[You have an extraordinary understanding. You have combined the four techniques of Armament Haki with Ultra Instinct to create an innovative and unique skill for Armament Haki: Blut Vene (Calm Blood Dress).]
[Blut Vene (Calm Blood Dress): Use the absolute control of Armament Haki by Ultra Instinct to inject Haki into the blood vessels, evolving it into substantial defensive power. Greatly improves defense inside and outside the body and can effectively defend against internal and external destruction.]
(Requires Haki Ultimate Intention. If others attempt it, it will cause permanent damage to blood vessels throughout the body.)
…
Rosen was delighted.
It wasn't just because he had mastered an unprecedented fifth type of Armament Haki technique that could effectively combat Internal Destruction, but also because he realized the true value of the exclusive skill, Ultra Instinct.
If you don't know Ultra Instinct, even if you're a monster with talent like Luffy, Kaido, or Shanks, you could watch him use the Blut Vene (Calm Blood Dress) a hundred times and still wouldn't learn it on your own.
Unless—Rosen was willing to teach them Ultra Instinct himself.
This meant that Rosen had already taken a huge lead over any other strong person in the field of Armament Haki.
If he encountered an opponent who did not possess Conqueror's Haki, even if their Armament Haki was nearly as strong as his, he would only win and never lose.
After all, others only had four skills, but he had five. When facing his Internal Destruction, they could only rely on their health bars to tank the damage, while he could completely defend with Blut Vene (Calm Blood Dress).
As one side gained strength, the other lost strength—before the fight even began, half the battle was already won.
"Rosen."
Seeing Rosen fully immersed in his own world and unable to hear after calling several times, Zephyr couldn't help but move.
"I heard it!"
"Instructor Zephyr."
"What are you trying to do? Quickly put away your black fist!"
Rosen came back to his senses and saw Zephyr twisting his fist wrapped in Armament Haki, about to strike him with a black wrist. He immediately stepped back and raised his hand.
Even though he had created a fifth Armament technique unprecedented on the Grand Line, he was still a rookie who had just set foot on the path of Haki. He absolutely couldn't take a full-strength punch from a former Admiral wrapped in heavy Haki.
Just as Zephyr said: don't be superstitious about techniques.
When there's a huge gap in pure Haki strength, no matter whether it's, Hardening, or Blut Vene (Calm Blood Dress), you'd still get smashed to pieces in one punch.
"I will say this one last time."
"Stop thinking about defending against Internal Destruction."
"We don't have that capability yet. Hardening, Imbuement and Emission—none of them can do it."
Zephyr sincerely persuaded.
"What if it's a technique other than Hardening, Imbuement and Emission, and Internal Destruction?"
Rosen asked back.
"There are only four Armament Haki techniques. Where does the fifth one come from?"
Zephyr had just finished speaking when he saw Rosen's lips curl into a faint smile. Thinking of this student's terrifying comprehension, an idea so absurd that even he felt terrified surfaced in Zephyr's mind.
"There wasn't one before—but now there is."
Rosen met Zephyr's shocked gaze and nodded slightly.
"Are you serious?"
Zephyr subconsciously wanted to say "impossible," but the words turned into a soft request for confirmation before they came out.
Obviously.
After seeing Rosen's monstrous talent, he was already beginning to believe it.
"Instructor Zephyr."
"I'd like you to attack me using Armament Haki equal to mine."
"Preferably with Internal Destruction."
Rosen didn't answer directly, but instead asked Zephyr to punch him using Internal Destruction to verify it.
Practice is the only way to confirm.
Even though he was confident in Blut Vene (Calm Blood Dress), he had to test it in real combat.
You can't just let pirates test it in the middle of a life-and-death fight, right?
If it were Zephyr, at worst he'd just get injured, but it wouldn't lead to total defeat.
If you let pirates test it, either it wouldn't break—or he'd die on the spot.
"Are you sure?"
Zephyr narrowed his eyes.
He understood exactly what Rosen meant and spoke directly.
"Come on."
Rosen focused, his consciousness infused into his Armament Haki. Then he carefully manipulated it, injecting it into his blood vessels, letting it flow throughout his entire body along with his blood.
Zephyr didn't hold back either. He wrapped his fist with Armament Haki, creating a sharp sonic boom, and punched Rosen's forearm.
Although the momentum was fierce, the power of the punch was strictly controlled.
He only needed to use Haki equal to Rosen's strength, and he even aimed at Rosen's arm. Even if Rosen failed to defend, he would only need medical treatment—no lasting harm.
Bang!
Fist and arm collided.
Centered around them, a powerful wave of air roared outward, followed by a series of howling echoes that made people's scalps tingle.
It was as if invisible tigers were roaring in unison.
"Mm?"
Zephyr stared at Rosen's arm. He saw black lines appear under the skin, as if black light flowed inside his veins.
The most important thing was that he clearly felt his Internal Destruction technique being blocked.
Yes.
When he tried to push his Armament Haki past Rosen's arm surface into his muscles, blood vessels, and tissues to cause internal damage, it hit a barrier. It couldn't even pass through the surface of Rosen's body.
If it couldn't even penetrate the surface, it certainly couldn't damage the inside.
"He really did it!"
Zephyr stared blankly at Rosen.
Just one strike and he fully understood.
This was a new Armament Haki technique that naturally countered Internal Destruction and effectively blocked Haki from penetrating the body.
For any Haki master, when facing Rosen, Internal Destruction techniques would be completely ineffective.
The only option would be to use absolutely overwhelming force to shatter the defense from the outside.
The problem was that Internal Destruction was useless to Rosen—but he could still use it on you.
Hardening, Imbuement and Emission, Internal Destruction—Rosen could use them all, and he could use them all on you.
"Wait."
"There's still one question."
"You keep using this state—doesn't it consume your Haki? Isn't it the same as fully Hardening your whole body?"
Zephyr suddenly thought of something.
"Of course."
"Fully Hardening your whole body consumes a huge amount of Haki over time. But my Blut Vene (Calm Blood Dress) only needs to be activated once, and it remains until I'm hit. It doesn't consume any additional Haki."
"This is like putting on an invisible armor before battle. Once it's on, it barely consumes any more Haki to maintain."
Rosen's words made Zephyr's expression change drastically.
What he said was absolutely correct.
The Armament Haki injected into the blood vessels would continue to circulate with the blood throughout the body. It would never disappear or drain additional Haki.
The portion of Haki injected into the blood vessels would always remain there, maintaining the Still Blood state.
As long as it wasn't forcibly broken from the outside, it would never vanish.
If there was any consumption, it wasn't Haki—it was Rosen's physical strength and spirit.
After all, it definitely took energy to precisely control the Haki and inject it into blood vessels. Also, having Haki constantly flowing through the blood to reinforce defense would put a burden on the body and veins over time.
However, with his current physical condition, he could maintain Blut Vene (Calm Blood Dress) for more than half a day.
As his body and Haki strength continued to improve, this duration would only grow longer.
"Monster."
"This is a monster born for Haki... more terrifying than a Marine Admiral."
Looking at Rosen, who had created a fifth Armament Haki technique, Blut Vene (Calm Blood Dress), on the very first day of learning Haki...
A thought quietly rose in Zephyr's mind.