Leaving the Golden Lion's palace island.
Kong Tai, with Indigo, rode on the door panel, flying rapidly towards Loguetown.
As they neared Loguetown, they encountered the Going Merry.
Originally, the journey from Prometheus Island to Loguetown should have taken only one day. However, due to the ship being filled with villagers and the rough seas in the first half of the journey, Kuina and the others took a day and a half to arrive.
After dropping off the villagers at Loguetown, they did not enter the town. Instead, they turned their course and flew back rapidly.
Watching Kong Tai land on the deck, stepping on the door panel.
Kuina, standing at the bow, revealed a brilliant smile on her usually stern face.
She quickly walked to Kong Tai's side, grabbed his arm, and looked up at him. She barely glanced at Indigo, her gaze rarely drawn to anything else, her eyes almost always fixed on Kong Tai.
"Kong Tai, you're finally back! I thought you'd be fighting for a long time!"
"Mhm! That old man really had something. Even on the verge of death, he could fight me for a day and a night with sheer willpower."
Kong Tai reached out and ruffled Kuina's hair. He liked ruffling her hair; it had become a habit.
Kuina, meanwhile, squinted contentedly and even nuzzled his head like a cat.
Each time, she would let Kong Tai mess up her hair, and then let him comb it back for her.
She enjoyed the process.
"Mhm! And who is this?"
After a while, she finally turned her gaze to Indigo.
"This is Doctor Indigo. He's now the doctor on our ship."
Kong Tai introduced him, looking at Indigo.
"Oh! Doctor Indigo, hello."
Kuina's voice was clear and cool, neither too cold nor too enthusiastic.
Although she normally wasn't interested in much outside of training and combat, since Indigo had Kong Tai's approval, he was now a shipmate. She was very friendly towards her companions.
"Yes, hello. From now on, your health is in my capable hands!"
Indigo chuckled twice, spun around, and performed a gentlemanly bow.
"Wow! Why are you so weird!"
At this moment, Arlo slid down from the mast.
"Yeah, you're like a performer at an amusement park!"
Ah Hua, pushing up his glasses, emerged from the kitchen. It was unclear what he was always doing in the kitchen, but whenever he was idle, he'd be there.
"Hey, you two, hurry up and adjust the sails."
Just then, A Tao's head popped out from the doorway of the control room and shouted loudly.
After receiving Kong Tai, they had to turn back towards Loguetown.
Arlo and Ah Hua quickly helped adjust the sails.
Once the course was set, the three of them surrounded Indigo, bombarding him with all sorts of peculiar questions.
Indigo, in turn, mingled well with the three.
He would occasionally perform a magic trick, much to the delight and exclamations of the three.
Anyone who didn't know better would have thought Indigo was a magician.
At the bow, Kong Tai reclined back onto his personal lounge chair.
He glanced at Ah Hua, thinking the young man was being inconsiderate. He hadn't even offered his captain a cup of juice upon his return. It seemed he'd need to pay more attention to him in the future.
Looking at Kuina beside him, he sat up, took her hand, and pulled her to sit next to him. He began to tell her about his battle with the Golden Lion.
He shared all the swordsmanship knowledge he had learned, as well as the techniques for using Haki.
Kuina had reached the Swordsman realm for over a year. With these new techniques and a few more major battles, along with tempering her Armament Haki, she would soon be able to advance to Grand Swordsman.
In truth, there was a significant difference between a Swordsman and a Grand Swordsman, beyond just the destructive power of their slashes.
A Grand Swordsman could imbue their slashes with Haki, making them not only deadly in close combat but also formidable at range.
In contrast, a Swordsman's slashes were relatively weak; they were far less damaging than a direct melee attack with the sword.
This was why Swordsmen rarely used slashes and preferred direct close-quarters combat.
Therefore, to advance to Grand Swordsman, one not only needed to comprehend the cutting of iron, which was the breath of all things, and further develop Observation Haki.
They also needed to cultivate Armament Haki to a high level of application.
Let's briefly discuss the distinctions within Armament Haki.
Due to its fluid nature, Armament Haki has various application techniques, which can be categorized into "Hardening," "Wrapping," "Emission," and "Internal Destruction."
While there are different skill levels in using Armament Haki, this does not necessarily equate to its inherent strength or one's overall power. It is precisely because of its fluid characteristic that it is known as "Ryuo" in the Land of Wano.
Hardening is straightforward: it involves coating the body with Armament Haki, making it harder than steel, thus enhancing both defense and offense.
Besides applying it to one's own body, it can also be used on objects.
This is the most common and fundamental way to use Armament Haki in the New World.
Wrapping involves enveloping oneself in a gaseous form of Armament Haki, boosting defense and offense. It can be applied to weapons and, for a limited time, to projectiles like arrows and bullets, and can be used in conjunction with Hardening.
Emission is an advanced application, where Armament Haki is concentrated and released from the hands or weapons, manifesting as tangible offensive or defensive power. It can create powerful shockwaves to knock enemies back, form defensive barriers, and even deflect intangible attacks.
As for the highest level, Internal Destruction, very few individuals in the entire world can master this technique.
It allows for the emission of Armament Haki that penetrates the surface of an object, directly causing damage from within.
Furthermore, "Hardening," "Wrapping," and "Emission" can be used simultaneously.
He himself has currently only reached the stage of emitting Armament Haki.
Although the battle with the Golden Lion significantly strengthened his Haki, it had not yet reached its peak, so he needed to strive harder.
He constantly uses Haki to refine his Zankon, believing that when Zankon becomes a black blade, he will achieve the pinnacle of Haki.
A Grand Swordsman's slashes are the product of advanced Armament Haki application, combined with their unparalleled swordsmanship, forming the most powerful, long-range slashes.
Such slashes are not only fast and powerful but can also harm Logia-type Devil Fruit users.
This is why many people fear Grand Swordsmen.
Despite the perception that many in the New World can wield weapons, and even produce slashes from their bodies, the reality is quite the opposite.
The slashes produced by these individuals are entirely different from the true flying slashes of a Swordsman.
A Swordsman's slashes are honed through years of painstaking, one-by-one training.
They are not only condensed but also imbued with each Swordsman's unique understanding of the sword.
Each Swordsman's slash is a product of their individual training regimen.
While we can learn methods of condensing slashes from other Swordsmen, we cannot replicate their true slashes.
This is why the slashes of every Swordsman, including Grand Swordsmen, are distinct.
Therefore, to advance to Grand Swordsman, one must first begin training from a young age, progressing step by step until they reach a point where no further advancement is possible through conventional means.
At this juncture, provided one's aptitude is not severely lacking, they can typically awaken Armament Haki. If they can then grasp the breath of all things, they will undoubtedly become a Swordsman.
Advancing further to Grand Swordsman truly depends on innate talent.
The advanced application of Armament Haki is essentially exclusive to monsters and prodigies.
Monsters possess powerful innate talent. Once they awaken Armament Haki, as long as they are not utterly incompetent, they can naturally reach the stage of Haki Emission through combat and daily training.
Refer to Monkey D. Luffy and Roronoa Zoro.
These two have awakened their Haki relatively recently, yet their Armament Haki is almost at its peak.
Armament Haki, much like tempering steel, becomes more condensed and easier to control with increased usage.
Eventually, advancement occurs naturally.
For ordinary individuals, awakening Armament Haki is difficult, and even if they could use it endlessly, they wouldn't have the necessary volume.
This is why the Swordsman and Grand Swordsman realms pose such a challenge to so many.
The gap between these two realms is, for most people, akin to the difference between heaven and earth.
It is not a realm that can be reached through effort or sheer desperation.
It is fundamentally determined by innate factors.
As for Kuina, she naturally possesses the required aptitude.
Her ability to fight Roronoa Zoro ten thousand times and emerge victorious indicates that her talent, if not top-tier, is at least among the elite.
Coupled with her lifelong training alongside Kong Tai, her extensive experience as a Grand Swordsman, and her own diligence, it would be difficult for her not to achieve Grand Swordsman status.
In fact, Zoro, having trained with him for so long, would quickly become a Swordsman once he awakens Observation Haki.
Regarding Armament Haki, it's likely Zoro will awaken it even before Monkey D. Luffy sets sail two years later.
It remains to be seen whether, after two years, when Monkey D. Luffy sets sail, he can still persuade Zoro, who will then be a formidable figure among Swordsmen, to join his crew through personal charm.