Lucas’s calm remark echoed across the vast deck.
The smiles that had just spread across Marco and the others’ faces instantly froze.
The lively atmosphere vanished, replaced by an oppressive silence.
Every eye turned toward Atmos.
Even Red-Haired Shanks and his crew looked visibly stunned.
At a summit between two Emperors, a Marine Admiral being escorted aboard as a prisoner wasn’t exactly shocking.
It simply meant he had been outmatched.
But if he had actually fought his way here...
That wasn’t bravery.
That was courting death.
More importantly, revealing something like this at such a moment...
If it were true, it would be no different from stretching out his own neck for Whitebeard to chop off.
"Atmos!"
"Explain yourself!"
Whitebeard’s face darkened as his booming voice rang across the deck.
Atmos had always been an honest and straightforward man.
For the first time in his life, he realized that being the center of everyone’s attention could feel like standing on thin ice.
With no way out, he steeled himself and answered.
"P-Pops..."
"I was careless."
"I lost in a head-on fight."
"He defeated me in just two moves and knocked me into the sea."
"You’ve always taught us to repay kindness."
"He had his people save my life."
"I owed him that debt, so... I had no choice but to bring him here."
"But I warned him beforehand."
"What happens next is entirely his own responsibility."
Two moves?
Everyone present changed expression.
Atmos might not have been the sharpest commander...
But precisely because of his honest nature, no one believed he would lie about something like this.
A Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates...
Defeated in only two moves.
Then rescued by his opponent.
Had they not heard it with their own ears, no one would have believed such an outrageous story.
Was this really the "paper tiger Admiral" they had dismissed earlier?
Whitebeard’s face grew even darker.
"So..."
"You’re saying you saved Atmos?"
The next instant—
An overwhelming wave of Conqueror’s Haki erupted from his body.
BOOM!
The terrifying pressure swept across the deck like a hurricane.
It crashed directly toward Lucas.
Even pirates who had already retreated over a hundred meters to avoid Shanks’ Haki collapsed unconscious.
Only the veteran pirates with considerable strength managed to remain standing.
Watching Whitebeard sit proudly upon his chair, his overwhelming aura dominating the battlefield...
Every pirate aboard felt a surge of pride.
"As expected of Pops."
Vista couldn’t help speaking first.
"Compared to Red-Haired’s monstrous Haki that can physically damage its surroundings, Pops’ Conqueror’s Haki may be a little less destructive..."
"But it’s still more than enough to make every upstart understand what it means to face an Emperor."
Looking at Lucas standing motionless amid the torrent of Haki, Vista sneered again.
"Brat."
"Don’t tell me you’re so scared you’ve gone numb."
"I’ve heard you possess Conqueror’s Haki too..."
"But there’s an enormous gap between kings."
"Aside from Red-Haired..."
"No one else would dare show off their Conqueror’s Haki in front of Pops."
"A gap between kings?"
"Showing off?"
Lucas adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and nodded.
"You’re right, Vista."
"I’ve seen plenty of ordinary Conqueror’s Haki."
"But..."
"I think mine is a little different."
"I can use Conqueror’s Haki too."
BOOM!!
The moment his words fell...
The Conqueror’s Haki sleeping within Lucas exploded forth.
Its overwhelming presence erupted like a volcanic eruption.
The instant it burst from his body, it collided head-on with Whitebeard’s Haki.
Thanks to his Nen ManipUlti on, Lucas’s control over his Conqueror’s Haki had reached an astonishing level.
If Whitebeard’s mastery could be considered a five...
Then Lucas’s precision was a perfect ten.
Perhaps Whitebeard still possessed vastly greater reserves of Haki after decades of tempering.
But perfectly controlled steel was deadlier than unrefined iron.
Under Lucas’s flawless control...
His Haki condensed into a devastating shockwave.
Like a tidal wave crashing ashore...
It tore straight through Whitebeard’s Conqueror’s Haki.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
At the center of the collision...
The sturdy deck could no longer withstand the immense force.
Before everyone’s eyes, the wooden planks shattered inch by inch.
Wherever Lucas’s Haki passed...
It was as though an invisible giant hand had ripped open the Moby Dick itself.
A massive trench split the deck apart as it raced directly toward Whitebeard.
The bizarre sight—
Conqueror’s Haki causing visible, physical destruction—
Completely overturned everyone’s understanding of what Conqueror’s Haki was capable of.
Eyes widened.
Pupils shrank.
Some nearly stared until their eyes popped out.
Vista, who had been bragging so confidently only moments earlier, wished he could slap himself twice.
Of all the times to boast...
He had chosen the worst possible moment.
"Pop’s!"
"Be careful!"
Atmos shouted anxiously.
"His Conqueror’s Haki creates actual shockwaves!"
"I underestimated that ability..."
"That’s why I lost!"
A Haki that produced real shockwaves?
Marco and the other commanders finally understood what they had been witnessing.
Moments ago, Vista had confidently declared that no one’s Conqueror’s Haki—except Shanks’—could compare to Whitebeard’s.
Yet the destructive force Lucas had just unleashed...
Had clearly surpassed even Shanks’ display.
Thinking back to Vista’s earlier flattery...
Everyone couldn’t help stealing a glance toward Shanks.
At this moment...
Red-Haired Shanks looked just a little awkward.
"A unique form of Conqueror’s Haki..."
"One that carries actual physical force..."
Whitebeard remained seated, but a trace of genuine surprise flashed deep within his eyes.
There was only one person he remembered possessing such an ability.
He had never expected to witness it a second time in his lifetime.
Looking at Lucas, who still stood calmly where he was...
Whitebeard’s eyes lit up with genuine interest for the first time.
His muscles bulged.
With one hand, he seized the massive naginata resting beside him.
"Hmph."
"Brat..."
"Let’s see what gives you the confidence..."
"To board my Moby Dick..."
"And stand before me."
BANG!
Whitebeard suddenly rose to his feet.
As his enormous body straightened, the IV tubes connected to him snapped one after another.
Taking a powerful step forward, he swung his giant naginata in a mighty overhead slash toward Lucas dozens of meters away.
At this moment...
Edward Newgate—
The man hailed as the Strongest Man in the World—
Made the first move.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus Chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus Chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 Chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789