Between Two Worlds: Nen and Haki

"Sengoku!!"

Sengoku, who had just arrived at Crescent Harbor and was about to leap onto the nearest warship, suddenly heard a loud shout from behind.

"Tsuru?" The familiar voice caused Sengoku to pause. He quickly turned his head toward the source.

She was rushing toward him.

As she reached him, Tsuru looked at Sengoku, whose face was a mask of fury and grief. She couldn't help but sigh. "Sengoku, don't forget your status!"

"My status?"

Sengoku's fists were clenched so tightly that his fingernails dug into his palms, drawing blood.

He knew his status, of course.

He knew his duty as the Fleet Admiral of the Marines better than anyone.

But...

"Why did it have to end like this? Garp..." His nose wrinkled as a wave of sorrow hit him. Finally unable to hold it back, the old man fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face.

The high-ranking officers of the Marines all kept a Vivre Card on file, watched over by specialized personnel.

Likewise, whenever these cards showed an abnormality, it would be reported immediately to the Fleet Admiral.

This was the source of Sengoku's breakdown.

Just moments ago, he had been informed that Garp's Vivre Card had burned away completely.

His best friend was dead.

This news made it impossible even for a man like Sengoku to maintain his composure.

If Tsuru hadn't appeared, he would likely be on a warship right now, heading out to sea to avenge his friend.

"I know. I understand. But we cannot let anger cloud our judgment. I don't think Garp would want to see us like this either..."

Tsuru sighed again, her own eyes brimming with tears. She stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, as if to comfort him, or perhaps to comfort herself.

As the Great Staff Officer of the Marines.

Just as Tsuru had arrived in time to stop Sengoku, she had also learned the news of Garp's Vivre Card at the same moment.

Garp's death naturally caused her immense grief and filled her with rage.

However, her feminine intuition and nature allowed her to remain rational, unlike Sengoku.

Whether Garp's death was caused by that Three-Eye Zane or some other circumstance.

If they wanted revenge, they had to gather detailed intelligence first.

"Vice Admiral Tsuru! We've made contact with the warship from Vice Admiral Garp's location!"

At that moment, a female officer ran up hurriedly, holding a connected Transponder Snail.

Tsuru quickly turned around and took the snail.

Sengoku also jerked his head up, staring at the Transponder Snail.

'Could it be that something went wrong with the Vivre Card itself, causing it to burn out?'

"This is Tsuru. What is the situation on your end? Garp..."

"Vice Admiral Tsuru... Vice Admiral Garp has been murdered by Three-Eye Zane..."

As Tsuru asked her urgent question, the Transponder Snail immediately mimicked a face streaming with tears of grief, delivering the final, devastating news.

The bodies of both Tsuru and Sengoku froze.

The last shred of hope was shattered.

Sengoku lowered his head, his shoulders trembling as his tears dripped steadily onto the ground beneath him.

Tsuru bit her lip until it bled, using the pain to stabilize her mental state.

"Tell me the specific details," Tsuru said in a low, heavy voice. "How... how exactly was Garp killed?"

Soon, Garp's subordinate on the other end gave a rough summary of the events.

This included the clash between Zane and Garp, their sudden disappearance, Zane's reappearance alone, and the final words he had left behind.

"ZANE!!!"

A low, uncontrollable roar of fury erupted from Sengoku.

BOOM!!!

The height of his emotion was accompanied by an explosion of out-of-control Conqueror's Haki.

Leaping black lightning filled the sky over Marineford. Under the pressure of the powerful Conqueror's Haki, countless people rolled their eyes and collapsed unconscious.

Even the Transponder Snail in Tsuru's hand could not withstand the shock of the Haki and the connection abruptly cut out.

*

*

*

Peaceful days always seemed to pass quickly.

In the blink of an eye.

Several days had already passed since Garp's death.

"Captain, here is today's newspaper. There is still no report about Garp's death, and there is no news about you either."

Inside the private training room.

Baby 5 entered with the freshly bought newspaper. She handed it to Zane while giving a brief summary of the contents.

Punch after punch.

Baby 5's appearance did not cause Zane to stop his training.

Or rather, since her report didn't contain any news worth noting, it wasn't enough to make him stop.

"Put the paper aside for now. I'll look at it later!"

His fists continued to rain down on the alloy punch target as Zane gave his instructions.

Baby 5 obediently placed the newspaper aside, then went to the locker room to change into light clothing to begin her own training.

Under the guidance of her favorite Captain, she had now successfully awakened Armament Haki.

But that wasn't enough. To earn even more of the Captain's love, she had to go a step further and awaken Observation Haki as well.

Only then could she ensure that she wouldn't be overtaken by that wicked woman, Nico Robin.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The arrival of the newspaper didn't affect Zane's training state in the slightest.

The speed at which his fists hit the alloy punch target grew faster and faster.

Zane's eyes also grew brighter and brighter.

It was visible that both of his fists were enveloped in a certain amount of Nen aura and Armament Haki.

Moreover, as he continued to punch, the vibrations of the alloy punch target became more and more intense.

Until they reached a certain peak.

CREAK!!

With another punch, when Zane's fist struck the alloy punch target, the metal let out a groan unlike any before.

Zane's fist had actually embedded itself into the alloy, leaving a clear and distinct deep fist print.

"It worked!"

Seeing the fist print appear, Zane stopped his movements, and a look of joy naturally surfaced in his eyes.

He looked down at his fists.

He had deliberately controlled a small amount of Nen aura and Armament Haki to wrap around them.

But unlike before.

At this moment, the Nen aura and Armament Haki were no longer running in parallel; instead, they had fused into one, perfectly converging into a dark-gold luster.

Nen aura and Armament Haki, two into one.

This was exactly the fusion of the two energies that Zane had been pursuing ever since he opened his aura nodes and awakened his Nen.

A foundational breakthrough!

Obtaining Garp's techniques brought Zane benefits that were far beyond a simple increase in skill.

It allowed him to break through a critical barrier in terms of technical application.

In the past, the reason Nen aura and Armament Haki could not be fused was clearly not because the two powers were truly incompatible, but because Zane's own mastery was insufficient.

Now.

Using Garp's techniques as a medium.

Whether it was Armament Haki or Nen, Zane had stepped onto a new level, successfully allowing the two to complete the final step of fusion.

What did the fusion of Nen and Armament Haki bring?

One only had to look at the alloy punch target.

While controlling the same amount of Nen and Armament Haki.

When the two energies were merely parallel, Zane's fists could not leave a mark on the alloy target.

But with the two energies fused, a single punch had left a deep impression.

The difference between the two was enough to fully prove the power boost brought by the fusion.

'Garp, oh Garp!'

'Why did you have to go through the trouble?'

'Now look at you. Not only did you lose your life, but you've also allowed my strength to increase further.'

'How embarrassing.'

The corners of Zane's mouth curled up, and he happily resumed his punching practice.

The Nen aura and Armament Haki had only just completed their fusion; he still needed to properly consolidate it.

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