Chapter 141: Kid, You Have the Potential to Be a King!
Meanwhile, in the village below Merveille.
"..."
Xiao, her mother, and her grandmother stared at the sky above.
Beside them.
Other villagers, already gathered, did the same.
Their expressions were all frozen.
In fact, when Xiao gathered them earlier and said, "A weird man flew up to the palace and said the island is going to fall soon", they naturally didn't believe it.
But as the exaggerated battle continued, they believed.
Even from a great distance, they could see the collapsing palace and falling island fragments above.
And the uneasy, ferocious beasts all over the island.
But they never thought they would see such a scene.
The sky above Merveille... was torn apart!
To be precise—massive energy was spreading in the sky.
Thick clouds were vaporized and torn apart like fragile paper.
Even the sunlight behind the clouds was distorted.
It looked as if the entire sky was ripped open by that strike.
Even the villagers who knew nothing about combat understood...
If this strike hadn't happened in the sky but on Merveille... the entire Floating Archipelago would have been completely destroyed.
"..."
All villagers held their breath.
Their eyes flickered with uncontrollable anticipation.
Because they realized... the possibility they had waited over a decade for!
"Get ready... if Shiki really... we must ensure the safety of our fellow villagers in the palace."
With the oldest villager's words.
The villagers began to move.
At the same time.
As they thought.
Under the battlefield sky, the fight had ended.
THUD!
Roy landed slowly on Merveille's ground.
There was a hideous wound on the left side of his body.
But now, amidst flashes of light, the wound was healing continuously.
[Sun-Sun Fruit LV5]
[Glint-Glint Fruit LV4]
"Haven't had such an injury in a long time. Not bad... old man."
Roy looked ahead.
There was a massive crater.
Inside the crater...
"Haha..."
Shiki lay at the bottom.
But the legendary pirate looked extremely miserable.
From the waist down, his already severed legs, along with 'Oto' and 'Kogarashi', were gone. His hands were burned beyond recognition, and his face and eyes were completely burned through.
Victory and defeat were decided.
His life was draining away rapidly.
"Of course."
But clearly, Shiki didn't care anymore.
"This old man is Golden Lion... cough..."
He coughed up blood, seeming to have a final burst of energy.
"You kid, on the other hand—Zephyr, that old geezer, really took in a monster of a disciple in his old age."
He struggled to speak.
Roy didn't reply.
He still held a grudge against Shiki's previous actions, but insulting him before death was meaningless.
Just then...
"But... why do you hide yourself, kid?"
Shiki's words almost made Roy's heart skip a beat.
Did that last strike reveal his identity as 'Star Lord' to Shiki?
It didn't make sense; Sovereign King Buddha's wave manipulation should be flawless.
But then, Roy heard Shiki's next words.
"That beast-like spirit isn't your true inner will, is it?"
Shiki said, sounding slightly regretful.
"This old man wanted to see your true 'Conqueror's Haki'. You... cough... have that spirit."
"Do you think the current me isn't qualified for you to show it... kid?"
Hearing this, Roy was stunned.
If he heard correctly, Shiki's meaning was clear.
Shiki seemed to have sensed that Roy's beast-like spirit, similar to 'Conqueror's Haki', wasn't inherent to him.
And it was true—every time he clashed with Conqueror's Haki, Roy used the 'Ancient Aura' effect of the Tyrant Pteranodon.
But that wasn't crucial.
The crucial point was the fact revealed by Shiki's words.
"Are you saying I have the potential for Conqueror's Haki?"
Facing a dying man, Roy didn't hold back.
Hearing this, Shiki, who couldn't see anything, was stunned.
He was surprised.
He thought Roy had already mastered his Conqueror's Haki.
And only used some training method to disguise it as beastly spirit.
But now, it seemed not to be the case.
Roy didn't even seem to realize his Conqueror's potential.
Then what's with that beastly spirit?
Shiki didn't know.
But clearly, to him now, it didn't matter.
"Kid, a King can sense another King."
A flush of excitement flashed across his pale face.
"You have the potential of a King. This old man won't be mistaken."
Hearing this, Roy's expression became even more serious.
He didn't doubt Shiki's words.
In the original story, Kaido sensed 'Zoro's' Conqueror's Haki during battle on Onigashima—even though Zoro himself wasn't aware or showing it explicitly.
Naturally, Roy was tempted.
After realizing The Zodiac was targeted by the World Government and Imu was wary of him beyond expectation.
Roy had been struggling with how to deal with Imu—or at least the God's Knights—in the future.
Conqueror's Haki was the only known method to counter the God's Knights.
So now, Shiki's words naturally caught his attention.
He even ignored the questions he originally wanted to ask.
And to Roy's surprise...
"Remarkable!"
Before he could ask.
Shiki forced himself to speak proactively. "Kid, I know what you want to ask."
"Conqueror's Haki is the 'Spirit of the Soul'—unbound by world rules, the spirit of Kings who follow only their own rules, the absolute [Free Will] that cannot be plundered by others."
"Every Conqueror's Haki user is the King of their own 'World'."
Speaking here, he panted heavily.
"But among all Kings, there is only one true King. He must step over the corpses of other Kings to ascend the throne."
He couldn't help but recall his old rival 'Roger', and the man named 'Rocks' from even earlier times.
They grew step by step in their own eras, defeating other Kings time and again.
Eventually, they possessed the strongest Conqueror's Haki standing at the pinnacle of the world.
"If you want to master Conqueror's Haki quickly... find other powerful Conqueror's users, use your soul to feel their 'Will'."
"If your will isn't destroyed under their dominance, you can awaken Conqueror's Haki."
"The stronger the user, the better the effect."
Speaking here, he closed his mouth painfully.
Roy realized immediately.
Shiki's method might awaken Conqueror's Haki quickly, but...
Finding powerful Conqueror's users and engaging in a pure clash of soul and will without fighting physically—that was obviously extremely dangerous.
"Maybe Luffy used this method when training with Rayleigh in the original story?"
He pondered.
But clearly, Shiki didn't care about Roy's thoughts anymore.
He gasped for air, chest heaving like bellows.
But he was smiling.
Because he knew clearly.
Without awakened Conqueror's Haki, without Conqueror's Infusion—Roy was already this strong.
In that case...
"Black Judge kid, this old man acknowledges it."
As his words fell.
He laughed heartily.
"You will become a legend of the sea."
Regarding his chosen exit...
He was satisfied.
His breathing stopped gradually.
"Hey, wait!"
Seeing this, Roy asked quickly. "About Rocks—do you know if he survived God Valley? Do you know his ending?"
"Rock... s..."
But clearly, Shiki couldn't answer.
Hearing the name, he mumbled instinctively.
"How... did you choose... to exit?"
The mumbling faded into nothingness.
☆☆☆
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