Chapter Seventy-Four: Do You See That Ship?

“Hm?” Hearing Chu Yi’s words and sensing the aura radiating from him, Tiger was momentarily stunned. Then, he quietly nodded and said, “That’s right. Your Observation Haki used to be just one step away from mastery, but now, with Mihawk’s help, you’ve… you’ve finally entered the threshold.”

After saying this, Tiger’s tone shifted as he continued, “Kid, get ready—we’re about to enter Fishman Island!”

“Alright!”

After two days of relentless training, Chu Yi, with Mihawk’s guidance, finally caught a glimpse of the path to Observation Haki, raising his mastery to the level of true initiation. To say he felt no pride would be a lie. Yet, when he tried to show off in front of Tiger, Tiger’s calm response left him a little disappointed.

As Chu Yi pursed his lips, annoyed at Tiger’s composure, and manipulated his shadow clone to prepare for entering Fishman Island, he failed to notice that Tiger, fists clenched, was trembling all over.

Damn it! Another monster has appeared!

There’s no need to mention what a prodigy that kid Chu Yi is—his training speed is terrifying. But what about Mihawk? Is he a magician or something? In just two days, he enabled the kid to grasp the essence of Observation Haki… My comrades, why are you still hanging around in Fishman Island? Hurry and follow our two “gods” into the New World and make a name for yourselves!

Tiger, barely suppressing his shock and maintaining a façade of calm, could hardly stand it—only he knew how difficult it was to endure.

Meanwhile, Mihawk remained absorbed, staring at his wooden sword, while Smoker and Lucci gazed from afar at the enchanting Fishman Island, with no interest in Chu Yi and Tiger’s conversation.

So, since no one was paying him any attention, Chu Yi consoled himself.

He took a deep breath, issued the order for his shadow clone to enter Fishman Island, and once again sat cross-legged, recalling the training of the past two days, a faint smile rising at the corner of his lips.

Those two days of meditative training had been immensely rewarding for Chu Yi.

Of course, without Mihawk’s help, Chu Yi could never have progressed so quickly.

Previously, the insight Chu Yi gained from Mihawk’s natural blankness was exactly what Mihawk meant by “focus.” When Chu Yi tried to imitate Mihawk’s blank stare, hoping to achieve “focus” through learning and imitation, he quickly discovered that entering a state of “focus” was extremely difficult.

Humans are not plants, after all—they have their own thoughts and reflections. Even when thinking of nothing, stray thoughts bubble up one by one, disturbing the mind; this is the greatest obstacle to focus.

At that time, as Chu Yi tried to mimic Mihawk’s “focus,” he felt himself growing increasingly irritable, unable to quiet his mind. He could only maintain a state without distractions for extremely brief moments, and the harder he tried to banish stray thoughts, the more they emerged, fueling his frustration.

Eventually, when Chu Yi forced himself to suppress this irritation, it seemed to intensify into a burning flame, threatening to consume him.

But just as his diligent willpower was about to be devoured by that overwhelming fire of frustration…

Mihawk intervened!

Wielding his wooden sword, Mihawk struck, using his sword intent to sever the fire of vexation in Chu Yi’s heart—indeed, he used his sword intent to break through Chu Yi’s stray thoughts!

What terrifying mastery of swordsmanship was this?

Compared to Chu Yi’s current level, Mihawk’s mastery was as different as heaven and earth.

Yet, when all irritation and distractions vanished, Chu Yi had no time to marvel at Mihawk’s swordsmanship. With the fire of vexation gone, and his stray thoughts obliterated by Mihawk, Chu Yi entered the “focus” state for the first time, feeling his heart as calm as still water. Instinctively, his awakened Observation Haki surged forth!

“This… this is Observation Haki?”

“Could it be that Mihawk’s so-called ‘focus’ not only advances my swordsmanship, but also accelerates my Observation Haki training?”

Amazed by the spontaneous release of Observation Haki, Chu Yi’s mind became unsettled once more. With his mind disturbed, the “focus” state could not be maintained, and the autonomously released Observation Haki gradually faded, leaving Chu Yi feeling as if his previous state had been but a dream.

The one thing that comforted Chu Yi was that he had entered his Asura form before Mihawk used his sword intent to help him achieve “focus.” In his Asura form, Chu Yi’s memory was vastly enhanced—otherwise, how could he have so quickly mastered “Paper Art” from the Six Powers of the Navy by hiding in Asura form?

Thus, relying on his Asura form’s memorization of the “focus” state, Chu Yi resumed his training. Although he still could not perfectly suppress his stray thoughts and irritation, he gradually grasped a trick—within just two days, he could, albeit barely and only in the absence of any distractions, enter the “focus” state!

And when he entered “focus” during training, without Mihawk’s assistance…

Observation Haki did not release automatically again, but Chu Yi, entering “focus” on his own, was able to perceive remarkable sights within his body.

In a flash, Chu Yi, in the “focus” state, felt as if his body had grown eyes, able to clearly see a silvery-white light within himself.

Attempting to control that silvery-white light, he found that with just a gentle touch, he could easily manipulate it. As he took control of the light and extended it outward, Chu Yi saw the silvery-white light burst forth, transforming into the aura of Observation Haki, allowing him to clearly see the world outside his body.

Without a doubt…

This was the sign of mastering Observation Haki.

Having trained his Observation Haki to this level, Chu Yi was naturally excited. Yet that excitement prevented him from maintaining “focus,” causing him to exit the state. Only then, as Tiger’s excited voice reached him, did Chu Yi realize he had trained for two whole days.

Now, they were about to enter Fishman Island!

“So, Mihawk’s instruction in ‘focus’ training let me glimpse the mysteries of Observation Haki. That state really is quite miraculous.”

“I wonder…”

“If I apply this ‘focus’ to swordsmanship, what kind of power will it unleash?”

With this thought, Chu Yi was eager to experiment, to see whether entering the “focus” state would make his swordsmanship more formidable.

Just as Chu Yi was itching to try, intent on testing “focus” with his sword…

Suddenly—

A coated ship appeared within the sight of Chu Yi, Tiger, and the others.

Tiger’s pupils contracted slightly as he recognized the skull-emblazoned flag fluttering on the coated ship’s sail. He clapped Chu Yi’s shoulder, then whispered, “Kid, do you see that ship?”

“I see it!”

A faint smile curled Chu Yi’s lips. Taking five full seconds, he stood quietly and entered the “focus” state.

Then—

In his Asura form, Chu Yi was utterly undistracted, and instantly he conjured the Blade of Asura.

The next moment—

With a swift slash, Chu Yi’s sword struck. The pirate ship, three hundred meters away, under the force of his fierce sword energy, was shattered into countless fragments, slowly sinking into the depths of the sea!

“Tiger, now…”

“Can you still see that ship?”