"Conqueror's Haki..." Zoro's pupils contracted slightly as he repeated in a low voice, "What a domineering name."
Seeing the eager curiosity in everyone's eyes, Ronan began to explain.
"Of the three types of Haki, the first two—Observation Haki and Armament Haki—are potential abilities that most people can master through diligent training."
"First is Observation Haki. It's the technique I used when dealing with Kuro and the Cat-man Brothers."
"It is a power that allows you to keenly sense the presence of living creatures around you. Once activated, you can directly 'see' the positions, numbers, and even the intended next moves of nearby enemies in your mind without relying on your eyes."
"Predict their movements?" Usopp's mouth fell open in shock, and the chicken leg in his hand dropped onto his plate.
"That's insanely overpowered! No wonder you could never be caught by that guy named Sam before. It was like you had eyes on the back of your head!"
Ronan smiled. "That's right. When Observation Haki is trained to a high level, it can not only sense attacks, but also detect the other person's emotions and strength."
"And the Strong Ones who train this Haki to its ultimate limit..."
Ronan paused and glanced at Luffy. "They can even briefly foresee the future!"
"Foresee the future?!"
Those four words crashed down on everyone's hearts like a heavy hammer.
Nami shook her head in disbelief. "Can humans really do something like that?"
"There are plenty of monsters on the Great Sea," Ronan said meaningfully.
"Then what about Armament Haki?" Zoro pressed. As a swordsman, he was more sensitive to methods of attack and defense.
Ronan clenched his fist. Although he still could not use Armament Haki, he could describe the feeling.
"If Observation Haki is the power to 'hear,' then Armament Haki is the power to 'use.'"
"You can think of it as invisible armor. Covering your body with this power, or coating your weapons with it, can greatly enhance both defense and attack power."
As he said this, Ronan deliberately looked at Luffy, a teasing glint in his eyes.
"For example, you, Luffy."
"Huh?" Luffy had been listening intently and pointed at his own nose. "Me?"
"You're a Rubber-Rubber Fruit user. Your body is like rubber."
Ronan explained, "So ordinary blunt attacks—like fists, wooden clubs, even Bullets and cannonballs—will just bounce off your body and are basically ineffective, right?"
Luffy nodded proudly and stretched his cheek. "Hehe, that's right! I'm a rubber man. I'm not afraid of getting hit!"
"But..." Ronan abruptly changed course. "If an enemy coats their fist in Armament Haki, things will be different."
"Armament Haki can restrain the 'physical form' of Devil Fruit users.
"In other words, before Armament Haki, your rubber properties will fail. You'll be beaten bloody like an ordinary person, with pain that reaches your bone marrow."
"Even Logia users who can undergo Elementalization can only have their true forms touched through Armament Haki."
Luffy froze at those words.
Then a sealed childhood memory suddenly struck him.
He abruptly grabbed his head, his face turning deathly pale as though he had recalled something utterly terrifying.
"I remember now! My grandfather!"
Luffy screamed in terror, "Whenever my grandfather beat me up, it hurt like hell even though I was a rubber man! I always thought it was because of his 'Iron Fist of Love'... Was that why?!"
"And what about the last one?"
Nami, who had been listening quietly all this time, could not help asking. Although she was not good at fighting, this knowledge sounded extremely valuable. "What was it called... Conqueror's Haki?"
At the mention of that name, Ronan's expression grew more serious.
Even the sea breeze seemed to become heavier at that moment.
"Conqueror's Haki."
Ronan slowly spoke the term, his gaze sweeping across everyone present before finally settling on Luffy's clear eyes.
"It is a power completely different from the first two."
"Ordinary people can awaken Observation Haki and Armament Haki through acquired effort and training. But Conqueror's Haki... cannot be obtained through training."
"What?" Usopp was startled. "You can't train for it?"
"That's right," Ronan said firmly. "It is an innate aptitude, the inborn aura of a king.
"Across this vast Great Sea, only one person among several million may possess such an aptitude."
"It is the 'aptitude of a king' who stands above ten thousand others."
Ronan's voice was low, carrying the epic weight of a legend.
"Those with Conqueror's Haki do not need to make a move. Merely by releasing their own aura and spiritual pressure, they can intimidate countless enemies."
"For opponents with weak willpower, such as ordinary soldiers or insignificant pirates, the impact of Conqueror's Haki will make them instantly lose consciousness, foam at the mouth, and collapse unconscious. Even tens of thousands can be taken out in an instant."
"Take out... tens of thousands at once?!" Usopp was so frightened that the wineglass in his hand fell. "Is that even human? That's a monster!"
Ronan continued, "More than that, powerful Conqueror's Haki can even produce tangible physical Shockwaves, shattering ships, splitting rocks, and even changing the weather."
"Only those with such an aptitude are qualified to stand at the very pinnacle of this world."
Silence.
Deathly silence enveloped the deck of the Merry.
Even Luffy, who was usually so carefree, stared wide-eyed in shock, forgetting to swallow the meat in his mouth.
"Amazing... That's amazing!" Luffy's eyes gleamed. "Only one among several million?"
Ronan watched Luffy's excited expression and laughed inwardly.
You silly kid, you're the one with the greatest potential for Conqueror's Haki.
And this Moss Head swordsman sitting here possesses Conqueror's Haki potential as fierce as a Ghost God's as well.
But Ronan did not reveal it. Those potentials needed to be awakened and understood by them in future life-and-death battles.
"Whew..."
Zoro let out a long breath, drained the remaining wine in his cup, and his eyes became sharper than ever.
"Looks like we still have a long road ahead of us."
He stood and walked to the railing, gazing over the pitch black sea in the distance.
"Observation Haki, Armament Haki, and that Conqueror's Haki... If I don't master these powers, I probably won't even be able to touch the threshold of the World's Greatest Swordsman."
Ronan also rose, walked to Zoro's side, and patted him on the shoulder.
"Don't be too anxious. Haki was born to deal with extreme crises. Only at the edge of life and death, when wills clash at their limits, will Haki awaken and grow stronger."
"We've already set foot on this path."
Ronan turned and looked at his companions behind him.
Nami was somewhat afraid, but her eyes held even more resolve in the face of unknown challenges;
Usopp's legs were trembling, yet he had already begun imagining himself bragging after learning Haki;
Luffy was rubbing his fists together, practically itching to find a Haki master and fight them right away.
"All right, that concludes the lesson."
Ronan raised his wineglass again toward the stars filling the sky and the boundless Great Sea.
"To our new ship, to the adventures soon to come, and to the power we will one day master..."
"Cheers again!"
"Cheers!!"
The five wineglasses clinked together once more.
Before you continue