Over on Hive Island, several division commanders frowned after hearing Shiki's dramatic arrival.
"Gurararara, that Shiki guy's getting a little too full of himself!"
"Mamamamama! So arrogant! SHIKI!"
Two voices—one male, one female—rang out right after Shiki's speech, accompanied by two surges of powerful Conqueror's Haki.
Three waves of Conqueror's Haki now clashed high above Hive Island, dyeing the sky with three distinct colors.
Fortunately, this was Rocks' home base, and everyone here was strong. Getting blasted by Conqueror's Haki wasn't exactly rare either, so most had built up some resistance. No one was immediately knocked out by the oppressive aura.
"Fuhahahaha! You guys are seriously too much!"
Another alcohol-laced voice joined in, bringing a slightly weaker Conqueror's Haki into the fray.
Right after that, two more waves of Haki surged up to join the clash.
Three strong, three slightly weaker—a total of six waves of Conqueror's Haki erupted across Hive Island, shaking the air and skies around it.
Back on Shiki's ship, Lind was inevitably caught in the ripple effect.
Thanks to his knowledge of the original story, Lind could immediately identify the owners of these Haki bursts. Aside from Shiki's, the other five had to be from the remaining division commanders of the Rocks Pirates.
From what Lind knew, the current division commanders under Rocks were:
1st Division Commander: Edward Newgate (Whitebeard)
Gura Gura no Mi user; bounty: 1.26 billion berries
2nd Division Commander: Shiki the Golden Lion
Float-Float Fruit user; bounty: 1.19 billion berries
3rd Division Commander: Charlotte Linlin (Big Mom)
Soul-Soul Fruit user; bounty: 990 million berries
4th Division Commander: Captain John
Bounty: 760 million berries
5th Division Commander: Wang Zhi
Bounty: 730 million berries
6th Division Commander: Silver Axe
Bounty: 720 million berries
Staring at the sky filled with clashing Conqueror's Haki, Linde couldn't help but feel a pang of frustration. After all, this was the signature flex tool of the truly strong.
Then, as more waves of Haki—some stronger, some weaker—began bursting forth, Lind realized these likely belonged to lesser-known pirates Rocks had forcefully recruited. Maybe even one of them was Kaido.
The idea that even these nameless background characters from the original story had Conqueror's Haki, while he didn't yet, made Lind grit his teeth.
On the spot, he took out a fruit — one he had specially prepared during his downtime on the ship. It was made by "sacrificing" Shiki's legs (in ritual, not literally) and mutating them.
Its purpose was simple: to amplify and guide one's will and emotions, aiding in the awakening of Conqueror's Haki.
For Lind, who was both cautious and flamboyant—someone who preferred safety but also liked to show off—awakening Conqueror's Haki naturally required a perfect storm of timing, emotion, and environment.
And this was the moment.
So many powerful Haki bursts were clashing above Hive Island. The atmosphere was electric. Lind's emotions surged with a rare intensity.
Now, all he needed was a trigger.
"It's coming!"
Lind sensed a wave of Haki even stronger than Whitebeard's or Shiki's — Rocks D. Xebec himself.
He swallowed the fruit without hesitation.
The moment it entered his system; Lind felt his rationality drop sharply. A wave of defiant emotion burst out from within him.
Especially when stimulated by Rocks' overwhelming, dominating will, Lind's desire to be truly free, to have control over his fate, exploded—and with it, his Conqueror's Haki awakened.
A wave of Haki filled with the aura of freedom and unrestrained will erupted from Lind and joined the storm in the sky.
Perhaps because of his immense mental strength from telekinesis, Lind's Conqueror's Haki was unusually strong for a first-time awakening.
While his mastery over it was still lacking, in terms of raw power, it was already just a bit below that of John, Wang Zhi, and Silver Axe.
That was more than enough.
Lind was extremely satisfied with the outcome — that the sacrificial fruit (and the symbolic offering of Shiki's legs) had paid off.
With both Rocks and Lind's contributions, the epic clash of Conqueror's Haki reached its climax.
"Fuhahahaha! You bastards—cut it out!"
Rocks' voice thundered, and his deep crimson Haki suddenly surged even stronger, completely suppressing everyone else's aura.
John, Wang Zhi, and Silver Axe resisted for a moment, their Haki tangled with Rocks', but soon withdrew their auras.
Whitebeard, Shiki, and Big Mom still wanted to push back a bit more, but seeing the others give in, they too backed off.
"Fuhahaha! Shiki, you put on a show today, huh?"
Rocks retracted his Haki and turned to the day's biggest attention-seeker — Shiki — giving him a half-warning, half-amused remark.
"Jiehahaha! As my brother Lind says: 'In this sea, aside from strength and fame, nothing matters more than face!' As a great pirate, you've gotta have presence!"
"Well? Wasn't my entrance today badass?"
"Let's all do it! Next time, we take my flying fleet and march right into Marineford! We'll crush the Marines' pride and show the whole world who owns this sea!"
Shiki ignored Rocks' warning completely and launched into a full-on hype speech, pitching his plan with wild enthusiasm.
And clearly, it worked. Everyone's eyes lit up — except Rocks. Even Whitebeard and Big Mom seemed eager to join in.
Whitebeard was already imagining how he'd show off in front of Sengoku.
"What 'strategic genius'? When I drop some lines like Shiki's, Sengoku's gonna look like an illiterate brawler."
Hearing Shiki's speech, Rocks caught the key point — the name Lind.
It reminded him of the poetic line he'd heard during a recent call with Shiki. The style was unmistakably the same.
"Fuhahaha! Shiki, this Lind — he's that swordsman who shouted, 'One dance shakes the four seas, a second shakes the sun and moon,' right?"
Rocks raised an eyebrow, visibly pleased.
"That unfamiliar Conqueror's Haki burst from your ship earlier — that was his, wasn't it? I didn't think you'd bring in someone that strong."
"Gurararara! 'One dance shakes the four seas, a second shakes the sun and moon' — sounds like a powerful swordsman to me. Shiki, take us to meet this brother Lind!"
Whitebeard's booming voice was filled with excitement.
He immediately stopped fantasizing about showing off in front of Sengoku — his interest was now squarely on Lind. That kind of heroic line was exactly his style.
Plus, his entire plan hinged on Lind's cooperation.
"Mamamamama! That's right! Sounds like a dashing, powerful young man!"
Charlotte Linlin and the others nodded in agreement. They all wanted to meet Lind now.
After all, Conqueror's Haki doesn't lie — and combined with such bold words, the image of a powerful swordsman had already taken root in their minds.
"Absolutely! He must be a strong swordsman. My blade is itching to cross paths with him!"
As a fellow swordsman, Captain John was especially eager to spar with this new potential comrade.
Up in the sky, Lind heard every word.
Pirates always spoke loudly, and as the conversation progressed, Lind's heart was pounding.
Their praise made him feel... slightly overwhelmed.
After all, he knew the truth: he wasn't a swordsman. He was just a telekinetic who played with flying swords.