"Victor, Rebecca, I'm so jealous of your Observation Haki! Mine just won't awaken, no matter what!" Wendy sighed.
"Wendy, yours will come soon," Rebecca reassured her, sensing her frustration. "I was stuck just like you before—until one battle, I suddenly broke through!"
Victor pondered for a moment. Neither he nor Rebecca had awakened their Observation Haki smoothly—theirs had come in the heat of battle, during life-or-death moments. But Wendy, as a sniper, had always been well-protected, never forced into desperate close combat. Could that be why her Haki remained dormant?
"Wendy, I think I know why your Observation Haki hasn't awakened yet," Victor mused, stroking his chin.
"Why?!" Wendy perked up instantly.
"It's about your willpower. Yours isn't strong enough yet to trigger it."
"Willpower? What's that?" Wendy blinked, unfamiliar with the concept—education in this world didn't cover such things.
"Willpower is a broad term—it's the combination of consciousness, determination, and spirit. Strengthening any of these can enhance it. But the fastest way to awaken Observation Haki is through life-and-death battles. Both Rebecca and I unlocked ours that way."
"Yeah! Now that I think about it, I did awaken mine when I was pushed to the brink!" Rebecca gasped, smacking her fist into her palm. "Victor's so smart!"
Wendy fell silent, deep in thought. Victor had already possessed Observation Haki when he first appeared on Vice Admiral Garp's ship—she didn't know the details of his awakening. But Rebecca's had come mid-battle. So… was combat the key?
Well, not necessarily.
It was one way, yes. Extreme emotional turmoil could also trigger it—though that was unpredictable. The slow-and-steady method—training until it naturally awakened—was another.
Some might ask, "Is awakening Haki really that hard? The New World is full of people who have it!"
But think about it—how did those people reach the New World?
Pirates had to claw their way through brutal battles and relentless Marine pursuit—only a tiny fraction made it.
Marines, too, faced increasingly powerful foes. Those who couldn't grow stronger were weeded out. The ones you saw were the survivors.
Then there were New World natives—but take Dressrosa. Outside of Doflamingo's family, how many locals had Haki? The ones who did were mostly drawn there by the Mera Mera no Mi.
And Amazon Lily? That island wasn't even in the New World—it was in the Calm Belt near Enies Lobby.
Every warrior there had Haki, likely due to their culture. Only the strongest could join Empress Boa Hancock's crew. They revered strength, trained Haki from childhood, and even had a coliseum for constant combat. Yet even then, most only mastered one type of Haki. Dual wielders were rare, usually on Hancock's ship. And the island still had plenty of ordinary citizens.
This proved Haki had two awakening paths:
1. Gradual Mastery—A slow process, taking years or even decades.
2. Battle & Extreme Stimulation—But this varied. Armament Haki couldn't be forced through emotion—it required intense combat.
Monkey D. Luffy trained under Rayleigh to awakened his Armament. Observation Haki could awaken in battle, but no one ever unlocked Armament through sheer emotion.
Observation and Conqueror's Haki, however, could awaken under extreme stress—like with Coby and Usopp (whose Observation was special). Doflamingo and Ace awakened Conqueror's that way. Luffy probably counted too.
Victor and the others had only been Marines for half a year. The rookie camp didn't teach Rokushiki or Haki—just physical conditioning. The elite camp was their first real exposure. Rokushiki laid the foundation for Haki, which then evolved in battle.
So for Wendy to awaken Observation quickly? Combat was her best bet.
"Wendy, I suggest you ditch the sniper rifle in our next fight," Victor said. "Use hand-to-hand instead. Your physique is on par with the others now. Master Rokushiki—it'll be enough."
"Okay, I'll listen to you!" Wendy nodded. Victor had never steered her wrong.
Satisfied, Victor resumed his search.
Then—
"WHAT THE—?!"
His Observation Haki must've picked up something shocking—because he actually cursed out loud.
Rebecca and Wendy stared as Victor's face turned red, his expression twisting uncomfortably.
"Victor, what did you see?!" Rebecca asked, intrigued—and about to activate her own Haki to check.
"Ahem! Nothing! Just… two guys fighting. Really eye-burning stuff. Don't bother looking!" Victor hastily stopped her.
No way I'm telling them they were naked! They're too young for that mental image! Damn this high-def Observation Haki!
He kept a straight face, suppressing their curiosity.
By now, night had fallen. Finding no trace of the princess in the busy areas, Victor led them to a restaurant for dinner.
---
Elsewhere…
"Boss, d'ya think the king's really gonna cough up 1 billion berries?" A muscular bald man asked the cloaked figure lounging in a chair.
"Dunno. That's the First Mate's plan. I just smash things." The cloaked man's voice was rough, dripping with indifference. "If they don't pay? We raid the palace. Easy."
"But Boss, this island's got World Government agents. If we go wild, they'll step in. This kingdom's an affiliate!" The bald man said with some concern.