Chapter 4 (2/2)

”Uhm, my height? I'm pretty small for an opponent.” no name said while looking himself up and down and comparing him to his master.

”Better, and somewhat true, but not the point I was trying to make. In this world height is only a deciding factor in the lower echelons of strength. Do you know how tall Red haired Shanks, one of the four emperors of the sea is? 2 meters. Compared to Whitebeard it's not even worth mentioning. Any more guesses?” Old man Bai asked smiling at his student.

”Hmm, no clue. I have no weapons? No, that can't be it. Errr, I don't know, sorry.”

”That's quite alright shorty. I didn't think you would get the answer right away anyways.” He said with a shuckle.

”Than what was the point in asking me?” no name asked his master while gnashing his teeth with a slight tick to his eyebrow.

”In my opinion finding the answer to a question yourself instead of looking for someone to answer it for you is always more fruitful in the longrun for your selfdevelopment. Do you get my point?”

”Uhm, maybe? I don't know.”

”No matter. You are still young. Plenty of time to find out if you share my opinion on the matter.” He said with a grin.

”Now, back to the original question. Where was I? Oh yes. The only really important thing in a fight is this right here.” Old man Bai said while poking no name into his c.h.e.s.t.

”What? I don't get it.” no name said, confusion written all over his face.

”Yourself boy. In a battle YOU are your worst enemy. From now on, as soon as you enter this dojo you start training in self-discipline. Contain your emotions and weaponize them. Practise this every day and you are a step closer to learning about haki.”

”Haki? What's that?” no name asked, still a little shaken from his masters words. Something inside of him had responded to his masters words and it felt right to him.

”Ehh, you'll learn about that soon enough. Now get up. I'll show you the first basic stance you'll learn for a while.” Old man Bai said while standing up and stepping into the dojo. As soon as he did all kindness vanished from his face, replaced by a blank, battle hardened visage that sent a shiver down no names spine. Steeling himself he took a deep breath and stepped up onto the lawn as well, officially beginning his martial path.