head.

"You and him are not on the same level. From where he stand you are not worth mentioning, it would be a surprise if you could catch his movements."

Zoro clenched his fist.

Shinobu continued on with her work and said, "Anyway why do you need to catch his movements?"

"How else would I fight him."

"Hm...

Shinobu hummed to his reply and said after a while.

"You know, all wild animals have a sense for danger, the moment they are about to get hurt they will react subconsciously. Why do you think that is so?"

Zoro didn't answer. He wasn't great at analysing so he waited for her to continue.

"It's their spirit. When danger approach, their spirits will recognise it before they could. Kenbunshoku haki works the same way."

"Don't try to actively sense anything, when you haven't even gotten to the basics that's the wrong way to go."

"Let your spirit tell you what to do. Your spirit is part of the world, when you are in danger it will sense it before you could. And if you preoccupy your brain with sensing something else you will miss the warning it is giving you."

Zoro was trying his best to reorganize what she meant. He thought for a couple of hours and couldn't come an understanding.

Shinobu was looking at him with an amused smile on her face.

He is finding it that hard to understand? He really is dumb.

It was at this time Leo walked in. He saw Zoro's contemplating expression and looked at Shinobu for an explanation.

"I tried to help him with kenbunshoku haki, and this is the result."

Leo slightly smiled and shook his head, "He is the type of guy that learns through battle, it doesn't matter how simple the explanation is, he wouldn't get it."

Shinobu chuckled, "I know it now."

The day passed by very quickly.

Like Shinobu said, Zoro made a full recovery by sun down. However, Zoro's didn't rest and went to the woods out back to train. He wanted to understand what Shinobu said.

When the sun rose up the next day Leo found Zoro sleeping under a tree.

Snow was perched on top the tree. She chimed when she saw Leo and landed on his shoulder.

"Good work."

As Zoro had zero sense of direction someone had to be there to watch over him.

Leo walked upto him and gave him a kick.

Surprisingly Zoro dodged it. His eyes slammed open as he looked around, seeing it was Leo he eased up.

"That is kenbunshoku haki."

Leo said. He didn't explain and started to attack Zoro with full force. And like yesterday Zoro was drenched in blood a couple of hours later.

"When you were sleeping, your spirit was completely relaxed, it became a part with nature, there was a harmony. I was not part of that harmony, that's why your spirit sensed it as something disruptive."

"It gave out a signal to your brain, and since you didn't have any other thoughts at that moment, your battle instincts kicked in and you dodged."

Leo explained the entirety of their battle slowly for a bloodied Zoro to understand.

And since Zoro experienced it first hand he understood some of it. The rest would require time and some more battle.

Days went by without any suspense. Leo's time was spent training Zoro and trying to figure out another technique for his sword.

On this day Leo was training Zoro as usual when his den-den mushi rang.

"Who is it?"

Leo picked up the call and asked.

"It's me."

That voice was all too familiar to Leo.

"Garp-san! It's very rare for you to use a den-den mushi!"

"Brat! You looking for a beating?!"

Garp roared through the den-den mushi.

"Haha, go on, why did you suddenly call me?"

Garp wasn't the type to beat around the bush and said, "Coby needs some specialised equipment for his training, I need you to get it for me from the headquarters."

Leo asked confused, "You didn't take anything with you?"

"Buhaha, I forgot."

Leo kind of expected that answer. He sighed and only hoped that Coby hadn't lost his will to live.

Well, it's been boring anyways.

He got back home with a bruised Zoro. A couple of months training did bring some improvements. Zoro wasn't drenched in blood anymore. However a lot of his bones did break on a daily basis.

"I have some errands to run, so Shinobu will spar with you for the next month."

Zoro frowned.

Leo saw his expression and curled his lips, "Do try to stay alive."

Huh?

Zoro looked at him with an odd expression while Shinobu just smiled.

...

A warship was moving towards East Blue.

Leo was laying comfortably on the deck as he looked at the vast seas.

"Captain, a couple more hours and we will reach our destination."

Mace reported.

Leo simply nodded and closed his eyes.

Two hours later their ship docked on an island.

Leo used his spiritual sense and located Garp deep in the mountains. Apart from Coby there was another person with them.

Now, this is a surprise.

He smiled to himself and instructed the men to carry the equipment and follow him.

After trekking through a large part of the mountain they came across a wide field with a small house.

Garp was sleeping leisurely with no mind of his surroundings. Coby was carrying a lot of weight on his shoulder as he did push-ups.

This damn old man! Didn't I tell him to train him properly?!