"On this sea, only dominance can prevail over everything."
Kizaru lay on the ground, feeling the oppressive weight of Caelan's Conqueror's Haki, and couldn't help but think of Kaido's words.
Under Caelan's overwhelming presence, even his Devil Fruit ability was suppressed, and he had no will to resist.
This was because Caelan had not directly targeted him. If he had, Kizaru would have ended up the same as Garling.
It was terrifying. Utterly terrifying.
Kizaru looked at Caelan in shock and once again felt grateful for his decision to turn away from the World Government.
Had he continued following them, he might have become nothing more than a walking corpse, stripping others of their will.
"So arrogant... such overwhelming Haki."
Emet, collapsed on the ground, was stunned.
He never expected Caelan, who had been silently meditating with his eyes closed, to suddenly unleash such powerful and tangible Haki.
As a powerful robot from ancient times, he had extremely high resistance to Conqueror's Haki.
But against this force, he had been knocked down in an instant without warning.
This Haki had surpassed Joy Boy's and reached an entirely new peak.
"But... how is it possible?" Emet muttered in disbelief. "How could anyone surpass Joy Boy?"
Joy Boy was the strongest figure in the past eight hundred years. He possessed the most powerful Conqueror's Haki and was Emet's greatest conviction.
To block Observation Haki and even suppress Devil Fruit abilities—that was supposed to be the limit of this world.
He didn't want to believe that someone had surpassed Joy Boy in dominance after all this time.
But the truth was before him, and he had no choice but to accept it.
This wasn't just crossing a boundary. It was stepping into another dimension altogether.
Haki that could shatter the will of others. Emet was certain this was the first time such a thing had ever appeared on the sea.
From the Great Kingdom eight hundred years ago to the chaotic seas of today, this was the first time such Haki had manifested.
Because once it did, it would be as distinct as Joy Boy's Drums of Liberation, enough to awaken Emet instantly.
Caelan ignored everyone's shock and smiled. "I understand now. This is the true Conqueror's Haki."
"The true Conqueror's Haki?"
Emet momentarily put aside his anger over the broken knot and looked at Caelan in confusion.
Wasn't Conqueror's Haki simply the combination of exceptional talent with unshakable ambition and confidence?
But Emet knew that wasn't what Caelan meant by "true Conqueror's Haki."
"I alone rule this world." Caelan clenched his fist, as though grasping the entire world. "That is true Conqueror's Haki."
"Only one person in this world can possess true Conqueror's Haki."
There were far too many users of Conqueror's Haki across the sea.
Fifty years marked a single era, from Roger's peak to Luffy's peak.
Within those fifty years, there were easily more than thirty people known to possess it.
And in this golden era of pirates, even more powerful individuals could appear.
Take half of that, and you have fifteen users every fifty years.
Over the span of eight hundred years, since Joy Boy's time, at least two hundred and forty users had emerged.
On average, a new user would appear every four or five years. Could such a number still be called "kings"?
That was no longer the color of kings, but the color of princes.
The Haki Caelan had awakened could shatter the Haki of others, rendering it permanently lost, and crush the will of every so-called "prince" beneath his feet.
This was supreme authority. The only true Conqueror's Haki remaining in the world.
He alone reigned supreme in this vast world.
That was the truth of Conqueror's Haki.
"What a terrifying will... this has nothing to do with freedom."
Emet shook his head, both shocked and afraid.
Connecting Garling's breakdown with Caelan's words, he finally understood Caelan's Haki.
It placed shackles on the hearts of all living beings—shackles that could never be broken.
Those shackled could grumble or curse in their hearts, but they would never have the courage to resist.
This outcome stood in direct opposition to the freedom Joy Boy had once dreamed of bringing to the world.
"Conqueror's Haki is self-will. It is not free will," Caelan said calmly. "Conqueror's Haki has never represented the freedom of others, only the indulgence of the self."
"Kaido and Charlotte Linlin, who ruled their own territories, had Conqueror's Haki. They oppressed millions for their own power."
"The Five Elders of the World Government have Conqueror's Haki. They impose crushing taxes to maintain the rule of the Celestial Dragons."
"In the Navy, Garp and Sengoku also possess Conqueror's Haki. They upheld relative justice."
"Monkey D. Dragon, leader of the Revolutionary Army, seeks to change the world. He has Haki as well."
"All of them are talented and ambitious, walking firmly along their own chosen paths."
"So, Conqueror's Haki is nothing more than the will of the strong imposed on the world. A projection of the self, extended outward."
"Conqueror's Haki is, in essence, oppression."
The more he spoke, the clearer the concept became, and Caelan's understanding of Haki deepened.
The suppression of the weak by Conqueror's Haki was fundamentally a show of dominance by the strong.
When first awakened, it could suppress ordinary people. The stronger the user, the more they could suppress.
At Shanks' level, it could block one's Haki, rendering Observation Haki useless.
At Joy Boy's level, it could suppress Devil Fruit abilities, erasing the will of the Devil within.
At Caelan's level, it directly branded the hearts of others with fear.
He could now crush all other Conqueror's Haki in the world, leaving only his own.
But he wouldn't do it. He no longer needed to prove anything.
He hadn't become a conqueror because of this extraordinary Haki. Rather, it was because he had always been a true conqueror that he had awakened such overwhelming Haki.
"You're a terrifying man."
Emet stared at Caelan and spoke in a low voice.
Haki that had broken through the limits of history, power that he couldn't even begin to comprehend, and the willpower to sustain such Haki.
He couldn't understand how such a monster could appear eight hundred years later.
They say heroes are born of the times, but today's era wasn't nearly as turbulent as that of the Great Kingdom.
So how did Caelan develop such courage and achieve such overwhelming strength?
"My enemies say I'm terrifying. Do you want to be my enemy too?"
Caelan looked at Emet calmly.
Emet was afraid. Afraid of Caelan's overwhelming strength.
If he could wield Haki beyond Joy Boy's, then his power must have surpassed Joy Boy's by a great margin.
To fight him would mean certain death, and Joy Boy's final wish would remain unfulfilled.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)