The Next Day, Leroy sat outside on some lawn chairs with Zeke, Arnie, and Freddie. They all ate rice, luncheon meat fried in oil, mixed with eggs and doused in soy sauce and hot sauce in the case of Leroy.
"Mind if we talk?" Zeke asked as he forked shovels of food into his mouth before leaning forward and using an oversized ladle to spoon more into his porcelain bowl from the large pot. Arnite had been the one to cook all their meals.
"Sure…" Leroy said with a sigh. It was 7am. Monday. February 19th, 1726. "You're not angry today. You seem more somber." Zeke questioned.Not looking up to meet the mans gaze.
"Yeah, its just…Today's Kale's Birthday…" His gaze was heavy lidded as he picked at his food. Rolling the clumps of rice over itself.
"You're firstmate and the swordsmen huh?" Leroy nodded in confirmation slowly.
"Does it make you sad that you can't be there with them?" Freddie asked. Cocking a brow as he sipped black coffee, and puffing on a large shoe horn pipe. "A bit. More that, I won't be able to celebrate Azar's birthday when it came up, January 2nd. I was in the coma."
"He was only a few days from his birthday huh?" Arnie asked. Chugging a large tankard of water. Over two gallons sloshing in the glass.
"He'd have been 24. 26 years after Roger Died." Zeke finished off his breakfast and tossed the Plate into the fire. The utensils and dishes were meant to be treated rough like that.
"I was at Rogers Execution." Zeke said bluntly in a reveal that shook Leroy. Immediately he understood how hurtful his words had been before. "Oh…" He said to himself.
"Don't worry about it. But I do understand grief well. More than just loosing a captain. My Bestfriend. I believe in more ways than one. He was my Soulmate. And I loved him." He tumbled his thumbs over each other
"It's okay to feel grief, Leroy. It natural. Even the negative parts of it. We need it." Zeke locked gaze with Leroy.
"Tension. Friction. Push and Pull. Opposition. It makes things go forward. Thats just dialectics, the mechanisms of motion. With out it. We just are. Its why we need friction for walking. Tension for holding." Freddie said.
"Push and Pull of our biceps." Arnie tagged on.
"It matters how you use it. Focus it. Understand it. And be able to not feel the despair when you inevitably feel it." Zeke concluded.
"Yeah…I get it." Leroy wondered. Thinking and pondering the words in his head. It made sense to him. Push and Pull, positive negative. Negative forces can be good in Science. And positive could be bad in the same way. They'll still happen…But…
"If you understand it. Its not about not having them or ignoring them. But navigating and using them. To either use for your benefit or defeat it." Leroy synthesized.
"Well said, Comrade." Freddie said.
Zekes words that followed were the true kicker of it all.
"We are all different people. All through out our lives. We change. Develop. Advance. Grow or Decay. For better or worse, sometimes. And thats okay. We have to keep moving. So long as you remember the person that you used to be, that make you whole now; you can guarantee you become who you want to be."
Those words, Shook Leroy. Tears welling in his eyes as Zeke continued to speak.
"They say a person dies twice. Once when they die. A Second when they are forgotten. But I say it's actually three. When your bodies gone, when you're forgotten. But finally. Most importantly, when everything you built is gone."
"And because Azar helped you. To build you with yourself. And you have chosen to carry him on. Even if you forget him. The very fact you still live, is proof that he is not and will not be forgotten so long as you live."
Leroy accepted those words openly. His cheeks flush, nose stuffed and draining as his eyes puffed. He nodded quickly.
Deep down. He knew that the stage of Anger was Over.
*
*
*
Leroy sat on the ground. Legs crossed as he looked up at Arnie. A corkboard on wheels sat in front of him. A chart of the human body splayed out, pointing to parts of its musculature. There was then another board, this time a Whiteboard with Zeke standing in front of it. Finally, to the left, was Richie with his Chalkboard.
"So you've all got boards? God it feels like im in school again…" He rolls his eyes slightly, a smirk crossing his lips, falling back onto his palms
"Yes. Best way for you to learn what you wanna learn right? You told me that you wanted to get stronger. Arnie is going to cover that. You wanna get smarter and refine your goal, Richie is here for that. And I'm here to give you the tools to achieve both." Zeke pointed from each at either side of him with a pointer.
Leroy nodded. The old him may have cracked a joke or said something to reengage. But that wasn't him anymore.
"Alright. Here's the schedule." Zeke pulled a marker from his pocket and began to write on the board. Marker squeaking against the smooth white surface as the pigment wrote out the words.
"Monday; Fight Training, Weights and Haki Training. You'll be lifting with Arnie, practicing your martial arts, and Primarily doing Training with Haki."
"Tuesday; Rest and Education. This day will be free time and rest while also having Freddie explain politics and other subjects to you, to sharpen your mind."
"Wednesday; Weight Focus and Haki. This is where your lifting will be the focus. Pushing and building your muscles and using that to gauge your Haki from monday."
"Thursday; Rest and Passive Activity. Much like tuesday, you'll be Resting but now it'll be a variety of Activities that happen as they occur. Rather nothing, or Calesthincs, or reading and talking"
"Friday; Haki and Education. A bit of Stuffing, but here is where a lot of the stress testing and pushing you'll be getting. Getting your brain thinking, and your body working. You'll be in the forest fighting."
"Saturday; Cooldown, Minor Exercise, and rehearsal on learned subjects"
"Sunday; Fight Training. You'll be going as far deep into the island as you can and fighting and using everything you learned until you can't any more. Then resting the rest of the day for Monday's Training."
Leroy's mind was reeling a bit. That was a lot to take in but was very understandable. He began to nod his head very quickly "Okay okay okay! So! We starting today? Today is Monday."
"Yes we will be. First. It'll be Arnie, he'll be explaining your training some basics behind Muscles and exercise. Then Richie will explain a bit about the world and politics. Introduction of sorts. Finally, I'll be introduce the basics to Haki. Lets get started."
Quickly. The whiteboards were moved out of the way and Arnie was let putting up a few charts. Pinning them to the corkboard. He had Leroy start doing body weight exercises. Up to a hundred.
"So to begin. Theres an aspect of the body known as Omega Fascia." He pointed to a zoomed in rendition of the muscles and how there was a highlighted connective tissue to the rest of the muscle. Like a spiders web spreading and covering the tissue.
"It is what allows for the body to grow to such an extreme extent and produce the power and strength that can shatter mountains, quake the seas and explode the sky."
Leroy knees creaked as he squatted again and again breathing as he quickly reached a hundred. "Does Haki help with it?" He asked as he got onto his back and began to do situps.
"Haki allows for the fascia to utilize more force and grow stronger. There is a limiter in the brain and muscles that cannot be pushed past a certain point that you are quickly reaching without Haki breaking past it and allowing you to not only focus and grow stronger." Zeke chimed in, laying in a foldout beach chair.
"And we're gonna push your current Fascia to its limits." Archie began again. "The key thing is that these connective tissue begin to shape the body of the person in a unique way."
He puts another picture. One was large muscular, almost disproportionately so, with then legs and massive shoulders. The next was lean like a swimmer. And the final was short and aesthetic to the eye. Leroy squinted.
"These three figures, A Man in his 50's" He points to the Large one. "A boy in his 20's" and then the final "And a woman in her thirties."
"All three of these people. Have trained their Fascia to their peaks. And the result, is not large hulking forms of muscle, like you would see with weaker individuals. Instead, their bodies begin to take on their 'Perfect' form that fits their vessels mind."
His eyes widened. His mind connecting the dots. A weak person reaching a peak before going into combat and only focusing muscle, not even just lifting strength, become balls of huge muscle. But the moment they begin to come into themselves. That sheds and becomes more refined into a form that suits them.
"So…They become forms that fir their styles. Like a lifter vs a Acrobat but their strength can be equal?"
"Exactly." Arnie smiled, pointing to Leroy "You're body, Zekes body, my body. All will and have become a better vessel that better reflects you as a person with out sacrificing power like it would if a person was at weaker levels. A swimmer vs a martial artist would have the swimmer loose due ot skill regardless of muscle, if the Fighter was thinner than the swimmer. But because of Fascia. If the two fight, train, and grow. Their body shapes or keeps that shape to reflect them better, putting them on the same level regardless of visual look."
Leroy puts his chin in his hand. Thinking. "What about age? If thats the case…Why are some people who are older weaker than younger? I mean…Hornigold Rackham looked like he was in his 40's but I beat him over a year ago and fought tougher people since him!"
"Good point. But it comes down to…Want. And will. Think about it like Smarts. Why don't I know all that Zeke knows about Haki? Or Richie Politics and Sciences? Simple. I just didn't want it. Those things didn't interest me. Or my focuses were else where. People aren't perfect machines of efficiency that means the older or bigger they are they must have everything else. Same with you! Same with any fighter. Naturally, somethings stop them, themselves, environment, experience, or need."
"Yeah! Okay yeah! That makes sense! I was kinda thinking that too!" Leroy gleams.
The corkboard moved. And out came Richie. "Okay! So! What do you know about money Leroy?" He said wheeling the chalkboard out. "Uh….That it allows for commerce? Trade for goods and services. Buy stuff. And uhh…Is a physical way to pay people for their labor? But only in theory given well…Rich people abusing people and not paying them, them not having say….Forced to work and then given meager payment that is then forced to be used for basic stuff instead of extra things like entertainment or services."
Richies eyes gleamed. His smile widening "Yeah thats basically it! Im glad you didn't give one of those dreamy things like Money's evil or something." He drew the Berry symbol on the board. The chalk clacking against the slate
"Whats is Lucherism? Or a Lucherist? Industrialist?" He turned and asked. Leroy had heard those terms…But he couldn't quite explain what it is. "Do I need to know?" He asked as he thought. "I know that it hurts people. Is that enough? I mean I do wanna learn more though!"
"Well…If you wanted to just be apart of helping people. Following those that do know and can teach. Then…No. Not really. But…Youre goal isn't that is it…" He thought back to what Leroy said. The first day. Leroy explained his dream.
'My dream after everything. Becoming King of the Pirates and Finding the One Piece…I'm gonna-'
"No I guess not." Leroy said, both of them now in the present.
"Exactly. So. To put simply. The current system of the world, and the world government and Celestial Dragons" He drew a pyramid. "Own…Bascially everything. Businesses, Factories, Companies, Entire Industries…Nations. And People. This, for the most part. Would be okay."
"If it wasn't just them or such a small group? Like…Everyday people that actually do stuff had a share in it? A say?" He cocked a brow.
"Yes! Precisely. But Lucherist don't let that happen. Because then it means they don't have as much wealth. Have as much stuff and say to decide. Or Lucher or Stock is another word. They alone, in that small group at the top of the triangle have say. They are the peak percent of everything. Sure there are Pirates like Hornigold that you mentioned who are Ludicrously wealthy. More influential than the Celestials or Politicians. But don't have nearly as much sway or ownership of Channels of Assembly, the actual methods that allow them to create and abuse people.That does not mean they can't be worse by any means. Scale is one thing, but also them as people that enacts it is just as equal. The dragons are an entire group. But De Leon and the Tied Knot Corporation? Thats basically one guy nearly out doing their cruelty."
In essence. It was the use of people for the gain of others. And as Richie then explained, that was forced everywhere. Because it was seen as normal. Justifiable. And just how things were. And given thats what the World Government believed, all its nations for the most part, unless special cases, thought so and did it themself. If in a variety of ways.
"You wanna do what you wanna do. You gotta understand that it's not just these people that are in your way. Not just powerful people. But systems that you gotta tear down. Or else when you reach your goal…"
"It'll be me as the strongest while the rest of the world stays the same…" Leroy furrowed his brow. The breadth of it all truly being understood to him.
"Exactly." Richie breathed. "We live in a world thats convinced us there is no other way. That anything else…Isn't possible or doomed for failure. Not by the reality that others will want to destroy it or because everything we know is enforced that way. But because they think it's not in our nature. We aren't kind enough. Or what ever like efficiency. When only thing keeping these things as they are-"
"Are people." Leroy cuts him off. "They didn't happen on their own. And they don't continue on their own…What would be the point in enforcing it if it was second nature. Or anything else was naturally doomed. They wouldn't work so hard to Keep things like Tovara under wraps. Put bounties out on me or my dad…Or damn entire peoples to death because they thought of another way…"
Richie just nodded. Breathing with a weight of an entire history of seeing just that from his nose. "You're gonna do wonderful."
Finally.
It was Zekes Turn.
"Alrighty!" He said pushing his Whiteboard out. "Enough of that doom and gloom! I feel like I'm talking and listening to Roger all over again! But wasn't nearly as academic!"
"Neither am I…I just gotta good head for understanding and explaining." Leroy said. "Whats the point in being academic if I can't do something about it myself! Well…I guess to make people who can!"
"Yes Yes!" Zeke turned around. A Palpable excitement to his tone. "So. Haki!"
The Marker squeaked and rubbed against the surface. Ink spreading across the alabaster material as the characters were in their place.
ハ キ
肌 門 気
"Hada, Meaning Body. Mon Meaning Gate. And Ki, meaning Spirit. Hadaki. Or shortened and dropping the third third Character; Haki. It can also be written as 覇気, or Ambition or Will."
"Haki. Is everywhere. In nearly everything. As I mentioned, it is the perfect melding between the natural and supernatural. It is as much a science as it is philosophy. As much a physical energy as it is something non existent all at the same time." He drew on the white board.
The word Haki and an arrow pointing to a drawing of the world. The band wrapping around it known as the Grand Line, as well as the the ocean. Then there another Arrow that went a Rock, with a X inside a O. And finally a picture of a stick figure with what looked to be their hand on fire.
"Haki is Caused by Motion. There exists the Theory that Atoms and their Electron Force and Magnetic Force bind things together. This then gives mass, and then that causes Gravity. And when those things are in motion. Kinetic Energy forms."
"But we live in a world that is filled with the unknown. The unknowable. The Strange and the Supernatural. So inevitably, There must be a force that is like those that is within all these forces too. Working side by side."
"The Marble is Filled with Motion. Biology. Kinetic Energy. Intellect. And Sentient Beings. And this gives life to Haki. Not just by one. But by all of these things working together. Without one, like with a rock, that has kinetic energy, can be filled with motion, and goes through the rock cycle, you can't get it. Or without the other, such as intellect, a bunch of moss which has biology, life, growth, and motion, can't use it."
"But because there is no Intellect in the Moss to use it. No soul in the Rock to allow it to grow. It is nebulous. So small that its practically benign." He points to The Planet, known as The Marble, and continued "So this means that there is Haki everywhere. Perhaps due to the life on the planet, and its intelligence, more here than anywhere else. It forms through Mountains Growing. Plants blooming. The Ocean moving. And Humans Living.
"But only the sentient" He points to the stick figure "Can utilize it willingly. And the moment, just like a muscle, Haki is Used. It grows. The larger it is. The larger it grows, stronger it becomes. And the more force required to cause it to continue to do so.
"A Large pig has Haki. Perhaps a good chunk more than say a Tree. Or the island it lives on due to it being Alive and an Animal. It has a so life, intelligence. But no intellect that could be defined as a soul in great deal. Instincts, and basic emotions" He drew a picture of a pig with a haze around it.
"A Monkey, being close to Sentience. That has intellect. Has strong emotions. Can think. Has a Strong Spirit and Can want and have ambition beyond Instincts have all of the other aspects that need to exist to allow for Haki, can occur. A Monkey could use Haki, if only in a small amount and for small moments. But the only thing thats stops advancements beyond basic usage in times of stress and crises is-" He points to Leroy.
"Sentience."
"Eureka he has it!" Zeke said. Clapping his hands together. "Its why only those with intelligence to be considered aware, alive, and sentient can use it. Even a dumb person can use it. But they are far smarter than even a dog or monkey. Because they are sentient. Have wants. Ambition. Can have ideas and think. They can utilize and allow their Haki to grow. And because of that, if they fight. Their Haki grows more and more. And the more it does. The more it can be used. Advanced and developed. Their pool of Haki, Efficiency of Using it, and its strength grows, More. And more. And More."
"That. Is Haki and you are going to Learn it."