One Piece: Heaven-Defying Talent

"Does this guy consider me just a sparring partner?" Virgo's face darkened; it was the first time he had been so underestimated.

He no longer wanted to be just a training partner, and at that moment, his Armament Haki shifted. What was once dark as ink now pulsed with pink energy.

"Is this… Emission?" Koby observed the change in Virgo's Haki, his expression instantly tense.

Emission-state Armament Haki has the power to destroy from within. If hit by such Haki, even Koby could suffer severe injuries, potentially fatal.

Considering using the Shock Fruit's power, Koby hesitated. But the next moment, he dismissed the thought. In this era, there's always someone stronger. Relying on a Devil Fruit alone would never make him a true expert.

This time, he vowed not to use his fruit powers.

Clenching Luobai in his hand, Koby let out a roar and charged at Virgo. Virgo's ghost stick, now imbued with the pink Emission Haki, floated like withered sakura petals around him.

Seeing an opening, Virgo combined his Armament and Observation Haki, his ghost stick in his left hand colliding with Koby's Luobai. Koby felt a powerful force; his weapon nearly flew from his grasp. Yet, thanks to his resilient, flexible physique, he absorbed the impact and tightened his grip on Luobai.

Virgo was taken aback. He hadn't expected Koby to block that move.

"Then how about this one?" Virgo muttered, thrusting his ghost stick at Koby's chest. This time, Koby didn't dodge, facing the attack head-on.

Boom!

Koby spat blood, hurtling backward. His internal organs throbbed in sharp pain, severely injured. Struggling to move, his body felt on the verge of breaking apart.

"You can still move? What an incredible physique," Virgo thought, impressed. His Emission-state Haki should penetrate surface defenses and impact internal organs. If the opponent lacked Emission Haki protection, his insides would be shattered. Yet Koby was still mobile—truly remarkable.

Virgo strode toward Koby, his ghost stick aimed at Koby's throat. One strike, and it would be over.

Pausing, Virgo asked, "I know you possess the Shock Fruit's power. Why won't you use it? With that, you might survive."

Koby glared at Virgo. "Against you, I don't need the fruit's power."

"Then die." Virgo sneered, lowering his stick toward Koby's throat.

In that instant, Koby sensed the threat of death. Forgetting everything else—Haki, the fruit's power—he focused solely on Virgo's attack, foreseeing his own demise.

Yet, in that moment, he found clarity. As the ghost stick bore down, he instinctively tilted his head, dodging. He repeated this process, avoiding death in a dozen different scenarios until he finally foresaw his path to survival.

In a flash, he seized Virgo's ghost stick with his right hand.

"Courting death," Virgo sneered. His weapon, made of seastone, should nullify the strength of Devil Fruit users like Koby.

Virgo pushed down hard, but Koby redirected the stick with a burst of true strength, causing it to land beside his neck instead.

Virgo was shocked. How had Koby done that? And what was that unfamiliar power?

Dodging Virgo's strike, Koby suddenly kicked him, catching Virgo off guard and sending him reeling.

Breathing heavily, Koby sat up, his eyes sharp and focused.

Virgo glanced at his chest, astonished. This kid actually landed a hit on him?

Angered, Virgo lunged forward, aiming his ghost stick at Koby's heart. Koby blocked with Luobai, but it was a feint. Virgo's true target was his throat.

Snap!

The powerful Emission Haki shattered Koby's defense, injuring him. Clutching his throat, Koby struggled for air.

But as he recovered, he realized something incredible. He had foreseen his own death, and Virgo's strike had aimed directly at his throat.

Once again, Koby blocked Virgo's attack, defending his throat with one hand. But in an instant, Virgo shifted his target, aiming at Koby's lower body.

Another crack, and Koby found himself dodging in time, narrowly escaping each deadly attack. He had envisioned and evaded dozens of outcomes, predicting the blows with incredible precision.

Finally, Koby distanced himself, catching his breath.

"Hmm? He dodged?" Virgo retracted his ghost stick, staring at Koby. Was his lethal blow somehow evaded?

Could he have been fooled?

Koby, too, stared at Virgo. He knew his Observation Haki had finally broken through, reaching a level that allowed him to predict the future.

Haki only evolves in life-and-death struggles. And now, having achieved this level, he would use Virgo to refine his abilities, fully consolidating his Observation Haki.

As Virgo continued to advance, Koby kept retreating, his Observation Haki vividly depicting each potential move. In Koby's mind, they had already fought hundreds of battles without landing a single blow.

[•———•——•———•]

𝙥𝗮𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣(.)𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

✨ • 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟲𝟬+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.