Chapter 8 – Direct Control

[Kaienreki Calendar 1500, Beginning of November]

As they sat down to eat their dinner together, Lupin took out the devil fruit from the bag he carried with him.

Placing the fruit on Kindred's still empty plate, he said: "I found this devil fruit in the forest today."

Kindred looked at the fruit in astonishment, knowing full well its worth before he threw a look at the boy's neutral expression.

"Why are you giving this to me, you should know about the fruits from the books I gave you to read already? Don't you think you should eat it? It can give you a significant increase in strength!"

"I know of course, but I don't want to eat it. It's very likely that this fruit is the Zoan-type that pirate had, which was pretty underwhelming. Of course the power of the fruit depends on its user, but this is still a pretty common devil fruit. So, I don't want it. But you should eat it, old man. It will very likely help you regain some, if not all the power you had in your prime. Maybe even more."

Sighing, Kindred thought for a moment, before answering: "Yes, it probably is the one from that pirate, but even though it is a pretty 'common' devil fruit, devil fruits are hard to come by, even the simplest one is a treasure. Most people would just eat them directly. Don't think about waiting for a stronger fruit, you may never find a second one in your life. So, it's best if you eat it, or at least keep it so you can eat it in the future."

'That's Kindred for you. Most others would have already stuffed the fruit into their mouths, but he rejects it so decisively. Truly admirable in a way.', Lupin thought to himself, before answering the old man.

"Well, you may be right, but I am a swordsman and I don't plan to rely on the powers of a devil fruit to become stronger. Also, I don't like the idea of never being able to swim in the ocean again. So you eat it, if you won't I will simply throw it back into the forest."

Threatened Lupin, telling the old man a little white lie.

He of course wouldn't reject a devil fruit, but he simply wanted something different than a normal Zoan, as he was already able to transform into a massive wolf. It would be totally useless for him to be able to transform into a dog too.

Kindred pondered for several minutes about what Lupin said, before finally coming to a decision.

"Sigh, I will eat it. The raiders are getting stronger and the village can't just rely on a brat to help defend it. As a former Marine it is my job to take care of these pirates and with the fruit it will be a lot easier from now on."

What Kindred did not say out loud was that he wanted for Lupin to be able to rely on him to face future troubles.

He did not want the boy, that was like his own grandchild, to fight off pirates at his age. But as that was simply not an option in these dangerous times, he would opt for being there with him in battle and sharing the burden of protecting the village together.

"Great. Let's spar as soon as you figured out how to use the fruit's powers in battle."

With that Lupin went back to eating, while Kindred placed the devil fruit to the side, planning to eat it the next morning and taking the whole day to familiarize himself with the devil fruit.

The next few weeks were rather uneventful, except for the weather, which had gotten colder, and the spars between Lupin and Kindred that had taken place once again.

Kindred had eaten the Inu Inu no Mi Model: Labrador and gotten pretty good at using his new-found power in battle. Lupin still held back his strength and speed a bit, which had both advanced even further after these few weeks of training.

Still, the battles were a lot more intense and Lupin could feel his movements becoming increasingly perfect.

His talent for physical techniques was really showing itself as he had a fluidity in his fighting style, as if the sword itself was a part of his body, each movement just flowing naturally into the other.

He loved to include spins and twists in his movements, as they allowed for smooth and strong sword strikes, while carrying over the momentum from his body.

It was already mid-day, while Lupin had been meditating the whole time on the training field with his sword in his lap.

The last few days he had felt incredibly close to a breakthrough over his spiritual energy control. His spirit had become much easier to sense these last few days.

Following the movements of his spirit, which kind of just undulated inside his body and mind, Lupin attempted to form a stable connection to it using his mind and he succeeded every so often.

Every time that happened he tried to condense his spiritual energy around his limbs like with Armament Haki or spread it to his surroundings as if using Observation Haki.

It worked for a short time, but his connection started crumbling every time.

Suddenly, just as if two different gears found the same rhythm and fit perfectly into one another, his mind formed a stable connection with his spirit and he knew that he had succeeded in his goal.

Smoothly steering his spirit in the ways he wanted, he could feel the connection staying strong and stable.

Opening his eyes, Lupin looked at his right hand and guided the entirety of his spirit to coat his skin.

It was a slow process, as he wasn't very proficient in controlling this entirely new energy, but slowly he started to feel it encasing his entire arm and a vague shimmer of black flickered above his skin every now and then.

Taking a nearby rock in his hand, he just gripped it as hard as he could with his hand.

*CRACK*

And it just fragmented into dozens of splinters.

In only a few moments after gaining control over his spiritual energy, he had already learned the very basics of Armament Haki.

He couldn't stop the happy grin forming on his face.

Almost two years he had spent trying to connect with his spirit and gain control over it. Several times he had almost given up and just tried to learn Haki the normal way, but now he knew that he had been right all along.

Even the most talented would need weeks or months to learn the basics of Haki and slowly advance their skill with the technique, but he had simply done it in mere minutes.

The next thing he did was more of an experiment.

He not only kept the focus on his arm with his spirit manipulation, but also gathered his thoughts into a single direction – to shield and to amplify.

He could instantly make out the difference in result.

The black colour became more pronounced, even though it was still vague and his hand just felt 'tougher' and stronger. Taking another stone and laying it on a the steel weight next to him, he simply punched the rock.

*CRAACCKK* *CLINGG*

This time the stone was turned into even finer fragments and the steel weight rang as if an iron hammer had struck it.

He had somewhat expected this result.

The mind had a very obvious influence on the spirit, or otherwise all those who could not control their spiritual energy directly would never be able to use Haki.

Lupin knew he would have to train his mind in equal part to his new-found control over his spirit. It was very important that he could infuse a strong intent into it, as the resulting power of the technique would be amplified according to the strength of his intent.

Of course, it would take time to master this form of energy manipulation, as it felt like a completely new limb had been attached to his body. There was no instinctual control and muscle memory, he had to train those by himself.

The next thing he wanted to try out was Conqueror's Haki.

Turning left he faced a wide-eyed Ina. She seemed shocked at the sudden different coloration of his hand.

"I am currently training a new technique and I need someone to test it on. Are you willing to let me test it on you? I will be careful.", Lupin asked.

Every now and then, they would speak a few sentences to each other. Ever so slowly creating a unique and enduring bond.

Ina pondered for a moment, before stating a request that surprised Lupin.

"You may, but only if you tell me how you did that. And you must agree to teach me to fight from now on. Half an hour a day will be enough, I know you are busy with your own training and I don't want to interfere with that.", Ina responded after thinking for a moment.

Ina had long since developed an interest in learning how to fight herself, but she did not want to ask the militia men to instruct her. She also did not want to bother Lupin before, as he was the only one she felt safe around and trusted amongst the male population of the village.

Hearing his request, she thought it was finally her turn to be brave and ask for his help. She also felt, that they had become close enough by now, so he may agree to her request.

Her initial curiosity about him had only been a way for her mind to mask the need to stay besides the only person she felt really safe with.

Lupin was still a mystery to her and she obviously wanted to know more about him, but he now also held a very special place in her mind and heart.

"I agree, starting tomorrow I will help you gain some basic combat skills. Now, to answer your first question, you must not tell anyone about what I am gonna tell you next.", Lupin answered after pondering her request for a moment.

Waiting for Ina to nod in understanding, he started to speak again with a serious look on his face.

"The technique I just used to crush these two rocks, it's called Haki. There are a lot of different names, but the most simple way to explain it would be with the term 'spirit' or 'spiritual power'. Every living thing has a 'spirit' or 'spiritual power', and those that can weaponize it, mostly call it Haki. There are different ways to use Haki and what I just showed you is called Armament Haki or Busoshoku Haki."

"The reason why you shouldn't tell anyone about this, is that this kind of power is something only high-level Marines and very strong pirates can use and know of. Even Kindred has probably only heard the term a few times in his life and doesn't really know what it really is..."

"Now, I don't think I have to mention the kind of interest we would gather, if someone were to find out some orphan boy and a former slave girl have knowledge about one of the most powerful techniques known to man."

Ina was very happy about Lupin's agreement to train her and even more intrigued about this 'Haki'. As someone who had seen the worst parts of mankind up close, she also knew not to tempt fate with revealing what he had told her.

And Lupin was right, even she wondered how on earth he knew all this, but she did not ask.

It was a sign of trust that he had told her all this, so she in return wouldn't probe into his secrets any further. Being content with the knowledge that he would confide in her with even the smallest part of his secrets.

"I won't tell anyone.", she answered with a serious look.

"I believe you... Now, I will try use another Haki technique, it is called Conqueror's Haki. I have never used it and no idea if it works, so I will be careful. This technique allows one to pressure an opponent's mind directly with one's own spirit or presence. It is the rarest of all the Haki techniques and only very few in this world are capable of using it. It is a sign of the strong, so prepare yourself.", Lupin revealed to Ina in a serious tone.

He had no worries in sharing this knowledge of his with her. He knew her pretty well by now and his bestial side was also very much in agreement with his decision. He trusted his animalistic instincts very much, as animals are known to be good judges of character.

He also found it refreshing to share his knowledge with someone, having someone he did not have to lie to or hide something from.

He obviously could not tell Kindred, even though he knew that his affection was genuine, he simply didn't trust him enough.

He could not predict Kindred's reaction to his words and even though he highly doubted that the man would try to harm him, this unpredictable outcome was all Lupin needed to keep the knowledge from him.

Ina and Lupin on the other hand, had developed a bond over this short span of time, he found himself unable to describe.

Her company had relieved him of his loneliness, while he had become her safe haven. They had this subconscious understanding of each other, where they did not need many words and were just comfortable with each other.

He simply knew, that she would not tell another living soul what he had told her. At least not voluntarily.

Of course, that type of knowledge was only special because he was still a weakling. In several years that kind of intel about him would be totally useless.

As he readied himself to try and use Conqueror's Haki, he thought about the essence of the technique.

Conqueror's Haki was a technique where an individual would use their ambition and dreams as fuel for their will to conquer and dominate. By infusing this will into their spirit they were able to overwhelm weak-willed individuals with their own presence. At least that was what he theorized.

Looking into himself, Lupin focused on the reason for his hard work, for his dreams and aspiration.

Freedom was his ultimate goal and the reasons for that were plenty.

First of all would be his first life, were he had felt pressured and caged by society.

The second and more traumatic experience had been having to watch his mother die with his own eyes. Even now he remembered the words of love and gentleness his mother had whispered into his ears.

At that moment he had been absolutely vulnerable, but she had made him feel safe and protected. The sacrifice she had been willing to make just so he could live and be free.

Free like she had wished herself to be. And when he closed his eyes, he could see her face with great clarity even now.

Smiling and encouraging him to be free for the both of them.

Focusing on these memories and emotions, he used them to let his will for freedom, his will to conquer and dominate everything that stood in his path burn like a raging flame in his mind.

Pushing this mental image – this manifestation of his greatest desire through the mental connection he had with his spirit, he felt the world around him tremble.

Not letting up in his attempt, he could feel his spirit pulsing and booming with a power he had never felt before.

It was an exhilarating feeling.

And when he opened his eyes, Ina lay before him passed out, while the pressure he exuded gave start to a light breeze on the training field.

Cutting off the connection to his spirit, the pressure receded instantly.

Next, Lupin took Ina and brought her to his room as the temperatures were low these days and he wanted to avoid her getting a cold.

His attempt at Conqueror's Haki seemed to have been a success, but he had nearly no control over his agitated spirit or the pressure exuded by it.

It would take a lot of time to refine his control over the spiritual energy. Even now he could feel the drain of his Haki on his mental stamina.

He had wasted a lot of his spirit's energy by moving it around and trying out Armament and Conqueror's Haki, as his control was subpar at the moment.

Still Lupin knew that practice makes perfect and before long he would be able to unearth the whole potential of his spirit and go even beyond it.

Learning to infuse a strong enough intent into his spiritual energy was equally important, because it would be a major power boost to all the Haki techniques.

For now he decided to work on his Observation and Armament Haki, while using the training of his Conqueror's Haki to focus on the infusing his intent into his spirit.

As he already had some proficiency in Observation before he became able to directly control his spirit, he experienced a sharp increase in the power of said technique, along with some more discoveries about its inner workings.

Lupin of course did not want to slack off on his swordsmanship training and knew it was time to train in some more advanced skills.