Chapter 164: [164] : [BONUS] – Luffy’s Haōshoku Coating Training! Brook! Loading the Revive-Revive Fruit!

~ Thank You for 2,700 Powerstones, Here’s Your Bonus Chapter!

~ 18 Advanced Chapters Available on my Patreon

<><><><><><><><>

3rd Chapter today, Thank you for your everyday support 🙂

<><><><><><><><>

After setting sail, under Nami’s command, the Going Merry headed towards its next destination: the Florian Triangle.

During the voyage, Rowen began preparations for the impending Summit War—by putting his three main combatants—Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji—to demonic training!

Using his Haōshoku Coating, he frequently beat all three of them into unconsciousness.

Sanji, having awakened his Modified Exoskeleton and fully gained its regenerative abilities, could now endure this brutal training regimen.

This training method left even Franky, who prided himself on being a ’pervert’, completely dumbfounded.

IT WAS TOO SAVAGE!

But after repeatedly being knocked out and waking up, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji, empowered by their own Traits, grew stronger at a rapid pace.

Luffy, especially, by digesting the ’Desire for Liberation’ and the spiritual power directly infused by Rowen, was improving incredibly quickly—

In his Gear Fourth, he had even developed a new form beyond the initial Boundman—Snake Man!

Boundman form showcased the raw power of his rubber body, while Snake Man showcased its speed.

Against different opponents, Luffy could now switch forms accordingly.

Against power-type enemies, use Boundman. Against speed-type enemies, use Snake Man.

However, Rowen’s main focus wasn’t on Luffy’s Devil Fruit progress.

The Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Nika, though hailed as the Strongest Devil Fruit, even with Rowen directly infusing ’Desire for Liberation’, Awakening it in a short time was still nearly impossible.

The ’Desire for Liberation’ accumulated from the first half of the Grand Line was insufficient for a full Awakening.

The desire infused into Luffy on Skypiea was almost completely digested; it was enough to bring Luffy’s Devil Fruit abilities to the level he possessed when he first clashed with Kaido in Wano, but that was the limit for now.

To achieve Awakening, far more ’Desire for Liberation’ was needed.

But even with just the digested desire, Luffy reaching the level of a top-tier Yonko Commander was no problem.

And to ascend to the Admiral-level—since his Devil Fruit couldn’t get him there yet—HE HAD TO RELY ON HAKI!

Luffy’s Conqueror’s Haki was already very close to the Deep Gold tier. He just needed one final push to begin grasping Haōshoku Coating and using it for preliminary attacks.

Rowen even directly demonstrated how to use Armament Haki – Ryūō.

Surprisingly, Luffy mastered it incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, he understood how to use Ryūō.

This made Rowen laugh. ’I really am the Strongest Mentor!’

But then Rowen noticed something was amiss—Zoro and Sanji also mastered Ryūō’s usage very quickly.

Only then did Rowen realize…

Ryūō was essentially the flow of Armament Haki, allowing direct internal attacks.

Making Haki flow was the key to mastering this power.

But Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji had already experienced this Haki flow countless times during their ’Demonic training’.

Rowen’s Haōshoku Coating had directly infused spiritual power into their bodies; they had experienced the ’FLOW’ of Haki with their entire beings!

Combined with the fact that their Haki strength was now sufficient, mastering Ryūō quickly was natural—

—Rowen, far from feeling this was wrong, felt even more confirmed in his ’Strongest Mentor’ status.

This training method—no one else could replicate it.

It required the spiritual channel established between comrades for him to perfectly infuse spiritual power into their bodies for them to digest.

This was a training method unique to Rowen on these seas.

Calling himself the ’Strongest Mentor’ was well-deserved.

And since Luffy had been repeatedly struck by his Haōshoku Coating, experiencing the flow of Conqueror’s Haki with his entire being—the intelligence enhancement from Rowen’s Human-Human Fruit led him to a conclusion:

The moment Luffy’s Conqueror’s Haki reached Deep Gold tier, he would instantly grasp how to use Haōshoku Coating!

With this realization, Rowen began even more frenziedly infusing spiritual power into Luffy. ’At the Summit War, even if Luffy can’t pull out Gear Fifth, he better at least show off some Haōshoku Coating to make me look good!’

<><><><><><><><>

Luffy, hearing he could soon master Haōshoku Coating, was also incredibly excited. He had seen its terrifying power firsthand from Rowen.

This was a fearsome power only a handful of people on the seas could master!

Mastering this power would qualify him to challenge the Four Emperors.

Rowen had said it!

The Four Emperor positions—they would take two, one for each of them!

Become the only Dual-Emperor crew on the seas!

For that, he couldn’t fall behind. He had to get stronger with all his might!

Now, on the verge of mastering Haōshoku Coating, Luffy trained with insane dedication.

Zoro was also pushing himself even harder; though his Haki lagged behind Luffy’s, he wasn’t far from preliminarily grasping Haōshoku Coating either.

Once he did, he too would join the ranks of the truly strong on the seas, one step closer to becoming the World’s Greatest Swordsman!

Sanji, however, looked like he’d just sucked on a lemon, utterly sour.

He… didn’t have Conqueror’s Haki…

Watching that moss-head madly dashing towards mastering Haōshoku Coating, Sanji also felt a sense of urgency—

Fortunately, Rowen had already told him he’d get him Conqueror’s Haki soon enough.

This motivated Sanji to train diligently while also constantly preparing more delicious meals tailored to Rowen’s tastes. ’Is this flattery? NO! THIS IS SOCIAL GRACE!!’

<><><><><><><><>

While helping the main three combatants grow, Rowen hadn’t neglected the others. He continued infusing spiritual power, helping them grow stronger.

As for Franky, Rowen didn’t need any of his Traits. And because Franky was a cyborg, his body modified into an inhuman structure, mastering Armament Haki—the fusion of spiritual power and physical energy—was nearly impossible for him.

Franky could only get stronger by further modifying himself. And with Rowen’s Munch-Munch Fruit, he was Franky’s best assistant.

As for constructing the Giant robot, General Franky—Rowen wasn’t worried. Though he had taken the Munch-Munch Fruit, preventing the original Wapometal from being created… Rowen, with his Human-Human Fruit enhanced intellect, could easily deduce the synthesis method for such a metal, given the existing information.

Soon, Wapometal—or rather, ’Sky Sovereign Alloy’ as Rowen now called it—was created using the Munch-Munch Fruit. With this new alloy, Franky also began contemplating how to get stronger—

—The atmosphere of constant improvement on the Merry was infectious. Having become a comrade of this crew, Franky truly saw them as his own family. Getting stronger for his family—was a pervert’s romance!

Vivi was constantly training her Haki and Sand-Sand Fruit abilities.

Robin was doing the same, training her Flower-Flower Fruit and Haki. Robin now had a new dream: To contribute more to Rowen’s cause.

For that, Robin also needed greater strength.

As for Chopper, Usopp, and Nami—due to their innate timidity, awakening Haki was a distant prospect.

But Chopper’s Human-Human Fruit—thanks to Rowen directly infusing the ’Desire for Awakening’ into him, only needed to be fully assimilated to Awaken. Now, Chopper could use his Giant Point without losing consciousness, significantly boosting his combat power.

Usopp was constantly honing his sniping skills and discussing new, powerful weapon designs with Franky.

Nami continued studying meteorology; with her Climate Sense and climate weapon, the deeper her knowledge, the stronger she became.

Amidst this diligent training, the Going Merry sailed into a mysterious sea area…

The Florian Triangle.

Also known as the ’Dark Sea’, perpetually shrouded in dim, eerie black clouds, devoid of sunlight, with no sense of direction. As a mandatory route on the Grand Line, hundreds of ships vanished here every year.

<><><><><><><><>

“This eerie feeling… Why do we have to pass through here to get to the next island?” Nami shivered, looking at her Log Pose.

“The next island after this is Sabaody Archipelago. Reaching there means we’ve completed the first half of the Grand Line. After that—is the New World,” Rowen replied with a smile.

After entering the Grand Line, there were seven possible routes. They had chosen the route starting from Alabasta. After the Florian Triangle, all seven routes converged.

Meaning, regardless of the initial route chosen, every crew had to pass through the Florian Triangle to reach Sabaody Archipelago. This was why the Florian Triangle was a mandatory passage on the Grand Line.

“The New World… Can’t wait!” Luffy grinned.

“But first, we have to get through here…” Nami murmured, studying her Log Pose, then using her Climate Sense to perceive the wind and currents, planning their route.

“My Observation Haki is being affected in this sea area—” Zoro and Sanji commented, their expressions grim.

“It is a marvel of the Grand Line, after all. This is where we rely on our navigator,” Rowen smiled towards Nami.

Nami instantly puffed out her chest proudly.

“So gloomy… Maybe ghosts will appear and tear us to pieces,” Robin mused, rubbing her chin, habitually saying something terrifying.

“D-Don’t say such scary things, Robin!” Usopp cried, tears welling up in his eyes.

“GYAAH! Are there ghosts?!” Chopper shrieked, burying his face in Rowen’s chest.

“No ghosts… however…” Rowen commented, stroking Chopper’s adorable fur, then looked out into the distance.

“Yohohoho~ Yohohoho~”

“Deliver Binks’s Brew~ To your side we sail~”

“Like the sea breeze, free as can be~ Riding the waves, wild and free~”

Accompanied by a lilting melody, a dilapidated pirate ship slowly emerged from the mist, heading towards the Going Merry.

“Someone’s singing? A-And that’s a pirate ship?” Nami’s eyes widened in fear, and she instinctively grabbed Rowen. In this environment, a sudden song and the appearance of a pirate ship were too bizarre.

The others also grew wary.

As the pirate ship drew closer through the mist, they finally got a clear view of the situation on board.

A skeleton with an afro, dressed in a smart suit, sat at a rickety wooden table, elegantly sipping black tea—His jawbone moved up and down as he sang the widely known pirate shanty, ’Binks’s Brew’.

Everyone except Rowen stared, completely dumbfounded.

A singing… SKELETON???

“Yohohoho! A pirate ship I’ve never seen before! How delightful!” Brook let out his signature laugh, his joy overflowing.

“KYAAAAAAAAA! A GHOST!!!” Nami shrieked, instantly swinging her Clima-Tact, summoning thunderclouds from the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.

“Kyaa!” Vivi also jumped in fright, seeing Nami attack, and subconsciously activated her Sand-Sand Fruit power.

BOOM!

WHOOSH!

Terrifying lightning and a violent sandstorm hurtled towards the bewildered Brook.

CRACK! THUD!

A distorted Air Door materialized, swallowing both Nami’s and Vivi’s attacks whole!

The combined power of the Door-Door and Munch-Munch Fruits—Kamui!

“Calm down. He’s not an enemy,” Rowen chuckled helplessly.

Nami and Vivi were still just eighteen-year-old girls—a living skeleton was too shocking for them.

“D-Devil Fruit abilities?? A Logia?? Y-You scared the wits out of me! Ah… though I have no wits, just a pile of bones. YOHOHOHOHO!” Brook yelped, frantically patting his own ribcage, yet still cracking his signature skeleton jokes.

“Devil Fruit?” Hearing the familiar term, Nami and Vivi instantly relaxed.

If he knew about Devil Fruits and feared their power, he probably wasn’t some evil spirit—and with Rowen’s reassurance, the crew now looked at the skeleton with more curiosity than fear.

“Thank you so much for saving me! Otherwise, this pile of bones would surely have scattered!” Brook bowed politely to Rowen.

This gesture made Nami and Vivi blush slightly with embarrassment. They had launched the attacks, yet he was thanking them…

“By the way! Where is this ghost you spoke of?? Such a scary thing—I’ve lived here for so many years and never seen one!” Brook looked around fearfully.

“Hm??” Brook sensed something was off, seeing everyone staring at him.

“YOU DON’T MEAN… ME, DO YOU???” Brook pointed at himself, utterly shocked.

“OF COURSE IT’S YOU!” Chopper and Usopp roared in unison, transforming into their sharp-toothed angry states.

“Shishishi! You’re really interesting! Be my comrade!” Luffy, his curiosity piqued again, instantly extended an invitation to Brook.

“Alright—” Brook smiled.

“OI!” Everyone except Rowen stared, shocked.

One asked, the other agreed, just like that!

“However, I cannot leave this place right now,” Brook said, having come aboard the Merry.

Though surrounded by beautiful ladies, Brook refrained from his usual flirtatious lines. Those earlier attacks had frightened him; angering these beautiful ladies might genuinely get him killed. He had died once already—he had no desire to die again.

“Can’t leave? Why?” The crew looked curious.

“Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Brook. I’m a musician,” Brook introduced himself politely.

“Brook? That name sounds familiar,” Sanji mused, rubbing his chin.

“Hm? Who?” Zoro didn’t remember the name at all.

“Brook of the Rumbar Pirates, perhaps,” Rowen interjected with a smile.

“EH????”

Hearing Rowen’s words, everyone, including Brook himself, cried out in shock. Zoro and Sanji also stared wide-eyed.

“Y-You… how do you know about me?” Brook stammered, shocked.

“The Rumbar Pirates?? The crew Laboon has been waiting for?!” Nami murmured.

“LABOON? WHO’S THAT?” Franky, having just joined, had no idea.

Robin and Chopper, though they hadn’t met Laboon, had heard Nami and the others tell his story during their voyage.

“Laboon?! You’ve seen Laboon?! Is-Is he alright?” Brook asked, his voice filled with overwhelming emotion.

“Shishishi! Laboon has grown as big as an island now! He’s been waiting for you at Twin Capes all this time!” Luffy grinned.

He didn’t mention Laboon ramming the Red Line and them having to stop him. Knowing his friends were safe was enough.

“That’s wonderful… He’s doing well… That’s… That’s truly wonderful!” Brook looked up at the sky, tears streaming down his skeletal face.

——

—[Using Laboon and Brook’s bond as a conduit — Loading Revive-Revive Fruit Trait.]—

—[Revive-Revive Fruit—Equipping Complete!]—

<><><><><><><><>

~ 18 Advanced Chapters Available on my Patreon!

https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx

(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)

<><><><><><><><>

~# Keep the Chapters coming — Support with Power Stones!

~# Every 300 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep