Chapter 59: Aura Capacity
An invisible, crushing pressure exploded from Kyle like a storm.
Netero felt the wave of energy wash over him. He stroked his beard, chuckling. "Ho ho ho... So this is Conqueror's Haki? The impact and intimidation factor are quite impressive."
The Sea King, which had been pressing down on the Hunter with its sheer presence, suddenly recoiled. Its contemptuous gaze instantly shattered into pure, primal terror.
Kyle, feeling the awakened Conqueror's Haki surging within him, locked eyes with the beast. His gaze was sharper than any blade.
He uttered a single word.
"Scram."
The Sea King didn't need to be told twice. As if granted a pardon from execution, it dove, swimming away with frantic speed, terrified that Kyle might change his mind.
After intimidating the beast, Kyle stood there, savoring the feeling of releasing Conqueror's Haki for the first time.
But he quickly realized that while he had awakened it, controlling it was another matter. He couldn't trigger it again at will.
It'll take a few days to get used to this, Kyle thought.
Meanwhile, far behind them, Garp stood on the bow of his warship, staring at the endless ocean.
He hadn't expected the mysterious battleship to be so fast. The distance between them seemed to be growing.
"We have to catch them!" Garp clenched his fist. A powerful instinct told him there was someone on that ship worth fighting. The anticipation was making his blood boil.
"Kyle, was that Conqueror's Haki?" Knuckle shouted, his voice loud. "I felt that shockwave, too! If I were a normal person, I would've passed out on the spot!"
"That's just how it works," Kyle explained. "I just awakened it, so I lack systematic training."
"Right now, it's only good for scaring off weaklings."
"Against a real master, this level of Haki is just for show. To affect a top-tier fighter, you have to master the advanced levels."
"Knuckle," Shoot interjected, seeing Knuckle's intense interest. His face was emotionless as he offered advice. "We should focus on Armament and Observation first. Conqueror's... let's master the basics before worrying about that."
Kyle looked at Shoot McMahon.
He was kind but timid, hesitant in his actions because he feared getting hurt and hurting others. That hesitation often made him miss opportunities in battle, which had given birth to his unique ability.
His Hatsu, [Hotel Rafflesia], allowed him to manipulate three floating hands to attack from a distance.
Once a hand touched an opponent, it could steal that body part and imprison it in the "Hotel Rafflesia" dimension.
The stolen part wasn't damaged, but losing a limb in a fight crippled an opponent's combat ability.
That was what made his ability so tricky.
In an evenly matched fight, if he stole a limb, the tide of battle would turn instantly. As a support fighter alongside a powerhouse, his ability was devastating.
Hearing Shoot, Knuckle put on a "fierce" face. "I know! But I won't lose to you!"
Knuckle Bine looked like a delinquent thug, but he was soft-hearted, laid-back, and possessed a fierce sense of justice.
His ability, [Hakoware] (Bankruptcy, Chapter 7), was unique. It could calculate an opponent's total potential Aura capacity.
Kyle walked up to Knuckle. "Knuckle, hit me with your ability. I want to know exactly what my Aura capacity is."
Kyle could only estimate based on feeling, and everyone's internal scale for "Aura units" was different.
But Knuckle had measured Youpi, the Royal Guard. Using Knuckle's numbers as a benchmark, Kyle could get an accurate reading.
Knuckle didn't refuse. He activated his Ren, put on his best tough-guy face, and punched Kyle, activating his ability.
A mascot-like Nen beast—A.P.R. (Amortizing Power Redirector)—appeared floating behind Kyle.
A.P.R. would calculate interest on the "loaned" aura every ten seconds, compounding the debt.
Knuckle focused, reading the initial value. His eyes went wide.
"100,141!"
Morel and Knov, standing nearby, stared at Kyle in shock.
They hadn't expected Kyle's Aura capacity to already exceed both of theirs.
Kyle did the mental math. The number was within a hundred units of his own estimate. His calculation method was sound; it just lacked precision.
Seeing their shock, Kyle laughed. "It's thanks to my ability resonating with your training results."
"As you train your Haki, my Nen grows with it."
"Especially the Chairman. His base potential capacity is massive. For every point he gains, I probably get ten back."
Kyle looked at Netero, eagerly anticipating the moment the Chairman started training seriously. That would be the key to Kyle's rapid ascent.
Knov looked at Morel and uttered a single word. "Monster."
Morel nodded in solemn agreement. In their eyes, with an ability like that, Kyle's current power was just the starting line.
Meanwhile, Garp's ship was still struggling to catch up.
"Can't this thing go any faster?!"
Garp yelled at the sea. At this rate, not only would he fail to catch them, but they'd enter the Grand Line soon.
Where would he find them then? He really wanted to board that magnificent ship and see who was giving him this feeling of excitement.
"Vice Admiral, we're at max speed!" a Captain reported nervously. "If we push the engines any harder, they'll blow!"
He knew Garp was impatient, but impatience wouldn't fix physics.
Garp crossed his arms and grinned, his white teeth flashing. He was already hatching a plan.
Back on the Hunter, Kyle saw the debt on A.P.R. had accumulated to 10,000. He challenged Knuckle directly.
"Knuckle, let's fight!"
Knuckle's ability had another powerful rule: while the ability was active, Knuckle's attacks wouldn't cause physical damage to the debtor.
Conversely, the debtor's attacks couldn't hurt Knuckle—until the debt was paid off.
Because of this rule, they could engage in an all-out brawl without holding back.
Knuckle sized Kyle up. Even though Kyle had more Aura, Knuckle didn't believe a thirteen-year-old kid could beat him in actual combat experience.
"Kid, you've got guts challenging me! Let me tell you, I'm strong! You ready to get beat up?"