To achieve Conqueror's Haki coating, one must possess both overwhelming will and a monstrous physique.
Teach's Conqueror's Haki was formidable, but his body had once been too frail to withstand the burden. In those days, he could only call upon it in flashes, its power fierce yet fleeting. Even so, it dramatically amplified his combat strength, marking him as a rare genius.
Barrett, who had seen countless warriors, couldn't help but praise him. In all his years, he had never witnessed anyone awaken the coating of a Conqueror's Haki without first reaching the pinnacle of physical might. [T/N: Added Barrett nickname to Douglas Bullet. author seem to prefer to use that one lol]
But that was two years ago.
In the time since, Teach's body had undergone a terrifying metamorphosis. His physique now verged on monstrous, capable of withstanding the combined assault of over a dozen commanders from the Whitebeard Pirates.
As his ambitions grew and the weight of the Whitebeard flag began to feel like chains, Teach's will surged. His Conqueror's Haki deepened, his Observation sharpened, and his mind cleared. The Whitebeard Pirates, once his family, had become his cage.
Before the dawn of a new era, Teach shattered that cage.
Yet even after all that growth, his mastery of Conqueror's Haki coating was incomplete. He knew this truth better than anyone. Until he could perfectly wield it, until he could stand as an Emperor in both name and might, there would be no rest.
Now, he unleashed everything.
"Demon Claw: Ghost Cry!"
His spirit, will, and body fused into one as he struck. The air quaked and split apart, a storm of invisible blades screaming outward.
Barrett met him head-on, his fist cloaked in the fierce glow of Conqueror's Haki.
"Strongest Punch!"
When their blows met, their wills collided—sky meeting earth, darkness clashing with flame.
The heavens cleared as their Haki burst outward. The clouds were shredded, leaving a dome of open sky above the island. For a moment, the entire world held its breath.
Then—
BOOM!
A fissure ripped through the island, stretching from one end to the other. Half the sky turned abyssal black; the other blazed crimson like a battlefield of gods.
The sea roared, whipped into monstrous waves. Shockwaves radiated for miles. In that maelstrom of chaos, only two figures glowed—Teach and Barrett, the twin cores of destruction.
They hadn't even made direct contact yet. For five eternal seconds, their willpower alone held the world apart.
Teach gritted his teeth, his right arm trembling as the strain mounted. Barrett, eyes blazing, grinned through the pressure.
"You're still far from it, kid!" he bellowed, laughter mixing with the thunder.
With a roar, Barrett drove forward, his Haki surging like a tidal wave.
Teach held his ground but the gap between them was still too vast.
Crack!
His bones snapped under the pressure. His claw shattered, and Barrett's punch broke through, slamming into Teach's chest.
The explosion of impact was deafening.
"AAAHHH!"
Teach's scream was torn away by the shockwave as his body was flung backward like a meteor, crashing into the mountain behind him.
The island quaked. Dust and boulders rained down as the mountain split open.
From atop the ridge, Pito, Baccarat, and the others watched in stunned silence.
The color had drained from their faces.
"What… what kind of power is this?" Wallace stammered.
Then the mountain beneath them trembled again.
"Teach was knocked flying," Pito said, her voice tight.
"What?! Then we have to go see him!" Baccarat shouted.
But as they turned toward the impact site, Pito suddenly ran in the opposite direction.
"Wait, that's the wrong way!" Wallace yelled.
Pito didn't stop. "No—it's not! The mountain was pierced through!"
The others froze. Even from where they stood, they could see smoke rising from a gaping tunnel clean through the mountain.
When they reached the far side, they found him.
Teach lay in front of a shattered boulder, his body broken and bloodied. His coat was shredded, his chest caved in, his right hand twisted unnaturally. Dust and blood clung to him, but his eyes—his eyes were still open, burning with thought.
He wasn't defeated. He was analyzing.
Even as pain wracked his body, Teach activated Life Return, forcing his cells to heal by sheer willpower. His right arm hung limp, ribs shattered, but the flame of his fighting spirit refused to die.
"Don't disturb him," Pito warned softly. "He's still fighting."
They stepped back, watching as Teach's aura began to rise again, faintly at first then stronger, and stronger still.
Teach was replaying Barrett's attack in his mind, dissecting the nature of Conqueror's Haki coating.
The moment of impact had revealed something to him, something vital.
That punch hadn't just struck him from the outside. The Haki had bypassed his Armament, tearing through his defenses to crush him from within.
That was the true power of Conqueror's Haki coating.
It wasn't just about strength. It was about dominion.
Teach remembered Roger and Whitebeard's clash—the sky splitting apart, the air itself trembling. At the time, he had thought it was mere Armament Haki release. Now he understood. That had been Conqueror's coating at its peak.
His rough imitation was nothing compared to the real thing. But now, he could see the path forward.
"Zehahahaha!"
His laughter echoed through the ruins.
Though battered and bloodied, Teach's grin was radiant.
He flexed his fingers, feeling the bones knit back together. Under the influence of Life Return, his body regenerated with frightening speed.
He stood up, his joints cracking like gunfire. His aura surged once again—an indomitable tide of will that reached Barrett, still standing amid the dust a thousand meters away.
The battle wasn't over. Not until he couldn't stand.
Teach's figure blurred, vanishing in a flash.
Barrett grinned as he sensed the incoming wave of Haki. "So, you're still standing, huh?"
He cracked his knuckles and charged forward to meet him.
What followed was another day of pure chaos.
The mountain shattered under their relentless clashes. The island's terrain changed shape entirely—craters, fissures, and scorched stone marking their battlefield.
And finally, when Teach lay sprawled on the ground, body torn and gasping for air, he still wore that same smile.
Because though his body was broken, his understanding had deepened.
The path to the Emperor's throne had never been clearer.