Navy's New King! Intermediate Conqueror's Haki

Zefa fully understood Sengoku's desperate thirst for a king.

Marine Headquarters truly needed a new king with Conqueror's Haki to take over Sengoku's position.

Even if Sengoku was still at the height of his power.

"After I finish reporting to you, I'll head over and see whether I can help Rosen awaken Conqueror's Haki."

Zefa said to Sengoku.

Though he did not possess Conqueror's Haki himself, as a former Navy Admiral and the Head Instructor of the Navy School, he had a method for testing King's Potential.

It might not be completely reliable, but it was better than nothing.

Bru Bru.

Just as Zefa finished reporting Rosen's situation and prepared to return to the Navy School, the sound of a Den Den Mushi suddenly came from his pocket.

"Hello, this is Zefa."

Zefa halted, took out the Den Den Mushi, and answered the call.

"Teacher Zefa."

"Come back quickly."

"Something huge is about to happen at the Navy School."

Kizaru's voice came from the Den Den Mushi's mouth.

"What happened?"

"Did someone in the class master Armament Haki?"

"Was it Gion? Or Tokikake?"

Zefa remained remarkably calm.

He had long seen that Gion and Tokikake were both monsters with the potential to become admirals, just like Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan.

Learning Armament Haki in a single day was perfectly normal.

"Neither."

"It's Conqueror's Haki."

"Just now, Conqueror's Haki suddenly appeared at the Navy School. Its range was enormous—almost every student in the classrooms was knocked unconscious."

The moment Kizaru finished speaking.

Sengoku, Garp, Borsalino, and Kuzan all rose at once. Then, in perfect unison, they burst out of the Fleet Admiral's office as though smashing through a door and raced toward the Navy School.

After hearing Zefa's report, they could guess with their toes what the Conqueror's Haki Kizaru mentioned over the call was all about.

"The Marines have finally welcomed a new king."

Sengoku was overwhelmed with excitement.

If someone merely possessed Conqueror's Haki, he would have been happy, but not this flustered. But after hearing from Zefa about Rosen's talent for Haki, even he, the Fleet Admiral, could no longer restrain himself.

He desperately wanted to meet this new king.

"I knew it."

"How could a monster born for Haki like this lack the potential of a king?"

Borsalino immediately turned into light, becoming a streak of golden radiance that passed everyone and arrived at the Navy School ahead of them.

In terms of raw strength, he might not have been the strongest among the legendary Marines, but he was certainly the fastest Marine of them all.

"Let me see."

"Hm!"

"As expected, more than ninety percent of the people in the school have passed out."

Borsalino floated above the Navy School and looked down. Whether in the corridors or classrooms, people lay unconscious on the ground.

"Tsk, tsk. Even the air in the school is filled with the scent of Conqueror's Haki."

"Awakening Conqueror's Haki on his own upon first encountering Haki?"

"My student, whom I haven't even met yet, is truly terrifying!"

He shook his head and was about to use Observation Haki to locate the source of the Conqueror's Haki when he discovered that the Conqueror's Haki spread throughout nearly the entire Navy School was contracting on its own.

It was not dissipating. It was contracting.

Someone was deliberately controlling the Conqueror's Haki, drawing it in and preventing it from indiscriminately harming people over a wide area.

"Am I seeing things?"

Borsalino nearly failed to maintain his elemental form and fell from the sky.

After steadying himself, he could not help rubbing his eyes. The Conqueror's Haki within the school was still shrinking.

"No way."

"He only just awakened Conqueror's Haki."

"And he has already crossed the beginner stage, rapidly advancing toward the intermediate stage."

Borsalino's mouth fell open, his face filled with shock.

It was not as though he had never seen pirates with King's Potential. Quite a few had even been defeated by his own hands.

But someone with talent as terrifying as Rosen's was truly unprecedented.

"Kizaru, what are you spacing out for?"

At that moment.

A fierce rush of air rang out. Garp stepped through the air with Geppo, appearing beside Borsalino and standing in midair.

"Mr. Garp."

"Feel it for yourself."

"You should still make it in time."

Borsalino pointed toward the teaching building.

That was where the Doryoku Device was located.

"Impossible!"

Garp grew curious as well. He spread out his Observation Haki, then widened his eyes with an expression as though he had seen a ghost.

"How long has it been?"

"He can already freely control Conqueror's Haki with his own will."

"He awakened Conqueror's Haki on his own, immediately crossed the beginner stage, and without anyone teaching him, pushed his Conqueror's Haki toward the intermediate stage."

Garp cried out in disbelief.

Through his Observation Haki, he could clearly sense a presence in the distance methodically controlling the Conqueror's Haki and drawing it in.

"It really is Conqueror's Haki."

"The range is enormous."

"Hm? Why are you two standing here spacing out?"

At that moment.

Sengoku arrived as well.

His physical techniques were slightly inferior to Garp's, and since he had not activated his Great Buddha Form, he was a step slower.

By then, Rosen had already drawn his Conqueror's Haki into a certain range. Unless one used Observation Haki to sense it, Sengoku would not have known that Rosen's Conqueror's Haki had crossed the threshold of the beginner stage and entered the intermediate level.

"Sengoku, you need to hurry up and work harder."

"Otherwise, there really won't be much time or teaching material left for you."

Garp twisted his somewhat stiff neck and looked at Sengoku, who had no idea what was going on.

"What do you mean?"

Sengoku was baffled.

"There's still time."

"You'll understand once you activate your Observation Haki."

Garp shook his head, signaling Sengoku to see for himself with Observation Haki.

"So mysterious."

Though Sengoku did not understand Garp's intentions, he followed his suggestion.

A red gleam flashed in his eyes as he spread out his Observation Haki, and then he nearly fell straight out of the sky.

"What?"

"Didn't he just awaken Conqueror's Haki?"

"How can he already control it freely?"

Sengoku staggered and nearly crashed into the ground.

He could no longer care about maintaining the image of the Fleet Admiral.

At that moment, he was completely immersed in shock.

Earlier, Sengoku had not understood Garp's words. Now, he understood perfectly.

Conqueror's Haki had three levels in total.

Beginner awakening, intermediate control, and advanced qualitative transformation.

The beginner level was the stage one had just awakened, where one could not yet control Conqueror's Haki very well.

At the intermediate level, one could freely control it with one's will. From its range and targeted strikes to the power of the Conqueror's Haki itself, everything could be manipulated at will.

At the advanced level, one could directly destroy opponents through sheer pressure. Conqueror's Haki remained active at all times and could inflict tangible physical damage.

In the New World, most battle-hardened kings stood at the intermediate Conqueror's Haki level.

Even the Four Emperors were no exception.

Only Roger, Rocks, and Shanks had reached the realm of advanced Conqueror's Haki.

And Rosen?

The moment he awakened it, he was already catching up to kings who had trained their Conqueror's Haki for years, even over a decade.

Perhaps he still lacked something in the strength of his Conqueror's Haki, but his control over it was already no weaker.

This also meant that aside from techniques for using Conqueror's Haki, even Sengoku, the Fleet Admiral, did not have much left to teach Rosen.

Once Rosen took another step or two forward, Sengoku might even have to seek Rosen's guidance instead.