So the kid didn't even know what Armament Haki was...
Shiki's eyes flicked left and right as he grinned around his cigar. "Come in, kid."
Once Ares stepped inside, Shiki quickly shut the door.
"Take a seat. I'll grab something real quick."
When Shiki returned, he was lugging several bottles of rum.
He plopped down across from Ares, legs crossed, laughing heartily. "Gehahahaha... Ares, want a drink?"
"This is my private stash. Even Whitebeard couldn't buy a sip if he begged me!"
With a flick of his finger, the cork popped off the bottle with a loud pop. Using his powers, Shiki made it float midair before it zipped downward and landed neatly on the table.
"I don't drink," Ares said flatly. "Now tell me what exactly is Armament Haki?"
His voice was low and steady, but in his heart, an inferno was raging.
Haki that could block Supreme Grade swords? That could strengthen his body even further?
His eyes gleamed, beast-like and intense, radiating a hunger to grow stronger.
"Heh."
Shiki smirked, took a long drag from his cigar, then casually chugged half a bottle like it was water.
"A pirate without booze isn't a real pirate."
"You can survive without food or weapons, but not without alcohol!"
"Come on, Ares. Try some. You'll love it. Finish this bottle, and I'll tell you all about Haki."
He opened another bottle and slid it across the table to Ares, still wearing that playful grin.
He was curious to see what kind of drunk this rookie would be.
Ares frowned slightly but picked up the bottle between two fingers as casually as someone holding a lighter.
He hesitated. He'd never touched alcohol before.
Shiki laughed. "Go on, drink! Then I'll explain Armament Haki. And how to train it."
Hearing that, Ares tilted the bottle and let the liquor flow.
A sharp, burning sensation tore down his throat. It was intense.
His stomach burned as the alcohol hit, and his blood began to surge.
Or maybe it was just his blood pressure spiking.
"Cough! Cough!!"
He immediately choked. Chugging half a bottle on your first try was not a great idea.
The heat swelled in his gut, like a bonfire roaring to life.
Shiki burst into laughter. "Gehahahaha!! You call yourself a pirate? This is only the beginning!"
"Booze feeds a pirate's soul and body!"
"One day, you'll understand just how good drinking can feel!!"
He lifted his bottle again and guzzled it down, his Adam's apple bobbing as the rum vanished.
Meanwhile, the taste started to hit Ares differently. The fire in his chest settled into a warm buzz.
His head swam.
"So... this is what it feels like to drink?"
"Feels like... I'm floating..."
His face flushed red, though he didn't notice. He only felt warmer.
Without thinking, he tipped back the rest of the bottle.
And suddenly, the bitterness didn't bother him so much anymore.
The sharp pleasure rippled through his body.
"This stuff... hic..."
"This is good..."
His eyes dulled, once sharp and fierce, now hazy and unfocused.
He reached for another bottle.
Just like Shiki had done earlier, he popped the cork. It shot into the wall like a bullet.
Then he lifted the bottle to his mouth and started guzzling.
To most people, one bottle was plenty. But for someone nearly four meters tall like Ares, it was barely a gulp.
He emptied the bottle in a few seconds and reached for the next.
Shiki's expression twisted in horror.
"Hey!! Hey!! That's my private stash!!"
"You little drunk! You can't just chug it all!!"
But Ares, now fully buzzed, didn't hear a word.
One after another, he downed bottle after bottle.
Panicked, Shiki spread his arms like a mother hen, shielding his remaining rum.
Still holding his cigar, he pleaded, "Ares, are you drunk already?!"
"No more!! That's all I've got!!"
His heart ached. This was his prized collection. And three bottles were already gone!
Out of just over ten bottles, that was nearly a third.
Ares, however, swayed side to side, dazed.
When Shiki blocked the rum, Ares reached out to move him aside.
But Ares had no sense of his own strength.
Shiki wasn't ready.
With one shove, Ares launched him straight through the nearby window.
Crash!!
Glass shattered.
Shiki flew right out of Skull Castle, smashing into the street outside with a thunderous boom.
Dust and rubble exploded everywhere.
People on the street panicked.
"Did something just fall from the sky?!"
"Where did that come from?!"
"It came from Skull Castle!! What happened in there?!"
"Did anyone see what it was?!"
Crowds gathered quickly, eyes locked on the rising smoke.
Moments later, Shiki stumbled out of the dust, covered in grime.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"Is that... Shiki the Golden Lion?!"