Two months later.
"Lord Soul King, based on my research over this period, Haki is very similar to our Reiatsu. The only difference is that the source of power is the soul for the latter and the physical body for the former."
Over these two months, while treating Auguro, Hanatarō Yamada had also been exploring the secrets of Haki. Now that he had some results, he immediately offered his suggestion to Auguro.
"If the Lord Soul King wishes to master Haki, you could try referencing the methods used to control Reiatsu to guide the Haki within you."
Auguro's eyes lit up—that was truly a viable approach!
He looked at Hanatarō with deep appreciation. A true technical talent indeed! Any other subordinate wouldn't have had this insight!
Following Hanatarō's suggestion, Auguro immediately adjusted his training methods. As he continued to batter the mountains day after day, he felt a power in his body that was on the verge of breaking out of its shell!
"In half a month, at most, I'll have mastered Haki!"
Auguro clenched his right fist tightly. Although he had been pounding the mountain all afternoon, his palm was smooth and pristine. He knew this was Armament Haki starting to take effect! He just needed a final trigger to fully command the power!
"Lord Soul King!" Hanatarō Yamada handed him a towel, acting perfectly like a butler.
Auguro took the towel, wiping his sweat, and casually asked, "I believe tomorrow is the day the taxes are due? Are preparations complete?"
Hanatarō nodded.
"Everything is ready! Following your orders, Ōura and I hunted and sold over a dozen fine animal hides during our last trip aboard a passing ship to the Organ Islands! With that money, the tax payment is more than covered!"
Auguro nodded, about to say more, when Ōura, who had been sent out on patrol, suddenly appeared before them with a Flash Step.
"Reporting, Lord Soul King!" Ōura knelt on one knee, his voice grim.
"A pirate ship has been spotted approaching the docks!"
Auguro was taken aback. How could pirates be coming again so soon?
Just because this was the world of One Piece didn't mean islands were plundered every day. There were countless islands in this world. Unless an island was on a busy trade route, it might not encounter pirates more than a few times a year! Otherwise, the One Piece world would be full of starving corpses.
"Let's go see what's happening!"
Auguro took the lead, using Flash Step toward the docks, with the other two close behind.
From the hillside overlooking the docks, Auguro saw the approaching pirate ship, and his expression instantly darkened.
"Those greedy scumbags!" Auguro cursed.
He clearly remembered that the pirate flag on this ship was identical to the one flown by the pirates from a few months ago!
It was obvious: this was the fat Lord's doing!
Seeing that the town had managed to scrape together the tax money, with even a small surplus, the fat Lord intended to rob them again! When the villagers couldn't pay the tax tomorrow, they would be forced to sell themselves into labor for the Lord to repay their debts. They wouldn't be slaves, but they'd be even worse! What a fine One Piece rendition of forced peasantry!
"Lord Soul King, should we stop them?" Hanatarō asked. After all, they were just a group of fake pirates. With Hanatarō's power, he could easily cut them all down at the dock!
"No!" Auguro shook his head.
"Let them pass!"
"But Lord Soul King, won't the townspeople be in danger?" Hanatarō warned.
A cold glint flashed in Auguro's eyes.
"Even if we eliminate them here, the fat Lord will just send others later! That bastard will never give up this cash cow! We must resolve this once and for all!"
The three silently slipped back into town. The residents already knew the pirates had returned, and many were trying to flee to the forest with their belongings. Unfortunately, before they could even get out of town, the pirates intercepted them.
"You're looking for death, running away like that!"
The leading pirate kicked down a fleeing resident and brutally plunged his large cutlass into the man's arm.
The resident screamed horribly. The others turned pale, freezing where they stood, too terrified to move.
The pirate didn't kill the man. After all, these people were future laborers for the Lord, and killing one meant the fat Lord earned less money!
"Alright! Hand over all your money right now! Or don't blame me for being ruthless!" the pirate leader roared menacingly.
The old town elder walked forward tremblingly, pleading, "Pirate-sama, we paid everything we had not long ago! We truly have nothing left! Please spare us!"
"Oh? You prefer the hard way, huh? I guess I've been too kind to you all!"
A fierce glare flashed in the pirate leader's eyes, and he swung his massive cutlass directly at the old man's head. Such an old man was useless for labor anyway, making him the perfect target for a chilling example.
Although they weren't true pirates, after doing this so many times, there was no difference between them and the real ones.
The residents screamed, certain they were about to witness the old elder's blood stain the town square. The old man instinctively closed his eyes, thinking with a heavy heart, Why must such hateful beings as pirates exist in this world?
Clang!
The expected blow never came.
The old elder opened his eyes to see Ōura, dressed in his black Shinigami robes with his Zanpakutō, having firmly blocked the pirate leader's large cutlass.
"Tell me, you pirates, why don't you rob genuinely wealthy people instead of harassing these poor commoners?"
Auguro walked forward slowly, with Hanatarō trailing closely behind him. Though still young, the crowd saw a distinct air of authority about Auguro.
The pirate leader froze, then retreated a few steps, sneering at Auguro.
"Kid, is this your lackey? Do you know what happens to people who resist us?"
"Not only you, but none of these residents will survive!"
As he spoke, over thirty pirates aimed their weapons at everyone present!
Hearing this, Auguro merely said flatly, "I'm just giving you a better option!"
"The Lord of this island lives just a short distance behind us! If you rob him, you'll gain more than ten times what you'd get from robbing us!"
The pirate leader's mouth twitched. Of course, he knew the fat Lord was rich. But that was his employer! How could he possibly rob his own boss?
Just as the pirate leader was scrambling to figure out how to deflect, Auguro gave him no chance to make an excuse.
"What's wrong? As pirates, you're afraid to rob the rich? No way, right? Or could it be that you and the fat Lord have some hidden, unspeakable connection?"
At that sentence, the pirate leader's face visibly panicked. He quickly tried to cover it up.
"Of course I'll rob the rich! But right now, you are my target! Hand over the money quickly! Otherwise, I won't hesitate to kill you all and take it myself!"
With that, he drew the pistol from his belt and fired a shot into the air.