Chapter 486: Awakening Conqueror’s Haki
by xennovel“Gum-Gum—Rocket!”
“One Sword Style—Lion Song!”
Boom!
The three launched their attacks with full force, but to Luffy and Zoro’s shock, their blows didn’t strike Rayleigh’s blade directly. Instead, an invisible barrier stopped them short.
A split second later, a tidal wave of force slammed into them. Both felt their eyes bulge as they were knocked backward, sent crashing through ten trees in the woods.
“Whoa!”
“Is this Advanced Conqueror’s Haki?”
Zoro spat out a mouthful of blood, wiped his lips, then pulled a green bandana from his clothes and tied it around his head.
“Three-Sword Style—Santoryu: Three Thousand Worlds!”
A green wave of energy surged up behind Zoro, slowly taking the shape of a dragon. Claws outstretched, it flew straight at Rayleigh.
“Strong attack, but it lacks substance. When you get too flashy with your techniques, most of the power just gets wasted.”
“Divine Departure!”
Rayleigh used his signature move with casual ease, sending Zoro flying all over again.
“Gum-Gum—Kong Gun!”
Luffy had switched to Gear Fourth: Bounce Man without anyone noticing, swinging a massive crimson fist down from midair.
“Plenty of power, but not enough bite. That’s not enough to scratch an old man like me. If you can’t use Advanced Conqueror’s Haki, it’s pointless.”
“Divine Departure!”
Just as Rayleigh’s blade was about to meet Luffy’s fist, an immense invisible pressure flooded over him, halting his advance. A wild force surged through Luffy’s body, and he was hurled away before he could fight back.
“The secret of Conqueror’s Haki Infusion is pouring your spirit, will, and energy into your Haki. When you release it, you can injure opponents without touching them, and even bypass any physical defense.”
That’s right. In the world of pirates, Advanced Conqueror’s Haki is the only skill that deals true damage. No matter how tough your defense, if you’re hit by it, you’ll get hurt.
But it’s also the hardest skill to master—no exceptions.
Even among the Pirate Kings of the New World, only a handful with Conqueror’s Haki can actually use this technique.
It’s not about talent or comprehension. What you need is absolute presence—a force of spirit.
After all, you can’t improve Conqueror’s Haki through training. It all comes down to indomitable will. The stronger your spirit, the more powerful your Haki becomes.
“So it’s a union of spirit, will, and energy?”
“Three-Sword Style—108 Pound Phoenix!” “Great Dragon Twister!”
Zoro split his focus in two, following up one attack instantly with another.
“Good job seizing the opening, but your power’s lacking. Try this instead…”
“Divine Departure!”
Whoosh!
Rayleigh delivered a fast slash, then stepped forward and unleashed a second—this second strike moving even faster than the first. Zoro, distracted by the first blow, found the second already bearing down on him.
“One Sword Style—Iai Slash!”
Clang!
Barely keeping up, Zoro cut through the sword aura that followed, but the first hidden slash had already closed in on him. Just then, a wild shout rang out by his ear.
“Gum-Gum Python!”
Luffy’s accelerating fist rocketed through the sky. When it reached max speed, it smashed straight into the sword aura.
Fueled by that momentum, the sword aura shattered to pieces under Luffy’s punch.
“Ahahaha! I think I kind of figured something out just now.”
Luffy squeezed his fist. If his senses weren’t playing tricks on him, he’d managed to imbue some Conqueror’s Haki into his punch a moment ago.
“No wonder they asked me to go all out when I arrived. Looks like only a real life-or-death crisis can help these two awaken the power of Advanced Conqueror’s Haki. I can’t afford to pull any punches.”
“Divine Departure!”
Rayleigh didn’t let up for a moment. He was faster and stronger with every move, giving them no room to breathe.
With a single blow, Luffy, who’d been in midair, was slammed into the ground. Zoro was left with a deep gash nearly ten centimeters long.
“Come on! Either beat me or this is where your journey ends. If you can’t grasp Advanced Conqueror’s Haki, you’ll just be cannon fodder at Navy Headquarters.”
“Luffy, you don’t want to watch your crew get picked off one by one, right?”
“Zoro, you wouldn’t want your dream to end here either, would you?”
Rayleigh saw anger flicker across their faces—his taunts had hit the mark.
“Then bring it! Take me down if you can—use every ounce of your strength!”
Boom!
Crash!
The fight was only getting fiercer. The whole islet rumbled with thunderous crashes.
“Luffy and Zoro will be okay, right? We’re almost out of time.”
Nami checked the time, frowning. If they didn’t hurry, they might miss their window to get to Impel Down. Would they really have to go all the way to Navy Headquarters too?
“Yohohoho! Don’t worry—just leave it to them. I can feel it. Luffy and Zoro’s spirits are growing stronger and stronger, beyond anyone’s imagination.”
As the holder of the Yellow Spring Fruit, Brook’s limits remained a mystery even to himself. But when it came to the strength of souls, no one could rival the Soul King.
Back in the original story, after just two years of training, he could already go toe to toe with Big Mom. The stronger the foe, the stronger he got—no wonder folks called him the enigmatic Soul King.
“Phew, the fight shouldn’t last much longer. I’ll start on dinner.” With the battle drawing to a close, Luffy and Zoro would need to recover fast—so that was Sanji’s cue to get cooking.
“Franky, check over every part of the ship. Once Luffy and Zoro are back, we’ll fire up the Coup de Vent Cannon and head for Impel Down. Otherwise, we’ll run out of time.”
“Super! Leave it to me!”
Franky struck a heroic pose and called Usopp, Chopper, and Merry to help inspect every inch of the ship.
“Oh, Nami—don’t worry too much. Rayleigh means us no harm. I get the feeling something’s guiding him to us on purpose.”
Robin’s intuition was sharper than most. Rayleigh had boarded their ship out of nowhere, taught them the basics of Armament and Observation Haki, and now he was showing Luffy and Zoro how to infuse their Haki with Conqueror’s spirit. Was it really just because Ace was the son of his old friend?
Robin couldn’t help feeling there had to be more behind it. But she still couldn’t see what Rayleigh stood to gain.
Or did Rayleigh really think Luffy and his crew alone could defeat the Navy?
High above the island, a colossal fist suddenly appeared and crashed down from the sky.
Boom!
The shockwaves sent waves surging wildly across the sea.
“Johnny, Yosaku—get the sails and anchors in!”
“On it, Boss!”
The two guys quickly raced to the rails and stern, raising sails and weighing anchor. With waves this huge, if they didn’t prep in time, the ship might get torn apart by the sea.
“The fighting’s just getting crazier.”
Robin looked up at the island, her face tense, watching sword auras and giant fists flash on the horizon. Smoke billowed everywhere—hard to believe just two or three people were behind all this chaos.