Chapter 7: Four Days
Even before Gon awakened his Nen, he could easily shove a 300-pound man dozens of meters. Now as a Nen user, his raw power was even greater. To say nothing of Killua, who had the monstrous strength to open the Zoldyck's Testing Gate before he even knew what Nen was.
Gon panted, setting the massive backpack down. He looked up, but Killua was gone. He looked ahead and finally spotted him, strolling over from a distance, waving with a grin as if nothing had happened.
"Yo, Gon. You're back."
"Killua, how did you make your body heavier just now? Tell me!" Gon cut straight to the point, completely ignoring Killua's act.
"It's simple," Killua said, hands in his pockets, looking relaxed. "Your 'weight' isn't just your body mass; it includes the 'force' you're exerting. When you're just standing, it's your body weight. But the moment you use your strength, that force gets added to the total. It's the same reason you could send that 300-pound guy flying."
It clicked for Gon instantly. He had done similar things before, so he immediately grasped the principle.
"Kyle, what do we need all these guys for?" Gon asked, looking at the busy pirates.
"For your training, of course. For the next ten days, we're not just training Observation Haki. We're also building a foundation for Armament Haki and your Nen."
Kyle knew it was almost impossible to beat Hisoka in just fourteen days.
His real goal was to get Hisoka interested in the other world. Hisoka, obsessed with one-on-one duels, was a flawless talent but also a double-edged sword.
For Kyle, his ability only worked in the other world. This also meant that if Hisoka died in their home world (the Hunter world), any power Kyle had gained from him wouldn't disappear.
"So, Kyle, what's the plan?" Killua asked, eager to start.
"The introduction to Observation Haki is simple: blindfold on. You have to rely purely on perception to dodge normal attacks. You do it until you can dodge them all."
Killua, intrigued, immediately tied a cloth over his eyes. Gon picked up a wooden stick, grinning mischievously. "Okay, Killua, here I come!"
"Bring it," Killua said, full of confidence.
Gon swung the stick at his head. Killua, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, tilted slightly and dodged it. The attack made a whoosh—with his assassin's hearing, it wasn't hard to track its trajectory.
Kyle wasn't surprised. As a top-tier assassin, Killua had an instinctive reaction to the slightest change in airflow. He already had the fundamentals of Observation Haki.
Seeing Killua get it so fast, Gon's competitive spirit flared. He suddenly sped up, the stick becoming a blur, whistling through the air.
But the blindfolded Killua was like a leaf in the wind, dodging every blow by a hair's breadth. As he evaded, he felt a new kind of perception blooming inside him. So this is Observation Haki? Amazing.
One of the pirates, glancing over, was so shocked his axe fell to the ground, his mouth wide enough to fit an apple.
"Hey... HEY! Look at that kid! He's blindfolded!"
The other pirates looked, and their work ground to a halt. A sharp inhale of cold air was audible. That speed, that evasion... it was beyond their comprehension.
Just as I thought. Killua's combat foundation is far superior to Gon's, Kyle assessed.
"Alright, Gon, that's enough. Killua's got the basics of Observation. Our main focus for these ten days is Armament Haki."
"What's the difference between Armament Haki and our Ken?" Killua asked.
"The principle is similar—both enhance offense and defense. But if you can combine them, your power will jump to a new level. Our first step is extreme physical conditioning and impact training. For example, hitting those trees with your body. The second step is control over your will and energy..."
Kyle went on to explain how to use breathing and concentration to guide internal energy to specific parts of the body for protection.
Gon's eyes turned to swirls, and steam looked like it was coming out of his ears. "Will...? Energy control? Kyle, can you make it simpler? Like, just tell me how many rocks to smash?"
Killua, however, listened and generally understood.
Kyle looked at Killua, remembering that he was already capable of sleeping through his older brother Milluki's "training" whips. With that kind of physical toughness, he probably already had the building blocks for Armament Haki. Just like with Observation, he just needed one last push to activate it.
Sure enough, after one day of high-intensity training, Killua's right hand was the first to become coated in a deep, glossy black.
"This is Armament Haki!" Killua marveled, clenching his blackened fist. "If I stack Ken on top of this... how strong will it be? Kyle, let's spar!"
Kyle, seeing Killua's challenge, didn't hesitate.
The two instantly clashed. The sound of fists and feet meeting echoed with dull thuds. Their movements blurred, getting faster and faster.
After half an hour of intense combat, they stopped, both breathing hard but exhilarated.
"Awesome!" Killua felt a sense of fulfillment he'd never had before. Kyle nodded to himself. Since he was sharing in the training results of both of them, his own foundation in Armament Haki was even deeper.
However, Gon, who had been watching from the sidelines, was now practically vibrating with anticipation. Their fight had been incredible, and he wanted in.
Killua, seeing Gon's expression, glanced at Kyle. "Me or you?"
Kyle had no intention of fighting Gon. He smiled at Killua. "You. Go easy on him."
Killua's face split into a trademark smirk. "You got it."
Another half-hour passed. Kyle looked at Gon, who was now covered in bruises. "So? Did you feel the threshold for Armament Haki?"
Gon, completely ignoring his swollen face, slurred, "Almost... I can... feel the 'door'."
Kyle knew exactly what Gon meant. Gon hadn't just been taking a beating; he had been using the pain to find a way to focus his strength at the precise point of impact.
Gon's greatest weapon was his intense focus. Once he locked onto a goal, he could see the essence of a problem easier than anyone else. It was the only reason he could, bit by bit, catch up to Killua, despite his basics being so far behind.
As the days of training wore on, the pirates were finally put to use. They were tasked with relentlessly hitting Gon and Killua with wooden logs...
By the tenth day, both Gon and Killua had reached the entry-level for Armament Haki, able to coat a part of their body at will.
On that day, they returned to the Hunter World.
Only four days remained until Gon's fight with Hisoka.