Chapter 85: What is Conqueror's Haki?
Marineford - Marine Training Ground
Morning sunlight washed over the empty training ground. Roy stood in the center, his "Justice" coat snapping in the wind, a faint smile on his face, but his eyes were sharp.
His voice was steady, carrying an undeniable authority. "Ace. Again."
Ace was panting, sweat pouring from his brow, his hands trembling from the sustained, high-pressure training. But his fiery eyes still burned with stubborn defiance.
"Hmph... Fine by me! I'm not backing down!" he grinned, showing no sign of retreat.
"Good. That's the spirit I want to see," Roy said. His voice suddenly turned sharp. "But remember, Conqueror's Haki isn't some brute-force power you unleash with anger. It comes from the 'spirit' and will deep inside you!"
As he spoke, an astonishing aura exploded from Roy's body—
"BOOM—!!!"
An invisible wave of Conqueror's Haki washed over the training ground. The stone pavement cracked, the air itself seemed to solidify, and the entire space trembled!
Luffy, Zoro, Kuina, Law, Ain, and Binz, who were watching, were all forced to take several steps back. The regular Marine soldiers standing guard at the perimeter fainted instantly.
Ace's pupils shrank. He was at the epicenter of the blast, his body screaming at him to submit, but he gritted his teeth, his knees shaking, and refused to fall!
"Whitebeard, Kaido, Shanks, Big Mom..."
Roy's voice seemed to boom from the thunder itself. "The ones who stand at the pinnacle of the New World... every single one of them is a wielder of Conqueror's Haki!"
"They can command legions, terrify their enemies, and dominate the wills of thousands—not just with strength, but with a will that demands obedience!"
Veins bulged on Ace's forehead, but he held his ground!
"You can't 'train' Conqueror's Haki," Roy pressed on, increasing the pressure. "It only grows when your spirit grows! Until you master it, it will strike down everyone around you—including the people you want to protect!"
"Learn to control it! Master it! Make it your weapon, not an untamed beast!"
"HRAAAAAH—!!"
Ace roared, his own muscles tensing, as his own latent Haki began to roil inside him! A visible aura began to push back!
But the next second—
"BOOM!!!"
Roy's Haki crashed down like a tidal wave, completely extinguishing Ace's aura.
"Gah...!"
Ace grunted, falling to one knee, his shoulders shaking as sweat soaked the ground.
But he still didn't collapse. He just slammed his fist on the pavement, his eyes burning with an even fiercer determination.
On the sidelines, Zephyr and Garp watched silently.
Garp laughed. "Bwahahaha! The brat's got guts!"
Zephyr nodded, his arms crossed. "For a Conqueror, the greatest fear isn't failure—it's compromise. The moment your spirit breaks, your Haki will abandon you."
"Ace..." he murmured. "As long as he doesn't lose himself, that power will one day be his greatest weapon."
Nearby, Law watched, an unreadable expression on his face. "Conquerors... Every last one of them is a freak of nature."
Luffy was practically vibrating with excitement. "Ace is so cool!! I want that black lightning Haki, too!!"
Zoro just gripped his swords. "I... can't let him leave me in the dust."
Kuina whispered, "So this... this is the entry-level for the world of the truly strong..."
Roy retracted his Haki, and the air rushed back in. He walked over to the kneeling Ace and offered his hand.
"Conqueror's Haki isn't a power you use to show off. It's a reflection of your will. It will answer you in the moments when you are most resolute, when you refuse to bend."
He pulled Ace to his feet, his voice softening. "When you truly understand why you fight... it will become your sharpest blade."
Ace clenched his fist, feeling the echo of that power, and nodded. "I get it, Big Bro Roy... I won't let you down!"
Roy smiled, then turned to the other young Marines.
"That goes for all of you," his voice rang out. "Haki, sword skills, Devil Fruits... every punch, every drop of sweat... The source of all strength isn't just talent. It's conviction!"
"You must know who you want to become, what you want to protect, and who you must defeat!"
He raised his fist to the sky, his voice merging with the sea breeze. "Get stronger, brats!"
"The future of the seas... the Grand Line... the New World... is out there, waiting for you to conquer it!"
At the same time, on the Grand Line - Kuraigana Island
Thick, dark clouds covered the sky, and lightning flashed. The "Humandrill" apes, who had learned the art of war from a brutal, decade-long conflict, had become the island's new, savage masters.
But today, a new master had arrived.
A tall, lean man walked through the fog, his long black coat billowing. His hawk-like eyes were sharp, and the massive, cross-shaped black blade, Yoru, was strapped to his back.
He walked into the ruins of the castle, where a Humandrill, holding a rusted saber, hissed at him.
He simply drew his blade. Shing.
The air itself seemed to split. The Humandrill, and the stone wall behind it, fell to pieces.
He sheathed his sword, looked at the ruined castle, and said, "This will do."
The world's strongest swordsman, one of the Seven Warlords, "Hawk-Eye" Dracule Mihawk, had arrived.
He wiped the dust from a chair with his cape, sat down, and pulled out a bottle of wine and an old newspaper, as if the surrounding chaos didn't exist.
From that day on, the island of ruins became his home, and its savage apes his only neighbors. He would sit on his balcony, drinking wine, reading the news, and waiting... waiting for a worthy challenger to finally appear.
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