One Piece: Gambling To The Top

A/N: Advanced chapters ahead at patréon

www.patréon.com/Blazuki

***

The first item Josh had used from his epic mystery boxes was the Ability Upgrade. It increases the ability of his choice by 50%.

Since there are a lot of things to learn, such as swordsmanship, besides Haki types, Josh decided to put it on the spiritual talent, which boosts him by 400%.

Now, it's increasing his understanding and learning speed to spiritual matters by 600%.

Because Josh couldn't wait to start his Haki training, it wasn't required to get taught by Hancock. However, Josh didn't expect she would let someone else starts with him. It seems that the old woman didn't tell Hancock to start with his training..

"So, I heard you are in hurry to start your Haki's training." She said, smiling.

Lifting his head at the extreme tall green-haired woman, Sonia, Josh said.

"I thought your sister would start with me."

"Come on, don't you think I'm pretty enough to do that? You said I am, didn't you." Sonia said, crossing her arms, gaining attention to her oversized chest; which had massaged Josh's torso. It seemed she was doing that on purpose.

"Well, sure you are pretty." Although she had a pretty body, her big sister was just very prettier.

Josh continued. "But this is a serious thing."

"Hehehe…" Sonia giggled slightly. She then made a smile and bent over, saying. "Don't overthink. We have the best ways to teach Haki. Every mother in Amazon Lilly taught it to her little girls… I can teach a little one like you you before I have a daughter, so I won't worry about who teaches her."

"I'm not that little," Josh said. "Everyone is just huge."

"I'm sure you are huge somewhere." She said, looking at his crotch.

"Ahem… Let's get serious, shall we."

Feeling weird that she is flirting with him, Josh shook his head and decided to train and learn from her.

He didn't mind the flirting though.

Sonia put her hand on his shoulder and took him to the corner of the city of the amazons, into a small arena. It seemed to be a field for training. Josh could see that other amazons were working out. Some were shot with arrows, and others were practising martial arts and swordsmanship.

When Josh entered one specific field, he noticed many tools around. Sticks, with sharp ends, were linked to the ground.

"What is this."

"Training equipment for Observation Haki. The second empress of amazon Lilly invented it for children to play with."

"I see. But why the tools are sharp."

Josh smiled wryly as Sonia was explaining. In front of her, the tools had sharp ends, placed on pillars and the ground.

It seemed that they have some auto random mechanisms to cut and hit someone.

"That's for armament Haki." She said, giggling as she went to one spot on the corner.

There was a wooden trigger in the middle. When she pulled it, the sharp blades placed on the ground started moving.

Sonia pulled the trigger again and it got faster.

Walking back toward Josh while ignoring the sharp tools, she stared at Josh and invited him to come and test it.

Josh shook his head and noticed how she was walking, dodging everything slightly without the slightest sign of hesitating on her face as if she knows where everything is moving.

"You use that for kids?"

"Yes, once they master the basics."

"What are the basics?" Josh asked, a red pill appearing in his hand as he put it in his pocket.

"See, Haki is a translation to your spirit and willpower. If I throw you here, for example, you would unconsciously activate your will to survive, and thus, you would learn faster."

Once a blade hit her leg, it stopped, not passing by it.

Josh stared at that blade, and nodded, somehow. It seemed to be a dangerous method.

Yet, Josh's will to survive told him not to do something so dangerous and guaranteed, unless the reward is great for him. Then, the spirit of the gambler would make an appearance.

"Alright, let's start with the very basics, before throwing you. As you may not know, there are three types of Haki —"

"I know them, Observation, Armament, and Conqueror. Your sister explained all of them to me."

Upon hearing her sister part, Sonia flinched a bit and bent over, patting Josh's back and making a forced smile. "It's best not to mention another teacher in front of another teacher."

"Weird, I thought sisters like each other."

"Sometimes…" she flinched a bit. Sisters love each other. However, the more they love each other, the more they would feel jealous.

She let a sigh as if she didn't want to enter this argument. "Anyway, go to the corner, there are blindfolds and earplugs… wear them, we shall start, you shall discover the rest."

Looking aside, Josh saw what she told him to grab.

"Why my ears, though," Josh said as he put the blindfolds. Even when he is blinded, his ears could pick up the sounds around him very precisely, as he could access some of the demon's instincts in himself.

"Your Zoan fruit, by the way, gives you enhanced senses, it's better if you can shut them a bit so you can learn how to use your sixth sense."

"Alright. Try to instruct me." Josh said as he shut his ears.

Sonia, looking at his cute face, giggled and held her fists. Excited, she jogged like a little girl.

"Alright, walk here."

Josh didn't reply to her.

Sonia frowned a bit. "Hey, come here!"

Still, Josh didn't obey, and only turned his head, as if waiting for something.

Sonia, who was thinking of having some fun time after she had stopped the old woman from telling Hancock about training, started feeling frustrated.

This was supposed to be fun. Yet this guy is ignoring her, way worse than he had done to Hancock. She could feel the frustration. Bitting on her bottom lip, she put her hands in front of her face, emotions raising.

"You men are mean… even if you are cute. I knew you are bad somehow --"

"Hey, am I supposed to wait for something, or hear you without my hearing sense. Does Haki allows that?" Josh said, pointing to the earplugs.

Sonia snapped and realised something. Josh can't hear her.

Suddenly, she felt her cheeks turning red from embarrassment. Sighing, she walked toward him.

Josh, feeling the vibration of the ground as Sonia made it shake by walking, turned in any direction as if looking for her through his touch sense as he extended his hands forward.

*Pa*

Sonia slammed the back of his head. That big strong hand of her would surely do enough pain for him to learn quickly. Josh held the back of his head and turned.

"You dodge, Hancock told you already how it works." She said, knowing that Josh isn't hearing her.

While Josh raised his arm to defend himself, she started smashing on the back of his head again, without him being able to stop her palm.

Josh, although he had a healing factor, started feeling enough pain.

The smacks started pouring on his head like rain.

From his perspective, he was getting hits from directions he couldn't even see and hear. He could only feel the air pressure on his face, only at the last moment. Sonia didn't even give him the chance to dodge.

Surrounded by the darkness and hearing nothing, Josh couldn't dodge or do anything to stop the Haki master. He was quite nervous, but he kept breathing.

'Why Do I feel like a baby getting smacked… My poor life. I should have waited for Hancock.'

Josh suddenly felt his face getting hit by something bigger than the slap. It was large and so soft that his face sank.

The smell was sweet, like milk, yet he couldn't tell where he had smelt something familiar.

It seems that she is giving him a break from smacks. Sonia had decided to continue the training with something softer.

Still, surrounded by the dark and knowing that any potential attack can kill him, Josh was willing to do anything to get out of this situation.

Josh's will was getting stronger with the curiosity to know that smell, with each hit that hit his face.

Josh's spiritual talent was working along with his will to survive.

Josh couldn't explain things in words, however, at that moment, he felt a very small thing tickling the air.

He could only tell the direction, not where it is heading or something else.

Unconsciously, he extended his hand to the right side. His hand sank somehow in the soft thing.

Curious, he squeezed a bit on the soft thing. Before he could tell what it is, Sonia took it back, it seems.

Taking the blindfold and earplugs off him, Josh asked. "What was that soft thing? It smells like milk."

Somehow, the smell was similar when he had been hugged by Hancock's chest. No wonder it made him feel quite numb and aroused.

"Ahem." She faked a cough.

When he lifted his head, Sonia's cheeks were red somehow.

Josh only raised his eyebrows as he saw her looking in another direction, avoiding eye contact.

Sonia looked at him and said. "I never thought that you would get a hint of Haki on your first day. Usually, it takes the other girls from day to week to be able to notice something… Even though I went so slow on you."

A woman's natural talent is changing the topic. Josh still didn't buy it and sniffed her. Looking at her body for anything that soft and big, Josh's eyes naturally fell on her chest. Yep, it's her boobs, the soft big thing that was hitting his head earlier.

Thinking if he ever wrote his life on paper, what would this phrase of training Haki can be called.

'Haki Training; Shota-Kun [1] edition.' Josh frowned and smirked at the same time. 'Sounds like cheap hentai to me.'

Noticing his eyes, Sonia's cheeks started turning red. "Hey, where do you think you are looking?"

'I'll pretend that I didn't see that.' Josh shook his head. This what happens when you flirt with the friend of the girl you try to pick up? But usually, those friends look like Mari.

"Your eyes."

"Good. Let's continue the training then. You still have a lot to learn." Sonia said.

What Josh had now was a simple glance at what real observation Haki is. He has still had a lot to learn.

She continued, "You still have to train to the lever where you are aware of everything around you, even one thousand arrows. Also, your Haki should help you to deal with fast opponents your eyes or ears can't keep up with, you are still behind that level."

Although she seemed to be telling him that he has a lot to learn, she had to admit it. Josh is so talented. Not only he is so sweet to free her from the slavery tattoo with surgeon talent, but he is so fast at picking up things. As she felt more curious about him, she thought that teasing him with her chest is more tempting than ever.

As Josh smiled at her, he said.

"Sure, I should put the blindfold again, right."

"Right. This time, don't open it again." Sonia smirked, licking her lips.

Josh smiled back. He didn't know why the show showed that Haki's training is dangerous and boring, but he is enjoying it.

(A/N: The one who trained Haki in the most dangerous way: Sanji)

"Just give me a water break at leading," Josh told Sonia.

He then went to the corner, picking up a water bottle that was on the corner. He took the Instant Mastery Pill and put it in his mouth, before pouring the water there.

As he did that, Josh focused on the thing he wanted to learn. Since his talent gave him a glimpse of what is the beginning of Observation Haki is, he could let the pill complete the rest.

When Josh opened his eyes after drinking the water, he was shocked when he stared at Sonia, his eyes widely opened.

Although he isn't looking behind him, Josh could feel it. Few little amazons walking beside their training place. Josh could feel them giggling while looking at his back curiously. He could even feel Sonia's chest jiggle without even looking.

Sonia's cheeks started turning red again, seeing that glance of Josh at her.

'Is he checking me out… hold on, I didn't put much make-up.' Sonia turned her face.

Josh, in fact, was focusing on everything that he was feeling annoyed with as he extended the range of Haki and felt too many things.

It was like he is seeing things without his eyes if he closed them. He could feel shapes and movements. When he closed his eyes, he could see a white silhouette of Sonia in the pitch dark.

'I can control the range, so it doesn't annoy me.' Josh thought, controlling the Haki's in a specific area.

"Put the blindfold again, we should continue the training until noon."

"Alright." Josh, since he had mastered Observation Haki, decided to take a small break. Although he finished his lesson here, he still can learn more, depending on his spiritual talent. There are more things to discover about Haki, such as seeing the future.

Knowing that she will have a fun time, Sonia smiled and approached Josh, saying. "You won't stop until you can catch the thing I'm hitting you with."

"I have an idea, but go ahead."

"You need to be certain."

She smiled when Josh closed his eyes. She should use this time before Hancock comes back.

——

[1] Shota Kun. A term used in Japanese erotic comics where the protagonist is a young boy, in most cases, having sexual adventures with milfs and older women who are after little boys. It's quite popular among women in Japan.