The Demon Dog, the Light, and the Pheasant—all united by the King's Disposition.
"Whitebeard."
After Doffy used the Op-Op Fruit to transfer the frozen bodies of Edward Newgate, Charlotte Linlin, and Shiki from the containment unit, Sakazuki didn't hesitate for a moment. His gaze swept over the three former legends before settling on Edward Newgate.
"Please proceed!"
Seeing Sakazuki make his choice, Borsalino gestured for Kuzan to choose first.
"Then… Big Mom."
Kuzan didn't refuse and chose Charlotte Linlin.
"Shiki is mine."
Borsalino slipped his hands into his pockets.
"It's about to begin," Doffy said, adjusting his sunglasses. "You don't need to do anything. Just relax."
Having already successfully transplanted three types of Haki and their bloodline factors into Katen Kyokotsu, Doffy gave instructions to the three Admirals. He then activated the Op-Op Fruit's ability, creating a spherical space invisible to the naked eye that enveloped the Admirals and the frozen corpses of Whitebeard, Big Mom, and Shiki.
Clang!
As the space expanded, Doffy drew his black blade, Shusui, and thrust it three times from a distance.
Boom!
Three thunderous roars, like bolts of lightning, shook the entire laboratory.
Even with the extremely sturdy materials used to construct the lab and its excellent soundproofing, it couldn't completely mask the three bursts of Conqueror's Haki.
Sizzle!
The instant Doffy thrust out the swords, balls of dark red light—radiating a heavy aura and causing visible ripples in the air—appeared around the bodies of Edward Newgate, Shiki, and Charlotte Linlin.
As the three bursts of Conqueror's Haki and their bloodline factors were separated from the corpses, Doffy immediately turned and swung Shusui. The black tip pointed first at Sakazuki.
Then…
Bang!
The Conqueror's Haki lightning separated from Whitebeard's body shot out like a serpent, swiftly penetrating Sakazuki's body.
Clang!
On the other side, Doffy's black blade turned toward Kuzan.
Bang!
Another chilling, terrifying roar exploded in the laboratory.
The Conqueror's Haki lightning separated from Charlotte Linlin's body streaked across the sky like a shooting star, instantly reaching Kuzan and entering his body.
Finally, it was Borsalino. Doffy's wrist flicked slightly, and Shusui pointed at him.
Bang!
The thunderous roar, like a dragon's cry and a tiger's howl, couldn't be concealed by the laboratory; it burst out of the door and echoed throughout the entire Marine hospital.
At the same time, the Conqueror's Haki and its bloodline factors separated from Shiki's body descended like a bolt of lightning, enveloping Borsalino.
Having received the Conqueror's Haki bloodline factors from the three dead legends—along with the remaining Conqueror's Haki within them—the three Admirals simultaneously closed their eyes. They were all sensing and mastering the third surge of Haki emerging within them.
At this moment, the window called Conqueror's Haki was forcefully blasted open.
Akainu.
Aokiji.
Kizaru.
Their codenames remained unchanged.
But the three Admirals, from this moment on, had become history.
Next to appear were the Three Kings of the Marine Headquarters.
Codenamed Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji, the three kings bore the weight of the Marine's justice.
After a while, Sakazuki, who had first received the Conqueror's Haki bloodline factor, was the first to open his closed eyelids.
Next was Kuzan.
Finally, Borsalino.
"How is it?"
Seeing the three open their eyes one after another, Rosen finally asked.
Sizzle.
Sakazuki answered with action.
He raised his arm, and with a sonic boom, his entire right arm elementalized into magma—not flowing, gushing lava; rather, it maintained the arm's posture, appearing as if draped in a layer of magma's glow.
This was the power that had driven countless pirates to despair.
The Demon Dog.
However, the moment Sakazuki assumed the form of the Hound of the Dead and clenched his fist, streaks of black and red lightning, like pythons, burst forth from his body and coiled around his magma arm.
"Hound of the Dead plus Conqueror's Haki."
Rosen's eyes flashed with amusement upon seeing this.
The Hound of the Dead, already deadly with every strike capable of inflicting true damage, was now imbued with Conqueror's Haki—and a high-level one at that. Combined with Admiral Akainu's intense desire to redeem pirates, this punch was guaranteed to instantly redeem a Yonko, both physically and mentally. There was no room for him to even attempt a sit-up.
"Conqueror's Haki," Borsalino mused, shaking his head in amazement. "No wonder pirates with kingly potential are all so arrogant. This power is truly terrifying."
At that moment, Borsalino also opened his eyes. His entire body shimmered with golden light, and then dozens of light clones identical to his original form appeared one after another.
Swoosh!
Each of the light clones held a Kusanagi sword, its golden blade wreathed in lightning-like Conqueror's Haki.
Clearly, like Sakazuki, Borsalino quickly mastered the Conqueror's Haki infusion technique after transplanting Shiki's Conqueror's Haki and bloodline factors. However, because Shiki's Conqueror's Haki was weaker than Edward Newgate's in life, and he lost some of his Haki after death, Borsalino's Conqueror's Haki only reached the intermediate level after transplantation—unlike Sakazuki and Gion, who possessed advanced Conqueror's Haki immediately.
Regarding this, Borsalino showed no dissatisfaction or disappointment. In his eyes, a slight lag was nothing. With the potential to become a king, he was confident that in a short time, he could reach the advanced level of Conqueror's Haki—a level Shiki never possessed in his lifetime.
"Those so-called Four Emperors," Kuzan slowly opened his eyes, his body radiating a suffocating chill, "now, they have no advantage over us. Everyone is on the same starting line."
He raised his right hand, and the instant he clenched his fist, besides the ice gauntlet, a ferocious and violent Conqueror's Haki black lightning erupted.
Back then, to catch up with those pirate kings who were born with all three types of Haki, he had put in countless hours of hard work. He learned martial arts from Garp—without using Haki, fighting bare-handed against warships as punching bags for over a decade—finally developing the strength to rival the Four Emperors. However, no matter how hard he tried, he was still lacking in Haki compared to the Four Emperors of the same level. In actual combat, he was always at a disadvantage, especially when facing a Conqueror's Haki of Edward Newgate's prime.
You have a top-tier Logia-type Devil Fruit, but others have the strongest Paramecia-type. You have Armament Haki, but others have Armament Haki too. You have Observation Haki, but others have Observation Haki too. You don't have Conqueror's Haki, but others possess it.
It's easy to imagine how much more effort the three Admirals had to put in behind the scenes to contend with the Four Emperors.
But now, this gap caused by the lack of Haki from birth has been bridged.
In fact, the efforts they put in to catch up with the Four Emperors—even surpassing their own—have now become the very reason the Three Admirals surpass them.
Kuzan is like that.
Borsalino is like that.
Sakazuki is like that too.
The Three Admirals of the Marine Headquarters—no, the Three Kings of the Marine Headquarters—from the moment they became kings, had no reason to lose, whether facing the Four Emperors or the Pirate King.
Wano Country
A seemingly unremarkable ship sails against the backdrop of cliffs and waterfalls surrounding the country. These cliffs and waterfalls, a formidable obstacle for any ship, somehow feel remarkably safe in the presence of this seemingly ordinary pirate vessel.
The person piloting the pirate ship seems to have conquered the treacherous terrain and cliffs of Wano Country countless times. They easily traverse the perilous lands of Wano Country, enter the inner bay, and finally anchor at the dock on Onigashima.
Thud.
As the ship docked smoothly, a figure wearing a tattered white coat, with a full head of gray hair, sunglasses perched on his nose, and an aura of domineering arrogance, stepped off the ship.
Accompanying him onto Onigashima was a woman with short black hair, a cigarette dangling from her lips.
"Dark King Rayleigh!" one of the Beast Pirates guarding the pier shouted, causing a huge commotion. "Quickly inform Mr. Kaido! The Pirate King's right-hand man has arrived!"
Pirates from all directions became alert, fearing Rayleigh might suddenly attack.
"Rocks Pirates brat," Rayleigh said, his voice carrying effortlessly over the noise. "Is this how you welcome guests?"
Unlike the Beast Pirates, who were on high alert, Rayleigh, though accompanied only by Shakky, exuded an aura of dominance that overwhelmed even a thousand men.
Ang!
Just as Rayleigh surveyed the entire area—his mere presence causing the Beast Pirates to break out in a cold sweat—a dragon's roar, shaking the sea, suddenly echoed from the sky above Onigashima.
Then… a gigantic dragon head tore through the clouds, dragging its massive body, resembling a sea king, as it descended through the clouds. Just before landing, the hundred-foot-long azure dragon transformed into a burly human figure.
With two horns on its head, a commanding presence, a broad chest, and muscles like a rock, it exuded an aura of dominance that seemed to survey the world. It was like a demon lord descending from the heavens; a single glance was enough to send shivers down one's spine and make one's limbs go weak.
The newcomer was none other than the captain of the Beasts Pirates, and the only remaining Yonko in the world.
"Hehehehe." Kaido landed, staring intently at Rayleigh, a hint of surprise in his voice. "I didn't expect even an old geezer like you would finally decide to come out of retirement. Rayleigh."
"There's no way around it," Rayleigh replied, sensing the Conqueror's Haki emanating from Kaido. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. "This pirate world is getting worse with each generation. In your hands, you've almost lost even the Great Pirate Era."
As the Dark King, renowned throughout the Great Pirate Era, he had witnessed countless overlords and heroes in his life. But few could rival Kaido in terms of sheer power.
"Each generation is worse than the last?" Kaido's eyes flashed with a crimson light. "Is that so? Then let me test whether the Pirate King's right arm can still wield a sword!"
Boom!
A crimson pillar of Conqueror's Haki, centered on himself, shot into the sky.
Sizzle!
Rayleigh's eyes turned cold. The instant his pupils filled with crimson light, bolts of lightning, like giant pythons, erupted from his body, spreading outwards.
Thud!
The two had merely increased their aura and unleashed their Conqueror's Haki; before they even clashed, creating a massive wave of Conqueror's Haki, the pirates on the dock were already overwhelmed, collapsing unconscious one by one.
In an instant, only three people remained standing on the entire dock.
Kaido.
Rayleigh.
And Shakky.
Just as the strongest creature on land, sea, and air was about to clash with Pluto's Conqueror's Haki, a red-haired figure flashed in like lightning, moving with incredible speed, seemingly capable of chasing stars and the moon, blocking the clash between the two before their Conqueror's Haki could collide.
Whether it was the Pirate King's right arm or the last Yonko in the world, upon seeing the figure before them, both their Conqueror's Haki, which was about to collide and tear apart the sea of clouds, froze in place.
—-
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