Between Two Worlds: Nen and Haki

Boom boom boom!!!

Amidst the violent booming, Sai's body sank further into the earth, collapsing into a massive crater.

Under the continuous pressure of the repelling shockwaves, his skin split and his flesh was flayed open as he let out a shrill scream.

There was no doubt about it.

Although it hadn't been long since Manlong obtained the Repelling Fruit, his strength had already undergone a significant transformation.

This was especially true for his offensive capabilities.

The repelling force, similar to that of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, made his attacks incredibly heavy and oppressive.

Rat-tat-tat-tat...

A metallic storm erupted from Baby 5's arms, which she had transformed into machine guns, firing wildly.

Standing opposite her was Boo.

With Armament Haki coating his entire body and Observation Haki tracking her movements...

Boo did his best to dodge the bullets while struggling to close the distance, hoping to engage her in melee combat.

'He's got some skill, but that's the extent of it!'

Baby 5 sneered inwardly as she observed his movements, having clearly seen through his intentions.

Just as she was preparing to switch to a more powerful naval autocannon, dozens of spears made of mercury suddenly shot toward her.

Danger!

Detecting the incoming attack from the side with his Observation Haki, Boo dodged frantically. Because of this, he was hit by even more bullets and nearly sent flying.

"Big Sis, would you mind leaving this opponent to me?"

Wyper followed the mercury spears onto the scene.

Having intervened in the fight, he made a sincere request to Baby 5.

Baby 5 was initially a bit displeased that her attack had been interrupted, but seeing how sincere Wyper was, she thought about it and nodded. "Fine, then. I'll leave this one to you."

As Zane's close partner, Baby 5 was privy to many secrets.

For instance, she knew that people like Wyper, who had recently been granted Devil Fruits, were candidates for future officer positions—subordinates whom Zane intended to focus on cultivating.

It was just one enemy.

Baby 5 certainly didn't mind cooperating with her captain's plans to train the newcomers.

Seeing that Baby 5 had actually handed the enemy over to him, even a hardened warrior like Wyper couldn't help but quickly express his gratitude.

He had been carefully observing the entire battlefield just now.

Currently, aside from the opponent Brother Manlong was facing, the enemy here was likely the strongest.

Whether it was due to his own personality or the itch to test his new Mercury Fruit powers, Wyper wanted a powerful opponent to temper himself.

"Don't look down on me!"

Seeing Baby 5 turn to leave only to be replaced by someone else, Boo felt deeply insulted.

With a roar, Boo swung his guan dao at Wyper.

"Hmm? Perfect!"

Faced with Boo's assault, Wyper wasn't alarmed; instead, he was delighted.

Bravery was good; the more courageous the enemy, the more they were worth fighting.

"Mercury Fist!"

He threw a punch, and his entire right arm expanded and transformed into flowing liquid mercury, forming a massive fist.

Boom!!!

The guan dao, coated in Armament Haki, slashed into the mercury fist.

The mercury fist was mostly split apart, but it quickly coalesced back together, and the counter-impact sent the caught-off-guard Boo stumbling back.

"...It's toxic?!"

Stumbling to steady himself, Boo was about to charge forward when he suddenly noticed something wrong with his body and hurriedly covered his nose and mouth.

Only then did he realize that the opponent's attack was actually made of mercury.

Which meant...

'Damn it, who are these people? How can they have a Logia user among them?'

As the Vice-Don of the long-established Happo Navy, Boo was young, but he was far from ignorant. He quickly identified that Wyper was very likely a user of the Logia-type Mercury Fruit.

This discovery filled him with even more shock and fury.

Logia users were synonymous with power.

To think that someone who was clearly just a subordinate was a Logia user.

Just how powerful was this faction that had seized the Jewel Ice Sheet?

At this moment, a wave of regret washed over Boo.

If he had known, he should have joined his brother in persuading the old man to return to Flower Country for reinforcements.

"Certainly not simple!"

Wyper didn't know what his opponent was thinking; he only saw that the man had nearly sliced through his Mercury Fist.

This only heightened his fighting spirit as he surged toward his opponent, his body transforming into a jet of mercury.

The Happo Navy naturally consisted of more than just Chinjao, Sai, and Boo.

Among the rest of their forces, there were many other capable officer-level members.

As the two sides clashed, these individuals were quickly sought out by the elites of the Hunting Team.

Whether it was Kamakiri, Roche, or Eddie, who—like Wyper—had only recently obtained their Devil Fruits...

Or former members of Baroque Works like Bones, Bon Kurei, and Galdino...

All of them were eager to perform well, aiming to earn officer positions and generous rewards.

Under the reward system Zane was gradually perfecting, every one of them fought with exceptional aggression and skill.

"It seems there's no need for me to step in!"

Atop a towering iceberg on the coast...

Zane stood straight at the summit, arms crossed, exuding the presence of a true powerhouse.

Overlooking the battle on the coast, he watched his men's performance with great interest.

The frontline members of the Happo Navy were of high quality, certainly superior to the opponents they had faced in the past.

But the Hunting Team was no longer what it once was; their overall strength had also improved significantly.

'But this alone isn't enough to break into the New World!' Zane added silently in his heart.

He wasn't asking them to be invincible the moment they entered, but they at least needed to be able to hold their own.

Currently, in the entire Hunting Team—excluding himself—only Manlong had what it took to stand firm in the New World.

Everyone else, including Baby 5, still had considerable shortcomings.

Especially regarding Haki.

That power was an absolute necessity in the New World.

Without Haki, someone like Baby 5 might look impressive, but she could easily be taken out by certain ability users if she wasn't careful.

They still need more training.

Zane quickly reached his final conclusion.

Before truly venturing into the New World, the Hunting Team needed one more period of consolidation.

*

"Damn, that hurts! What kind of fist style are those guys using? That shockwave nearly finished me off."

"Tsk... So what if they're the Happo Navy? Their weapons are so outdated; they're practically worthless. I guess we can only send them to the recycling room."

"Did you guys see that? I finally learned Tempest Kick! I took down several enemies as soon as I pulled it off."

"What's so special about Tempest Kick? I've already mastered Paper Arts, which is the hardest one."

"For real? Doesn't that mean you've mastered all the Six Powers?"

...

The coastal ice was stained red with blood.

As the battle drew to a close, the victorious Hunting Team began to clear the battlefield.

Those with serious injuries were sent to the temporary tents set up by the medical team for treatment.

Those with light injuries were busy looting spoils from the enemy corpses.

Buoyed by their victory, no one showed any signs of fatigue; instead, they were enthusiastically discussing the battle and boasting about their achievements.

"Based on the casualties this time, I expect it will take at least half a month to stabilize and move on."

On the deck, Nico Robin, acting as Zane's assistant, reported the results of the battle to him as he sat upon his golden throne.