One Piece: Ulquiorra Template

Chapter 30: A Devil Fruit as a Welcome Gift

"I see," Ian murmured, comprehending the explanation of Haki.

As a transmigrator, he was already familiar with the concept of Haki, but he hadn't known the specific training methods.

There were three types of Haki in this world.

Observation Haki, used to sense incoming attacks and perceive the presence of others; Armament Haki, used to enhance strength, defense, and even negate Devil Fruit abilities; and Conqueror's Haki, used to overpower and even knock out opponents with sheer willpower.

Conqueror's Haki was an innate ability that couldn't be acquired through training. It was considered a sign of kingly potential, and those who possessed it were rare, even in the New World, the latter half of the Grand Line, where powerful individuals were abundant.

Observation Haki and Armament Haki, on the other hand, were more common, especially in the New World, where their use was widespread, practically a standard combat skill.

The strength of Armament Haki was directly related to physical strength. The stronger the individual, the more potent their Armament Haki. Conversely, even if a weak individual learned Armament Haki, it would be significantly weaker.

Haki training was a gradual process, requiring time and effort. Attempting to cultivate Haki before reaching a sufficient level of physical strength was a waste of time, putting the cart before the horse. It was better to focus on enhancing physical strength first.

Human potential was nearly limitless, and theoretically, physical strength could be enhanced indefinitely. However, the stronger one became, the more difficult it was to improve further. Even across the vast expanse of the sea, individuals who could reach Garp's level of strength were rare.

Generally, it was most effective to begin cultivating Armament Haki after reaching a certain level of physical strength, when further improvement became challenging.

But Ian was different. He possessed a transmigrator's template system, an advantage even greater than the protagonist's plot armor. As long as he had souls, he could continuously grow stronger. The concept of premature Haki training didn't apply to him.

The strength of Armament Haki varied from person to person, but there was a simple and general classification for its control. The ability to envelop one's fists or weapons in Haki, slightly increasing their attack power, was considered the entry level.

True mastery of Armament Haki involved not just enveloping but also densely coating weapons and fists with Haki, achieving Armament Haki Hardening.

Further advancement allowed one to coat any part of their body with Armament Haki, achieving Full-Body Armament Haki Hardening. Reaching this level signified proficiency in Armament Haki.

However, the fundamental factor was still the strength of the Haki itself. No matter how refined one's control, if the Haki was inherently weak, it would remain ineffective.

Achieving Full-Body or Partial Hardening wasn't necessarily a sign of exceptional Haki strength. It merely indicated exceptional control over Haki.

For example, if Ian could easily break through Armament Haki Hardening as strong as steel, whether it was Partial or Full-Body Hardening, as long as its strength was below his threshold, it would offer little resistance to his attacks.

The strength of Armament Haki was paramount. Unless it reached an exceptionally high level, even the most intricate techniques would be useless against a powerful strike.