Chapter 66:

Potential Value

One Piece: The Black Ledger

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That name was the scar Sol least wanted to reopen.

Sometimes, thinking of it or mentioning it made him feel as if his heart might seize up.

But since Corvin had asked, Sol was not the kind of man who liked hiding things behind layers of mystery. He gave the name directly.

"Monkey D. Garp."

Corvin fell silent.

Hearing that unexpected name did not give him much of a reaction.

When he had first arrived at this weapons shop, he had only thought of it as a ridiculous black-market store.

Then Shanks had suddenly visited and caught him completely off guard.

At that time, to Corvin, Shanks had been someone who could sneeze and kill him with the wind from it.

Yet someone like that had crossed streets and alleys to visit this shop, then stood right in front of him.

From then on, Corvin felt that even if Sol had ties to Gol D. Roger himself, it would not be that shocking.

In truth, he had suspected as much before.

He simply had no interest in digging into Sol's secrets.

Now, hearing that Sol had some connection to the Marine Hero Garp did not feel like much.

"I've heard the name. He's supposed to be a legend among the Marines."

Corvin thought that with the body's original identity, knowing Garp's reputation would not be strange.

Garp's name alone was enough to make Sol grind his teeth.

But when Corvin called Garp a legend, Sol did not get angry.

Sol did not deny facts.

If Sol was being honest, even if he wanted to pour a hundred lead balls down Garp's throat, he still had to admit that Garp was a legend on the seas.

"Enough. From now on, I don't want to hear that name again."

Sol shot Corvin a warning look.

Then he dragged the topic back to Usopp.

He placed one hand over the visibly aged body of the old gun.

"In short, keep using this gun for now. Speaking of which, I should thank Yasopp for giving it to you."

"What do you mean, giving? I won this gun in a bet."

"You idiot. If Yasopp hadn't done it out of respect for me, do you think you would ever have touched this gun?"

"Yes, yes. You're right, old man."

Corvin had not been convinced at first. After all, he really had won the gun through skill.

But a moment later, he felt Sol had a point.

Without Sol's connection, people like Shanks or Yasopp probably would not have given him a second look.

Sol could not be bothered trading barbs with Corvin. He gripped Usopp by the stock and lifted it.

"Listen carefully, Corvin."

"Hm?"

Realizing Sol might be about to teach him something, Corvin grew serious.

"Humans possess a latent power called Haki. It can be drawn out through training or guidance."

"There are two primary forms of Haki. One is Armament Haki. The other is Observation Haki."

"That special feel this old gun has is the result of long-term exposure to Haki. A trace of that influence has remained in it."

Sol suddenly introduced the concept of Haki, but he did not mention the third kind: Conqueror's Haki.

In Sol's view, with Corvin's personality, the possibility of him having Conqueror's Haki was pitifully low.

So at this stage, Sol had no intention of bringing it up. He planned to mention it only after Corvin had begun learning Armament Haki and Observation Haki.

Besides, he was not teaching Corvin Haki right now. He was only planting the concept in Corvin's mind.

How could Sol know that Corvin was a transmigrator?

Even so, Corvin was not reckless enough to volunteer knowledge of Conqueror's Haki, and he would not treat the lesson carelessly.

Whether Sol's words were valuable or not, Corvin would listen seriously.

Sol did not know what Corvin was thinking and continued explaining Haki.

"Armament Haki is still too early for you. But Observation Haki is something you need to understand first."

"Observation Haki is, essentially, a power that lets you strongly sense another person's presence."

"Once you master it, you can read the number and positions of enemies outside your line of sight. You can even predict what action an enemy will take. You should understand exactly what that means for a gunman."

"And you have talent in that area."

At this point, Sol lifted the muzzle a fraction without warning and released a faint threat directed at Corvin.

The movement of the muzzle was tiny, and the pressure he released was weak.

Yet Corvin reacted as if he had been sharply stimulated. He retreated several meters in an instant, then dropped low, consciously avoiding the direction of the gun.

In that brief moment, Corvin had not actually seen the muzzle pointing at him.

He had avoided it because he noticed Sol's body movement and judged where the gun would go.

The faint threat had only sharpened his senses.

Once he realized what had happened, Corvin looked slightly uncomfortable.

Sol watched Corvin's excessive reaction. There was no mockery on his face, only focused interest.

"Corvin, some people awaken Haki unconsciously even before they know it exists, because of their environment, experiences, aptitude, and other factors. Your talent in that area is high enough to make even me jealous."

Corvin fell silent.

He badly wanted to say this was actually the sensory effect of Listening with the Spirit.

Thinking about it now, Listening with the Spirit and Observation Haki were both perception-based abilities. They did share similarities.

No wonder Sol believed he had talent in this area.

Sol suddenly tossed Usopp to Corvin.

Corvin caught it in a hurry.

Sol said calmly, "You have potential worth my effort to draw out. But meals are eaten one bite at a time, and I still have plenty of time. So we'll take it slowly."

Corvin nodded in silence.

In that moment, he could feel exactly how much Sol valued him.

During his time in this world, the weapons shop was no longer the temporary shelter he had first thought it was.

The people inside it were no longer irrelevant passersby.

He accepted that debt.

And in the future, he would repay it through action.

The next day.

After breakfast, Sol went to the red-light district for his first morning workout in two months.

Corvin was speechless.

At the same time, it meant his grounding had been lifted.

Having endured for a long time, Corvin stepped out of the shop almost as soon as Sol left.

His destination, naturally, was Nightfall.