An ambition he could no longer suppress surged up from the depths of Roy's heart.
Rumble, rumble.
While Sengoku and Rayleigh were still locked in battle, a terrifying wave of Conqueror's Haki, laced with a raging mental storm, burst out from Roy's body.
It forced its way into the clash of their intertwined Haki and carved out space of its own, refusing to be crushed.
"Hahahahaha!"
"So I really do have the makings of a king!"
Roy laughed wildly.
Awakening Conqueror's Haki did more than let him break free from the suffocating pressure of the two monsters' clash. It sent his spiritual power skyrocketing again, pushing his Devil Fruit mastery to an even higher level.
That explosive increase in spiritual force meant that the instant his Conqueror's Haki awakened, it erupted with a mental storm mixed into it, causing actual destruction to the surroundings.
That was an ability normally only seen when Conqueror's Haki was trained to the highest level.
Sengoku and Rayleigh both felt that sudden burst of Conqueror's Haki at the same time.
It was raw, immature, clearly newly awakened, yet packed with a suffocating pressure that made even veterans' hearts tighten.
"This brat…"
Sengoku frowned, the Buddha light around him flickering unstably.
He had seen countless geniuses, but someone awakening Conqueror's Haki at this age?
This was the first time.
Even more unbelievable was the fact that Roy was already badly injured, exhausted to the brink, yet in the moment between life and death he still managed to unleash Haki of this level.
"Hahaha! Kid, you've got a dream you're chasing too?"
Rayleigh knocked the Buddha-form Sengoku back with a single slash, then appeared beside Roy in an instant. He laughed loudly, genuine approval flashing in his eyes.
"Sengoku, did you see that? This is the monster of the new era!"
Roy's whole body trembled. Veins bulged across his forehead.
The awakening had boosted his spiritual power, but the repeated bursts had pushed his body beyond its limit. He felt every cell screaming, his wounded body demanding rest.
Pain.
So much pain.
The exhaustion nearly knocked him unconscious.
"I… still can't… fall…"
Roy clenched his teeth and forced himself upright, slowly sitting up from the ground.
In this battle, he had already seized the ticket that would one day let him stand among the strongest.
Now there was only one thing left.
Escape.
As long as he broke free from the hunt, as long as he laid low for a few years and gathered a few truly powerful companions, then nothing on this sea would be able to stop him again.
He gathered the last scraps of focus he had left.
His telekinesis spread out, tugging at the sea. A massive curtain of water surged forward like a tidal wall, crashing toward Sengoku and forcing him to retreat to avoid being splashed and having his Devil Fruit power suppressed.
A little seawater wouldn't weaken a monster like him much.
But beside him stood the Dark King, Silvers Rayleigh, watching like a hawk.
One mistake, and it would be fatal.
"Well done, kid!"
As Sengoku stepped back, Rayleigh scooped Roy up in one motion and kicked off the air itself, leaping toward the ship pulling away in the distance.
On the shore, Sengoku watched Roy get carried away.
He fell silent for a moment, and did not pursue.
Borsalino, one of the Navy's three rising monsters and the future hope of the Marines, had already been underwater for too long.
If they didn't start a rescue immediately, he really might die here by sheer accident.
Sengoku turned and ordered the Marines rushing over to organize swimmers to retrieve Borsalino. Then he headed back first, to report directly to Fleet Admiral Kong.
On the return trip, Sengoku stood on the deck, staring toward the direction Rayleigh had vanished.
He had assumed this mission would be simple. Just a few reckless rookie pirates, crushed easily by his strength.
Instead, a member of the Roger Pirates had interfered.
Not only had the capture failed, the group had escaped cleanly.
And that kid named Roy…
At such a young age, he already possessed an absurd, frightening talent.
He had just eaten a Devil Fruit and was already using it at that level.
He had an Observation Haki that could pry at a person's heart.
And he had awakened Conqueror's Haki that, from the very first moment, could already cause destructive effects in the physical world.
"What a headache…"
Sengoku muttered under his breath.
"Admiral Sengoku! We pulled Borsalino out!" a Marine ran up to report.
"How is he?"
"His body's fine, but…" the Marine hesitated.
"But what?"
"He woke up with a serious face, and he keeps muttering things like 'So scary…' and 'I almost died…'"
Sengoku pressed his fingers to his temples.
That Borsalino.
His strength wasn't weak at all, yet he always acted like he couldn't care less.
Still, this time really was his fault. Who could have imagined a kid would manage to throw a Glint-Glint Fruit user into the sea?
"Tell Borsalino to return to Marineford on his own. I'm calling the Fleet Admiral."
Buru-buru… buru-buru…
"This is Kong," the Den Den Mushi on the other end said, steady and calm.
"Fleet Admiral. The mission failed," Sengoku reported plainly.
"Failed?" Kong's tone carried clear disbelief. "With you and Borsalino, you still couldn't catch a rookie pirate?"
"Silvers Rayleigh intervened."
There was silence for several seconds.
"Rayleigh… the man from the Roger Pirates?" Kong finally asked.
"Yes." Sengoku paused, then continued. "And there's more. That Roy not only has a Devil Fruit ability similar to Shiki's, he also awakened Conqueror's Haki during the fight."
"Conqueror's Haki?"
"Yes. And the moment it awakened, it was already capable of damaging the physical environment." Sengoku's tone grew heavier. "Fleet Admiral, this kid is dangerous. With the talent he's shown today, the sea is going to gain another enormous headache in the future."
This time, Kong was silent much longer.
"After you return, issue a bounty for Roy's group immediately."
"As for the amount, set it at two hundred million."
"Two hundred million?" Even Sengoku hesitated at that number.
"Fleet Admiral, isn't that too high?"
"It's not high," Kong replied coldly. "A rookie who dares attack a Celestial Dragon at Sabaody, awakens Conqueror's Haki at this age, and escapes from you. Rayleigh helped, yes, but that newcomer is worth the price."
"I understand." Click.
Two hundred million…
In this era, a first bounty reaching two hundred million would put him under the spotlight of the entire sea.
From that point on, whether Marine or pirate, everyone would be watching that kid.
No room to hide.
No time to grow in peace.
Maybe that was Fleet Admiral Kong's intention.
…
Far away from Sabaody, in a stretch of open sea.
Rayleigh had already carried the badly wounded Roy back onto the ship.
Roy lay on the deck, gasping for breath in heavy pulls. Blood continued seeping from the wound in his abdomen. His mind was almost completely drained.
Tesoro and Stella were frantic beside him, panicking as they rummaged through the cabin for bandages and anything they could use.
Roy watched them scramble.
And smiled.
He had survived.
Not only had he survived, he had awakened Conqueror's Haki.
This battle…
It was worth it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you truly like this story, a good review and don't forget add to library would mean a lot and help bring more chapters. ^.^