At The Peak of One Piece

That afternoon, Victor reported to Kouzaburou, bringing some zebra donkey meat for the old man to try. 

In the following days, Victor's life regained its rhythm. He rarely sought guidance from Koushirou now—only for major breakthroughs requiring explanation. Having found the "key," Victor could push forward on his own. Minor questions weren't worth asking; he was tired of endless "Sword Comprehension." 

Victor had already deciphered the next realm through his own "Sword Comprehension." All the talk boiled down to gathering sword aura and releasing it—becoming a swordsmaster capable of Flying Slashes. 

"Sword Energy"? The name felt underwhelming. It was simply an upgraded version of sword aura. Victor dubbed it "Aura Slash"—sword aura condensed and projected from the blade under intense willpower. 

Progress in this realm meant increasing the 'volume' of sword aura, its 'density', the 'range' of Sword Energy after condensation, the 'strength of will' required to unleash it, and the 'number' of slashes possible. A small Sword Energy could fell trees; a massive one, like Mihawk's, could cleave icebergs or shatter meteors—the gap was vast. 

Victor understood this realm focused on extending sword aura. There were no bottlenecks—just steady progression. He couldn't neglect physical training, the foundation of strength. Observation Haki and swordsmanship formed his dual approach to offense and evasion, both equally essential. 

In his spare time, Victor smithed, spent time with Kuina, prepared high-essence food from the Mysterious Island to improve her physique, and urged her to run. 

Victor ran alongside her—though he did it blindfolded while carrying a small mountain of stones. Inspired by Fujitora, he'd begun living with covered eyes, finding it sharpened his Observation Haki perception. 

Three months flew by. Kouzaburou had nothing left to teach. Victor mastered all his swordsmithing techniques and metal identification skills, aided by his photographic memory. 

Using the island's finest materials, Victor forged a slender longsword with intricate patterns and fittings. Limited by resources, he could only craft it to the level of a Skillful Grade Sword. He returned to Lyep Island with the blade. 

This time, Victor didn't take a ship. He traveled solely with Geppo, resting on boats or islands he encountered along the way—and eliminating any pirates he met before resuming his journey. 

Devil Fruits remained elusive. Victor stayed vigilant, but none appeared; they were pitifully scarce in the East Blue. Canonically, few Devil Fruit users emerged here: Monkey D. Luffy's Gum-Gum Fruit was brought by Shanks; Buggy the Clown ate his Chop-Chop Fruit on Roger's ship; Smoker's Smoke-Smoke Fruit origin was unclear. Only Alvida's Smooth-Smooth Fruit and Ace's Flame-Flame Fruit were confirmed found in the East Blue—plus the Zoan fruit of the man who killed Victor's parents. Truly scarce. The East Blue's peace owed much to this rarity. 

Back on Lyep Island, Victor gifted the sword to Rebecca. She was overjoyed. While the blade length matched her old store-bought sword, the hilt, guard, decorations, and finish were exquisitely refined. Rebecca adored it. 

Victor instructed her to master the blade swiftly—it would be her constant companion until better materials were found. 

After a brief stay, Victor returned to Shimotsuki Village to continue his swordsmanship journey. 

Back at the dojo, Victor entered Koushirou's meditation room. As always, Koushirou sat rooted to the floor, seemingly one with the ground. Victor sat opposite him. 

"Master," Victor asked, "Am I ready to learn Armament Haki?" 

After a pause, Koushirou refocused and replied, "With your physical prowess? Absolutely."

"Then, Sensei, can you teach me?" Victor pressed. 

"Of course I can teach you," Koushirou replied calmly. "But my method is difficult and time-consuming. When I awakened Armament Haki, what I unlocked was its advanced application—Ryou." 

"For me, awakening and flow were learned simultaneously. Until you grasp Ryou, your Armament Haki won't be usable for attack or defense—it won't even count as 'awakened.' It requires long-term accumulation and study." 

"This is the method from my homeland. It takes years even for the talented. It's unsystematic and heavily reliant on innate ability. Those without talent may never awaken it in their lifetime. Do you still want to learn?" 

Victor fell silent, processing the explanation. 

Koushirou's approach was like learning advanced mathematics before basic arithmetic—skipping fundamentals to dive straight into the deep end. In Wano, warriors trained this way, but they were often older, seasoned fighters. If Victor already had a foundation in basic Armament Haki, mastering Ryuo would be faster. 

But Victor wasn't interested in years of secluded training. He planned to join the Marines, to immerse himself in the era's chaos. Without Armament Haki, he'd be defenseless against Logia users. 

While he trusted his talent, talent alone wasn't enough—understanding took time. 

Outside Wano, Armament Haki training was two-stage: 

1. Awakening the Haki. 

2. Learning to flow it. 

But Koushirou's method merged both steps, making it far more abstract. "How do I flow something I haven't even awakened yet?" 

Victor wasn't foolish enough to abandon the Marines' systematic training for this cryptic approach. 

"Sensei, could you at least explain the method? I'd like to hear it," Victor finally said. 

Koushirou sighed. "I don't recommend it, but I'll share it for reference." 

"Haki is a latent power within everyone. You must ask your heart: Where does this strength hide? When your heart answers, you'll find it. Stir it to life, and you'll wield limitless power." 

"…That's it?" 

"That's it." 

"My father taught me the same way. Now it's your turn to comprehend." 

Victor was stunned. That's it?! No techniques? No guidance? Just… poetry? 

No wonder Zoro later sought out Mihawk. Talent alone couldn't compensate for terrible teaching methods. 

As Victor left the dojo, frustration simmered. 

"Guess I'm putting all my hopes on the Marines. This 'lesson' was useless." 

With no clear path forward for Armament Haki, Victor shelved the issue. Refining what he already had was enough. 

And so, his disciplined routine resumed.