36 Chapter 36: Learning Haki

After a week of sailing at quite the fast pace, Soren and his small group consisting of his father, wife, and child, had made it to the Sabaody Archipelago, or sometimes called the bubble island, as everything is bubble-based here. Soren then docked the ship at grove 8, and began walking along with his family towards grove 13, where Shakky's Rip-Off Bar was located, and along the whole trip there, Soren had begun to tell Gine and Kouki to watch out for the people dressed in fancy white clothes with bubbles around their heads, as he didn't mind if they had to kill a celestial dragon, for trying to enslave them, but he'd rather not cause any problems just yet. Soon, Soren and the others had arrived at the infamous Shakky's Rip-Off Bar, and upon entering, they could see that the bar was practically empty, except for a woman, and an old man, the woman was standing behind the bar drying out the inside of a glass cup, while the old man was opposite of her on the bar, and he was drinking the cups as they were sat down.

'Seems like Rayleigh is here, and I don't need to go look for him': soren

Soren looked at the old man with long white hair and glasses with a scar cutting diagonally down his right eye, and he had an oddly cut beard that strapped under his chin, and had a striped pattern below his bottom lip. Soren knew this old man as Silvers Rayleigh. And he wore an orange shirt with a mantle made of some wild beast's skin, while the inside of the hood on the mantle was green, as he also wore a pair of maroon shorts, and some sandals. While the woman behind the counter was Shakky, and she had black hair in a bob cut fashion, wearing a pink v-neck shirt that exposes her stomach with a black spider printed on the pink shirt, and over her shirt, she wore a black leather jacket with wing-like cuffs, and pink lines running down the sleeves, while a golden bead necklace was worn around her neck. Soren couldn't see what she was currently wearing under the counter, but if it was like the show, he knew that it were a pair of pants with a giraffe-like pattern, and a belt, with a white cardigan tied around her waist, while for shoes, she wore a pair of white slip on shoes.

[Welcome!... Please, have a seat, and I'll be with you shortly]: shakky

Soren then sat down with his family, as they all sat down at the bar table next to Rayleigh, and the entire time they were there, Rayleigh was staring at them as if he were trying to differentiate their strength, but nothing he tried was working, as he even tried to subitally use Conqueror's Haki on Soren, but nothing worked, and instead, Soren just gave a sly smile towards Rayleigh which didn't go unnoticed.

'These are not people… These are Monsters!': rayleigh

After working up the courage to talk with the new people, Rayleigh began to speak as he asked Soren and his group some questions.

[So… Why have you traveled all the way here?]: rayleigh

[I have come in search of a man named Rayleigh… I heard that he is a master among masters when it comes to Haki, so I would like to learn from him… Do you happen to know him?]: soren

Soren then played it off as if he didn't know what Rayleigh looked like, and upon seeing Soren begin acting, he began to play along.

[Rayleigh, you said?... I've heard of him, but I don't know where he is, sadly… But from the stories I heard, he seems like a handsome and strong man]: rayleigh

Soren watched as Rayleigh began to rub his nose as he heard him praise himself in such a way, making Mark hold himself back from laughing, while Gine and Kouki were confused, as they didn't know Rayleigh's appearance, so everything this man was stating was as if he was praising some random man.

[Hehe… Really?... I heard that he was the ugliest man on the planet… And that he had a drinking problem so bad, that he was even in debt in his own wife's bar]: soren

Upon hearing Soren's words, Rayleigh broke as he shouted at Soren.

[How dare you call me ugly!... And what do you mean, drinking problem! It's only a problem when I run out!]: rayleigh

As Soren heard these declarations, a big smile appeared across his face, as Rayleigh realized that he was just played by Soren, and then he spoke.

[*Sigh*... Yes, I'm Rayleigh… But I don't train people in Haki… I'm not the kind of person who excels in teaching others… Good luck, kid… I hope you find someone to teach you]: rayleigh

Rayleigh quickly began pushing Soren's advances off, as he went back to drinking, so upon seeing that just asking wouldn't get Rayleigh to train him and his family, Soren decided to challenge him.

[How about this… I challenge you to a drinking contest, and if I win, you train me and my family on how to use Haki, but if you win, I'll pay off all your drinking debts]: soren

Upon hearing this, Rayleigh scratched his beard for a second before answering Soren with a big smile on his face.

[Deal!]: rayleigh

Rayleigh and Soren then began hopping from bar to bar as they began drinking the booze they had to offer, while Soren paid them each time with either gold that he created, or money that he created, anf by the ned of the day, Both Soren and Rayleigh were about as equally as drunk, and they had cleaned out the entire Sabaody Bar joint, with a total of 340 million beli having been spent between 10 bars, before both Soren and Rayleigh went back to Shakky's place to finish of the last of the booze, while the alcohol here was 10x more expensive than regular price here, as it was a challenge, and they were too drunk to notice the change, as Shakky thought that this was the most opportunistic time to make money.

[Y-You can't beat *Hiccup* me… Hehe *Hiccup* I'm a literal *Hiccup* God!]: soren

[Yeah *Hiccup* right… I've never seen *Hiccup* a God before… They *Hiccup* don't exist]: rayleigh

Soren and Rayleigh began their final stretch as cup after cup came, as both of their throats began to be quenched in liquor, as it felt like they were drinking fire, and right after their 34th cup, Rayleigh fell face first, while Soren spoke.

[Ha!... I told you I wou- *Slam!*]: soren

Soren fell next, as both drunkards had fallen asleep on top of each other, as Mark rolled his eyes, while Gine picked Soren up off of Rayleigh, while Shakky offered a spare room to them up stairs, and Gine gladly took the room before placing Soren in the bed, and snuggled up next to him, while Kouki and Mark were stuck with the cold floor.

'This is bullshit!... Why do they get a bed': mark

Mark then cried himself to sleep as he complained in his mind about having to sleep on the floor, and in the morning, Soren woke up and noticed that he was asleep in a room, while the room was empty, and upon spreading his senses, Soren noticed that everyone was down stairs, so upon getting out of the bed, Soren walked down stairs, and met with everyone.

[Good morning!]: shakky

[Good morning… Where is Rayleigh?]: soren

Soren noticed that Rayleigh was neither in the bar place, nor was he asleep in a room, so that meant he went out somewhere, but Soren didn't feel like looking for him, so he decided to ask instead.

[Oh!... Ray had gone out to prepare some things for your training]: shakky

[Training?]: soren

[Yes, training… You beat him in a game of drinking, so as promised, he will train you and your friends… Also, you owe me 50 million beli]: shakky

[F-FIFTY MILLION!?!? This really is a Rip-Off!]: soren

If Soren remembered correctly, he and Rayleigh had around 34 drinks each, making a total of 68 drinks, and upon doing some quick math, each of those drinks cost a little over 735,000 beli a piece, making it the most expensive booze known to the One Piece history. Soren then paid for the drinks, and told himself that he would indeed his his money's worth from Rayleigh, and after waiting around for a few hours, Rayleigh came back with a few things, and took Soren and his family onto a boat, and began sailing out to some deserted island, and upon getting there, Rayleigh gave a simplified explanation as to what this island was, and what roamed this island.

'So this is Rusukania, the same Island that Luffy would train on in the future… Nice': soren

[We will stay here for 2 years… How much you learn is all up to how fast you learn… Now, are there any questions?]: rayleigh

Upon seeing that nobody had any questions, Rayleigh began explaining the 3 types of Haki, just like how Soren had explained it, but Rayleigh also gave a demonstration along with the explanation, something Soren couldn't do, and after the brief explanation, Rayleigh handed everyone a blindfold, and had them sit on the ground near each other, as he then began speaking.

[I'm going to hit you all… Your job is to anticipate and sense where the attacks are coming from, and dodge them before they come into contact with you… Let's begin!]: rayleigh

Rayleigh then spent the next 4 months whacking Soren, Mark, Gine, and Kouki, while they wore bandages over their eyes, stopping them from seeing the attacks coming, and while Gine and Kouki were getting hit, both Soren and Mark needed to dull their senses, as the energy around their bodies told them where attacks were, like a weakened version of Observation Haki. And over those 4 months, Gine and Kouki were able to understand the basics, while Soren and Mark were able to sense within a range of 20 meters, without using their energy, and could cover the whole planet while using their energy.

[You all progress at an extremely quick rate… I think in another 4 months, you will be able to use Armament Haki]: rayleigh

Like Rayleigh thought, both Soren and Mark were able to understand and use Armament Haki in just a few more months, while Gine and Kouki were having a harder time, but after a few more months, they soon got the basics, while a total of 12 months had passed, making the first year go by quite smoothly.

[You guys are monsters!... I've never seen someone learn as fast as you… Hell, it even took me a good 2 years to learn both Observation and Armament Haki, while I found that I could use Conqueror's Haki a few years after… Now… There is no way to unlock Conqueror's Haki, but there is a way to train it if you have the innate ability for it]: rayleigh

Rayleigh then began explaining how to train to further yourself in Conqueror's Haki, while Gine and Kouki began working on furthering themselves in Observation and Armament Haki. And like that, Rayleigh left Soren and his group on the island for their last year, with some parting words stating how he wanted to see how far they have come in another 12 months, but Soren knew that Rayleigh would be back sooner than that, as in about 5 months, Luffy should be on his way here to train.

'Ava… How do I know if I can use Conqueror's Haki?': soren

<{That is something that only you can discover on your own, but there is a 99% chance that you do have this 3rd type, as you are a God, even if you are a weak God}>

'I see- Hey!... I'm not weak! I can mop the floor with people like Beerus': soren

<{Beerus is not considered a full fledged God, and is more like a half God, as he cannot live forever, while you on the other hand will never die, unless you get killed}>

'Ohh!... Then yeah… I guess I am weak, hehe… But I will become the strongest in no time!': soren

Soren then began working on strengthening his Haki, while slowly trying to figure out how to unlock his Conqueror's Haki, and after 7 months, Soren was distracted when Luffy and Rayleigh came back to the island, and saw how heartbroken Luffy was, while Rayleigh seemed to sympathize with Luffy, as he too had lost a brother to the Marines, even if they weren't blood related.

[Rayleigh… Has it been a year already?... Who's this?]: soren

Soren played along and asked some questions, and got his answers, before a few days had passed, and Luffy along with Rayleigh went to Marine Ford and caused a commotion which was meant to send a message to his crew. And after 5 more months, Soren and his group were going to leave, after Mark tried to help Luffy with his training, and in turn was offered a spot on Luffy's crew, to which Mark declined, making Luffy a bit sad, but it was understandable, and he didn't pursue it any further. Over these 5 months, Soren had finally gotten some insight into Conqueror's Haki after trying to impose his will onto the animals that lived on the island, and due to constant use of this action, Soren was able to knock out his opponents, and from there, he could only train it further.

[Time to go home]: soren

[Aww!... But can't we stay longer?... I wanna see what the One Piece is in the end]: mark

[Maybe at a later date… But for now, I want to go back to Dragonball… Isn't that one of the places you wanted to go to?]: soren

Upon hearing Soren's question, Mark quickly perked up, as he wanted to go to the Dragonball Universe for a few reasons, and one of the main reasons was due to his greed for the Super Dragon Balls, as he planned to wish that his DNA was changed to that of a Saiyan.

[Okay!... Let's go!]: mark

Soren could only sigh as he then teleported him and his family off to the Dragonball Universe, and upon arrival, Soren noticed that there were a few more strong presence here on earth, so Soren quickly asked Ava what the current year was.

'Ava… What year is it?': soren

<{The year is Age 778x… Just a few years after the defeat of Majin Buu… And currently everyone is gathering for Bulma Briefs 45th birthday}>

Upon realizing the time, Soren decided that he would make a reappearance to all of his old friends, along with giving Bulma a gift.