Aaron stared at Reggie, who had impaled him with the famed blade Yukimaru, disbelief twisting into a bitter smile on his face.
He had expected Reggie to employ some kind of harsh training method to help him awaken Haki, but he never imagined the man would go this far—using a method that literally pushed him to the brink of death to forcefully trigger his Haki.
No wonder Reggie had said the first time they met that he was "still too green."
Indeed.
Judging by how this core member of the Sky Pirates handled things, using such a brutal awakening method, Aaron truly had been far too naïve to approach him without even the resolve to die.
Just how strong was Reggie's Armament Haki?
Aaron could now feel it—its power was overwhelming, strong enough to cause internal destruction, the same advanced form of Haki that Luffy would later learn in Wano, known as Ryuo.
As expected of a core member of the Sky Pirates—his strength was terrifying.
But that very same strength was now killing him. Aaron could feel Reggie's Armament Haki invading his body like a bone-burrowing curse, continuously tearing him apart from within.
Even with his extraordinary regeneration, he couldn't stop his body from collapsing, inch by inch, toward death.
At this point, there was only one thing that could resist that power—his own Armament Haki.
Then it came again—the familiar sensation of death.
This time, however, it was far stronger than ever before—stronger than any vision he'd had since awakening Kenbunshoku Haki.
As his life force rapidly faded, his consciousness began to blur. His vision dimmed, and though he heard voices near him, he could no longer make them out clearly.
Instead, a wave of familiar yet loathsome laughter filled his ears, stirring terror and fury deep in his heart.
"Still as ruthless as ever. If he really dies, we'll be taking quite the loss."
At some point, Akio—the gangster-like gentleman dressed as an old nobleman—had entered the room. He looked at Aaron, lying in a pool of blood with Yukimaru buried deep in his abdomen, and turned to the grim-faced Reggie with a smile.
"If he can't even survive this level of trial, he might as well die. There are gentler ways to awaken Armament Haki, sure—but this method suits him best. Look at that—terrifying regeneration. He actually endured the entire duration of my Haki through sheer vitality alone."
Reggie's voice was cold as he replied.
A moment later, the dark blade piercing Aaron's abdomen began to return to its normal appearance as the Armament coating faded away.
Seeing this, Akio's expression shifted slightly. Without waiting for Reggie, he stepped forward, grasped Yukimaru's hilt, and activated his own Busoshoku Haki.
Akio's mastery of Armament Haki was no less refined than Reggie's—perhaps even greater.
In an instant, Yukimaru once again turned jet-black, a faint violet gleam emanating from it.
At that same moment, the color began draining from Aaron's face again. The slight flush of life he'd regained vanished as pain twisted his features, and blood poured once more from his wound.
"Is this the end…?"
The agony was indescribable. Aaron could feel his consciousness slipping away; his surroundings grew dark until everything faded into black.
Then, suddenly, his vision cleared.
He saw his old life on Blue Star—carefree days, humble but happy times despite the poverty.
But the peaceful images vanished, replaced by the blinding flash of a luxury car running a red light—blood spreading, then darkness.
The scene shifted again, this time to the Holy Land Mariejois, where he'd endured endless torture and humiliation—living in constant fear, a life worse than that of a dog.
Seeing these buried memories he had never wanted to recall, Aaron screamed inwardly.
A deep, all-consuming hatred erupted from within him, and without realizing it, he shouted aloud:
"I can't die! Not yet! Even if I die—I'll kill every last one of you first!"
At that instant, the scenes before him shattered like glass, swallowed by darkness once again.
A familiar power surged violently within him, spreading rapidly through his body, rushing toward his wound, driven by his unyielding will to survive.
No one knew how long it lasted. When Aaron's vision cleared once more, he saw Reggie and Akio looking down at him with satisfied smiles.
By now, Yukimaru was back in its sheath at Reggie's waist. Aaron's wound had closed completely, his body healed almost entirely thanks to his extraordinary regeneration.
"Well done, kid. Guess giving you the Snow-Snow Fruit wasn't a mistake after all. Keep up the good work."
Akio left those words behind and turned to leave the room, leaving master and disciple alone.
Reggie, who had nearly killed Aaron moments ago, now stood in awkward silence. The air between them grew tense; neither seemed to know what to say.
"Did I… succeed, teacher?"
Aaron, ever composed, spoke with respect, pretending as if nothing had happened.
"You tell me," Reggie said flatly, though a faint relief flickered behind his stern expression. "I'm tired. I'll be leaving first."
Without waiting for Aaron's reply, he turned and walked out, leaving Aaron to quietly feel the power he had just gained.
Aaron didn't waste a moment. He stood, bowed slightly toward Reggie's departing figure, then sat back down and closed his eyes to focus inward.
Almost immediately, he sensed it—that familiar energy within him. Concentrating, he realized it was the same energy that coursed through his body after every session of the Kuja Body Training Technique, enhancing his physique.
But now, unlike before, that energy didn't fade away.
It lingered within him, circulating slowly—and he could feel that he could control it.
With a single thought, the energy surged toward his fist. In an instant, his knuckles darkened—coated in a thin layer of black.
"So this is what Hancock meant by 'life energy.' I should've realized it sooner. Most warriors on Amazon Lily can use Armament Haki because years of practicing the simplified Kuja Body Training Technique naturally awaken it. I just hadn't trained long enough to draw it out on my own—so I had to rely on Reggie's brutal method to trigger it prematurely."
Aaron looked at his darkened fist and let out a wry smile, equal parts relief and lingering dread.
He had almost died—and relived memories he'd never wanted to see again.
That was not something he ever wanted to experience twice.
Of course, there was a simplified version of the Kuja training.
Since its creation, the ancient art had been passed down through generations of Amazon Lily empresses and warriors. Many wise and talented figures had modified it, creating simpler forms that ordinary warriors could learn.
Even so, the simplified version wasn't easy—it still required talent and determination.
While the simplified version couldn't strengthen the body as dramatically as the full technique, it still provided remarkable improvement over time. More importantly, it allowed practitioners to gradually awaken Armament Haki through repeated training.
Aaron had learned the full, optimized version from Hancock herself, but he'd only been training for half a year—hardly comparable to Hancock, who had started at age six.
For her, awakening Armament Haki must have happened naturally during training, which was why she'd spoken of it so casually—merely as "sensing life energy."
To her, it was nothing special.
If things had gone normally, Aaron would likely have awakened his Armament Haki naturally within a year or two through continued training.
"Though the process was far from pleasant… I finally did it. I've awakened Armament Haki. Now I just need to build up stamina—and increase my Haki reserves."
Having understood the essence of his new power, Aaron exhaled deeply, calming his heart.
A flash of lightning illuminated the sky outside.
Aaron gazed out the window at the storm clouds, eyes filled with quiet determination.
Then, opening the window wide, his body transformed into a swirl of wind and snow—and vanished into the night.
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