Asking Crocus about Haki

Sniff! Sniff!

Suddenly, Liam's nose twitched. His eyes opened as he instantly stood up. He jumped from the deck to the island and punched the rubbery man who was hogging all the food by himself.

"Invite me to eat!"

Luffy flew out like a cannonball and struck against the mountain. Seeing this opportunity, Liam instantly started eating Elephant Fish Tuna that Sanji had won in Logue Town.

But just when he had eaten a few bites, a punch landed on his head.

"And, you wait for us to sit!"

It was none other than Nami. Only her fist was strong enough to stop him from eating anything. Soon, other Straw Hats and Crocus joined in for the food. Luffy also ran toward the table as he started eating in his unparalleled manner.

"By the way Crocus-San, can you tell us a little bit more about Haki?" Liam suddenly asked.

His words stunned everyone including Crocus. He looked at Liam and asked,  "How did you know that I know Haki?"

Liam rolled his eyes and said "Isn't it obvious? Although not all pirates are bad, there are some worse pirates. You stay at this place which is the entry point of pirates."

"Not to mention, you joined a certain pirate group. Without devil fruit power, only Haki allows you to survive in the Grandline. You must be very strong to live here."

"Hahaha! I don't know how you know about me. I am not that strong. I am just a doctor. But, I do know something about Haki." Crocus suddenly laughed which surprised Liam. He was prepared to lie once again but it seems like it wasn't needed.

"Really, Flower-Ojisan?" Luffy suddenly picked interest in this topic. Everyone looked at him with surprise but soon, they realized why.

"You bastard!"

All of them smacked Luffy into the sky. On the table, the entire food was gone. Everyone got distracted by Liam's question that they almost forgot that Luffy was still eating.

"Hahaha!" Seeing the Straw Hats ganging upon Luffy, a picture of a certain pirate came into his mind. Although that pirate wasn't as idiotic as Luffy, his certain behaviors were the same.

Crocus sighed 'Is this the fate Roger? One who inherited your hat…. Will he be that person? I don't know if he will but it wouldn't be bad teaching them something. At least, the journey in the Grandline won't be easy.'

"Ahem!" Crocus made up his mind and cleared his throat. His action made everyone turn their eyes at him.

"Haki is a power system that is mostly seen in the other half of the Grandline. In this half, which is also known as Paradise, normal people can't use Haki."

"But, the threats of Marines in this sea is greater than the other sea. Before even you could make a journey to the other half of the Grandline, they will execute you if you remain weak."

"Current Admirals and some other Marines possess not only the strength training from childhood but also some powerful devil especially the Admirals who possess Logia."

"Of course, at your current state or even after a few years, you might not succeed in fighting against Admirals. But, as long as you don't encounter them, Haki can help you smoothly reach the second half."

At this moment, Nami raised her hand and asked "Crocus-San, if Admirals are so powerful, why do Pirates still exist?"

Crocus shook his head and said "Everyone has their dream. Pirates are free-spirited people. There are a lot of bad ones but no matter whether they are good or bad, they are dead set on their goals."

"As long as you have Will, you can get stronger. Although Admirals might be strong, they still can't defeat some of the most powerful pirates on the seas. While they have the power of strong Devil Fruits, those who have mastered Final Haki regime supreme."

"Pirates have existed for the longest time and they will continue to exist. Anyway, these are the things you shouldn't be worried about. So, let's talk about Haki."

"Since you know about Haki, do you know how many types of Haki are there?"

Liam nodded his head and said "Observation, Armament, and Conqueror Haki."

"Conqueror?" Zoro and others looked at him with confusion since he hadn't mentioned it yet.

Crocus nodded his head and said "Haki is the power that lies dormant in all living creatures. It can be practiced by humans, by fishmen, and even by animals."

"Observation Haki is the sixth sense that allows you to sense the presence, strength, and emotions, as well as see others' movements before they make it. While Observation Haki is passive, it doesn't work if you aren't calm."

"The calmer you are, the better your Observation Haki will be. The best way to train Observation Haki is Blind-Folding Method. You put a blindfold on someone's eyes and then start hitting him."

"Remember, Haki lies within you in the form of a Spiritual Energy. So, it can be tapped into as long as they try hard enough. But of course, you don't have to rush."

"The best way to awaken Haki is by putting your life in life and death situation. Most of the time, you just need the basic knowledge but of course, it can still be awakened on its own if you are lucky enough."

Hearing his words, everyone looked at Liam for a moment. Liam's idea of training Observation Haki was true. And, he was also training it by putting his life on the line.

They didn't notice it till Crocus told them. But, if he had been doing this for some time, has he awakened it?

Seeing their curious gaze, Liam shook his head "I haven't awakened it. When you awaken Observation Haki, you basically see the movement of your opponent. I am feeling it right now."

Crocus was surprised to hear his words.

"It seems like you are very close to awakening it though. While it is true that you will see your opponent's action and presence with the help of Observation Haki, you still need to sense it at first."

"Since you are already sensing your opponent's movement, it seems that you are slowly tapping into Observation Haki."

"Wow!, Liam, you are amazing." Suddenly, Nami wrapped her arms around him and cheered but she quickly realized what she had just done and let him. She didn't blush and tried to control her emotions.

"Liam, you bastard..... I will also awaken the Observation Haki and get the hug from Nami-San." Seeing that, Sanji got all fired up.

"Yosh! I should prepare ten bats for you." Zoro nodded his head and spoke. But, underneath his calm eyes, he was pretty much shaken. Liam was catching up so fast that Zoro felt like he wasn't putting any effort at all.

But, suddenly he clenched his fists.

'Grandline! The sea with the monsters on each island. I must get stronger here. This is the only sea that can challenge me to my limits.'

Liam also noticed his expression and turned his head at Crocus. He didn't learn something new about Observation Haki but Luffy and others did.

"Crocus-San, can you tell us about Armament Haki now?"

Crocus nodded his head and said "Armament Haki is the flow of spiritual energy on your body to create an invisible armor. It not only gives you the offensive advantage but also the defensive powers."

"Unlike Observation Haki, this is very much necessary to fight against Logia since they can't be hurt by normal attacks. There are two ways to train Armament Haki."

"First, you need to train your Observation Haki in order to be master at sensing your spiritual energy. Once you can sense your spiritual energy, you will be able to put it outside your skin and condense it around your body."

"But, you have to remember one thing. Haki is just like stamina. It gets depleted and can refill but unlike Stamina, it gets depleted really quick. In other words, you need to train your body to its absolute limit."

"Your stamina, your endurance, your physical strength must be strong enough to use Haki. Currently, none of you possess such strength or stamina. So before you try to learn Armament Haki, you must train your body to its limit."

At this moment, Liam finally understood what Hawkeye truly meant. He released a deep breath and thought for a moment.

'If Armament Haki can only be practiced after one's strength reaches a certain point, why is it easy to use Observation Haki? Wait, is it even possible?'

Liam's eyes widened as he asked "Crocus-San if Haki can get depleted, does that mean even if we use Observation Haki, our Haki will run out quickly."

Crocus nodded his head and said, "While Observation Haki doesn't use Haki like Armament, it does use some of it which means at your current strength, even if you do master Observation Haki, you won't be able to use it for a long time."

"So, first you must increase your strength and then try learning Haki."