"C-Conqueror's…?!"
"The legendary Conqueror's Haki?!"
Morrison sucked in a cold breath, his eyes widening in terror.
As he recalled the crushing pressure that had swept over his body a moment ago, goosebumps rose across his skin.
He had heard of Haki before.
As a Logia user, he naturally knew the few things on this sea that could truly threaten him.
Seastone.
The sea itself.
And above all—
the thing he feared most wasn't a man holding Seastone.
It was an enemy who had mastered Haki.
That was the true nightmare.
Morrison knew better than most how terrifying a Haki user could be.
What he never expected—
was to run into one today.
And not just any Haki user.
The boy before him had awakened the rarest of all:
Conqueror's Haki.
The power said to belong only to those born with the qualities of a king—
one in a million.
"That little brat…"
"How old is he?"
"He's clearly only five!"
"A five-year-old monster who already wields Conqueror's Haki?!"
"How is that even possible?!"
Morrison's entire mind shook.
Across the sea, even those born with the disposition of a king usually needed over a decade of brutal training before they could truly awaken that level of power.
And yet what was he looking at now?
A child—
barely five—
already using Conqueror's Haki.
The thought left him thoroughly shaken.
He stared at Kai in mounting horror.
Only now did he realize how badly he had underestimated him.
At the same time, Kurrin—captain of the Cerberus Pirates—heard Morrison's muttered words too.
"Conqueror's Haki…"
"That brat actually possesses something that monstrous?"
"What kind of freak is he?!"
Kurrin was deeply shaken.
Kai's strength far exceeded even his worst imagination.
And now, at last, he fully understood why Smoker had said what he did earlier—
that the five-year-old child was, in truth, the most terrifying being on the battlefield.
Because it was true.
Once Kai's Conqueror's Haki had swept through the field and flattened more than a hundred members of the Swamp Pirates, the cadets finally began to come back to their senses.
"As reliable as ever."
"Kai really is terrifyingly strong."
"Having a monster like him on our side…"
"the sense of security is unreal."
"No matter how many times I see Conqueror's Haki in person…"
"it still feels like a shock straight to the soul."
"That's the power only those born with a king's qualities can possess."
The cadets couldn't stop marveling.
Hidden in the shadows, even Zephyr looked impressed.
"Well…"
"looks like I won't be needed after all."
"At the very least, Kai handled this much better than I would have."
"If it had been me…"
"I really might not have been able to instantly wipe out over a hundred men in one go."
He sighed in admiration.
On the battlefield, Kai met Morrison's gaze with obvious amusement.
At the same time, Morrison gradually managed to force himself out of his stunned state.
He glared at Kai, his eyes full of deep caution.
Then, after taking a heavy breath and suppressing his fear with effort, he shouted coldly:
"I admit it—you gave me a hell of a shock, brat."
"But…"
"if you think Conqueror's Haki alone is enough to bring me down, then aren't you being far too naive?"
"Conqueror's Haki doesn't work on someone as strong as me!"
"Don't underestimate a pirate worth a full hundred million berries!"
The shout was as much for himself as it was for Kai.
He was trying to drive away the fear in his own heart.
Faced with a person who wielded Conqueror's Haki, Morrison's only option was to steady himself and face him at full power.
Besides—
he still didn't believe he would lose.
He was a Logia user.
How could he possibly lose to a mere five-year-old brat?
Even if that brat was a monster.
No matter how terrifying Kai looked, Morrison still couldn't believe he would actually be defeated.
"Having Conqueror's Haki doesn't mean your actual combat strength is overwhelmingly great."
"In the end, Conqueror's Haki is only used to crush the weak."
"For someone like me, it means nothing!"
"That brat may not actually be able to beat me."
That was the thought Morrison desperately clung to.
He raised his head, staring at Kai.
And then—
Kai slowly lifted three fingers.
Right in front of Morrison, he said calmly:
"Three punches."
"I'll blow you apart with three punches."
Morrison froze.
Then, after a second of stunned silence, he threw his head back and burst into loud laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
"Brat, are you seriously misunderstanding how strong I am?"
"I'm Morrison!"
"A pirate worth over a hundred million!"
"A natural-born Logia monster!"
"And you're going to blow me apart in three punches?"
"You've got some nerve."
"You may have Conqueror's Haki."
"You may have the terrifying potential of a king."
"But in the end…"
"you're still just a five-year-old child."
"What kind of confidence makes you think you can destroy me in three punches?"
Kai only smiled faintly.
"You'll see exactly where my confidence comes from."
The moment those words left his mouth, Kai mobilized the tremendous strength surging inside his body.
That enormous power rushed into his limbs—
then concentrated in his right arm.
His right hand curled into a fist.
Within it gathered a force that felt capable of shattering mountains.
A black, ink-like substance began spreading across his right arm.
In an instant, the liquid solidified.
The black coating became a hard, obsidian-like armor, wrapping tightly around his arm and giving off a terrifyingly sharp, cold aura.
It looked unbreakable.
The pressure it gave off was immense.
At that moment, Kai's presence became even more terrifying.
Like a war god.
The violent aura around him swept out in every direction.
"Armament Haki."
"Activated."
Kai clenched his right fist and felt the overwhelming power sleeping within it.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Then he raised his eyes and looked straight at Morrison, whose face had already begun to change.
"Watch closely."
"This…"
"is where my confidence comes from."
His feet struck the ground dozens of times in an instant, creating a violent recoil that launched him forward.
He vanished.
Only a blurred afterimage remained.
"Soru."
The Six Powers technique exploded into motion.
In the blink of an eye, Kai reappeared—
right beside Morrison.
It was clear that Morrison hadn't reacted at all.
His face still carried a stunned look.
Then Kai spoke, his voice low and cold.
"Those who rely on outside power…"
"…are nothing but weaklings."
"Only the weak need external tools to make themselves stronger."
"To a true fighter…"
"the only power worth trusting is his own fist."
"And your precious Logia…"
"…clearly hasn't given you the reflexes to match."
"In my eyes…"
"your reactions are as slow as a snail's."
Kai's lips curved faintly.
His right fist tightened—
and then, targeting Morrison's left ribs and waist—
he threw a punch.
Without hesitation.
It was a devastating blow empowered by Armament Haki.
The force detonated instantly.
It smashed through the air hard enough to unleash a violent sonic boom.
Even the space around it seemed to tremble.
BOOM—!
Visit my patreon for more chapters
Advance 60+ Chapters Available
patreon.com/ZeusOp