One Piece: Starting With Flame-Flame Fruit

Tony understood that this was the Flowing Armament Haki, which contained the concept of "flow." After Haki envelops the entire body, parts of the body can be refined to an extreme degree, allowing for external release or attacking the internal parts of a target.

The Haki system was divided into four levels:

Beginner Level: This was the basic level of Armament Haki, as shown by Rayleigh, which covered the body like steel, making the user nearly invulnerable.

Intermediate Level: This was the perfected stage, where the user wraps their entire body or limbs in Haki, greatly boosting both offensive and defensive capabilities, as seen with Marine undercover officer Vergo, who utilized Haki to enhance his power.

Advanced Level: At this level, the user could bypass the external defenses of their opponent and directly attack the body's internal organs. High-ranking officers of the Marines, such as Admirals, are at this stage. During the Marineford War, the three Admirals used this level of Armament Haki to block Whitebeard's attacks.

Ultimate Level: This is a rare level, possessed only by the greatest of the great in the world, like Roger, Rayleigh, Garp, and Sengoku. This level doesn't require any visible effort to activate; every movement is naturally imbued with Haki, and it can even harm Devil Fruit users without touching them.

Having a mentor like Rayleigh, who could teach him Haki firsthand, was truly the luckiest thing that had ever happened to Tony since arriving in the pirate world.

The Giant Ape, its eyes bloodshot with fury, slowly got back on its feet, determined to rip Rayleigh apart. It muttered some unintelligible words in a primal language.

"Whoa!"

With a roar, the Giant Ape charged towards Rayleigh in a frenzied rush.

"Tony, both Armament Haki and Observation Haki are the most common forms of Haki on the Grand Line, but there are a very few people in this world who can use another type of Haki. Watch closely..."

Rayleigh fixed his sharp gaze on the approaching, enraged Giant Ape.

A faint aura began to form around Rayleigh, and in an instant, it exploded outward, creating a vast pressure that spread in all directions.

The terrifying aura made the Giant Ape stop dead in its tracks about five meters away, sweat dripping from its body as it looked at Rayleigh in fear.

With a thud, it collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Tony's mouth fell open in shock. Even though he knew the power of Conqueror's Haki, he couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the visual spectacle. His body instinctively reacted with a shiver.

This wasn't a trick… in the world of pirates, humans could really intimidate such massive beasts.

Rayleigh turned around and patted Tony with a smile.

"This is the power of intimidation—Conqueror's Haki. Most of the world's most famous figures possess this power."

"However, even though you can master Conqueror's Haki, it cannot be honed through training. It depends entirely on the user's spirit, and it can only be strengthened by the user's personal growth."

Conqueror's Haki…

An extremely rare ability, only found in one in a million people.

It can only be awakened when the person reaches a certain state or opportunity.

"That's amazing! When will I awaken my Conqueror's Haki... or do I even have the potential?"

Tony muttered to himself.

Rayleigh saw through Tony's thoughts and encouraged him from the side.

"Don't worry, you're the disciple I believe in. How could you not have the potential?"

"But first, mastering Armament Haki and Observation Haki is the most important."

"Now, try applying the basic use of Haki."

Tony didn't hesitate. To him, as a beginner, there was nothing to be concerned about—he had nothing to lose.

He slowly closed his eyes and clenched his fists, imagining Rayleigh's movements from earlier... His mind was resolute as he focused on manifesting his Armament Haki.

Around 30 seconds passed.

Boom! Tony's body instinctively ignited with flames.

A layer of indestructible black armor slowly enveloped his fists, extending all the way to his wrists.

Rayleigh couldn't help but exclaim.

"What's this?!"

Hearing Rayleigh's exclamation, Tony relaxed and opened his eyes, causing the black armor to vanish in an instant.

Rayleigh, his forehead covered in a light sheen of sweat, couldn't suppress a mysterious smile.

Inside, he was deeply shocked.

Rayleigh had planned to spend two years teaching Tony how to master Haki, but now, to his surprise, Tony might not need anywhere near that long...

In one try, a complete beginner was able to manifest Armament Haki—although briefly. This talent was nothing short of extraordinary!

When Rayleigh first learned Armament Haki, he had spent five days and nights researching before he could even begin to grasp it.

Without a doubt, Tony had one of the rarest talents in the world when it came to Armament Haki—he could even be considered a genius!

Tony, looking confused, stared at his mentor.

"Master! What's wrong?"

Since Tony hadn't even realized he had manifested Armament Haki, he was puzzled by Rayleigh's expression.

"Oh? Nothing!"

Rayleigh cleared his throat twice and didn't explain further. He didn't want Tony to become overconfident too early.

After all…

 No matter how great his talent was, Tony still needed a mentor's guidance to reach his full potential.

For now, the training of Armament Haki could be set aside... As Tony's body grew stronger, his ability to maintain the Armament Haki would naturally improve. At that time, he would realize it himself.

Rayleigh quickly moved on to the next stage—training Tony in Observation Haki

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T/N:

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