Conqueror's Haki

Obe did not see Oshi again until three hours later.

Just as she finished washing up and was about to go to bed, she caught sight of Oshi blankly pushing open the door with her head, clutching a paper bag as she staggered back into the room.

"You're back, Oshi." Obe greeted her.

"Abba abba abba..."

She received no response. Oshi merely kept muttering incomprehensible words under her breath.

Obe rubbed her eyes. It was as though she saw Oshi's pale soul drifting out of her mouth.

What on earth did Sister Ra do?

Watching the usually lively Oshi become like a zombie that had not eaten any brains, Obe did not dare imagine what Ra had done to her.

Just as she was about to step forward and offer a few comforting words, her attention was suddenly drawn to the paper bag Oshi held against her chest. A faint scent of pastries wafted from within.

Obe's gaze sharpened. She had already noticed some suspicious crumbs at the enemy's mouth.

"Oshi, what are you holding?"

"Mille-feuille. Sister Ra left it for us."

Oshi suddenly returned to normal as though she were having a final burst of clarity, but after handing the paper bag to Obe, she slipped back into Abba Abba mode.

"Big Sister left this... Hey! Why is there only this little left?!"

Obe looked at the less-than-half-a-bite of mille-feuille remaining in the bag. It reminded her of how, back in college, her roommates would toss her a package with a tiny bit of snack left inside whenever they were too lazy to throw out the trash.

The key was that half of it should have been hers to begin with. Oshi had not only eaten her share, but had also made her deal with the garbage.

"Oshi!"

"Abba abba abba..."

"Don't play dumb with me!"

That night, after teaching Oshi a lesson, Ra once again arrived outside Kaido's quarters. She could tell that Kaido had just woken up.

"Knock, knock, knock~"

"Come in."

She gently knocked on the door, and Kaido's somewhat lazy voice came from inside.

"Hm? It's you. Have you learned Haki yet? Gulp gulp gulp~"

Kaido had only just woken up and was sprawled in his chair, yet he had already started drinking again.

"I have gained an initial grasp of Observation Haki and Armament Haki. I came tonight because I wanted to learn about Conqueror's Haki."

"Also, Captain Kaido, drinking right after waking up is bad for your health."

Perhaps because of Oshi, Ra slipped into lecture mode without realizing it as she spoke.

"Wororororo~ You little girl sure are nosy. You're not even as tall as my wine gourd!"

"Fine, since you want to witness Conqueror's Haki, watch closely!" With that, Kaido set down his gourd, and an invisible force burst from him, charging directly at Ra.

Though Kaido made no movement and there was no wind in the room, Ra's clothes and hair were blown back.

At that moment, something as intangible as momentum had truly affected the physical world.

In Ra's vision, Kaido seemed like an enormous radiation source, layers upon layers of energy far more violent than Armament Haki pouring from his body.

That energy did not strike the surroundings. It all surged toward Ra.

Precise control.

With her energy perception active, she could not help marveling inwardly as she seized the time to carefully observe the energy.

Completely different from Armament Haki. This feeling is the same as when Oshi and Obe fainted on the island. It doesn't feel like life energy from the body. It feels more like...

Closing her eyes, Ra relaxed and experienced the most genuine, minute feedback coming from her body.

This feeling... It's the soul. The soul is trembling.

When she first met Kaido, the special force he unleashed had caused Oshi and Obe, whose souls had yet to stabilize, to lose their ability to resist almost immediately. Ra had shown no reaction on the surface at the time, but she had felt obvious discomfort within.

Several days had now passed, and the painful period after the three of them split their souls had ended. They should no longer have been affected, yet Ra could still feel a faint tremor originating from her soul.

That's right. This truly is energy originating from the soul. I can feel the soul's vibrations.

Having personally undergone the process of her soul being divided into three, Ra now had a more tangible and profound understanding of this once somewhat ethereal term.

The soul existed, and it possessed energy.

Naturally, those with stronger souls found it easier to influence those with weaker souls, much like a high-density black hole forcibly dragging a low-density planet from its original orbit.

And when a soul was pulled, the lighter consequence was unconsciousness; the heavier one was immediate death.

However, even as she realized the nature of this power, another question began to linger in Ra's mind.

Doesn't everyone have a soul? In theory, it should be similar to Armament Haki, which relies on life energy. Why did Burufatt say that people with Conqueror's Haki were so rare?

According to Ra's thinking, anyone whose soul reached a certain level of strength should possess Conqueror's Haki.

Just as her thoughts reached an impasse, that strange yet deafening laughter rang out.

"Worororo! What do you think, little Ra? This is Conqueror's Haki! The Haki possessed only by kings born to rule all things."

Kaido began boasting. Although he did not consider Conqueror's Haki anything particularly impressive—nearly all of his "seniors" had possessed it—it did not stop him from wanting to establish the image of a qualified leader before Ra.

But to Kaido's disappointment, Ra remained as unruffled as ever, still looking down in thought.

Just as Kaido was about to say more, Ra spoke.

"Captain Kaido, could you tell me about when you first awakened Conqueror's Haki?"

If you did not understand something, you asked. It was a good habit.

"Why are you asking that?" Kaido was somewhat puzzled by why she had suddenly thought of it, but he still answered truthfully.

"That was when I was around my teens. Some blind fools made me angry one time, and then I used it without even realizing."

"Your teens?"

"That's right! Those other old guys also awakened Conqueror's Haki around that age. A few even awakened it when they were only a few years old."

A few years old... Then the so-called awakening of Conqueror's Haki has little to do with soul strength.

After all, one could not expect a child of a few years old to have a stronger soul than an old Marine who had served for decades and seen countless blades and battles.

There also did not seem to be many Marine officers with Conqueror's Haki.

Haki, Conqueror's, conqueror, king...

As her previous hypothesis was overturned, a bolder idea gradually took shape in Ra's mind.

Could the so-called aptitude for Conqueror's Haki be a talent for actively releasing the energy within one's soul?

And no matter how strong the souls of those without that talent were, they could not affect the outside world or others.

"Captain Kaido, are there people who are very strong but do not have Conqueror's Haki?"

"Of course there are, though not many." Several figures immediately surfaced in Kaido's mind.

That fits.

Conqueror's Haki has nothing to do with the strength of one's soul. It is a talent and technique for actively releasing the energy within the soul.

But since those with Conqueror's Haki could release their soul energy, then they should also be able to...

"Captain, besides erupting as an overwhelming force like just now, Conqueror's Haki should also be able to coat the body and even weapons like Armament Haki, right?"

After all, they were both forms of energy. There was no reason Armament Haki could do it while Conqueror's Haki could not.

Almost the instant he heard those words, Kaido rose from his chair and crossed the room in a few strides to stand before Ra.

Under the dim light, Kaido's enormous shadow swallowed Ra whole, making it impossible to see his expression.

"Ra, how did you know?"

"I guessed." Ra remained completely calm.

"Now it seems I guessed right."

Silence.

More silence.

A long silence.

Then came laughter.

"Rororororororororo!"

"Ra! You! You're incredible! No, you're the best! Wororororo!"

Honestly, this was the heartiest, most hysterical laughter Ra had ever seen from Kaido.

There was no mockery or teasing in it. Instead, it was the confidence and boldness of a rebel army preparing to rise up, only to suddenly find the imperial seal by the roadside and become convinced that destiny was on its side.

At last, just as Ra began wondering whether this man's lung capacity had any limit, Kaido's laughter ceased.

"That's right! Just as you said, Conqueror's Haki can be infused as well, and Conqueror's Haki Infusion is the strongest power on these seas!"

"But I've only barely gained an initial grasp of Conqueror's Haki Infusion myself. I'm still some distance from mastering it completely." Kaido said it himself before Ra could speak.

"Quite a few of my 'seniors' from Rocks' crew should have mastered it already. I'm really looking forward to fighting them to the death someday..."

"Is that so? Then I wish you victory in battle. I shall not disturb you any longer, Captain Kaido."

Having received the answer she wanted, Ra did not say anything more. After delaying for so long, it was time for her to leave.

"Wait! Since I'm awake anyway, let me see how well you've trained your Haki."

Seemingly seized by interest, Kaido picked up the still-unrepaired spiked club, clearly not intending to let Ra leave so easily.

"Could we wait until tomorrow during the day, Captain Kaido? Everyone is already asleep at night. It is not suitable for fighting."

Ra felt that Kaido was a little too enthusiastic about battle, and she was somewhat helpless.

"A pirate's battles do not distinguish between day and night!"

"But the townspeople need rest. They are an important force that keeps the Pirate Crew running."

"Tch! Fine. Then I'll go get something to eat first."

Kaido clicked his tongue but did not press the matter further. Putting away his spiked club, he headed toward the dining hall.

It had to be said that Kaido at this time was quite reasonable—or rather, he had always been very tolerant toward people he favored.

"I'll go with you. I haven't eaten dinner yet either, because of some matters." Ra followed Kaido.

PS: It has already been made clear that Garp possesses Conqueror's Haki.

Coming up with a suitable setting for Conqueror's Haki is so hard~