Coreal
patreon
[C.G] Ch 13: Hearing the Voice of All Things
🕑 Added 2025-04-12 08:11:24 +0000 UTC— — — — — —
Not wanting to attract unnecessary attention over any changes to their bodies once they returned, Fujiwara Chika and Gwen politely said their goodbyes to the others.
After seeing the two girls off, the remaining group exchanged glances—they could already tell what everyone was thinking.
"Everyone heading out already?"
Though a bit reluctant, Hancock, as the host, still took the initiative to ask.
"Yeah… maybe we should just wrap it up here," Fubuki replied. "The original plan was just to meet up in real life, say hi, maybe grab a meal together. And now, somehow, it's already been nearly a month."
"True." Hancock nodded.
So, just like when Chika and Gwen left, the others followed suit.
Fubuki, Selena, Veyron, and Merlin—one by one, their figures vanished from the beach, leaving Hancock standing alone.
Moments ago, the beach had been full of life and laughter. She could almost still see the group training together or partying by the bonfire. Hancock gently bit her lip, feeling the silence.
...
Then, a notification popped up on her mission interface—her long-term mission had been accepted… not just by one person, but two.
"You guys…?"
Seeing Veyron and Merlin reappear not long after leaving, Hancock's expression lit up with surprise and excitement.
"I only just awakened Armament Haki and Observation Haki, right? According to your Kuja tribe's experience, this is the perfect time to refine and master them through real combat. And this island just so happens to have enough dangerous beasts for that." Veyron explained, tossing out his reason for coming back.
"You don't mind if I stay and train here a while longer, right?"
"Of course I don't mind—welcome back~!" Hancock replied cheerfully, then turned to Merlin, who'd also returned. "Miss Merlin…"
"Don't get the wrong idea. I just thought the weather here's perfect for relaxing by the sea."
With a snap of her fingers, a beach chair and a large sun umbrella appeared out of nowhere.
At the same time, the elegant gown—somewhere between a robe and a dress—she wore transformed into a breezy swimsuit, and the ornate staff in her hand changed into a white parasol with lace trim.
By the time Veyron finally left Rusukaina Island, his EXP in the Trait System panel for Armament Haki and Observation Haki had skyrocketed—from Level 1 when he first obtained them, all the way to Level 24 and Level 36, respectively.
Yes, you heard that right—Level 36 Observation Haki!
The growth rate for Armament Haki was about what you'd expect—decent but not mind-blowing.
With the bonuses from auxiliary traits at Level 10 (Armament Haki Power+1) and Level 20 (Armament Haki Power+2), Hancock said that his Armament Haki was now on par with the elite warriors of Amazon Lily—meaning, strong enough to be a royal guard on land or a full-fledged Kuja pirate at sea.
As for why his Observation Haki had leveled up so quickly…
That ties into a trait Veyron had been overlooking for quite some time.
→[Comprehension (Red)]
He'd gotten this shortly after his first arrival. Its effect? It lets him understand all languages—and be understood by all as well.
The convenience of being able to communicate with anyone was cool and all.
But over the past nine years or so, Veyron had always felt like that effect didn't really live up to its red-tier rarity.
After all, Talent Traits Ranked: white < green < blue < purple < orange < gold < red.
After joining the Dimensional Chat Group, that doubt only grew.
After all, the chat group has a built-in auto-translator. Even uploaded photos with text get translated.
And yet, this "Understanding" trait was red-tier, while even something as the Gene Lock was only gold?
But then he learned Observation Haki.
The very first time he activated it, beyond just the basics—like sensing nearby life forms, emotions, surface thoughts, power levels, and tracking the number and location of things outside his field of view—he noticed something else.
He was "hearing" something.
Something he couldn't perceive with his five senses before.
And eventually, it clicked.
He was "hearing the Voice of All Things."
That line in the description of his red trait—["Allows you to understand all speech, and your speech to be understood by all"—] that wasn't just metaphorical!
When fused with Observation Haki, the [Comprehension (Red)] trait evolved into a kind of super-sense, similar to the one used by Gol D. Roger—the man who started the Great Pirate Era.
Whether Veyron's version differed from Roger's was still unknown to him. What he did know was that after figuring this out, he unlocked a brand-new trait—
→[Swordmaster (Blue)]"
•Allows you to unleash strikes worthy of being called a 'Swordmaster' on the open seas.
---
What defines a swordmaster?
Feeling the breath of all things—cutting steel with ordinary swords, unleashing flying slashes that can slice enemies hundreds of meters away...
Thanks to this new trait, Veyron's [Basic Swordsmanship] had jumped from Level 29 when he left Eientei to Level 35 when he returned.
And don't ask why a Swordmaster trait gives EXP to basic swordsmanship. If you're nitpicking stuff like that, you're clearly an idiot!
— — —
"Kaguya… long time no see~"
His power-up naturally came with a boost in mood.
Standing in the garden before the bamboo house, Veyron smiled at the familiar face he hadn't seen in ages.
"Long time no see."
Houraisan Kaguya nodded politely. Then, correcting him, "Although from your perspective, it may have been a while… for me, it's only been a moment since I told you to 'have a safe journey.'"
"My bad, I forgot." Veyron chuckled. Noticing her gaze scanning him up and down, he spun in place once. "See something different?"
"…Did you come back briefly earlier?" she asked.
Veyron nodded. On the way back from submitting the last dimensional mission and accepting the long-term one, he had, in fact, made a short stop at home.
"Then it makes sense." Kaguya explained her observation. "While it may resemble my 'Moment Between Moments'—the time rift technique I use—this chat group you've joined seems to operate on an entirely different level when it comes to manipulating time and space… "
"And maybe even other rules. If not for the slightly different way you're standing, I wouldn't have even noticed you left."
Veyron smiled, "Alright then, I'm gonna take a shower first—then I'll tell you all about the stuff that happened on this trip."
He took the princess's outstretched hand, and the two of them, one tall and one small, climbed the bamboo steps together, side by side.
.
.
.
