Chapter – 10 The Armament Haki

In the forests of Dawn Island, a massive tiger roared with fury, its powerful limbs and sharp claws lunging toward Ryuma. But Ryuma's lightning-fast reflexes allowed him to effortlessly dodge the impending attack, gracefully sidestepping the oncoming threat.

Seizing the opening, Ryuma swiftly closed the distance between himself and the ferocious beast, landing a powerful strike on its sinewy frame. The impact reverberated through the air, prompting a pained roar from the giant predator. Although momentarily staggered, the tiger's unwavering determination to fight remained unyielding—it had yet to admit defeat. Its growls intensified with fury, echoing throughout the forest in a display of sheer aggression.

Undeterred by the mounting hostility, Ryuma's focus burned brighter than ever. A solemn expression settled on his face as he murmured with admiration, "Such resilient skin and thick flesh, a perfect target for practicing some offense and defense."

There is a very good reason why Ryuma is engaged in a hand-to-hand brawl, rather than relying on his wooden spear or sword to fight the giant tiger, it's because he is training his Armament Haki. Currently, he is at the very basic stage and learning how to envelop himself with his aura.

Without hesitation, Ryuma charged headlong at the colossal feline, launching a flurry of rapid strikes. Each blow was delivered with precision, but the tiger refused to succumb and jumped at Ryuma.

In an instant, the tiger's massive claws threatened to tear into Ryuma's flesh. Sensing the critical moment, Ryuma stilled his mind, feeling an extraordinary surge of power coursing through his veins. Instinctively, he channeled this energy outward, and directed it towards his hands, enveloping them with an invisible aura.

A thunderous boom resonated through the air as Ryuma stood firm against the tiger's onslaught. The once-unassuming arms now radiated with a protective aura, shielding him from the relentless assault. A triumphant laugh escaped his lips, carried away by the wind.

Surprise danced in Ryuma's eyes as he witnessed the transformation. "Finally... the hardening has begun to manifest!" he exclaimed, brimming with newfound confidence.

Empowered by his burgeoning mastery of Armament Haki, Ryuma counterattacked with raw strength. He deflected the tiger's claws with both hands enveloped in hardened Armament Haki, forcing the colossal predator to retreat step by step. The sheer attack power he exerted compelled the once-dominant beast to yield ground.

Swift as the wind, Ryuma closed the distance between himself and the fallen tiger. Converging his Armament Haki onto his clenched fist, he delivered a decisive blow, targeting the creature's head. The impact left the tiger dazed, its eyes fixated on Ryuma's visage, before succumbing to injuries and crashing heavily onto the forest floor.

Standing before the vanquished predator, Ryuma surveyed his hands with a sense of fulfillment. A satisfied smile graced his lips as he whispered in awe, "Armament Haki, truly remarkable."

The defeated tiger lay motionless, tears welled up in its eyes—a heart-wrenching sight. Over the past two months, it had transformed into a battered and submissive creature, enduring blow after blow from Ryuma's unyielding assault. It had become a living punching bag, stripped of its former dominance.

Initially, the tiger had fought back, attempting to salvage its pride. But the tide had turned against it, its spirit shattered by Ryuma's unwavering assault the intensity of which continued to increase day after day. Lying defeated on the forest floor, its once-mighty presence diminished.

Observing the tiger's unresponsive state, Ryuma felt a mix of disbelief and frustration. "Didn't I ask you to undergo special training? Is this the result?" he questioned, bewildered by the lack of progress.

While he was training himself, he also instructed the tiger to train, so that he can continue to use the tiger as his punching bag, but it seems there is not much progress, or maybe his own speed of progress is too fast for the tiger to be able to keep up.

Averting its gaze, it burned with dissatisfaction, 'It seems the second reason is the correct one, this guy can't keep up with me any longer.'

Recognizing the futility, Ryuma sighed in resignation. "Very well. I won't push you any further. It seems you won't aid me in my future training. Since you've endured this alongside me, I won't take your life. Farewell, little tiger."

With those parting words, Ryuma turned away from the fallen predator and left the forest.

…

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The resounding echoes of Ryuma's fists striking the massive iron pillar reverberated through the mountains. Each punch left a distinctive mark on the sturdy metal surface. This iron pillar had been specially crafted by an Iron Smith at Ryuma's request, designed to aid him in his Armament Haki training, its durability, hardness, and density were also increased by Ryuma using the power of Moa Moa no Mi so that it can withstand his Armament Haki imbued attacks. Although he can only manage a maximum of forty times increase with his current stage of mastery of Moa Moa no Mi, it's enough for now.

The increased hardness, durability, and density ensured that the iron pillar could withstand the increased damage from Ryuma's intensified Armament Haki training. After all, finding suitable targets in the Dawn Islands for his rigorous training had proven challenging.

The giant tiger–the strongest beast on the Dawn Islands–is no longer challenging and he cannot afford to continue to pay for more and more iron pillars for training, therefore, increased durability, hardness, and density were the way to go for him.

With a spirited yell, Ryuma unleashed his Armament Haki, enveloping both his hands in its protective layer. He relentlessly struck the iron pillar with ten thousand punches from both hands, followed by an equal number of kicks from each leg. Hours passed as he poured his sweat and energy into the training, leaving him exhausted and sprawled on the ground.

Observing Ryuma's fatigue, Rio, flew down beside him, offering a towel. "Here you go, buddy."

"Thanks, Rio," Ryuma replied gratefully as he accepted the towel and wiped the sweat from his face.

Months of unwavering dedication had yielded considerable progress in Ryuma's mastery of Armament Haki. On average, out of every 100 attempts, he is able to successfully coat his aura around the desired body part about 60 times—an accomplishment he deemed satisfactory.

Of course, failure to coat his aura often results in serious injuries due to the fact that Ryuma is using all his strength in each strike. But of course, these injuries weren't a problem since Ryuma had taken steps to enhance his natural healing using the Moa Moa no Mi, and he has managed an increase of forty times which is extremely good.

In this world, the body's resilience and healing capabilities were naturally superior to those he had known in his previous life. Furthermore, his focus on augmenting his healing factor meant that his wounds now healed at a significantly accelerated rate.

Ryuma speculated that if he could increase his healing factor by a hundred times, his self-healing would become instantaneous and might even take the form of semi-regeneration–he might not be able to grow lost limbs–but bruises, fractures, and other things, injuries that can be healed through bodies natural healing process will heal at such pace that it would be akin to regeneration.

Although enhanced self-healing is physically taxing due to the consumption of physical energy by Devil Fruits, Ryuma's half-Oni-half-merfolk bloodline mitigated the potential strain as he had naturally more physical energy and strength compared to humans.

As these thoughts occupied his mind, Ryuma caught his breath, then he turned to Rio and inquired, "How are Ace and Sabo doing?"

"They seem to be making progress," Rio replied, his voice laced with optimism. "They can now hear the sound, though mastering conscious control will require more time."

Ryuma nodded, a thoughtful expression on his face. "It's only been a few months, and their progress is already impressive," he murmured, acknowledging Ace and Sabo's efforts in their Observation Haki training.

They were discussing Ace and Sabo's training in Observation Haki

A few months ago, Ryuma introduced them to Observation Haki and helped them unlock its power. Since then, he had entrusted them to train on their own, ensuring they practiced daily with the assistance of a group of monkeys he had encountered during his own Observation Haki training. While he supervised their progress to some extent, his focus remained primarily on his own development, as a result, they were mostly left to their own devices.

With countless aspects of his Devil Fruit and Haki training to explore, Ryuma found limited time to devote to Ace and Sabo's progress. Nonetheless, he ensured that Rio periodically checked in on them, offering guidance when needed.

After catching his breath, Ryuma retrieved his sword, it was time for the second aspect of Armament Haki training.

While the first stage of Armament Haki training involved enveloping one's body in its protective aura, providing defense against those unaware of its power, Ryuma knew that it offered only superficial protection.

The second stage, however, entailed two types: hardening and imbuement.

Hardening involved concentrating spiritual energy to create an invisible shield around specific body parts that would augment offense and defense at the same time, while imbuement allowed for the extension of Armament Haki onto external objects such as swords, spears, bullets, and clothing.

Imbuement would allow him to extend the power of Haki onto his blade, enhancing its cutting ability and unleashing devastating attacks. Considering his desire to incorporate swordsmanship into his combat style, mastering imbuement was crucial.

With this goal in mind, Ryuma resumed his Armament Haki training, day after day, focusing on honing both his hardening and imbuement skills.

Time flew by, and before Ryuma knew it, nearly a year had passed. He had turned eleven years old, and it was time for the arrival of the Red-Haired Pirates at the Foosha Village.