Chapter 50: Post-Battle Reflection
At night, the bright full moon hung high in the sky like a glowing white disc.
From White Island, one could see two tiny dark specks—one large, one small—on its surface.
Those two specks were also looking down at White Island.
"Cole, from up here, White Island looks like a perfect circle that someone sliced right through the middle," Luo Han said.
"Yeah, you're right!" Cole replied.
Some views really could only be seen from up high.
Indeed, the two dots were Luo Han and Cole. That night, Luo Han had brought Cole high above White Island for a post-battle debrief.
Their fight with Zephyr had revealed some of their weaknesses.
Sigh… Truthfully, Luo Han felt a bit down today.
Their battle with Zephyr had ended in what could only be called a crushing defeat.
Had they continued fighting to the death, there was no doubt—Luo Han and Cole would've died.
Thinking about it made Luo Han even more annoyed. Was everyone in the One Piece world like this?
It always seemed so easy for them to grow stronger in battle.
In the beginning, Luo Han had used his telekinesis to assist Cole, and together they'd managed to pressure Zephyr.
But then, Zephyr began adapting to his telekinetic attacks.
He even started using Luo Han's telekinesis for added momentum in battle, making it harder for Cole to keep up—resulting in a brutal beatdown.
Toward the end, Zephyr even managed to anticipate some of Luo Han's attacks.
It had shocked Luo Han then, and he still didn't understand how Zephyr dodged them.
That's why Luo Han wanted to fly up here with Cole—to analyze the fight.
"Let's go a bit higher, Cole. Don't want to disturb the people on White Island," Luo Han said.
"Got it!" Cole agreed without hesitation.
The two flew up another 8,000 meters or so.
"Cole, your Armament Haki is more refined now, right?" Luo Han asked, recalling how badly Cole had gotten hit.
"It definitely feels stronger, Han-ge," Cole said, examining the black Haki covering his fist. It even looked slightly shinier than before.
"Let's fight. That's the best way to test it," Luo Han said.
"Alright! Bring it on, Han-ge," Cole replied.
Luo Han fused telekinesis into his body, feeling the surge of power. It was like each cell had been fitted with a miniature motor.
He felt overflowing energy—he couldn't help but shadowbox. Even his punches felt heavier.
Let's go, Cole! Luo Han's eyes sharpened.
He charged, and Cole did the same.
Clang! Their fists clashed—Cole's refined Haki against Luo Han's condensed telekinetic strike.
A sonic boom echoed as the invisible shockwave spread outward.
After a short standoff, Luo Han felt a sting in his fist.
Boom! They each flew back a hundred meters.
Analyzing Cole's strength, Luo Han once again felt the shortcoming of his telekinesis.
Compared to Cole's refined Haki, his own telekinetic attacks lacked concentration—and their defense wasn't particularly strong either.
Plus, he couldn't attack internally. That limited his offensive power.
Luo Han realized Armament Haki's real strength wasn't just in its defense—but in its ability to strike Logia users by locking onto their bodies and actually damage them.
That made it deadly.
Luo Han's telekinesis, by contrast, only affected the surface of the body—like gravity pressing down—lacking the explosiveness or penetration needed to cause real harm.
It couldn't affect internal structures.
He now saw that his telekinesis had a core flaw: it couldn't attack internal organs or bypass external defenses.
That likely had to do with how he developed it—his ability stemmed from using his mind to link with a separate "telekinesis world," channeling power from that realm into the real one via a sort of seed.
His attacks weren't a direct extension of the Mind-Mind Fruit's power.
The benefit was that it consumed very little stamina, allowing long usage.
But biological bodies seemed to have internal "magnetic fields" that blocked these forces—meaning his power could only manifest externally.
To fix this, he had to refine his telekinesis—and the only way to do that was through constant battle.
"Again!" Luo Han charged at Cole.
They clashed once more, creating wave after wave of force in the air.
Over time, Luo Han felt his telekinesis becoming thicker—more solid.
Apparently, Armament Haki had a tempering effect on telekinesis.
Clang! After another exchange, Luo Han signaled Cole to stop.
"Let's go down and fight on land," Luo Han said. "Can't use Armament properly in mid-air."
"Okay, Han-ge," Cole responded.
They landed on the uninhabited side of the island.
Thud! Thud! They touched down simultaneously.
Luo Han deactivated his telekinesis and cloaked himself in Armament Haki.
And… this was another of his awkward truths.
Because his Haki and telekinesis weren't compatible, when he flew wrapped in telekinesis, even if he activated Armament Haki, it could only be applied inside the telekinetic layer.
Meaning telekinesis absorbed the hits—not his body—so his Haki wasn't getting properly trained.
That's why he had to fight on the ground.
"Let's go all-out, Cole," Luo Han said.
If he wanted to strengthen his Haki, direct clashes were the best method.
Clang! A tremendous impact blew sand and stone in all directions.
Invisible red lightning sparked between their mismatched black fists.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Just like in the air, they traded heavy punches.
No technique—just raw strength.
Before long, Luo Han had to stop. It hurt. A lot.
Huff huff! Luo Han blew on his reddened fists.
His Haki still lagged too far behind. He realized now—Haki had to clash against stronger Haki to improve.
Zephyr had really been a great sparring partner… Luo Han sighed.
"You okay, Han-ge?" Cole asked, noticing his swollen hands.
"I'll go easier next time," Cole offered.
"Hah! No need. It's not your strength—it's your Haki. That's why it hits harder," Luo Han said quickly.
Still… Cole's Haki had grown much stronger.
Maybe I should fight Zephyr head-on too? he thought. Nope! My body's only tough in terms of speed and strength—defense-wise, I'm nowhere near Cole.
If it had been Luo Han fighting Zephyr alone, he'd never have survived the barrage.
Better think of other ways to grow stronger.
Maybe… this could work!
"Cole, activate your Armament Haki. Let me study it with my spiritual sense," Luo Han said.
"Again? But your hands are still red…" Cole muttered awkwardly.
Luo Han quickly tucked his hands behind his back.
"No more fighting. Just stand still. I want to sense it carefully."
"Oh! That's fine then. Go ahead, Han-ge."
Cole activated full-body Armament Haki. Before Luo Han stood a ten-meter tall figure cloaked entirely in black Haki.
The pressure was immense. Luo Han hadn't expected full-body Armament to be so oppressive.
(END CHAPTER)
Get 30% off on my Patreon and enjoy early access to new chapters.
Hurry up! The promotion ends on February 2, 2026.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Bankai10