The crisis dissipated like smoke.
The surrounding captains exchanged glances and finally could only shrug helplessly. The look in their eyes toward Lucian Thorn shifted from scrutiny and wariness to a complicated blend of surprise and exasperated amusement.
"'Haki Marinade Theory'?"
Vista sheathed his beloved sword and walked over to Lucian. With a playful expression, he tapped the boy's shoulder lightly with his scabbard.
"How on earth does your brain work, kid?"
"Hehe, Captain Vista, it's all because of Pops' might!"
Lucian immediately donned a simple, worshipful face, bowing in Whitebeard's direction, his flattery ringing to the heavens.
"To be bathed in Pops' Haki is my greatest honor!"
"Gurarararara!"
Whitebeard clearly took great satisfaction in this new son of his, letting out another booming laugh.
The Moby Dick once again filled with hearty laughter and familial warmth.
However, the hard-won peace lasted less than half a minute.
"Ten o'clock, dead ahead! A ship approaching at high speed!"
From the lookout came a sharp, high-pitched cry full of disbelief and alarm.
"The bow… it's a red dragon head!"
That distinctive feature instantly froze every smile on deck.
Marco's face darkened in a flash. He sprinted to the rail and peered in the indicated direction.
Out of the sea mist loomed a striking single-masted ship, cutting through the waves. At its bow, the snarling red dragon head looked like a mythic beast awakened, exuding a chilling aura.
Red Force.
"Red-Hair…"
From Marco's lips came the name of another apex in the New World.
The mood aboard shifted from familial warmth to an icy stillness.
Almost simultaneously, an invisible yet palpably heavy aura swept over the deck like a tidal wave.
It wasn't killing intent, nor mere pressure, but a pure, sovereign Conqueror's Haki.
"Ugh…"
"My head… it hurts…"
On deck, the newer recruits of the Whitebeard Pirates collapsed en masse under the force of that aura, eyes rolling white and foam spilling from their mouths like wheat felled by the scythe.
Even some of the battle-hardened veterans felt their chests tighten, struggling to stay upright, sweat beading on their brows.
Under that oppressive Haki, the Moby Dick's hull creaked in protest, as though the invisible weight would crush it to splinters at any moment.
When the dragon-headed ship finally drew alongside the Moby Dick, a figure leapt down from its deck.
He wore a casual white shirt, a black cloak draped over his shoulders, a western sword at his waist. Three striking scars across his left eye added a feral edge to his appearance.
It was the freest man on the seas, one of the Four Emperors ruling the New World—"Red-Hair" Shanks.
He carried a massive gourd of wine, and with every step onto the Moby Dick's deck, the terrifying pressure of his Conqueror's Haki grew more solid.
"Well, well. Giving my sons such a scare the moment you arrive, Shanks?"
Whitebeard remained seated on his throne, not even rising, merely tilting his head slightly. His low voice carried clearly across the entire ship.
"Sorry, Whitebeard."
Shanks halted, an apologetic smile on his face, but his Haki did not recede in the slightest.
"Just clearing out some small fry."
He raised the wine gourd in his hand.
"This is fine liquor from the West Blue. Won't you try some?"
"Gurarararara…"
Whitebeard grinned. An old crewmate stepped forward, handing him a wine bowl the size of a bucket.
Shanks filled it to the brim, then spoke plainly.
"I'm here because of Ace."
"Blackbeard Teach… you know better than anyone how dangerous that man is. Please order Ace back. Now is not the time for those two to meet."
For the first time, Shanks' tone was deadly serious.
But Whitebeard simply drained the bowl in one gulp, exhaling with satisfaction.
"Gurarararara… brat, you trying to tell me how to run things?"
"Ace chose to hunt down that traitor himself. As my son, what's wrong with avenging his murdered brother?"
Whitebeard slowly lifted his eyelids. In his golden eyes blazed a majesty that brooked no denial.
"No one can stop a man from heading to his battlefield! That's our code as pirates!"
The atmosphere solidified completely.
The smile vanished from Shanks' face. Slowly, his hand rested on the hilt at his waist.
"So, we can't talk this out."
"If even this wine can't get you drunk, old man…"
His gaze sharpened like a blade.
"Then I'll have to wake you up another way!"
Before his words even finished, he drew the famed sword at his waist—Gryphon.
At the same time, Whitebeard grabbed the enormous Naginata "Murakumo Giri" at his side.
Clang—!!!
When blade and naginata met, no sparks flew.
Instead, two of the greatest Conqueror's Hakis in the world collided like twin stars, releasing the ultimate, most terrifying clash.
A visible black lightning erupted where the weapons struck.
The sky itself seemed like a fragile canvas torn in two by an unseen godly power.
Thick clouds split down the middle, revealing a blazing blue sky beyond.
The heavens… had been torn open!
Before this apocalyptic scene, even the captains—Marco, Jozu, Vista—felt a shudder from the depths of their souls, their breathing labored.
This was a Yonko.
This was what it meant to stand atop the world: a mere clash of wills could change the heavens.
Yet, at the center of this storm of energy that left even captains gasping, one figure stood out of place.
Lucian Thorn.
He stood there without struggling like the others, and without fainting like the recruits.
His eyes were wide, shining with an unprecedented light—not fear, not shock, but a near-maniacal ecstasy.
Jackpot!
This time it's a real jackpot!
In his mind, the cold system notifications cascaded like a dazzling waterfall.
[Warning! Warning! Ultra-high-density Legendary Energy Field Detected!]
[Energy Field Strength: EX-Level!]
[SSR Character Pool "Edward Newgate (Peak)" Analysis Efficiency Increasing at Maximum Speed!]
[Progress: 36%…38%…40%…42%…]
[Ding!]
[New Legendary Target Detected!]
[Target Locked: "Red-Hair" Shanks (Yonko)!]
[Beginning Peak Data Model Analysis for Target…]
[SSR Character Pool Establishing…]
[Character: "Supreme Conqueror's Haki"—Shanks (Peak)!]
[Current Analysis Progress: 10%…15%…20%…25%…30%!]
What others saw as a natural disaster had become Lucian's personal banquet.
He felt like a traveler dying of thirst in the desert, suddenly thrown into an ocean of divine nectar, every cell in his body cheering and rejoicing.
The clash of two Emperors' Hakis was the ultimate supplement for the system.
"Gurarararara!"
"Ooooooohhh!"
Whitebeard and Shanks simultaneously lowered their weapons and burst into laughter, as if that world-shattering strike had been nothing but a friendly greeting.
Lucian clenched his fists tightly, feeling the two progress bars on his system panel race upward, his excitement and ambition threatening to spill over.
He raised his head, looking at the torn sky, a wild grin spreading across his lips.
'Come on!'
'Come at me, all of you!'
'As long as it makes me stronger, even if it's a god—I'll devour you too!'