Chapter 26: 26: Introducing Chakra
Amazon Lily, the home of the Kuja Pirates, is quite a special country, with its uniqueness lying in the fact that the majority of its citizens don't adhere to the strict concept of bloodline inheritance.
Before Kizaru took control of Amazon Lily, most of the people in this country had never even seen what a man looked like.
The majority of the population had been abducted to Amazon Lily from a young age, and even the giants were not spared from being taken.
This diversity is reflected in the Guardian Warriors, the elite female warriors of Amazon Lily, who are essentially like a humanoid race museum.
For instance, the giant race, being quite prominent, has four members among the over one hundred Guardian Warriors. This is mainly because the giants possess significantly stronger combat abilities.
Even among elite warriors like the Guardian Warriors, it's difficult to erase the inherent racial differences, and the giant Guardian Warriors are far from useless, relying solely on talent.
"Everyone, follow my instructions..."
After giving a brief explanation for calling together the Guardian Warriors, Kizaru began teaching them how to refine chakra.
It quickly became clear that for those who already had some foundational skills, learning how to refine chakra wasn't too difficult.
In less than five minutes of Kizaru demonstrating the chakra refining method, Hancock, who was eager to please Kizaru, successfully refined chakra.
Soon after, Kikyo and the strongest among the Guardian Warriors also completed the process.
About half an hour later, the last giant warrior also managed to refine chakra with the help of her companions.
The efficiency seemed a bit excessive, but considering that these one hundred plus Guardian Warriors were selected from Amazon Lily's female warriors, all of whom mastered Armament Haki, it wasn't all that surprising.
"Very good. Now, we'll move on to the Lightning Release ninja body technique..."
Kizaru was somewhat surprised. He had originally thought there might be a few warriors who would struggle with chakra refinement, so he was prepared to let them self-study using scrolls.
It seemed he had underestimated the talent of the Guardian Warriors or the compatibility between the Haki system and the chakra system.
Overjoyed, Kizaru decided to strike while the iron was hot and teach the newly acquired Lightning Release ninja body technique to the Guardian Warriors.
Although he hadn't personally learned it yet, with his many years of experience and the ability to make connections, he believed he could learn it quickly.
Zzzzz...
Zzz...
Zzzzz...
...
The Guardian Warriors were also quite interested in the "battle techniques" Kizaru was personally teaching, especially after they had learned how to refine chakra.
Although they hadn't yet realized the full implications of the chakra system.
However, the sudden appearance of such power still caused the Guardian Warriors to feel exceptionally excited.
In an instant, the training ground seemed to turn into a Pikachu breeding ground, with crackling lightning flashing non-stop.
Unfortunately, the training for the Lightning Release ninja body technique was clearly much harder than refining chakra. Even Kizaru himself had to attempt several times before successfully mastering this technique, which he found somewhat trivial.
"My dear, this technique is very similar to the Mink Tribe's ability to discharge energy~"
What Kizaru didn't expect was that, not long after he successfully mastered the Lightning Release ninja body technique, Hancock also learned it.
Compared to the Guardian Warriors, whose faces turned red as they struggled to release a few sparks, Hancock effortlessly enveloped herself in dazzling lightning with a casual movement.
Her method was simple: she directly "copied" the technique from Kizaru using her Observation Haki. This led Kizaru to receive both good and bad news.
The good news was that any Guardian Warriors who had mastered Observation Haki would quickly be able to learn this relatively simple ninja technique. The bad news was that enemies with Observation Haki could do the same.
"Tsk, we'll have to keep this secret from the Guardian Warriors and prevent the chakra refining method from leaking!"
Kizaru sighed. Fortunately, Observation Haki could only "copy" relatively simple techniques like the ninja body technique.
For more complex techniques that required hand seals, this "shortcut" wouldn't work.
After discovering that Observation Haki could directly "copy" the Lightning Release ninja body technique, several Guardian Warriors quickly attempted to imitate it.
However, the number of Guardian Warriors who had mastered both Color of Arms Haki was still few, and even including the few who had learned it on their own, only about thirty or so had managed to learn this technique.
Zzzzz...
The newly learned Lightning Release ninja body technique users gathered together to release their lightning, creating a spectacular scene.
For the Guardian Warriors, the novelty of Lightning Release and chakra was enough to spark their interest.
The Lightning Release ninja body technique, regardless of its specific lethality, looked incredibly powerful just from the way lightning crackled around the user. It was a technique that certainly conveyed an intimidating presence, which was perfect for the Guardian Warriors, a group of tough, battle-hardened women.
Especially the one who had learned the technique on her own—the female giant.
The lightning radiating from her body was incredibly exaggerated, enveloping a large area around her, making her look like a mobile power station.
Her massive chakra reserves made up for the technique's high energy consumption, allowing her to use it with far fewer drawbacks.
Orochimaru, who had developed the Lightning Release ninja body technique, probably never imagined how much it would boost the battle strength of the giant race, a species naturally endowed with immense physical power.
"Let's stop here for now. Some people have learned it, and the rest can practice at their own pace. Remember, keep it secret and don't share it with anyone outside the Guardian Warriors."
Kizaru had no time to wait any longer.
While the Amazon Lily warriors' attire was distinctive, there weren't many among them who could be called particularly attractive. After all, would anyone really be interested in a "muscle-bound Barbie" with bulging muscles?
Just as Kizaru was preparing to leave with Hancock, there was a commotion at the port of Amazon Lily.
Even from several miles away, the sounds of terrifying explosions and screams could be heard.
"What's going on?"
Hancock was quite irritated. It wasn't that she was worried about the disturbance, but she simply disliked having her time alone with Kizaru interrupted.
"Sister, the pirate we captured earlier managed to escape from the prison and is trying to steal a ship to escape!"
Marygold quickly investigated the situation and reported back with a serious expression.
After all, Kizaru had just stressed the importance of secrecy, and now a pirate was almost about to escape from Amazon Lily. It made them look a bit incompetent.
Of course, it wasn't entirely their fault.
If Kizaru hadn't ordered the Guardian Warriors to be gathered, the island's defense wouldn't have been so vulnerable.
If nothing else, the four Guardian Warriors responsible for guarding the prison hadn't left, and even a notorious pirate with a bounty of tens of millions of beli would have been no match for them.
"Hmm? Is it the pirate called Blood Demon?"
Kizaru suddenly remembered the situation. It had originally been Vice Admiral Strawberry's task, but he had passed it off to Hancock's two younger sisters.
—-—
A/N: Here's y'all's extra chapter since we did manage to reach 200+ stones (239 as of now). Let us reach 500 stones tomorrow and you'll get yourself another deal! (+1 chapter of course)
If you want to read ahead and access 20 advanced chapters, check the patreon
Link: Patreon/Moziel