One piece: The Fairy Of justice (English version)

Chapter 9 - Another Lesson from Kara

—So, what's your plan? —Smoker asked as he took a seat to continue working, while Kara sat comfortably on a nearby sofa.

—None, really. I just wanted to go out and clear my mind —Kara said, lazily reclining on the couch.

—Yeah, right. The vice admiral who's even more feared than Akainu just wants to take a stroll —Smoker said sarcastically upon hearing Kara's words.

—Hey, don't compare me to a civilian killer. And I'd rather be feared than be a pariah. Did you really report your commanding officers without any proof? If it were me, I would've found solid evidence to take them down before they could reach out to their backers —Kara said, making a hand gesture as if it were the easiest thing in the world—. And now you're stuck babysitting the weakest sea. Since the old man comes to clean up every now and then, there aren't many pirates left to capture for merit and rank advancement, huh? Especially now that we took down the biggest bounties along the way —she added while unwrapping a lollipop and putting it in her mouth. After all, she had captured Kuro, Don Krieg, and several other pirates with multimillion-dollar bounties on their way to Loguetown.

—Tsk… —Smoker merely clicked his tongue and kept filling out paperwork.

—Alright, this week, I'm going to help Seaweed Head and Pinky train before they enter the Grand Line. Do you want to be trained by the amazing me? You still can't use Haki, right? —Kara asked, standing up with a teasing grin.

—Not interested… —Smoker said, pausing for a second to think—. But you can help train Tashigi.

—Rejecting training from one of the Marine's greatest geniuses… how dumb —she mocked.

—Just get out already! —Smoker yelled angrily, kicking Kara out of his office.

As she walked away, she saw Zoro and Tashigi approaching down the hallway.

—Oh, I see you went shopping —Kara commented, eyeing Zoro's two new swords—. A cursed sword? Gross, it must be filthy with the blood of so many people —she said, noticing the Sandai Kitetsu.

—Vice Admiral, you won't believe the crazy thing he did… Uh, sorry, what was your name again? —Tashigi asked, suddenly realizing with embarrassment that she had never actually asked his name.

—Roronoa Zoro —he answered with a grin.

—You're Roronoa Zoro?! —Tashigi asked in shock before realizing all the things she had said about him at the shop, making her feel embarrassed.

—So, what did he do? —Kara asked, helping Tashigi along.

—Ah, right… Mr. Zoro tested his luck by tossing the sword into the air and sticking his arm out to see if it would cut him. Don't you think that's insane? —Tashigi quickly explained—. On top of that, when the shopkeeper saw that nothing happened to him, he gave him the Yubashiri for free. It's both amazing and crazy —she continued, rambling.

—She sure talks a lot, doesn't she? —Kara whispered to Zoro, who nodded in agreement. He had gone with her to the shop earlier and she hadn't stopped talking the entire way, especially when it came to swords.

—Alright, let's get back to your training —Kara said once Tashigi finished talking—. You too, kid. Smoker begged me on his knees to train you —she added as she started walking.

—Smoker? I don't believe that —Tashigi said, following them.

—By the way, where's Coby? —Kara asked, realizing someone was missing.

Neither Zoro nor Tashigi knew.

After walking for a while, they arrived at the training yard, which was filled with wooden dummies and weights scattered everywhere. There, they saw Coby sitting on the sidelines, watching the soldiers train.

—Hey, Pinky! What are you doing sitting there? Get in there and train with them. And don't forget to use the weights I gave you —Kara shouted when she saw Coby doing nothing.

He quickly stood up, put on the weights, and joined the soldiers to train.

After all, he first needed to increase his muscle mass, strength, and endurance before he could start training in any fighting style.

Then, Kara turned to look at Tashigi and Zoro.

—Alright, first, let's assess Tashigi's level. Zoro, fight her —Kara said, stepping into the center as the referee.

—Huh? Tsk… Fine —Zoro said with an annoyed tone but still obeyed.

Zoro and Tashigi faced off, but she was easily defeated by him, even though he only used one sword.

This angered Tashigi, as she felt he wasn't taking her seriously.

—What? Are you looking down on me? Is it because I'm a woman? —she quickly snapped, getting defensive.

Hearing that, Zoro visibly bristled with anger. And before he could say something that might offend Tashigi, Kara intervened.

—Hey, that doesn't work in the Marines. Go tell that to Instructor Zephyr. It's also disrespectful to female Marines. After all, standing before you is the one who traded punches with Magma Head —said Kara seriously upon hearing Tashigi's words.

—And Zoro, there are plenty of women in the Marines who could defeat you in a second, including me. Looking down on them is bad. No, no —she said, shaking her finger at Zoro and looking at him like he was a delinquent.

—I have never looked down on a woman! —Zoro shouted angrily.

—I-it's true. I'm sorry if I made a rash comment —said Tashigi quickly, apologizing to both Kara and Zoro. After all, being weak was no excuse—. But are there really many powerful women in the Marines? —she asked eagerly.

—Hmm? Of course, but most of them are crazy, so you have to be careful. By the way, the psycho... I mean, Vice Admiral Gion is a candidate for admiral once one of the three idiots resigns. She's also a swordswoman, so you should follow in her footsteps. Not mine, I'm stronger than her —said Kara, disrespecting the high-ranking officers of the Marines as if it were nothing while puffing out her chest with pride.

—Yes! —said Tashigi, excited.

—Alright, then. Since you both lack the physical endurance for Armament Haki, let's start with Observation Haki —said Kara, putting on a pair of teacher's glasses and pulling out a ruler to slap her hand.

—Haki? What's that? —asked Tashigi quickly.

—That's true, you've mentioned it several times during the journey, but you never explained what it was —said Zoro, focusing.

—Hmm. Haki is something everyone possesses. It's like a vital energy that exists everywhere. There are three types. First, there's Observation Haki, which allows you to sense everything around you: life, movements, and even emotions —Kara explained patiently—. I'll show you. Come attack me —she said while blindfolding herself.

—Alright —said Zoro without hesitation and started slashing at Kara. Whether it was because he trusted that she wouldn't be harmed or because he just wanted to hit her, he slashed quickly, only for her to dodge effortlessly.

Then, Zoro made several increasingly faster and stronger cuts, but Kara dodged them with smooth and calm movements.

—It's like Hawk-Eye… —said Zoro, realizing the minimal distance Kara left when avoiding his blade.

Then, both stopped, and Kara removed the blindfold.

—Next is Armament Haki. This Haki not only hardens your body even more than steel, but it also exponentially increases your damage. You can even imbue it into your weapons and projectiles if you're skilled… like this —she said, picking up a rock from the ground.

Then, the rock turned black, and with a flick of her fingers, Kara sent it flying into a wall, leaving a hole in it—when, obviously, the rock should have shattered on impact.

—That's amazing —said Tashigi, staring at the hole in the wall.

—The third one is called Conqueror's Haki. This one is used for intimidation. It can knock out the weak, and at high levels, it can be used to cause internal damage with your attacks. But only one in several million is born with this Haki —Kara explained.

—Knock out? Is that like what you did in the Fish-Men's village? —Zoro quickly asked.

—Ah. No, that was my magic power. Only I can do that here —said Kara, remembering—. Well then, let's continue with the training. Now, you two will take turns wearing a blindfold while the other uses a stick to hit them —said Kara with a smile as she handed them both objects.

—Huh? —they both said, looking at the objects.

—Don't worry, I'm a good teacher when it comes to Observation Haki. After so many hits, I found a method. In just one month, you'll have the embryo of Observation Haki, which will awaken the more life-or-death battles you experience —said Kara with a smile that sent shivers down their spines—. But we only have a week here, so let's prioritize sharpening your senses for now.

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