The ability to control the sea itself—this was a nightmare for all Devil Fruit users.
Anyone standing on a boat was merely a toy to such a power. A simple wave could overturn their fragile vessel.
And this man—he had effortlessly shattered one of Hawkeye Mihawk's flying slashes.
It was clear his close-combat ability was just as monstrous.
Who in this world could stop him now?
No one.
Hawkeye had grown tired of posturing. Ranged attacks, as elegant as they were, simply lacked the decisive edge he sought.
Air slashes were convenient, but when compared to true close-quarters combat, their power was clearly inferior.
Bounding from one icy floe to the next, Hawkeye surged toward Naruto.
In his hand gleamed his famed black blade—Yoru, a Supreme Grade sword, renowned for its balance of sharpness and durability.
With a flurry of slashes, Mihawk aimed straight for Naruto's neck.
"Devil Form: Scattered Fragments!"
Naruto didn't even flinch.
He stood motionless, allowing the sword to cleave through him.
His body shattered into pieces—but not in death.
The fragmented form, a result of his Devil Fruit ability, rendered Hawkeye's attack completely ineffective.
Even with his mastery of Haki, Mihawk's blade couldn't land a meaningful blow.
Naruto felt the force of the strike clearly.
Yes, Mihawk's blade was imbued with Armament Haki, but even that wasn't enough to bypass the fruit's bizarre ability.
Back during the Battle of Marineford, Mihawk had slashed at Buggy, and the clown-like pirate had split apart, unharmed.
At that time, Haki wasn't explicitly established in the story.
But by canon standards, Mihawk—a world-class swordsman—would definitely be proficient in Haki, likely a master of both Armament and Observation.
He didn't just slash Buggy once. He struck multiple times.
Even if that first attack lacked Haki, the subsequent ones certainly wouldn't have.
When facing a Devil Fruit user, coating your attacks with Haki is basic combat protocol.
And yet, even armed with Haki, Buggy still emerged unscathed.
Of course, there's another—less likely—explanation.
Perhaps Buggy possessed some rare form of advanced Observation Haki, allowing him to foresee Mihawk's attacks and split preemptively before impact.
But let's be honest... that's pure fantasy. Buggy's never shown that kind of foresight.
So the truth remains: even with Haki, some Devil Fruit powers can't be nullified by brute force.
And Naruto had now experienced it firsthand.
Mihawk's attack wasn't weak—far from it. It was precise, powerful, and disciplined.
From that, Naruto gained a rough grasp of what Haki truly was.
"So this is what it feels like," he murmured.
As he raised his hand, a translucent sheen coated his skin—an invisible armor.
Mihawk's eyes narrowed.
Had this boy just awakened Armament Haki on the spot?
Impossible. He must have known it already.
But then why hadn't he used it before? There was no trace of it earlier.
"Devil Fruit powers can't be used simultaneously?" Naruto mused aloud. "But Haki… it can coexist with abilities. That's interesting."
"Hawkeye… it's my turn now. Show me more."
The armor coating Naruto's hand was Armament Haki, though still in its infancy.
In time, it would deepen—first darkening into jet black, then hardening beyond steel.
Naruto had taken the first step. The rest—like mastering blackened armor or even Ryōsōken (Flowing Sakura Haki)—could come later.
Next came Observation Haki.
To Naruto, its value was mixed.
He already possessed multiple sensory techniques—sensing chakra, detecting killing intent, and even advanced perception abilities beyond most shinobi.
But still, there was merit in learning it.
After all, Kenbunshoku Haki wasn't just about sensing presence. At high levels, it could let one hear another's intent—or even glimpse a few seconds into the future.
That was worth pursuing.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu."
With a flick of his wrist, Naruto tossed a single shuriken into the air.
Then it multiplied.
The shurikens swarmed like a machine gun, spiraling toward Mihawk.
Each one brimmed with wind chakra—cutting power increased, velocity doubled.
But that wasn't all.
Naruto twisted the air around them, bending light and rendering them invisible.
He called this technique Wind King Barrier.
In truth, he'd drawn inspiration from various other anime techniques—blades of wind, invisible strikes, silent assassinations.
Wind-style chakra had limitless applications. Naruto, through trial and instinct, had found a few of his own.
Though the shurikens couldn't be seen, they were very much there.
And they were lethal.
Even though Hawkeye's eyes couldn't detect them, his sharpened Observation Haki perceived every single shuriken.
He swung his black blade—Yoru—with precision, slicing through the invisible barrage with unshakable calm.
Even those shuriken that curved in from blind spots or awkward angles were intercepted flawlessly.
His mastery over Observation Haki was evident, and Naruto watched closely as the skill unfolded before him.
There was no doubt now—Naruto's own use of Kenbunshoku Haki had been completely seen through.
At this point, Naruto had awakened both forms of Haki: Armament and Observation.
But mastering them was another matter entirely.
In the world of One Piece, Haki isn't something every powerful fighter possesses. In fact, it's extremely rare—one in ten thousand, perhaps even one in a million.
Despite that rarity, Naruto had already encountered users of this power.
Even legendary figures like Garp and Mihawk were once thought, in earlier materials, to lack Haki. It was only later that their capabilities were clarified—what fans sometimes jokingly refer to as "the post-5.3 patch" retcon.
Naruto considered the implications carefully.
Take Portgas D. Ace, for example.
He was someone confirmed to possess the Conqueror's Haki—Haoshoku Haki—a rare gift possessed only by those with the qualities of a true king.
Ace had displayed traces of this potential even in his childhood.
Of course, those flashbacks were added later in the manga, long after Ace had been introduced—something that suggested the Haki system was still evolving behind the scenes.
Still, the canon stands: Ace has the qualifications.
Yet oddly enough, during the Alabasta Arc, when Ace crossed paths with the Straw Hats in the desert, there was not a single moment where Conqueror's Haki surfaced.
That was likely due to the timeline of the series' development. The formal system and tiers of Haki hadn't been fully established at that point.
But Naruto wasn't bound by outdated versions of reality. He understood Ace's true potential.
If nurtured correctly, Ace's Conqueror's Haki could be drawn out. Stimulated. Refined.
Maybe that would change things—maybe it could help him survive the future battle with Blackbeard, and avoid the tragic defeat and capture that loomed ahead in canon.
Naruto silently made a note.
He would guide Ace.
Not just to unlock that buried royal potential—but to help him break free from the path that once led to his execution.
If Ace could learn to master Haoshoku Haki, his fate might be rewritten entirely.
...
TN:
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