The sounds of battle and agonized screams still echoed across Mont Blanc Island.
"Mother! Mother! It hurts! It hurts so much!"
"Mother said someone would come help Weevil... Mother, where are you? Weevil hurts..."
Snot ran from Edward Weevil's nose as tears streamed uncontrollably down his grotesque face. His wails grew louder and more ferocious with every passing second.
His body had become a horrifying sight.
Blood mixed with bits of shattered organs spilled from his mouth every time he cried out. His massive frame was riddled with holes, pierced through again and again.
"That ridiculous vitality of yours really hasn't changed."
Zephyr stood opposite him, breathing heavily.
He pulled out his asthma inhaler, took a deep puff, and fixed Weevil with the same cold, unforgiving stare.
He knew better than anyone.
Even among monsters, Weevil was an exceptional case.
He possessed overwhelming natural strength, and for some unknown reason, incredible combat skills, enough to surpass the vast majority of pirates.
His physique, his fighting style, even the way he carried himself...
Time and again, he reminded Zephyr of a younger Whitebeard.
Before the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. Before he reached his peak.
In those days, Whitebeard was already famous across the seas for his monstrous body, incredible martial skill, and overwhelming Haki.
But that wasn't what mattered.
Even with all that strength, Weevil was still weaker than Zephyr.
That had been true four years ago.
And it was still true today.
The real reason Zephyr's training ship had met such a tragic end back then...
...was Weevil's absurd toughness.
Calling it "vitality" wasn't even accurate; his recovery speed wasn't particularly impressive.
He was simply impossible to put down.
It was as though he wasn't even a living creature.
His organs could be smashed to pieces and his body riddled with holes, yet he would only cry that it hurt...
...and keep fighting.
Back then, he had endured Zephyr's relentless assault through sheer stubborn durability. When Zephyr's asthma finally flared up, Weevil seized the opening and cut off his arm.
Now, that frightening resilience seemed even greater than before.
Zephyr was beginning to wonder if the man could even be killed.
"...Still, it's oddly quiet around here."
After finishing his inhaler, Zephyr tossed it aside and frowned.
By his calculations, the Marines and the kingdom's army should have arrived to stop him by now. Ain and Binz should already be clashing with them.
But none of that had happened.
The entire island was eerily quiet.
"..."
A strange feeling suddenly welled up inside him.
His thoughts drifted to one particular disciple.
"Roy..."
He murmured the name softly.
"You're the hope of this era, kid... Don't go throwing your life away alongside an old man like me."
---
At the same time, on another stretch of sea...
"You want me to cooperate with your... 'work'?"
Saint Pierre spoke through gritted teeth, the fury in his voice showing no sign of fading.
He stared at Roy.
"Come to think of it... that idiot called you the 'Black Kirin.' Now that I recall, I have heard of you."
"My servants told me the common people recently started calling some Marine officer the 'Hope of the New Era.'"
His tone dripped with contempt.
As one of the God's Knights, he had never regarded the Marines as anything worth noticing.
As for being the world's "hope"...
What a laughable idea.
"Still..." His eyes swept across the silent battleships scattered across the sea, his expression darkening. "You're nothing like the reports described."
Of course he recognized the power Roy had just used.
In fact, every member of the God's Knights recognized it.
Conqueror's Haki.
A name he despised.
The problem was that, according to his intel, "Black Kirin" Roy had never awakened Conqueror's Haki. In truth, there were only a handful of Marines who possessed it at all.
'Did he just awaken it?'
'His control was crude...'
Saint Pierre silently analyzed the situation.
Yes. Although Roy's burst of Conqueror's Haki had lasted only an instant, Saint Pierre could still tell his mastery wasn't particularly refined. He had only used the most basic release of Conqueror's Haki.
But that was exactly what made it so unsettling.
'A Conqueror's Haki that's only just awakened...'
'...and it's already that powerful?'
He could feel the force stirring inside his own body, more precisely, coming from his left arm, from the mark branded upon it.
Roy's overwhelming burst of Conqueror's Haki had actually awakened the power sleeping within that mark. And the pressure from that single burst had even distorted the sky and the sea...
"'Emperor'-level Conqueror's Haki...?"
So...
"Don't make me laugh!"
The anger on Saint Pierre's face flared hotter.
'Crack!'
A harsh grinding noise echoed from the strange suit of armor covering his body.
"A mere Marine from a lowly race... dreaming of becoming a king?"
The moment the words left his mouth, he raised a hand.
'Bang!'
A piercing shriek split the air.
The same invisible attack that had instantly reduced Kleimiller to a cloud of blood shot out once again.
Roy reacted without the slightest hesitation.
'Shockwave Fist – Immovable Wisdom King'
'Buzz!'
Golden shockwaves erupted around him, forming a flowing barrier.
But then,
"Hm?"
Roy's expression changed. He could feel it: the shockwaves he had released were suddenly slipping out of his control.
Without wasting another moment,
'"Devil Fruit Enhancement – Five Senses Enhancement!"'
His senses sharpened to their absolute limit, allowing him to barely catch the incoming attack in that split second.
It looked like... something white.
It had already collided with the golden shockwaves surrounding Roy.
Its speed was unbelievable, comparable to the Rumble-Rumble Fruit or the Glint-Glint Fruit. Even with his enhanced senses, he couldn't make out its true form.
'What is that...?'
Before he could think any further,
'Boom!'
The shockwaves protecting him suddenly reversed direction and slammed back toward him.
"...!!"
Even Roy's eyes widened in surprise.
His response, however, was instantaneous.
With a wave of his hand, the 'Black Justice', which had been sailing toward Mont Blanc Island behind him, was flung high into the air.
"Boss?!"
Hans and Fal, standing on the deck, turned around in shock.
Then they witnessed an unbelievable scene.
The golden shockwaves Roy had unleashed rebounded across the sea, crashing back and raising a massive tsunami. At the same time, the mysterious white projectile shot straight through the towering wave, just as it had pierced Kleimiller moments earlier.
It punched through the tsunami...
Then through the sea itself.
Another pitch-black "hole" was gouged into the ocean before the water slowly rushed back together to erase it.
Hans and Fal stared with wide eyes.
Neither of them knew anything about the God's Knights. Like most people, they had never taken Celestial Dragons seriously, after all, to ordinary civilians, Celestial Dragons were simply synonymous with garbage.
But what they had just seen made one thing painfully clear.
This Celestial Dragon was still garbage.
Just...
Exceptionally powerful garbage.
A moment later,
'Buzz!'
Another surge of golden shockwaves exploded outward, shattering the incoming tsunami.
As seawater rained down, Roy emerged unharmed.
"Oh?"
Saint Pierre let out a cold laugh.
"So you managed to survive a strike from my 'God-Slaying Spear'. Not bad... for a member of a lowly race."
He had barely finished speaking when Roy cut him off.
"Third warning ignored. It appears Your Excellency has refused my reasonable request to cooperate with this mission."
His tone remained calm and matter-of-fact.
"According to Marine operational regulations, I am now authorized to retaliate against anyone obstructing my official duties."
With that...
He threw a punch.
'Boom!'
A shockwave wrapped in blazing fire and freezing frost roared across the sea.
The ocean froze solid in an instant, only to be burned away and vaporized the next. Steam exploded into the air as the devastating force crushed the sea itself into a massive depression, hurtling straight toward the enormous 'North Blue Cross'.
"You're still daring enough to attack me?"
Saint Pierre sneered.
Yet he made no move to dodge. Instead, crimson smoke poured from the openings in his strange armor, swirling around him like fiery clouds until it completely enveloped his body.
"But..."
"It's pointless!"
'Boom!'
The twin Shockwave Fists reversed direction the instant they drew near him.
Just like before.
In the blink of an eye, they came roaring back toward Roy.
Worse still, the reflected shockwaves were even faster, and even more powerful than when he had launched them.
"Impossible!"
Hans, aboard the 'Black Justice', stared in disbelief.
"He reflected the boss's Shockwave Fist... again?!"
"What kind of power does that guy have?"
Just then,
"Oh?"
Roy narrowed his eyes, studying the crimson smoke swirling around Saint Pierre.
A thought flashed through his mind.
'Buzz!'
Golden shockwaves gathered around his fist once more.
He punched forward.
'Boom!'
His attack collided head-on with the reflected shockwaves.
Fire crashed against fire.
Frost tore into frost.
In the end, both attacks canceled each other out.
"It's useless, lowly creature."
Saint Pierre's arrogant voice rang across the sea once again.
"For a mortal, your strength is impressive. But before me, it amounts to nothing."
"My power. My bloodline..."
"My very existence is superior to yours."
He looked down at Roy with utter disdain.
"So kneel before me. If you do, I may spare your miserable life and graciously allow you to become my slave."
There was even a hint of anticipation in his eyes.
If he could make someone with such overwhelming Conqueror's Haki submit to him, perhaps even become one of his personal retainers, it would be something even a God's Knight could boast about.
But before he could continue,
Roy slowly raised his hand.
He pointed his index finger forward, cocking his thumb like the hammer of a gun.
At the tip of his finger,
'Buzz!'
Shockwaves gathered, compressing into an ever-smaller point.
'Shockwave Fist – Spirit Orb Bullet'
Saint Pierre sneered.
"Idiot. Do you still not understand the gap between us?"
"Every attack you launch is meaningless."
"I can reflect every single one of them... with even greater force."
As he spoke, crimson smoke poured from the gaps in his armor once more, wrapping itself around him.
"My ability is invincible!"
He declared it proudly.
Then...
His expression suddenly froze.
Because at that exact moment,
Roy's thumb twitched.
'Crackle! Crackle!'
Black-and-red lightning burst across Roy's fingertip.
Just like before.
The overwhelming Conqueror's Haki twisted the very sky and sea around it.
"...!"
Saint Pierre's pupils contracted.
For the first time, his composure broke.
Almost instinctively, he raised his arm, and the crimson smoke around him surged even more violently.
But...
A moment later, he froze.
The compressed "bullet" on Roy's fingertip suddenly shattered apart.
The black-and-red lightning quietly dispersed with it.
"...Failed."
Roy glanced at his finger and muttered to himself.
"As expected... coating Conqueror's Haki isn't something I can pull off so easily."
Then he looked back at Saint Pierre, whose stunned expression hadn't faded.
"But, Your Excellency..."
Roy smiled faintly, the corners of his mouth curling with unmistakable mockery.
"You've been talking nonstop this whole time."
"If I'm not mistaken..."
"You looked a little shaken just now, didn't you?"
"You insect..."
Saint Pierre ground his teeth together until his eyes turned bloodshot.
The armor covering his body began rattling violently, the metallic 'click-clack' louder than ever before.
"How dare you..."
"...humiliate me like this?!"
---
'Note:'
I checked the original 'One Piece', and so far there hasn't been a case where someone could identify another person's exact identity solely through Conqueror's Haki. At most, they can make an educated guess based on the Haki's intensity.
The best-known example is Ryokugyu in Wano. At first, everyone, including Ryokugyu, thought the Haki belonged to Momonosuke. Ryokugyu later realized it was coming from offshore, recognized it as Emperor-level Conqueror's Haki, and only concluded it was Shanks after combining that with the news that the Red Hair Pirates were nearby.
'(End of Chapter)'
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