One Piece: Start with Zanpakutō

"Is my Blut Arterie (Active Blood Dress) not good enough?"

"Teacher Zephyr."

Seeing Zephyr stare at him in a daze without speaking, Rosen couldn't help but ask.

He thought maybe the Blut Arterie (Active Blood Dress) he'd figured out wasn't quite up to Zephyr's standard answer.

After all, this was a former Admiral known for his strictness — having higher standards was normal.

"No."

"Your Blut Arterie (Active Blood Dress)… is very good."

Could Zephyr say it wasn't?

Since the discovery of Armament Haki more than a thousand years ago, generations of powerful people had only developed four techniques.

And Rosen?

In just two days, he not only mastered the standard four techniques, he even created two new ones!

Most of that time wasn't even spent solely on Armament Haki — he had to learn all the Three Forms of Haki, too.

Even someone as strict as Zephyr couldn't help but sigh internally.

Other students always felt they weren't progressing fast enough.

Only Rosen felt his own progress was too fast.

"Rosen, you have to understand — I'm not a wooden post that'll just stand there and let you hit me."

Zephyr racked his brain, finally steering the topic back to physical training.

"You have the Haki techniques."

"You have both offense and defense."

"So, what do you think you're still missing?"

He stared at Rosen.

"Speed?"

"Wrong."

"Physical skills."

Rosen shook his head, trying to come up with the answer.

"Correct."

"What you lack now is the most basic physical skills."

"Training physical skills not only gives you ways to fight and attack, it also boosts your power, speed, defense, and evasion. At the same time, you strengthen your body overall."

"It's a mutually reinforcing cycle."

Zephyr smiled in relief.

"I remember…"

"The stronger the body, the stronger the physical skills — and the stronger the Haki."

"If you want to stand at the top of the sea, you need not only Haki, but also physical power."

"Old man Garp and I are the best examples."

To highlight the importance of physical skills, he used himself and Garp as direct examples.

"So, we'll have a physical training class this afternoon."

Rosen immediately understood.

He had no resistance at all to physical training.

Who would complain about having too many abilities?

Besides, focusing on only one area wasn't what Rosen wanted. He wanted to be a true all-rounder — a fully maxed-out hexagon warrior.

After all, specializing meant leaving weak spots that could be exploited.

He didn't want to someday lose because of a shortcoming in physical combat.

Besides… It was just one class.

"Good."

Seeing Rosen so open to physical training, Zephyr was truly relieved.

What he feared most was that Rosen might become like Borsalino — heavily biased in one direction.

The only difference: Borsalino focused purely on his Devil Fruit, while Rosen focused on the Three Forms of Haki.

…

After resting in the office until everyone finished eating,

Zephyr called over a military academy instructor to take Gion and Tokikake to the Observation Haki training ground, while he personally took Rosen to a beach near the Naval Academy.

"Next, I will teach you a physical technique called the Rokushiki."

"Finger Gun, Tempest Kick, Iron Body, Shave, Moon Walk, Paper Arts."

"The Rokushiki combine offense, defense, speed, and evasion — they kill enemies and strengthen the body."

"Of course, that's not the most crucial part."

"The most important thing is that after mastering the Rokushiki, you can further master a skill called Seimei Kikan (Life Return). With it, you can infuse your consciousness into every part of your body — even hair and internal organs — allowing complete control."

"Once you master Seimei Kikan (Seimei Kikan (Life Return)), you'll be able to eat two or even several times as much as today and quickly digest and absorb those nutrients."

"Rokushiki tap your potential; Seimei Kikan (Life Return) replenishes your consumption."

"You'll become stronger through training rather than harming your body."

Hearing this, Rosen frowned slightly.

"What's wrong?"

Zephyr immediately noticed Rosen's reaction.

"Well, Teacher Zephyr…"

"Didn't I develop a method for Practicing Haki before?"

"It can increase Haki strength through fighting or training. But that so-called 'training' actually consumes my body's energy and nutrients from food to boost my Three Forms of Haki."

Rosen spread his hands:

"In other words, apart from the nutrition needed to maintain my body, everything else is fed to the Three Forms of Haki."

"If I start physical training now, my body will need those nutrients first to recover from the exercise."

"In that case, the progress of my Haki Practice will slow down. It's not that I doubt Seimei Kikan (Life Return)… but can it really satisfy both Haki and body strengthening at the same time?"

The Practice of the Haki Seeds required nutrients; they didn't just grow stronger out of thin air.

But he only had one mouth and one stomach — he couldn't simultaneously feed both his body and the Haki Seeds.

"Well…"

"How about you try practicing the Rokushiki first?"

"Perhaps the digestion and absorption boost from Seimei Kikan (Life Return) will be enough to supply both Haki and physical training?"

Hearing this, Zephyr frowned deeply.

In past cases, as long as students mastered Seimei Kikan (Life Return), four meals a day were usually enough to support both physical training and Haki growth.

Even Borsalino, Sakazuki, and Kuzan had been able to manage.

But Rosen was different.

He had developed the Haki Core and directly planted the Three Forms of Haki into his upper, middle, and lower Cores as Haki Seeds. These Seeds Practiced themselves 24 hours a day, absorbing nutrients like mad.

Rosen already understood this clearly while eating earlier.

The Haki Seeds Practiced nonstop, every second — not just when he ate.

It was just that when he did eat, the influx of massive nutrients sped up the growth.

"This isn't quite right."

"Sharpening the knife does not delay chopping firewood."

"I think the most urgent task now is to solve the nutrition problem first."

Out of caution, Rosen decided not to jump into practicing the Rokushiki immediately.

It wasn't that he feared not being able to master them or doubted Seimei Kikan (Life Return) itself, but he lacked confidence that it could fully meet the enormous nutrient demands of both the Haki Seeds and his body.

The Haki Seeds practiced nonstop to strengthen Haki. Each Seed alone was like a monstrous powerhouse.

If he added physical training on top of that, his body would also require massive nutritional support, otherwise he'd only harm himself.

"I only have one mouth and one stomach."

"It's impossible to create more mouths and stomachs out of thin air."

"Then I can only think of strengthening the digestive and absorption organs in my body — just like how Luffy uses Armament Haki to strengthen his rubber elasticity."

Once he made up his mind, Rosen sat cross-legged on the beach, ignoring everything around him, and started pondering deeply.

The main point?

Have an unparalleled flash of comprehension before even starting the class.

...

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