Conqueror's Haki and Steel Bone Kong

On the beach by the sea in Elegia, a little girl with red-and-white hair suddenly spotted something at the water's edge.

On this island where only she and Gordon lived, she had not seen any other unusual living creatures for far too long!

So the girl bounced over to the edge of the beach and carefully inspected them.

But she ultimately had no idea what they were, so she brought the large snails, their eyes rolled back in terror, to Gordon, who had always taken care of her.

Looking at those snails, Gordon was overwhelmed with emotion. Could this be fate?

If fate had not wanted her heavenly singing voice to fade away in ruined Elegia, then why had fate sent over a batch of Broadcast Den Den Mushi that had been frightened senseless by something unknown?

Meanwhile, at the Sabaody Archipelago.

The auction was continuing in full swing, but the guests participating in it were clearly unhappy.

Minor nobles from all over the world grumbled loudly in dissatisfaction.

"Damn it, I spent over forty days at sea just to buy a good enough slave!

And this is what you're showing me?!"

"Where are the merfolk? There isn't even a single female Merfolk! What the hell am I supposed to bid on?"

"They're all freaks and rejects! There isn't even a pirate worth more than fifty million! Am I supposed to use these idiots as bodyguards?"

"May the auction house owner's mother drop dead!"

As they cursed, they pointed at the motley assortment standing on the auction stage.

Just look at the sort of people standing up there.

A skin-and-bones beggar, a little person too weak to even lift his shackles, a cross-dressing man with a conspicuous bulge beneath his clothes, and worst of all, he was ugly and caked in makeup.

At the very end of the lineup was even an old man with a white beard and white hair, glasses, and a scar over his right eye!

"What kind of garbage is this?!!!"

Amid wave after wave of shrieked accusations, the auction host helplessly wiped away his sweat.

It was not as though they had no quality merchandise. While the finest slaves were difficult to acquire, they could always get hold of a few every quarter.

It was just that...

The Celestial Dragons had come by two days ago and taken away the Fish-Man meant to be the grand finale of this auction.

As for the remaining quality goods the Celestial Dragons had passed over, they had not been put on the auction stage at all.

The auction house owner intended to keep raising them until next year, then put them up for a major auction all at once.

And why wait until next year?

Because next year would be the once-every-four-years World Government conference.

That year, among the more than one hundred and seventy member nations of the World Government,

the rulers of the fifty nations ranked among the top fifty in national strength would all gather at the Sabaody Archipelago before heading to Mary Geoise on the Red Line.

Before and after they traveled to Mary Geoise for the conference, the auction house would have to bring out an enormous amount of merchandise to squeeze their wallets dry.

So... the guests below could hardly be blamed for their complaints. Anyone with eyes could see that the auction house had not prepared much good merchandise.

Under that pressure, the host prepared to offer an explanation.

But he did not see that, just before he opened his mouth, at the end of the slave lineup on the auction stage,

the white-haired old man suddenly furrowed his brows.

"Th-That is...?"

The old man abruptly looked behind him, and some people in the venue noticed his movement.

They thought the old man had dementia.

No one knew that his Observation Haki had already passed through the auction house ceiling and perceived the terrifying aura coming from afar.

At the same time, at Marineford, the Navy headquarters on the Grand Line.

The Marines gathering for patrol duties or training assignments suddenly stopped what they were doing.

"Y-You guys, look at the sky!!!"

The first Marine stared overhead and cried out in shock, and everyone else quickly looked up as well.

Before the eyes of every Marine, the cloud-layered sky west of Marineford suddenly exploded!

The dense clusters of white clouds that had crowded together moments ago looked as if a nuclear bomb had been dropped among them.

A massive ring of white shockwaves abruptly spread outward!

The white shockwaves flattened every cloud within a certain range, leaving a strange circular gap in the sky south of Marineford!

And at that moment, inside the Fleet Admiral's office.

Sengoku the Buddha, who had been scolding Garp for stealing his donuts just moments ago, suddenly whipped his head around.

Watching the disturbed sky outside the window gradually return to calm, Sengoku's brows drew tightly together as he hurriedly said,

"That direction is Mary Geoise!"

As soon as he spoke, Sengoku looked to Garp and urged him,

"Akainu happens to be away from headquarters. Take a team and get to Mary Geoise as quickly as possible!

I'll contact the Five Elders immediately!"

"Mia~ mia~..."

Garp unhurriedly swallowed the donut in his mouth, then shook his head disdainfully. He lazily leaned back against the sofa and bared his teeth.

"How could I possibly go see that bunch of trash? Since Akainu isn't here, contact Kizaru instead."

"Fine."

Sengoku knew the temperament of his old brother-in-arms, and he had not truly expected Garp to set out.

Besides, even if Mary Geoise had encountered some sort of accident, there were more than enough people there to deal with it!

Their teacher, the Commander-in-Chief of all forces, Steel Bone Kong, had always been stationed in Mary Geoise.

The headquarters of the Army and Air Force were also located in Mary Geoise.

Most of CP0's primary combat forces were likewise in Mary Geoise.

Sengoku knew well that no random enemy could possibly overturn that city so easily.

But not worrying was one thing; asking about it was still necessary.

So Sengoku picked up the Den Den Mushi specifically used to contact the Five Elders and began stimulating the G-spot of the Den Den Mushi on the other end.

At that very moment, within Sabaody Castle, the political center of Mary Geoise.

A giant octopus had been leisurely eating in a pond just a moment earlier.

The next moment, the poor octopus rolled its eyes back...

Seeing the octopus he kept lose consciousness, an old man dressed in a sharply tailored black suit looked up in surprise. His white hair fell to his back, while his white beard hung all the way down to his stomach.

Behind him, a gaunt old man holding a long sword abruptly leaped up from the sofa.

"This is... what astonishing force of will!"

He spoke in shock, staring fixedly at the sky in Gawain's direction.

In that sky, countless figures kicked through the air one after another, and the fastest among them had already reached Gawain's side.

The first to arrive, Steel Bone Kong, grabbed the continuously coughing-blood Gawain and waved his right hand. The others who had followed him immediately stopped in midair.

"This is not an enemy invasion. Saint Gawain has awakened Conqueror's Haki!

I'll take Saint Gawain for treatment. You clean up the collapsed buildings and restore everything to its original state!

As for the people who witnessed everything here, dispose of everyone other than Celestial Dragons and soldiers."

As soon as he finished speaking, Steel Bone Kong immediately wanted to carry Gawain away.

But even while enduring intense pain, Gawain unexpectedly spoke up and stopped him.

"Stop!"

Gawain said.

"Did you see that shockwave just now?"

"Rest assured, Saint Gawain. That was not some devil's ability, but the purest form of Conqueror's Haki!

You young man have truly shocked me!

The last time I saw Conqueror's Haki this strong was when Rocks ran rampant. Even his Conqueror's Haki only barely approached this level at the height of his power.

Your force of will is terrifying, but no matter how great it may be, you must first take care of your body!

Since your internal organs are injured, I hope you remain quiet from now on. I'll take you for treatment immediately!"

"Heh..."

Listening to Steel Bone Kong's words, which were impatient yet still carried a measure of admiration, two measures of respect, and three measures of concern,

Gawain slowly shook his head. He could keep quiet, but he could not stay quiet!

Because he had heard Steel Bone Kong clearly. Everyone who had witnessed him unleashing Conqueror's Haki earlier, apart from the Celestial Dragons and soldiers, was to die!

That was an outcome Gawain could never accept. Whether because of the education he had received or his own outlook on life...

he did not believe there was any need to turn something like this into a large-scale massacre!

So after sighing, Gawain slowly said,

"Put me down!"

"This... Saint Gawain, your body?" Steel Bone Kong was somewhat displeased.

"Stop fussing. I'm not so badly hurt that I'll die just from moving."

Gawain spoke softly, and his words made Steel Bone Kong frown.

But after some thought, Steel Bone Kong still put Gawain down.

At the same time, an unidentified CP0 member in a white suit hurriedly brought over a sofa and placed it beneath Gawain.

Gawain sat on the sofa and raised his right hand thoughtfully.

"It hurts a little. Who has a cigarette?"

He spoke, and someone immediately placed tobacco in Gawain's hand.

Allowing the person who handed him the cigarette to light it for him, Gawain held it between the fingers of his right hand, endured the pain, and slowly swept his gaze around the area.

All around him, as time passed, the unconscious people gradually began to wake.

Though they had not yet climbed to their feet, they had already sensed the silence surrounding them.

Amid that unusual silence, Gawain asked,

"You are... Steel Bone Kong?"

"I am indeed." Kong nodded proudly.

Gawain nodded as well. Then, after taking a drag and exhaling smoke, he coughed twice before saying,

"Let those slaves live."

As soon as he spoke, the slaves gradually waking around them tensed all over.

Steel Bone Kong fell silent for a moment before saying,

"Saint Gawain, do you really want more people to know that you awakened Conqueror's Haki?"

"Why not?"

Gawain suddenly smiled. Blood stained the corner of his dazzling grin, making even the sunlight seem to waver.

"Look at how I was just now. I may have taken a punch, but I gave Charlos a proper beating too.

Something that lets me mock him is only fun if more people spread it around!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Gawain raised his right hand and cast Steel Bone Kong a discreet glance.

"What do you think, Steel Bone? Or do you want to stand with Charlos and cover this up for him?"

"Th-This...!"

Steel Bone Kong clenched his teeth. Slander! This was pure slander against him!

But before Steel Bone Kong could continue, another CP0 member arrived beside them using Geppo and said,

"Saint Gawain, the Five Elders request an audience with you. You may receive treatment with the Five Elders' assistance."

After speaking, the CP0 member turned to Steel Bone Kong and lightly rebuked him.

"And you, Commander-in-Chief. Since Saint Gawain has given an order, you need only obey it!"

As soon as he spoke, Gawain nodded in satisfaction. Others merely assumed he was delighted to see Steel Bone Kong suffer a setback.

Little did they know that Gawain was pleased because he had saved the thousands of slaves who had witnessed the scene.

On the ground around them, the slaves gradually climbed to their feet and lifted their heads, gazing deeply at Gawain.

At that moment, they would never be able to forget the sight of Gawain calmly smoking.