9 The Power of Will II
Veyron rubbed his swollen forehead and cleaned his tears, when she hit she wasn't merciless.
'Was it needed to smack me with Armament Haki?!'
Mihawk ignored his pleas and continued her explanation albeit with several points with increased sternness.
"The more powerful your Haki, the farther the future you can predict. That said most users of this Haki don't reach that far".
"How do you defeat an opponent that can predict the future?" He wondered, recalling how in the show Enel was capable of this feat with his Haki which he called 'Mantra' however after a certain point was it even possible to fool someone that could see the future?
Mihawk had a simple answer for this statement, it didn't even take her a second to answer, as if she had already recurred to this tactic herself.
"By fooling your opponent's mind into believing in a future fabricated by you, an illusion".
'That's… logical'.
...
"The most powerful and rare type of Haki is called Conqueror's Haki. The principle of this technique is an unyielding will projected out of the body and into the world… so far I know you have two types of Haki" She raised two fingers.
"One is Conqueror Haki… as for the other..." She drifted with a smirk.
"Observation?"
"No, you are capable of predicting your opponents' next move based on experience, this is not Haki... your second type of Haki is one I had never seen before".
"Eh?" He played the fool, tilting his head to the side cutely while well aware that she wouldn't fall for such tactics, the lady raised her hand and he instinctively tried to cover himself from the smack that was to come. But it never came, instead, a hand rubbed his white hair gently.
"You can't fool me. I don't know how exactly you're doing it, but your will is capable of manipulating your opponent's body. It almost resembles a devil fruit's power, however... you can swim, so it has to be Haki… Its power is even greater than the conqueror Haki hence why you use both simultaneously and inadvertently".
She crouched down almost letting out a subtle laugh.
"Is it too obvious… do you think your weak little body can match the strength of a full-grown humandril that's thrice as strong as an average adult? you make up for your lack of physical strength with conqueror Haki, although you have been doing this without even realising".
'If you put it that way...' Veyron scratched his head, 'All I wanted was to survive... so that I could fondle- see you again, mom'.
"I don't know how it works. It just works".
"You needn't worry~" Mihawk seemed to have sensed some sort of wicked intent irradiating from her 'son' because the next second she stood up and took out her knife.
"It doesn't matter if you don't know how it works, we're going to make it work!"
*WHOOOSH!*
Her killing intent resurfaced like an incoming wave of blood, his danger flares activated simultaneously like he was a soldier trained for combat by sheer experience, life and death situations.
A mere flash of red lightning resurfaced in his eyes and his sword -which he had left on the table far away- rushed floating towards him like it had a life of its own.
*CLAANGG!!*
A shockwave was released inside the mansion, shaking it profusely. Sparkles were produced from the clash in which Mihawk's natural expression met Veyron's harsh one. Unlike her, he was giving it his all and sighed in frustration at the fact that there was this much of an abysmal difference between them even though he considered himself a lot stronger after surviving on the island on his own for so long.
'Now I know how Zoro felt...'
All she had was a kitchen knife.
"Interesting, you used your Haki to attract that weapon towards you. Now try to use it on me".
*WHOOSH!*
With a subtle movement, she deviated the momentum of his sword and switched her pace, going for a second strike with the speed and smoothness that he envied.
Just like she wanted, he tried to use it on her, switch the direction of her strike like he had done countless times before with the humandrills. But it didn't work.
The knife sliced his shirt apart and delivered a piercing bleeding wound. He groaned a little but that was it, it wasn't his worst injury by far and she knew... she had seen the gigantic scar on his back the night prior.
"Your will is far from being able to affect mine. Let's try again, I'll allow you this time" She stated, allowing him to stand back up and try again.
The swordswoman lunged again, this time in a more relaxed manner... it almost felt like she wasn't even having fun. This was an experiment.
It was different to see it than to experiment with it with her own flesh; she gasped and felt how her hand moved and switched directions on its own as if a string wrapping around her wrist had been pulled away from Veyron's reach. The boy -emboldened by the flaw- went for the counter-offensive like he would have done with any humandrill in the neighbourhood what he found was the heel of her boots planted into his stomach.
She had already seen that future.
"Ugh!"
*BAANG!*
His five years old body impacted harshly against a wall of the mansion, cracking it without any mercy. Mihawk stood there rooted on her spot and analysed what just happened with her body.
"So this is the 4th Will. A power even beyond that of the conqueror's. A will capable of manifesting itself in the physical world".
She touched her wrist once, twice... thinking whether it was possible for her to manifest such power herself.
"I'm a kid, couldn't you be a little softer?" He complained with a pout.
"You graduated from being a kid the moment you reaped your first life, Veyron. Now come at me with everything you've got. I'll stay in Kuraigana for a long time until the ways of the sword are engraved in you!"
It was from that moment on that what Veyron could only call a 'hell' training, began. Thankfully for him, he'd later in his life come to realise not only had the training been extremely harsh. It had also been extremely effective.
**
**
Day after day for months it was the same routine. Fight, wash, sleep... fight, wash, sleep.
He awoke his Armament Haki, and he also awoke his observation haki, but it didn't matter what he did... it was never enough to overcome the insurmountable power that was Dracule Mihawk. There was no ending to this vicious circle.
Whenever he thought he had become stronger, her methods would only grow in difficulty and he'd come to realise that she was far from fighting seriously. Nevertheless, frustration was not felt in his vocabulary.
The diligent boy kept giving it all, slowly but surely earning the respect and appreciation of his mother, even if it didn't look like it.
...
*BOOOMMM!*
One day, after a duel in which he had managed to 'touch' her. The regime stepped up beyond his comprehension. That day he arrived at the dinner hall and what received him was an overwhelming peak pressure that made him feel like the whole world was falling on him, suffocating him.
!!!?
The pressure was gigantic, he felt like he was going to pass out. His gaze raised up from the floor to look at his mother whom he so much loved and hated. She was there like ever, reading her newspapers without sparing him a glance.
In between the lines of the newspaper, he read some news: 'The Yonko, Whitebeard, takes control of the Fishman Island under the Red Line-'.
Before he could continue, she stood up and put the newspapers aside, finally giving her son some attention.
"The Conqueror Haki is way more than just a petty trick to erase crowds and numbers. It is a physical manifestation of will that not many are capable of".
*RUMBLE!*
Veyron's conqueror Haki crashed forth, but it wasn't enough to reduce the weight he was feeling on his body by even an ounce.
"Every day from now on your task is to stand up against my will, Veyron… if you pass out before the day is finished during the evening, I'll punish you~" The sternness gave way to a wicked giggle that didn't reassure him at all.
"H-How?-" Veyron passed out just like that, it felt like not even a second had elapsed when he woke up feeling a lot of breeze and the shining sun squeezing through the fog to shine on his body.
"EH?!"
When the white-haired boy woke up he was on a wooden log, tied and naked, exposed to the sea and the parrots.
"You will stay there from morning through evening, no eating and no bath in the lake before sleeping… that's your punishment".
He heard Mihawk's voice and instinctively looked down to see her sitting on the sand with loose robes, reading her newspapers and drinking her wine like ever, quite comfortable may he add.
"N-No bath?!" Veyron felt almost insulted, they could take anything from him except for that.
The lady moved away her newspapers and glared at her son's exposed body that shone with great albedo beneath the sun.
"Son, is that really what you care about?"
**
**
Three months later, there was huge progress.
"HAAAA!!!"
This time Veyron -all sweaty- managed to kneel down while Mihawk read her newspaper, still, he was far from being able to stand. He may have been a six-year-old infant at this point, but his body was completely shredded.
Mihawk looked at him for a second before averting her gaze, his muscular body was also a synonym of his inability to understand the purpose of his training.
"I-Isn't this… too hard, Mom?" Although there was progress, Veyron couldn't help but think that there wasn't enough progress to justify three whole months of this torture.
"For others, not for you".
"W-Why!?"
"Physical prowess has nothing to do with the expression of will. You're making a mistake trying to overpower my will with strength instead of your own will. Even if you were to grow ten times as much muscle as you have now, it still wouldn't enable you to stand up".
She stood up and walked up to him, kneeling down and increasing the pressure until he had to fall back on his arms, one second away from passing away. She caressed his cheeks.
"Veyron... fight me with your will, not with your body. How about this? If you manage to complete this training before I leave, I'll accept one request from you".
!!!
His eyes which were about to shut opened up abruptly in disbelief and enthusiasm.
'A-Anything?!'
Saying the world 'anything' to a man was akin to signing a contract without reading the terms. Even before she uttered those words, he already knew what his request was!
"You survived on this island on your own, without me, even going as far as to become the king of this island in my absence and awaken your own Haki. Even Gold Roger with your age wouldn't have survived on this island on his own. I believe you can do this, son".
"I'm happy that you have faith in me, Mom! I will give it my best!".
"That's right~ that's why I'm going to train you and enhance you the hardest possible, I'm going to polish your will and make it unmatched. And now-".
*RUMBLE!*
All she had to do was increase her output a little and her son fell limply, passing out with a haywire imagination.
"Time for your punishment".
**
**
A year later, there was magnificent progress... a man with a divine task could not be stopped in his tracks.
"Congratulations, you managed to stand up!" Mihawk smiled and moved her newspaper aside, watching her son that was standing there in front of her, the floor beneath him all cracked. His legs were shivering, but he was undoubtedly standing up.
He was now seven years old and starting to grow in height into a fine young boy, his gaze contained determination and challenge, each day repeating the same routine... she couldn't help but notice that whenever he looked at her body, there was some hidden intent.
"Y-Yeah!" Veyron celebrated, it was almost the happiest day of his life... an accumulated year of hard work and training that finally bore fruits. Training, training, training and more training.
Armament Haki, Observation Haki, Conqueror Haki, the sword... there was not a day that his mind wasn't filled with those. It had almost reached the point where he missed those simple days when he just had to go and hunt some sea kings for lunch.
"I knew you could do it, I trusted you, son~".
After giving him some cheering, she went about her business leaving a baffled Veyron who still felt mountains weighing down on him. The day that was supposed to be a blissful victory, turned into a nightmare all too suddenly.
"Mom?"
"Uhm?"
"What about the Haki?"
"I never said that I was going to let you go? I thought I told you your training will be done when you can take this much pressure for a whole day?".
With all the wickedness in this world, she tilted her head to the side cutely in confusion. The vixen knew exactly what she was doing!
Perhaps it was the shock of the news or the fact that his observation of Haki was now strong enough for him to see a future filled with pain, whichever it had been... Veyron passed out that morning.
...
When he woke up his gaze was fixed on the horizon beyond the foggy nature of Kuraigana. Next to him were hundreds of humandrills, the members of his 'tribe' who couldn't help but contain their laughter at the sheer humiliation their leader had undergone for more than a year now.
"I managed to stand up this time... how long will it take me to last for a whole day?" Veyron didn't realise... but his eyes were overflowing with a shower of red lightning and a thrill beyond words.
"Hehe, I can't wait to make that request, Mom~"
*RUMBLE!!!*
Unbeknownst to him, when his conqueror haki activated... every single humandrill on the island, without exception, together with two sea gods in the vicinity... all went to sleep.
...
Back in the mansion, the lady reading the newspapers halted as a smile crept up her luscious lips, it was unavoidable... after all, just now she felt something that she had been expecting to feel from Veyron any time now.
Danger.
**
**
A year later, two years since Mihawk's arrival, two individuals sat on different chairs, Veyron had grown up splendidly and his height, although still lower than Mihawk, was merely or so inches lower.
The lady frowned as red lightning sparks floated around the room. She stood up from her spot and took her glass of wine along. However, there was something unique about this glass.
The wine was pressed right to the bottom of the glass, compressed.
Before she could even sip, the cup crumbled and the wine fell down the floor like a bullet.
*BOOOMM!!*
A small explosion was produced which made her tilt her eyebrows, refusing to showcase any sign of shock visually... this wasn't the first time it happened.
Mihawk saw this and her gaze drifted to her son who was now brushing through the pages of the previous day's newspaper. She walked in the direction of the kitchen, but her steps were slower than usual.
A casual audible smirk reflected in the room, the source: Veyron.
"What's so funny, brat?"
"Nothing, Mom"
"Don't get cocky, I'm not using my whole pressure on you" She remarked with a smile, prompting him to cast the newspaper to the side to give her a subtle glare.
Her voice contained challenge as she gripped the handle of Yoru. He was far from being able to match her still, but in the past two years, Veyron became a dignified opponent that she acknowledged.
The dominion he possessed over his '4th Will' as she called his Haki, had reached the point where he had even counterattacked. Veyron was an excellent child or so she thought.
When he completed his training and was able to resist her pressure for a whole day, he didn't stop... instead, he retaliated.
The result of this retaliation was a constant battle of wills that gave in result a futile attempt from the humandrills to migrate out of this hellish island. The Sea Kings avoided it like the pest and there was not a single day in which the island didn't experience severe climatic disarray.
Such was the will of the Conquerors.
Mihawk glared at him, wielding her sword, Yoru... no words were exchanged but he felt her intentions: The desire to fight.
"I'm going to leave the island soon, Veyron".
His countenance fell.
"I have overstayed in order to train you, but soon I'll run out of things to teach you".
"Mom, I-" He wanted to say that he wished to use his request now, 'I don't want you to leave'.
But Mihawk's intentions seemed to be set in stone, she gave a few steps back as he stepped forward.
"Before I leave, show me the results of your training; I want the two of us to fight... without holding back".
