Tatsuki stared intently at the golden line of death that occupied his entire field of vision, his eyes instantly becoming bloodshot and crimson.
I just spent 150,000 points!
This investment hasn't even paid off yet, how can I exit the stage here?!
I'm the man who's going to control the direction of this world. How can I be casually crushed like a small fry by a remnant of the old era like you?!
"Don't... look down on me!"
"My life is very expensive!!!"
BOOM!!!
An invisible, dark-red wave of air erupted from Tatsuki as the center without any warning.
It was a materialized will condensed from extreme unwillingness and greed originating from the depths of his soul.
Conqueror's Haki: Awakening!
Zzzt!
Black and red lightning crackled around the lookout tower. Though immature and insignificant compared to the three monsters at the center of the battlefield, it truly existed.
That newly born Conqueror's Haki slammed violently into the golden slash wave.
It didn't shatter the slash wave. It didn't even budge it an inch.
But it caused that world-destroying golden slash to experience a pause in mid-air for less than half a second.
Just that split second of pause was enough.
Tatsuki's body, relying entirely on survival instinct, turned into a gust of wind and narrowly brushed past the edge of the slash.
Rumble...
The golden light swallowed everything.
The entire dog head warship, along with the entire area of sea it occupied, was forcibly split in two by that slash.
The seawater poured back in, forming a massive waterfall. The wreckage of the warship, amidst its groans, was sucked into the bottomless abyss.
The entire field was dead silent.
A few seconds later.
Roger leaped back, putting distance between himself and Garp. His gaze pierced through the mist and landed on a large floating piece of wood. There, a disheveled figure was shakily standing up.
Tatsuki's clothes were in tatters, and his left arm was dripping with blood, but he was still standing. He had survived the aftermath of that slash.
"Interesting."
Roger grinned, revealing a smile of extreme appreciation, as the blade in his hand hummed softly.
"To survive Shiki's slash and even awaken Conqueror's Haki in a desperate situation..."
"Garp, your Marines has produced quite an extraordinary rookie."
"Con... Conqueror's Haki?"
On the Oro Jackson, the red-nosed intern's hand went limp, and his short sword hit the damp deck with a "clang."
Buggy felt his teeth chattering uncontrollably.
"That Marine... actually has Conqueror's Haki?!"
Beside him, the red-haired youth, Shanks, didn't speak. He just gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist, his eyes locked onto the figure swaying in the storm.
It wasn't just them.
Rayleigh, Gaban, and all the officers of the Roger Pirates.
The pirate Captains in Shiki's fleet who had survived the massive waves.
And on Garp's ship, the Marines who had just scrambled up from the ground, still trying to figure out what was happening.
Everyone was stunned.
An obscure Marine rookie.
Under Shiki's lethal blow, and in front of the top-tier monsters of this sea, he had awakened the kingly quality found in only one in a million.
What kind of hellish plot twist was this?!
"Kyahahahaha!"
Garp was stunned for a moment before bursting into a fit of laughter.
In that laughter was uncontrollable surprise, admiration, and a proud sense of "my soldier is just that awesome."
"Good lad! Well done!"
Garp didn't bother looking at Shiki, whose face had turned incredibly dark. Instead, like showing off a newly unearthed treasure, he shouted at Roger, "Roger! Did you see that? That's my subordinate!"
Meanwhile, Tatsuki had no time to worry about everyone else's shock.
Because in his mind, the voice he had been waiting for the most rang out.
[Ding! Detected that the host's willpower has surpassed its limits in a life-or-death moment!]
[Detected that the host possesses a powerful soul foundation from two lifetimes, with a mental threshold far exceeding ordinary people!]
[Congratulations to the host for awakening Conqueror's Haki (Intermediate)!]
[Unlocked Special Achievement: Chosen King!]
[Obtained Achievement Reward: Violation Points +100,000!]
One hundred thousand?
Holy crap!
Tatsuki glanced down at his balance, which had just been emptied and then instantly became full again. Feeling the new power surging from the depths of his soul, the intense pain throughout his body seemed to lessen significantly.
The relief of surviving combined with the pleasure of a sudden surge in strength made his blood boil.
He survived.
Not only did he survive, but he also awakened Intermediate Conqueror's Haki.
This feeling was even more refreshing than riding the top courtesan in the Pleasure District.
On the other side, someone was about to go insane with rage.
"Bastard..."
Shiki's expression was incredibly ugly.
He had missed.
He, the grand Flying Admiral, the overlord of this sea, had his furious strike evaded by someone he considered "trash"?
Not only did he dodge it, but he even let the opponent awaken Conqueror's Haki?
What a humiliation!
"Today, I will definitely tear you into ten thousand pieces!"
Shiki completely lost it. He abandoned Roger and Garp, his famous blade erupting with blinding golden light. He turned into a golden meteor, charging straight toward that floating ship plank.
"Again?"
Tatsuki could feel Shiki's cold killing intent firmly locked onto him.
No way to dodge!
Since he couldn't dodge...
Tatsuki looked at the rapidly approaching figure. Instead of fear, a surge of unprecedented pride rose in his heart.
Then come on!
The extreme experience of escaping death, the mental sublimation of awakening Conqueror's Haki, and the heavy sum of money in his account pushed his state to an unprecedented peak.
He no longer held back any physical strength or thought about the consequences. He pushed the recently deeply developed Storm-Storm Fruit to its limit.
He was going to "earn" back every single point he had just spent here, doubled.
"With me as the center, Storm, gather!"
Like the center of a vortex, he frantically swallowed all the surrounding air currents.
He soared into the sky, throwing himself without hesitation into the super Waterspout he had created earlier that connected the sky and the sea.
There, it was the most violent core of the storm.
There, it was also the place of absolute tranquility.
"Hmm? This kid..."
Roger watched Tatsuki's actions and rubbed his chin with interest. "Garp, aren't you going to save your precious subordinate? It looks like he wants to duel Shiki one-on-one."
"Kyahahaha!" Garp punched a house-sized warship fragment into dust, laughing nonchalantly.
"He didn't ask me for help. Instead, he took the initiative to meet him." Garp grinned, revealing a row of white teeth.
"Then I'll believe in him."
After all, to be able to stand under the Conqueror's Haki impact of three monsters, survive Shiki's slash, and awaken Conqueror's Haki on the spot...
Such a brat already had the right to have his own stage on this battlefield of the strong.