Although the movement was a bit slow, it was undeniably a reaction based on sensing rather than sight.
The spontaneous emergence of a proto Armament Haki on his arm and his premature sensing of Observation Haki guidance had happened almost at the same time.
Silence.
Shanks shot upright, eyes wide, the casual curiosity on his face wiped away and replaced by raw shock.
He knew how brutal the entry level for Armament and Observation Haki was.
Yet this guy called Bullet... how long had it been?
Half an hour?
This could no longer be described as mere talent. This was monstrous.
Buggy's yawn froze halfway, his mouth hanging open wide enough to fit an orange.
He looked at the faint black shade still lingering on Bullet's arm, then at Rayleigh's hand. Even he could figure out what had just happened.
He shrank his neck and stared at Bullet as if he were looking at something not quite human.
Rayleigh watched Bullet in silence.
He had seen geniuses. He himself was one. Roger was an even greater monster among geniuses.
But someone like Bullet, who touched the threshold of two types of Haki at the same time on his first exposure to the theory, and did it through spontaneous manifestation and instinctive use... in such a short span...
That was no longer something that could be explained with just the word "fast."
This boy's body... or rather, that Mythical Zoan power of his... had reached an unimaginable affinity for and comprehension speed of all things related to strength.
"That will do."
Rayleigh finally spoke. His voice was as steady as ever, but if one listened carefully, there was just a faint hint of quickness to it.
Bullet opened his eyes. The shallow black on his arm had long faded, and the sensation of being able to "hear" the subtle shifts of air beside him had vanished.
But he could clearly feel that something new now existed within him.
Warm streams of energy seemed to lie hidden just beneath his skin, and there was a vague feeling of his awareness stretching outward into the surroundings.
"Mr. Rayleigh, I think I..."
He began, a bit uncertain.
"You felt it."
Rayleigh cut in, directly confirming his doubt as he stood up.
"Signs of Armament condensing, and the initial perception of Observation."
"Still very weak, but the threshold... you have already crossed it."
"W... what?"
"That is all it takes to cross it?"
Buggy could not hold back anymore, yelling out with an expression that screamed, Are you kidding me?
Shanks said nothing. His lips were pressed into a thin line, his hands unconsciously balling into fists.
He felt pressure. Immense pressure.
And mixed in with it, a turmoil of frustration and excitement.
This newcomer was absurdly strong.
Rayleigh ignored Buggy's noisy outburst.
He looked at Bullet, his gaze complicated.
"Bullet, your learning speed is beyond what I expected."
"But this is only the beginning."
"Feeling it is not the same as mastering it."
"How do you direct Armament for defense and offense?"
"How do you expand the range and precision of Observation?"
"How do you wield both freely in the chaos of real combat?"
"All of that will take relentless training."
"Starting today, mornings will be for physical conditioning and basic combat drills. Afternoons will be for stabilizing and controlling your Haki."
"I will teach you the basics of channeling and using it."
Rayleigh laid out the plan.
"As for how fast and how far you can go..."
He paused for a moment.
"That will depend greatly on the appetite of your own body."
He deliberately chose the word "appetite," and Bullet's heart gave a small jolt.
Had Rayleigh sensed something?
"Yes, Mr. Rayleigh."
Bullet pressed those thoughts down and answered respectfully.
Rayleigh nodded, signaling that the real training for the morning could begin.
He moved off to one side and started guiding Bullet through exercises designed to sharpen his control over his body and its explosive power.
Shanks gave Bullet a brief look, then silently turned away and began swinging his sword with renewed determination.
Buggy muttered something along the lines of "monster" and "cannot stay here" and slipped off to somewhere else.
Bullet focused on carrying out the movements Rayleigh instructed, all while carefully feeling the newborn flow of Haki inside him.
He could sense the devouring core in his chest instinctively analyzing and mimicking the paths those energies followed.
Maybe... it would not just be about passive learning and hard training.
A thought rose quietly in Bullet's mind.
Perhaps he could use a far more proactive method to fully digest this power called Haki.
That idea made a faint, ghostly light flicker deep within his otherwise calm eyes.