2 Chapter 2

In the year 1508,

It has been two years since Ikari trained in his way of the sword and observation haki. These past two years have been nothing but misery for his youthful body.

Ikari also became familiar with his junior disciple. Bepo has been nothing but fun junior. He would always cry when his mother beat the shit out of them in the name of training.

On the field, a middle-aged woman could be seen slashing and thrusting her wooden sword at a blindfolded twelve-year-old boy.

"Stop!" Sakura ordered. "It seems you have completely got used to your observation haki. Don't celebrate just yet, there are many applications of this haki that you just started to scratch the surface of. Never be complacent about small success!"

"Yes!" Ikari unfolded his blindfold. "But it is worth a celebration. It's my milestone. So I now can wield the sword left my father?"

Sakura sighed. "Yes. But with me supervising your every action. I don't want you to be sucked dry by that damned sword."

Ikari nodded solemnly. "I read the records. I will eventually tame the great-grade sword Rain Moon Kitetsu! Our family heirloom..."

"The katana will test you. Make you manifest your armament haki," she said. "You're not ready yet, but using the sword to forcefully manifest your haki will make your training easier."

"But! Drop it immediately after holding it." she walked inside the dojo, and a few moments later she came back with a sword in hand. "Unsheathe the sword. Remember what we've discussed—"

"Drop the sword immediately after holding it." he exhaled. "Got it."

Ikari accepted the sword he got from his mother. Bepo was on the side watching with a worried expression.

Ikari got up from the mat and held the katana onto a sword stance. Holding the scabbard in his left hand, Ikari quickly unsheathed the Rain Moon Kitetsu.

A violent and domineering force assaulted his being. His right hand unleashed a black coating that hardened imbuing the katana. Ikari witnessed the sword provoking his will. He furrowed his brows with beads of sweat trickled down his temple.

The arm holding the katana thinned as a stick. "Drop it!" he heard his mother yell. But all his mind was focused on the damned katana. "You will be mine! You'll obey my command!" Ikari shouted as he glared at the sword which vibrated and continuously sucked his haki.

Ikari decisively tossed the katana. He stumbled and fell on his butt. "That damned uncontrollable shit!" he watched his arm turn back to its original state.

"Are you okay Ikari-senpai?" asked Bepo worriedly. "I saw your arm became a stick all of a sudden."

"It didn't become a stick!" Ikari smacked Bepo's head with his right fist. "See, good as new!"

"Don't bully the poor bear!" Sakura scolded her son as she disposed of the katana. "How does it feel? You now know why I prohibited the use of that demon-sucking katana. Only your father and I can wield a great-grade sword."

"It's a violent sword." Ikari grimaced. "But it was a meaningful experience. I still remembered the feeling of physically manifesting my haki."

She nodded at his words. "That was an advanced use of Armament Haki. The basic is an invisible coating, which can't be seen by the naked eye. Although a master could sense it. The next step would be hardening the coating of Armament Haki which you just experienced."

"Are there more advanced than that?" he asked as he felt that there was more to than just hardening the said haki.

"Yes." Sakura praised her son's quick-wittedness. "In wano, we call the much more advanced use of armament haki as ryou. It is called in the outside world internal destruction. But there is also a variant, called emission."

Bepo and Ikari listened to her words carefully. The lecture on how to make it manifest lasted for half an hour.

"Bepo, your body is still weak." Sakura analyzed. "This training can't be done with a weak muscle foundation. I suggest that you continue your current training regime. You're still six years old."

"Let's start mom!" Ikari smiled in anticipation.

She smacked the head of her son. "It's sensei to you! ... Now reproduce the feeling earlier and let it manifest. Haki is your spirit and will, never control it and just let it flow."

Ikari nodded and closed his eyes as he reentered the memory on which he held the Rain Moon Kitetsu. "Let it flow... Let it flow... Be water... Be water..." he muttered as he entered a self-meditation.

As Ikari already has mastered basic observation haki. The state he's in is much more direct. He already felt his spirit, he let it flow towards his arms. Right arm to be precise.

Sakura activated her observation haki and sensed Ikari's invisible coating of armament haki. "Open your eyes!"

Ikari did as he was told and opened his eyes. His observation haki registered the haki on his right arm. "I did it!"

"Make it disappear!" she said. "Try it again. Make sure to succeed ten out of ten times. If you managed to do it today, call me." she went inside and left the dojo.

Ikari didn't immediately dispel the haki he had. He ran outside and pounded the nearby tree. It caved in and he didn't hurt himself. But the unstable haki was gone. "I need to train it just as mom said. Making it manifest ten out of ten times while training its durability. Two birds with one stone... I'm such a genius."

Ikari trained for the remaining hours of the day. His haki's manifesting stability increased to five out of ten times. But the durability was still stuck at one hit and it will disappear.

At the dinner table, Ikari hogged the food as if he was a starving beast. "Where's your table manner, you brat! Is that how I raised you?"

"Training until exhaustion can make me forget table manners mom!" he swallowed a mouthful of meat. "Bepo! You eat like a kid!? Are you even a bear?"

"I-I can eat like you," he glanced at the frustrated sensei. "But, sensei will beat me to death!" he whisper shouted.

"Well, look at Bepo," she patted his head. "He's more of a human than you!"

"It's because he's afraid of you beating the shit out of him!" he answered back.

"And you are not...?!" she glared at her son's irresponsible behavior.

"I'm hungry ma!" he gulped a mouthful of water. "Just let me be."

Sakura sighed as she continued eating. "How's your haki going?"

"Five out of ten times." he looked at her. "But the durability is awful. One hit on the tree and it disappears."

"That's common." she gracefully cut the steak on her plate. "You need to increase your manifestation ability until it is perfect. I can't train your haki with that half-ass rate. It's a waste of time. Continue your training until you got it perfectly and we'll train."

Ikari nodded, he still haven't told her of his unique ability to manipulate temperature. Focusing on his haki is a priority over his devil fruit ability. He asked her sneakily about the topic and got the answer.

Ikari was disappointed in his swimming ability taken. But having a unique skill to change the temperature on his body and item he touches is also cool. He already had ideas on how to incorporate it into his sword style.

Ikari made up his mind to prioritize his haki before bringing about what he had in mind possible.

Over the next months, he drilled the armament haki into his muscle memory. Ikari still trained his observation haki for two hours each day. But the rest of his days was on training the stability of his haki and its durability.

He also took a minute or two to wield the katana each day. Memorizing the feeling of hardening his haki. Though he also started to set aside two hours for his devil fruit ability.

Ikari also brought his cutlass to the dojo and had the approval of his mother. He started to imbue his invisible haki to the sword. Training with the sword was much harder than with his arms.

He needed to let it flow to a foreign item and his stability dropped significantly. But Ikari wasn't disheartened. He took it as a challenge as he was supposed to be a swordsman anyway.

Ikari didn't make the sword go hot as it will melt. It was just made in iron. So he practiced imbuing haki with cold temperature assisting the sword. Every cut of the sword to the tree has ice marks.

His cutlass couldn't withstand the extreme cold. So Ikari prohibited the use of the technique. He could wait until he can master the invisible coating and hardening.

Bepo also got accustomed to this new routine. He would follow Ikari on his run in the morning and they would train separately. "What's your dream Ikari senpai? I mean, unless the greatest swordsman dream."

"Mom doesn't know of this so keep this a secret." Ikari solemnly said. "I would hear mom cry at night. Then, one time, I saw her hugging father's photo. Ever since I could think, I find that her story is flawed. So, I concluded that we were not banished but escaped. And this Orochi killed father! I'll sail as a pirate, gather a crew, and avenge my father."

Bepo had his tears and snot falling at Ikari's story. "I made up my mind! I'll join your crew and help you... Captain!"

Ikari smiled and he pulled the bear in a hug. "Thank you, Bepo! You're my first mate so you can't be weak! Ika Ha Ha Ha!"

Unbeknownst to them, Sakura was eavesdropping on their conversation and sighed deeply. "It seems like fate will always come back and bite you, eh... I miss you already, Tempura..." her voice trailed off as a tear left her eyes.