Conqueror's Haki

It was three hours later when Obe saw Oshi again.

As she finished washing up and was about to go to bed, Obe caught a glimpse of Oshi pushing open the door with her head, cradling a bag, and swaying back into the room.

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

"Ababa ababa..."

Without getting a response, Oshi just kept mumbling unintelligible words.

Obe rubbed her eyes. She felt as if Oshi's pale soul was floating out of her mouth.

[Hiss~ What exactly did Sister Ra do?]

Looking in terror at Oshi, who was usually so lively, now acting like a zombie without a brain, Obe couldn't imagine what Ra had done to her.

Just as she was about to step forward to comfort her, she was suddenly drawn to the paper bag Oshi was holding. The scent of pastries wafted from it.

Obe's eyes sharpened. She had noticed some unidentifiable crumbs on the corner of the other girl's mouth.

"Oshi, what are you holding?"

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

Oshi seemed to have a moment of lucidity, like a final burst of energy before death, but after handing the paper bag to Obe, she reverted to her 'ababa' mode.

"Big Sister left it... Hey! How is there so little left in here!"

Obe looked at the mille-feuille in her hand, less than half a bite remaining. She remembered how her college roommate would throw the leftover snacks, packaging and all, at her when she was too lazy to throw away the trash.

The key point was that half of this should have been hers to begin with. Not only had Oshi eaten her share, but she was also making her deal with the trash.

"Oshi!"

"Ababa ababa..."

"Don't play dumb with me!"

That night, after lecturing Oshi, Ra went to Kaido's residence again. She sensed that Kaido had woken up just then.

"Knock, knock, knock~"

"Come in."

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

"Hmm? It's you. Did you learn Haki? Gulp, gulp, gulp~"

Kaido, who had just woken up, was sprawled in his chair, but he had already started drinking again.

"I've made initial progress in Observation Haki and Armament Haki. I'm here tonight to ask you about Conqueror's Haki."

"Also, Captain Kaido, drinking right after waking up isn't good for your health."

Perhaps because of Oshi, Ra couldn't help but fall into lecturing mode as she spoke.

"Uro ro ro ro~ You little brat, you're quite bossy, and you're not even as tall as my gourd!"

"Fine, since you want to witness Conqueror's Haki, then watch closely!" With that, Kaido put down his gourd, and an invisible aura erupted from him, charging straight towards Ra.

Although the other party made no movement and there was no wind in the room, Ra's clothes and hair were blown backward.

This illusory aura, at this moment, had a tangible effect on the real world.

In Ra's vision, Kaido seemed like a giant radiation source, with layers upon layers of energy, far more violent than Armament Haki, emanating from him.

This energy wasn't directed at the surroundings but all impacted towards Ra's location.

[Precise control.]

Her energy senses activated, she couldn't help but exclaim inwardly, while seizing the opportunity to observe this energy closely.

[Energy completely different from Armament Haki. This feeling, it's the same as when Oshi and Obe fainted on the island. It doesn't feel like life energy from the body, more like...]

Closing her eyes, Ra relaxed, experiencing the most real, most subtle feedback from her body.

[This feeling, it's the soul... the soul is vibrating.]

The first time she met Kaido, the special aura he unleashed had caused Oshi and Obe, whose souls were still unstable, to lose their ability to resist almost immediately. Although Ra showed no outward reaction at the time, she felt a distinct discomfort internally.

Now, several days later, the painful period after their souls were split had passed, and they should no longer be affected. Yet, Ra still felt a slight tremor originating from her soul.

[That's right, it's definitely energy originating from the soul. I can feel the soul's vibration.]

Having personally experienced the process of her soul being split into three, Ra had a more real and profound understanding of this once somewhat ethereal term.

Souls exist and possess energy.

Therefore, it stands to reason that people with stronger souls would more easily influence those with weaker souls, just as a black hole of higher density would forcibly pull a planet of lower density from its original orbit.

The consequences of the soul being pulled could range from fainting to immediate death.

However, as she perceived the nature of this power, another question began to plague Ra's mind.

[Shouldn't everyone have a soul? Logically, it should be similar to Armament Haki, which relies on life energy. Why did Bulfat say that very few people possess Conqueror's Haki?]

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

Just as her thoughts hit a dead end, a strange yet deafening laugh echoed.

"Uro-ro-ro-ro! How about that, brat Ra! This is Conqueror's Haki! The Haki possessed only by kings who are born to rule everything."

Kaido began to boast. Although he didn't think Conqueror's Haki was anything special, as most of his 'seniors' possessed it, this didn't stop him from wanting to establish himself as a qualified leader in front of Ra.

However, to Kaido's disappointment, Ra remained as impassive as ever, her expression unchanged, still lost in thought.

As Kaido was about to say something else, Ra spoke.

"Captain Kaido, can you tell me about the first time you awakened Conqueror's Haki?"

It's a good habit to ask when you don't know.

"Why do you ask that?" Kaido was somewhat confused as to why she suddenly thought of this, but he answered truthfully.

"It was when I was about a teenager. One time, a bunch of idiots who didn't know their place angered me, and before I knew it, I used it."

"A teenager?"

"Yeah! Those other old guys also awakened Conqueror's Haki around that age, and some even awakened it when they were just a few years old."

[A few years old... So the awakening of Conqueror's Haki isn't really related to soul strength.]

After all, you can't expect a child of a few years old to have a stronger soul than a veteran Marine who has spent decades in the military and seen countless battles.

There weren't many Marine officers rumored to possess Conqueror's Haki either.

[Haki, Conqueror, Conqueror, King...]

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

So, perhaps the qualification for Conqueror's Haki is simply a talent for actively releasing the energy within one's soul?

And people without this talent, no matter how strong their soul, cannot influence the outside world or others.

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

"Of course, but not many." Several figures immediately came to Kaido's mind.

[It adds up.]

[Conqueror's Haki is unrelated to soul strength, but rather a talent and skill that allows one to actively project the energy within their soul.]

However, since those with Conqueror's Haki can release their soul energy, perhaps they can also...

"Captain, besides bursting out as an aura like just now, Conqueror's Haki should also be able to wrap around the body or even weapons, like Armament Haki, right?"

After all, it's the same energy; there's no reason Armament Haki can do it but Conqueror's Haki cannot.

The moment she heard this, Kaido immediately stood up from his chair and strode over to Ra.

Under the dim light, Kaido's massive shadow completely engulfed Ra, making it impossible to discern his expression.

"Ra, how did you know that?"

"I guessed," Ra remained unfazed.

"It seems I guessed correctly."

Silence.

More silence.

A long silence.

Then came the laughter.

"Ro-ro-ro-ro-ro-ro-ro-ro-ro!"

"Ra! You guy! You're amazing! No, you're the most amazing! Uro-ro-ro-ro!"

To be honest, this was the most unrestrained and hysterical Kaido had ever laughed in Ra's presence.

There was no mockery or jest in his laughter; instead, it was like someone on the verge of rebellion who suddenly found the Imperial Seal on the roadside, feeling an unshakeable confidence and heroism that destiny was on their side.

Finally, just as Ra began to wonder if Kaido's lung capacity had any limits, his laughter subsided.

"That's right! Just as you said, Conqueror's Haki can also be wrapped around, and Conqueror's Haki infusion is the most powerful force on this sea!"

"However, I'm only barely scratching the surface of Conqueror's Haki infusion right now. I'm still a long way from mastering it," Kaido said before Ra could speak.

"Many of my 'seniors' from Rocks' crew have probably mastered it. I'm really looking forward to fighting them in the future..."

"Is that so? Then I wish you good luck in your battles. I shall not disturb you further, Captain Kaido."

Having obtained the answer she wanted, Ra didn't say anything more. She had lingered for too long and it was time for her to leave.

"Wait a moment! Since you're awake, let me see how your Haki training is going."

As if struck by inspiration, Kaido picked up his unrepaired spiked club, showing no intention of letting Ra leave easily.

"Could we perhaps wait until tomorrow daytime, Captain Kaido? Everyone is asleep now, so it's not suitable for a fight."

Ra felt that Kaido was a bit too enthusiastic about fighting, and she couldn't help but feel a little helpless.

"A pirate's battle doesn't care if it's day or night!"

"But those villagers need to rest. They're an important force in keeping the pirate crew running."

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

Kaido clicked his tongue and didn't press the issue further. He put away his club and headed towards the mess hall.

It had to be said that Kaido was quite reasonable at this time, or rather, he was always very tolerant of people he took a liking to.

"I'll join you. I haven't had dinner yet either due to some matters," Ra said, following Kaido.

PS: It has been confirmed that Garp possesses Conqueror's Haki.

It's so hard to come up with a suitable setting for Conqueror's Haki~