Standing several kilometers away, the battered crowd collectively swallowed hard, their mouths suddenly dry.
Recalling what had just happened sent chills down their spines.
A stone giant dozens of meters tall...
Had been obliterated in a single strike.
Had they not witnessed it with their own eyes, no one would have believed such a thing was possible.
Not far away, Rayleigh stood frozen.
At some point, the liquor gourd in his hand had been crushed to pieces, and disbelief filled his aged face.
Only moments ago, he had been wondering how far Lucas’s mastery of Conqueror’s Haki still lagged behind that of the legendary pirate, Rocks.
According to Shakky, Rocks hadn’t merely mastered Conqueror’s Haki Infusion.
He had reached the level of compressing and releasing it at will.
As a Conqueror’s Haki user himself, Rayleigh understood better than anyone just how difficult that was.
Yet...
Compared to what Lucas had just displayed, those techniques seemed to belong to an entirely different league.
If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, Rayleigh would never have believed that Conqueror’s Haki could be used in such a way.
It had taken the form of a beast.
It had even manifested the power of lightning.
It completely overturned everything he thought he knew.
Only moments ago, Rayleigh had wondered how far Lucas still had to go before reaching Rocks’ level.
Now...
It seemed more accurate to ask how many streets ahead Lucas already was.
Of course, Rayleigh had also noticed the weakness of Lucas’s technique.
Compared to Conqueror’s Haki Infusion, the greatest difference lay in scale.
Ordinary Haki Infusion compressed Conqueror’s Haki to its absolute limit and coated it onto a weapon, maximizing penetration and destructive power.
Lucas’s crimson Qilin, on the other hand, focused on compressing an enormous amount of Haki before detonating it in a single devastating burst.
The greater the amount of Conqueror’s Haki invested...
The greater the resulting destructive force.
The two techniques represented opposite extremes.
Still...
Looking across the entire sea, someone who possessed such an overwhelming quantity of Conqueror’s Haki...
And could freely mold it into a mythical beast before unleashing it...
There was probably no second person like him.
Rayleigh glanced at the shattered remains of his liquor gourd and muttered to himself,
"Could Roger really have been right...?"
"The one destined to shake this old era..."
"...might truly come from the Marines."
Standing amid the ruins, Lucas looked at the motionless Pica before casually taking another sip of strong liquor, suppressing the surprise in his heart.
Thinking back to that attack, he could clearly feel that his Conqueror’s Haki had been almost completely drained.
Still...
Products from the system truly lived up to their reputation.
Using the Intermediate Mutation Card on his Conqueror’s Haki had definitely been the right choice.
He had thought the tangible shockwave produced by his Conqueror’s Haki had already reached its limit.
Who would’ve imagined...
That the Intermediate Mutation Card could evolve it into something like this?
It seemed giving up twenty Silver Treasure Chest draws in exchange for upgrading to a Gold Treasure Chest had been a wise decision.
Just imagining that a Gold Treasure Chest could produce rewards of Platinum rarity...
Lucas couldn’t wait to try a ten-pull.
Shaking off his thoughts, he looked toward Ain.
"Ain, has Fleet Admiral Sengoku replied yet?"
"How much reward are those CP9 agents worth?"
His gaze then swept across the battlefield before stopping on Jabra, Fukurou, and Kumadori, who were still standing some distance away with pale faces.
He raised an eyebrow.
"Why are there only three of you?"
"Did the other four run away?"
"Looks like I’ll have to make another move."
"N-No, Admiral Lucas!"
Kalifa immediately scrambled forward, practically crawling.
"We only moved farther away!"
"We never intended to run!"
"Being given the opportunity to join Marine Headquarters is the greatest honor we could receive!"
"And..."
"We’re valuable!"
"At least one million in reward money each, right?"
Blueno, Kaku, and the others hurried after her.
After witnessing the terrifying attack that had descended from the heavens...
They couldn’t help but feel fortunate that Jabra and the others had stubbornly refused to leave earlier.
Otherwise...
Their fate would probably have been exactly the same as Pica’s.
Even now, seeing Pica’s half-buried body lying in the ruins, life and death uncertain...
Their lingering fear had yet to fade.
Hidden in the shadows, Spandine and the members of CP0 were utterly dumbfounded.
Was this really the strongest generation of CP9 in eight hundred years?
Just moments ago, Kalifa and the others had still shown some backbone.
Where had it all gone?
The moment they turned around, they had surrendered without hesitation.
They had even voluntarily labeled themselves with a one-million-Berry price tag.
Spandine firmly believed that if CP9 had fallen into the hands of any other force, the countless World Government secrets they possessed would easily be worth several billion Berries.
Yet in Lucas’s eyes...
They were only worth a few million.
The difference was almost absurd.
However, the thought also filled Spandine with anticipation.
If everything went smoothly...
There was still a chance to take CP9 away.
"Iga," he asked quietly, "now that CP9 has fallen into the hands of the new Marine Admiral, what should we do?"
Iga couldn’t help asking first.
This time, he and his brother had already taken a tremendous risk by assisting Spandine.
Especially after witnessing the attack from moments ago.
Even now, cold sweat still covered his palms.
The reward Spandine had promised was certainly tempting.
But their lives came first.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Ihe suddenly said, unable to hide his unease.
"That kid never does anything according to common sense."
"I think we should forget about it and report directly to the Five Elders."
As he spoke, his eyes instinctively drifted toward Lucas.
Among everyone present, he was the one who had crossed paths with Lucas twice in just a few days.
Both encounters had left him feeling as though he had brushed shoulders with death.
Looking at Lucas, who still stood leisurely amid the ruins as though he hadn’t truly fought at all...
Ihe had absolutely no desire to embrace the Grim Reaper for real.
"Iga, Ihe, don’t worry."
Spandine smiled confidently.
"I have a way to make him hand them over."
"I don’t believe anyone can resist the appeal of what I have."
"And don’t forget our status."
"We’re CP0."
"Marine Headquarters is merely assisting us in capturing CP9."
"In the end, the prisoners are supposed to be handed over to us."
"If we ask for them now, he’ll get both the credit and the reward."
"It’s a win-win situation."
"So let’s go."
"Let’s have a talk with the newly appointed Marine Admiral."
"And don’t forget the payment I promised you."
"An opportunity like this doesn’t come often."
After saying that, Spandine stepped out first.
After a brief hesitation, Iga followed.
Ihe watched the two of them walk away.
He truly wanted to back out.
But in the end, he gritted his teeth and chased after them.
Spandine’s confidence had stirred a trace of competitiveness within him.
Stepping out from hiding, Spandine looked directly at Lucas and declared,
"These people..."
"CP0 is taking them."
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