"BWAHAHAHA! Looks like this old man's still got it… though I might be getting a bit rusty!"
Garp laughed heartily, flexing his fist as he glanced at Ace, who was still frozen in stunned silence.
Despite his self-deprecating words, the fire in his eyes burned with overwhelming dominance—undeniably, the presence of a king.
"How about it? If you joined the Marines, I could teach you this kind of power."
He laughed again, deep and booming.
That earlier punch had been far from his full strength. But even so, it had been more than enough to demonstrate the terrifying force behind Conqueror's Haki: Infusion.
"..."
Ace didn't reply. He walked forward in silence, stopping before a towering rock wall.
Crackle!
In the next instant, a storm of dark violet lightning erupted in his eyes.
BOOM! ZZZT!
A violent burst of Conqueror's Haki exploded from his body, crackling like a wrathful thunder god around him.
Ace felt it clearly—this power... he could control it.
He raised his right fist, focusing his spirit into a single thought.
Zzzzzt!
The chaotic lightning that surged around him suddenly came to heel—bound and drawn in by an unseen force.
The violet bolts shrank, coiling tightly—until every last spark had gathered on Ace's clenched fist.
Then—he struck.
His punch didn't even land on the wall. The raw energy exploded forward from several meters away—
BOOM!
The air itself screamed as the blast raced ahead, slamming into the cliff face. The entire rock wall—dozens of meters tall—began to crack, crumble, and collapse in a thunderous roar.
When the dust cleared, what remained was a massive hollow crater, gouged straight into the cliffside.
Garp could only gape in shock, jaw unhinged.
"Not bad for Conqueror's Haki: Infusion," Ace said with a satisfied grin, staring at the devastation his punch had caused.
He hadn't expected this training trip to yield such incredible results. He hadn't just awakened the Flame-Flame Fruit—he had also mastered one of the most legendary powers in the pirate world.
"!"
"!!"
"!!!"
Garp's jaw practically hit the dirt. He stood frozen in disbelief, eyes wide, unable to process what he'd just witnessed.
He even rubbed his eyes furiously with both hands, like a cartoon character trying to wake from a dream.
But no matter how red his eyes became, the sight before him remained unchanged.
This was real. No tricks. No illusions.
Ace had just used—Conqueror's Haki: Infusion.
His pupils trembled with sheer shock.
Not even Rocks D. Xebec—the pirate who once shook the world and earned Garp his title of Marine Hero—had ever left him this dumbfounded.
This was Conqueror's Haki: Infusion.
The advanced form of Haki that separates the kings from the rest.
To awaken Conqueror's Haki is to bear the Will of a King.
Those born with that will are destined to become legends. On the high seas, they rise as pirate lords. Even the World Government fears them. Within the Marines, such individuals are groomed as future Admiral-level prospects—and even if they fall short, they're still ranked far above ordinary Vice Admirals.
But Conqueror's Haki: Infusion?
That's where the legend truly begins.
If simply awakening Conqueror's Haki proves the will of a king, then infusing that power into one's attacks is the sign of a true monarch—a ruler capable of standing atop the seas.
Rocks D. Xebec.
The late Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.
Edward Newgate—Whitebeard, the strongest man in the world.
Silvers Rayleigh, the legendary Dark King and Roger's right-hand man...
These titans, feared across the world, earned their place through power like this—through the mastery of Infused Conqueror's Haki.
Each of them could stand alone against the full might of the Marines.
But even they hadn't grasped this power overnight.
They'd bled for it—fought through countless near-death battles before they could wrap their Haki around their strikes like a living weapon.
Yet Ace…
Ace had mastered it after just one demonstration.
Was this some kind of sick joke?!
Even Garp, who'd seen more monsters than most could dream of, found it impossible to believe.
This wasn't talent anymore.
This was monstrous.
Conqueror's Haki: Infusion wasn't something you could just "learn."
Only one in several million even possessed the Will of a King.
And among them, only a rare handful ever reached the heights needed to master this technique.
Why?
Because Conqueror's Haki isn't like Armament or Observation Haki.
The latter two are forces that exist within the body—things one can train through discipline, awareness, and willpower.
But Conqueror's Haki?
It's not just power. It's not just will.
It's presence. It's ambition. It's soul.
You can't grab it.
You can't touch it.
Not until it's grown so powerful that it bends the world around you.
There are no drills, no shortcuts—only trial by fire.
Only by pushing one's will through death and destiny can it slowly evolve.
Only when it has matured to a terrifying degree can one begin to shape it—to infuse it into attacks.
And that's why those who master it… become emperors.
To reach the point where you can even "touch" Conqueror's Haki—means you've already surpassed the limits of strength.
But Ace?
Ace hadn't even hit that threshold.
He wasn't anywhere close.
Yet he'd already wrapped that power around his fist like it was second nature.
It made a mockery of every rule this ocean had ever known.
And yet, Ace wasn't even paying attention to Garp's earth-shattering reaction.
He was already focused on the next thing—
Quietly testing the other technique he had just deduced…
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TL/N:
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