While Carl was busy training Zoro, Luffy was fully immersed in another task—designing the pirate flag.
However, as a soul painter, Luffy's artistic skills remained as abstract as ever. His drawings looked more like something out of a Picasso exhibit than a pirate emblem.
Seeing this disaster unfold, Usopp quickly stepped in. With a few confident strokes, he created a bold and majestic straw hat and skull emblem.
With that, the Straw Hat Pirates were officially established!
Current Crew:
Captain: Monkey D. Luffy
Teacher: Carl
Swordsman: Roronoa Zoro
Navigator: Nami
Sniper: Usopp
Dancer: Jango
Coolie Pet: Lecky
With six members and one pet, the crew was taking shape—though an interesting mix, they were now truly a pirate crew!
Hearing Carl's words, Luffy's eyes lit up with excitement. "Oh! That means Zoro's gonna get even stronger, right?!"
Carl nodded. "Yes. He's been on the verge of awakening Observation Haki these past few days. With just a little more pressure, he should break through today."
Nami, Usopp, and Jango didn't quite understand what "Observation Haki" meant, but they could tell it was something powerful.
"Alright, then we'll go treasure hunting while you train Zoro!" Luffy grinned.
Nami immediately took the lead, her eyes practically sparkling at the thought of treasure. "Let's go, then! We can't waste any time!"
Usopp still hesitated. "Wait, wait, wait! What if this so-called 'god' actually exists? I mean, what if we really anger him?"
Luffy just laughed and pulled him along. "If that happens, we'll just beat him up!"
Meanwhile, Carl stayed behind on the ship with Zoro.
"Alright, Zoro. Today's the day. If you can't dodge my attack this time, you're going swimming." Carl smirked, raising his sword.
Zoro grinned despite the pressure. "Bring it on!"
As the rest of the crew ventured into Zhenbao Island, Carl prepared to push Zoro past his limits—toward the true power of a swordsman.
He knew how difficult it was to awaken one's senses, but he never expected Zoro to do it after just a few days of hellish training. His eyes widened in disbelief.
Zoro's face was full of confidence. "I can feel it too! Just a little more, just a bit more, and I'll definitely break through today!"
Luffy grinned brightly.
"As expected of Zoro! That's amazing! Then, Mr. Zoro and Carl, you two should keep training. We're going to explore the island—there might be lots of interesting things here! You'll have to come ashore eventually, so we'll be waiting for you!"
"Alright, alright, go on already! You can't wait, can you?"
Carl quickly dismissed Luffy and the others, then pulled out his black blade, Obsidian, once again.
Zoro adjusted his hood and slowly closed his eyes.
The moment he did, he instinctively dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding Carl's sudden attack.
Carl swung his blade with a calm expression. There was no killing intent, no wind from the slash—just a simple, precise swing.
But his speed had increased drastically, far surpassing an ordinary swordsman's full-strength strike.
Yet, Zoro dodged every attack as if he had eyes all over his body.
Almost every single strike missed.
Carl knew this wasn't Haki—it was just Zoro's sharp perception. And for a swordsman, this speed still wasn't fast enough.
So Carl picked up the pace again.
This time, Zoro wasn't so lucky. Cuts began to appear on his body, one after another.
Still, he didn't say a word. It was as if he wasn't satisfied with his level of perception, as if he was stuck at a bottleneck he couldn't break through.
An hour passed. Zoro was panting, exhausted, but he didn't stop. He had entered a mysterious state—one where he could hear the "breath" of the sword.
Carl's black blade came slashing down toward his head, but Zoro remained motionless.
Carl hesitated for a brief moment but gritted his teeth and continued his strike.
Just when Carl thought Zoro was about to take a serious hit, Zoro suddenly drew Wado Ichimonji and blocked the attack. But he didn't stop there—his other hand moved, drawing another sword to counterattack.
Carl laughed, silently taking a step back, then twisted his black blade and slashed at Zoro from an unexpected angle.
This time, Zoro reacted swiftly, crossing both his swords to block Obsidian.
The two clashed fiercely, exchanging over a dozen blows. Zoro still had his eyes closed, yet he moved fluidly, matching Carl step for step.
At first, he struggled to keep up, but he quickly adapted. His movements became smoother, and his speed increased with every strike.
Another hour passed, and Zoro could no longer hold on. He collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily.
Slowly, he opened his eyes, a satisfied smile forming on his lips.
"Mr. Carl, I did it! My Observation Haki has awakened! Though... I still don't know how to control it properly yet. Thank you, Mr. Carl!"
"Hehe, congratulations, Zoro! As expected from someone aiming to be the world's greatest swordsman. Your talent is truly impressive—it makes me jealous!"
The two looked at each other and burst into laughter.
After Zoro finished eating and resting for a while, another hour passed.
Remembering what Luffy had said earlier, they decided to explore the island. Before leaving, they told Kei to take care of the ship, then headed toward the island's interior.
Carl activated his Observation Haki, easily tracking Luffy and the others by their footprints. Zoro had just awakened his Haki, but he could still sense Carl's vast range, making him feel both admiration and envy.
Right now, Zoro's Haki could only extend two or three meters around him, while Carl's range stretched for kilometers.
It was frustrating. Some people were just born gifted!
Even as they followed the tracks, Zoro nearly got lost along the way. His terrible sense of direction was truly beyond saving, no matter how skilled he became.
Before long, Carl and Zoro found Luffy and the others.
However, besides them, there was also... a person inside a box.
Zoro blinked in surprise. "Huh? Is this guy a kid growing inside a box?"
The box man, Camie, scoffed. "Yeah, I was raised by this box since I was a kid—wait, what the hell?! Don't make me say that again, you bastard!"
Luffy greeted them with a big smile. "Hey! Mr. Carl, Zoro! You made it! So, did Zoro awaken Observation Haki?"
Carl nodded. "Yeah, everything went smoothly."
Hearing this, everyone cheered and congratulated Zoro, but he, as usual, didn't know how to act humble and just took it as a matter of fact.
After that, Usopp started rambling, explaining Camie's situation in excruciating detail.
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