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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Two: Unexpected News
On the morning of the twenty-first, Xiaqiu began learning the Six Styles. She separated Califa and Kaku, asking each about the techniques of the Six Styles.
The first technique was Shave.
In an instant, one could step on the ground more than ten times, using the explosive speed generated by the reaction force to move.
The speed of Shave was similar to Captain Kuro's Silent Step, approximately four seconds for a hundred meters, which is about twenty-five meters per second.
However, unlike Silent Step, which, once initiated, could not target anyone specifically and only followed a predetermined path to attack targets along the way, Shave allowed for better control over direction and distance.
It could be used to attack distant targets as well as close ones, enabling quick movement in all directions.
Xiaqiu urgently needed Shave to enhance her speed, so she prioritized learning this technique.
However, it was quite difficult.
First of all, Shave and Moon Step could be executed using either one leg or both legs. The former was mostly done with both legs, while the latter sometimes utilized a single leg.
For example, Gabura used Moon Step with both single and double legs.
The Flying Squirrel Vice Admiral also employed Moon Step using one leg to push off into the air.
But regardless of whether it was one leg or both legs, they could support their own body weight effectively.
The support here is not just about providing power; it also involves balance.
One leg alone cannot sustain the immense weight of a large body, nor can it maintain balance.
To support the body effectively, at least two legs are needed, specifically the middle two, which can maintain balance, support the body, and not feel overly fatigued.
To walk, at least three legs must alternate in support.
Xiaqiu's method of walking involves the left one, left three, and right two moving forward and backward together, while left two, right one, and right three alternate in their advance.
With three legs alternating in movement, Xiaqiu's speed is incredibly fast.
In other words, Xiaqiu advances using three legs as a point of dynamic support.
Thus, when using the technique of "shear," at least three legs are required; if more are needed, it could range from four to six legs.
Humans typically use only two legs, which is significantly less than what Xiaqiu requires.
Moreover, the power, speed, and control provided by two legs are much simpler to manage.
On the other hand, using one leg demands a higher level of strength.
Therefore, most who utilize "shear" and "Moon Step" begin by moving with both legs; aside from "Moon Step," "shear" is almost always performed using both legs.
Thus, what Xiaqiu should first attempt is the six-legged approach. He is uncertain whether three legs can provide sufficient power.
However, coordinating six legs proves to be exceedingly difficult; the frequency of stepping, the force applied with each step, and controlling direction all become exponentially more challenging with each additional leg.
"So I don't think you can succeed."
Califa stood at a distance, her hands shackled, looking at Xiaqiu and said, "I suggest you give up."
"Cut the nonsense."
Xiaqiu replied coldly, "You just need to demonstrate in front of me."
"Alright."
Califa's expression showed some reluctance as she suddenly stomped her legs on the ground, her body vanishing and reappearing far away.
In no time at all.
The distance covered was about ten meters, taking less than half a second.
In almost an instant, she appeared in the distance.
Xiaqiu could barely grasp the direction of her movement with his vision, unable to analyze the details of her legs.
"Show me how you stomp," Xiaqiu instructed Califa.
Califa nodded, then moved her right leg, slowly lifting it before stomping down. "It's roughly like this."
The lift of her leg was not significant; she raised it slightly before stomping onto the ground.
Xiaqiu immediately asked, "What about the direction of force with your foot?"
Califa lifted her foot slowly, first raising her heel off the ground, followed by the ball of her foot. When she brought it down, the ball touched the ground first, followed by the heel.
"That's about it, but there's no need to break it down too much. When you lift your foot, you should gather strength from your toes, and when you land, it should feel more like a kicking motion."
Xiaqiu found this a bit challenging.
Xiaqiu's front four legs inherited traits from the Tyrannosaurus Rex, while the back two resembled the hind limbs of a Triceratops.
Of course, the Tyrannosaurus Rex had its heels raised, but due to the mixed evolutionary traits of other dinosaurs, Xiaqiu's heels could touch the ground.
Moreover, on her front four legs, there were three claws positioned at the front and on both sides at an angle, which dispersed the force.
The support structure of her legs was different, the structure of her feet varied, and each of her six legs was unique.
It was quite difficult for her to replicate the same movement accurately.
Xiaqiu looked at Califa and said, "Use the same force you apply when using your scythe and do it again."
"Alright."
Califa nodded and tapped the ground once more. This time, she moved with incredible speed, leaving only a fleeting shadow that was almost imperceptible.
With immense power concentrated over a very short distance in a brief moment, she struck the ground rapidly.
The multiple impacts against the ground generated a reaction force that resembled a scythe's cutting motion.
Xiaqiu attempted to mimic Califa's swift stomp on the ground but found it difficult to control her strength. Completing the earlier movement at such speed proved to be exceedingly challenging.
This method may not be suitable for everyone; from now on, one can only train and improve to develop more appropriate movements.
Cecilia and Bola were nearby. Cecilia, who was already skilled in leg techniques, followed along with the training and could manage the movements in slow motion.
However, Bola was different; the rapid footwork was already quite challenging.
Cecilia curiously asked, "How do the legs coordinate during the use of this technique?"
"Alternately," Califa replied. "It may seem like the footwork starts instantly, but that's a result of the speed being too fast. In a split second, you can perform ten steps, which are nearly indistinguishable to the naked eye."
This method was akin to lifting the right foot, landing the left foot, lifting the left foot, and landing the right foot.
Due to the extremely quick frequency of lifting the legs, it was impossible to discern which came first; it relied on this rhythm to switch back and forth.
"I see," Cecilia said, stroking her chin thoughtfully.
Xiaqiu asked curiously, "Why alternate? Wouldn't using both legs together generate more power?"
"Which is faster: running or jumping forward with both legs?" Califa looked at Xiaqiu and asked.
"Of course running is faster," Xiaqiu replied.
"Exactly. Footwork is like running in place; however, it accumulates power continuously and ultimately stores that energy for an explosive release. If you use both feet together, it becomes jumping in place. While jumping provides significant power, larger movements mean that each time you leave the ground, you cannot compress that energy effectively. That's why we alternate," Califa explained slowly.
"How about the single leg?" Xiaqiu asked curiously.
Califa replied, "The single leg technique involves using one leg to continuously step and build up power for an explosive result. If your strength is enough to support your body moving forward, then that’s sufficient, but your speed will definitely decrease. With the Moon Step, you'll notice that when he jumps with his left foot, the next time he steps in the air, it will inevitably be with his right foot. Of course, it's possible to keep using one foot, but the pressure on the leg would be too great, and the speed would drop."
"That's certainly true."
Xiaqiu thought of the Moon Step, which involves alternating both feet stepping in the air to move forward.
"I think I understand now."
Xiaqiu grasped the method but realized that the difficulty had increased again; his first step was to achieve a human-like double leg action, meaning six legs working together.
In other words, he needed to alternate three legs simultaneously, with each leg requiring extremely precise movements and stepping more than ten times in an instant.
The main issue was that his leg structure was different.
With four difficult points to overcome, Xiaqiu found it hard to manage; no wonder Lucci had made that request.
"It seems I need to continue practicing."
Xiaqiu said, looking towards Bola in the distance. "Bola, please take her back."
"Okay."
Bola walked over to Califa, put shackles on her feet, and escorted her into the basement.
"Since Califa has taught you the Six Styles, shouldn't you also give us the newspaper? It's almost noon now."
In the distance, within the Sea Prism Stone Cage, Lucci sat lazily and asked, "When will you send it to me?"
"I'll have someone deliver it to you shortly," Xiaqiu replied, glancing at him.
Yesterday, Lucci had agreed to teach Xiaqiu Life Restoration, but he had set two conditions: first, he would only teach one of the Six Styles at a time, and Xiaqiu had to master each one before moving on to the next, culminating with Life Restoration.
Xiaqiu understood what they were thinking—that he wouldn't be able to learn it, which would buy them time. They feared that if his subordinates learned it, they might eliminate them.
However, Xiaqiu was unconcerned about these thoughts. Allowing his subordinates to learn the Six Styles before he mastered them would only create trouble for himself.
Additionally, he provided them with newspapers so they could receive information from the outside world.
Xiaqiu agreed to their terms and had no intention of going back on his word.
Bola returned to the cage with Califa, bringing them newspapers and lunch before heading back upstairs.
Meanwhile, Xiaqiu continued his training. The structure of his legs posed a challenge, but Califa had explained the simplest way to use Shave.
Shave involved utilizing the reactive force generated by stepping ten times in quick succession.
Thus, high-speed, high-frequency steps at short distances, along with alternating leg movements to generate power, should be the simplest approach.
He decided to train using six legs while treating three of them as one leg. From this foundation, he would continuously adjust based on his leg structure until he mastered Shave.
It was clear that he would need to undergo a long period of rigorous training ahead.
"How did the training go?"
Kaku looked at Califa after Bola left.
Califa replied, "I don't think he can learn. He has too many issues: his weight is too much, six legs, and the structure and strength of his legs make it very difficult for him to master it."
"That's a good thing."
Kaku smiled and said, "If he never learns, doesn't that mean we can live forever?"
"Not necessarily."
Califa disagreed.
Kaku asked, "Califa, do you think if he never learns, he might end up killing us instead?"
Califa shook her head and said, "I believe he might learn; it's just that he may not be incapable of learning."
"Califa, do you really have that much faith in him?" Kaku asked in confusion.
Califa gently replied, "If he can learn Armament Haki, how could he not learn Six Styles? The former is actually more difficult."
Upon hearing this, Kaku said, "I really can't imagine how a giant beast could learn Armament Haki, especially since our boss hasn't even learned Haki yet."
"Boss Lucci isn't incapable of Haki; it's just that he hasn't focused on learning it."
Califa explained that Lucci had not prioritized Haki; instead, he concentrated on physical techniques and body training, which took up a lot of his time.
His physical abilities were on par with an ordinary Vice Admiral, and he had dedicated a significant amount of time to mastering both the Six Styles and Life Restoration, reaching the pinnacle of these two skills.
After that, he took on a mission that required him to remain hidden in Water Seven for five years, preventing him from focusing on training.
For Lucci, starting to learn Haki would not be too difficult.
Indeed, two years later, he had mastered Armament Haki and was capable of fighting against Sabo at that time; his talent was truly exceptional.
...
"The Life Card points to this location."
On a deserted island, over a dozen Naval Battleships appeared, slowly surrounding the island.
"Is he still here?" asked a Vice Admiral on the ship.
The P0 agent glanced at the fragment of the Life Card in his hand and replied, "Yes, he hasn't left."
"Then let's search."
The P0 agent and several Vice Admirals, along with hundreds of Sailors, landed on the deserted island and began their search.
However, they found the island desolate and did not locate Lucci or anyone else.
"They're not here," said the Flying Squirrel Vice Admiral.
"But the Life Card must be here," the P0 agent insisted.
"Then let's search for it," another Vice Admiral said.
"Over here."
After searching for more than two hours, a Sailor finally discovered a Life Card in a tree, surrounded by signs of being torn off.
"Is this Lucci's Life Card? How could it be left here?" one of the P0 agents said with some regret.
"It seems we can't find Lucci this way," the Flying Squirrel Vice Admiral remarked, then turned to the P0 agent and said, "We were sent to assist you because of the discovery of the Life Card, but now that it has been proven they are not here, our mission is complete."
The P0 agent looked somewhat disappointed and said, "Let's head back."
The Navy Soldiers and P9 agents returned to the Battleship, which then slowly departed, disappearing into the distance.
(I hadn't considered the issue of the Life Card; I forgot about it. However, I reviewed the settings and descriptions from that time. Lola's chapter was when the Life Card first appeared. The Life Cards attract each other, allowing one to locate their target. Later, Rayleigh went to find Luffy and also left a Life Card with Shachi. Therefore, many people discussing this issue believe that the torn-off part of the Life Card points to the master card. If the Life Card pointed to the individual themselves, there would be no need for the original to leave one behind. So for now, it's established that the Life Card attracts based on other Life Cards; otherwise, this bug would be quite significant.)
...
"Hey, Bola, what are you doing?"
Xiaqiu looked at Bola sitting not far away drinking tea and said with an annoyed expression, "Why aren't you training?"
"Boss, I've already trained all morning."
"Bola," she said lazily, "let me rest for a bit. I'm so tired."
"You've only been training for a short time after spending most of the morning discussing techniques," Xiaqiu replied, not pleased.
"If you keep slacking off like this, when will you ever master the Six Styles?"
Xiaqiu had high hopes for Bola. Although she wasn't the brightest, she could become a competent support.
Bola's Devil Fruit Ability made her nearly unbeatable within the group, except for Gunner.
However, if those people wanted to escape, she wouldn't be able to stop them.
But with the Six Styles, combined with her Devil Fruit Ability, her strength would change dramatically.
Especially the Finger Gun technique, which was highly compatible with her abilities.
Yet she was too lazy, particularly in recent times; aside from the tasks she arranged for herself, she rarely pushed to improve.
"President, don't worry. Anyway, we can't learn the next technique until you master it, so we have plenty of time," Bola said nonchalantly.
Upon hearing this, Xiaqiu shouted angrily, "Bola, are you mocking me for not being able to learn?"
"President..."
Bola froze for a moment and quickly backtracked, "That's not what I meant! You're so smart; how could you possibly not learn? I'll start training right away."
Bola hurriedly stood up, but suddenly, the sound of Blu Blu echoed through the air.
"The Transponder Snail rang, and I went to answer the call."
Bola's eyes lit up as she ran off into the distance.
"This girl."
Xiaqiu watched her retreating figure with a hint of helplessness; once she ran off like that, it was likely she wouldn't be back.
The two had been together for nearly a year and a half, and their relationship had improved significantly. She had become a competent subordinate.
At least she wouldn't betray him; even if her abilities were lacking, he wouldn't punish her too harshly.
"Forget about her."
Xiaqiu shook his head and continued training, but after a while, Bola came running back.
"What happened?"
Xiaqiu stopped and looked at Bola.
Bola replied, "It's Vivi on the phone. Something big has happened in Drum Kingdom."
"What is it?" Xiaqiu frowned.
Bola responded, "Drum Kingdom was attacked by a group of pirates. King Valpo fled the country, and now Drum Kingdom is deserted."
"What pirates?"
Xiaqiu had a guess in her heart, and her expression was somewhat excited.
Bola said, "Blackbeard's Pirate Crew."
"Blackbeard's Pirate Crew?"
Xiaqiu's eyes slowly brightened. 'They really have left Whitebeard's Pirate Crew. I just don't know if it was betrayal, and whether Ace will come looking for him.'
So Xiaqiu said, "Have Vivi mobilize the intelligence department to investigate Blackbeard's Pirate Crew and find their whereabouts. Besides that, help me look into another person."
"I'll relay that to Vivi."
Bola nodded, then added, "Vivi also asked about something else."
Xiaqiu looked at Bola and asked, "What is it?"
Bola gently replied, "Vivi mentioned that the king of Drum Kingdom is currently absent, and the whole country is in a bit of chaos."
"Is that so?"
Upon hearing this, Xiaqiu immediately understood Vivi's implication. "Drum Kingdom? It indeed has some value worth pursuing."
Drum Kingdom was relatively remote, with an exceptionally cold environment and very little economic output.
But it was still a country, still one of the members of the World Government.
Bola smiled and asked, "So are we heading to Drum Kingdom next?"
"Mm."
Xiaqiu nodded and said, "However, this matter is not simple. Before taking action, we need to plan carefully. Ask Vivi if she can come here to meet; I still have some questions for her."
Compared to the Drum Kingdom and Blackbeard's Pirate Crew, Xiaqiu was more curious about what Vivi was really thinking.
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