A Clash of Haki

On the open sea, the weather was clear and cloudless, the sea breeze caressed our faces, and the ship sailed forward, riding the waves.

Life on the ship was very leisurely. Gari and Wallace were training, Pito was reading, and Teach and Baccarat were fishing on the side of the ship. Compared to before, there was another companion on the ship: the genius gunslinger Van Kos.

He was holding his gun, silently watching the distant sea. Where the sea and sky met, out of Teach's and the others' sight, a flock of seabirds flew. Kos's eyes were drawn to them. He remained motionless, aimed at his target, and with a "thud," a seabird's body snapped, then it fell from the sky and landed on the sea.

He fired shot after shot, each bullet hitting a seabird, but he seemed unsatisfied, because some bullets missed vital organs, which could have ended their lives instantly, causing them more pain.

On the day Van Kos boarded the ship, Teach and his crew purchased some supplies and left Gaya Island without incident.

Sixteen days have passed, and life has returned to normal. Since boarding the ship, Van Kos has not only been practicing his marksmanship but has also begun to learn the Marine Six Styles. A person who only knows how to shoot can easily become a burden, but Kos clearly not that kind of person. Even without a gun, his combat power is not weak.

However, training in the Marine Six Styles can enhance his combat abilities and strengthen his physique, preparing him for mastering Armament Haki.

"Baccarat, don't cheat with your abilities. That ruins the fun of fishing." Teach helplessly, looking at the few fish in the bucket next to him. Meanwhile, Baccarat's bucket was full of fish, and fish were biting as soon as Baccarat threw in her bait.

"Haha, I'm preparing for our dinner! Otherwise, I don't know how long it would take to catch fish." Baccarat laughed as she looked at the two's catch. Watching the fishing rod twitch, she pulled it up hard while reeling in the line. In no time, a two-meter-long fish was caught.

Teach just grumbled and smiled. He was still quite lenient with Baccarat. The daily training wasn't difficult. As long as she persisted for a few years, she would have considerable fighting ability.

Moreover, fishing can also improve Baccarat's arm strength. All you have to do is fill the entire tank with the fish you catch. This is a task that would normally take a long time, but in Baccarat's hands, the fish come one by one, and the task will be completed very quickly, which makes Teach somewhat helpless.

Baccarat was delighted; she enjoyed watching Teach eat the pickles like that.

"Kos, the wooden box on your back should also contain a gun, right? I've never seen you use it." Teach's Observation Haki naturally allowed him to see the gun inside the wooden box. He turned to Kos and asked, more importantly, he wanted to verify his doubts and get an answer.

"Captain, this is a gift I prepared for my brother, the famous gun 'Thousand Guns'." Upon hearing Teach's question, Kos couldn't help but say, a warm smile appearing on his face. "I went to sea when I was fifteen, and the following year I received news of my brother's birth, so I prepared this gift for him. I thought it would be several years before I returned, but I didn't expect it to be so soon."

Kos knew that Teach and his group were heading to the East China Sea, which was his hometown. The thought of returning to that sea and his younger brother whom he had never met filled Kos with excitement and anticipation. In his parents' letters, his younger brother looked a lot like him!

"Hahaha, then your brother will definitely become a top-notch marksman." Hearing the name of that spear, and considering Kos's appearance and surname, Teach was already quite certain. "When we get to the East Sea, let's go visit your hometown together."

"Then I'll take your kind words, Captain." Kos nodded with a smile.

At that moment, Teach sensed a terrifying aura, heavy and violent, undisguised, reminding him of Rayleigh, with whom he had once fought.

In the blink of an eye, his Observation Haki had reached its limit, and his gaze shifted to the direction of two points on the right side of the ship. In a place out of sight from here, there was a small island, and on that island, that terrifying aura was there. It was a person, but a very unfamiliar one. The powerful figures he knew flashed through his mind.

Suddenly, Teach's expression changed; he had been discovered.

A dozen kilometers off Teach, on a small island, a tall and strong man sat on a boulder with a fire burning in front of him. He held a roasted leg in his hand and ate it in front of the fire, tearing at the tender, cooked meat with his teeth.

Suddenly, he stopped what he was doing. He unleashed his full Observation Haki, covering the entire island, but found nothing. He raised his head slightly and looked in the direction of Teach. He trusted his senses; just now, he had felt a spying force, but he didn't know if it was Observation Haki or Devil Fruit ability.

A smile crept across his face as he continued eating his food.

Gari and the others couldn't help but look at Teach. Teach was unleashing his Observation Haki to its fullest extent, expanding Observation Haki range to the limit. They could all sense the powerful aura emanating from him. Seeing Teach staring in one direction, they wondered what was about to happen.

"What's wrong?" Baccarat couldn't help but ask.

Teach shook his head, his gaze still fixed in that direction. He stood there silently, seemingly lost in thought.

After a long while, Teach made up his mind, "Let's go, there's an island over there, let's go take a look."

Some were curious about what had happened. Hearing Teach's words, they suppressed their curiosity. Gari, who was still training, stopped what he was doing, obeyed Teach's orders, took the helm, and steered the ship in the direction Teach indicated.

They all knew that Teach's Observation Haki was very strong, but they didn't expect it to have such a wide range. Before long, Kos had already spotted the island.

Teach's expression had become somewhat heavy at some point, and he adjusted his breathing as if facing a formidable enemy.

At the same time, the image of that person kept appearing in his mind. Corresponding to the powerful figures he knew, he had already guessed who the person he was about to face was.

This is an ordinary island. Boats are moored on the shore, and it is clear that no one lives on it; it is an uninhabited island. Although there are many wild animals, they are not powerful.

"Don't interfere later. Just watch from a distance. There's going to be a battle, and that's not something you can get involved in," Teach said in a deep voice, looking at them.

Seeing Teach's serious expression, they couldn't help but nod. There were other people on the island; who was Teach going to fight?

This was the first time they had seen Teach like this. Usually, he was very confident, and everything seemed to be under his control.

After saying that, Teach went into the woods, where someone was already waiting in the center of the island.

As they drew closer, it was as if they had encountered a prehistoric behemoth. The powerful aura grew increasingly terrifying, erupting from afar. At the same time, as if to give him a warning, a terrifying Conqueror's Haki burst forth from the opponent's body. Dark Conqueror's Haki formed a shield that continued to expand and soon reached Teach, enveloping Teach within it.

Endless black and red Inazuma flashed through the void, colliding violently. The atmosphere was flowing rapidly, and the earth seemed to tremble, as if an earthquake was about to occur.

The sky darkened instantly, and an invisible, deep blue, Haki aura, like that of a demon, relentlessly assaulted Teach.

Such Haki had little effect on Teach, but Teach was not to be outdone. He also possessed Conqueror's Haki, and a Haki domain as deep as Black Hole erupted from his body. The two domains collided with each other, a contest of spirits. However, in terms of size, the enemy's Conqueror's Haki was stronger. But it was too early to defeat Teach, and it had little effect on Teach.

The clash of Conqueror's Haki doesn't prove anything; what truly matters is strength. In their brief exchange, both men simultaneously withdrew their imposing auras.

The changing sky and the Inazuma in the void disappeared as they withdrew their energy, as if nothing had happened.

On the shore, Gari and his companions suddenly saw the changing colors of the sky and the huge commotion in the center of the island, knowing that a battle was about to begin.

"What exactly happened? What just happened?" Baccarat was puzzled and shocked. The strange change made them feel immense pressure, even from such a distance.

They exchanged glances, both unsure of what to do. Finally, their gazes fell upon Pito. Having spent so many days on the ship, they knew about everyone's situation. Pito, having been with Teach for a long time and coming from the New World like Teach, would surely know what was going on.

Furthermore, she possesses formidable strength. Despite her small and thin appearance, she boasts astonishing power and speed. Apart from Gari, Pido is the strongest among Pito is only twelve years old.

Seeing the gazes of his companions, Pito, with the bookmark between his fingers, closed the book in his hand.

"Conqueror's Haki, the last of the Three Types of Haki, is an innate talent..." Pito explained the information about Conqueror's Haki to them, "And what just happened was a clash between Conqueror's Haki."

As she spoke, Pito somewhat worried about Teach's situation. She knew about Teach's Conqueror's Haki, and she could sense that in the previous clashes of Conqueror's Haki, Teach was at a disadvantage. And before that, it was only when he was with Pluto Rayleigh and Whitebeard that he was at a disadvantage.

In other words, Teach has met his match.

The king's qualities and innate abilities left a deep impression on them.

They naturally knew about the Two types of Haki, Teach had explained, but Teach didn't talk much about Conqueror's Haki, only mentioning it briefly.

"So, it was the effect of Conqueror's Haki back then." A question that had been bothering Wallace was answered. When he was about to break into Hannibal, all the pirates around him instantly fainted, a memory that he had never forgotten. After that, he had never seen Teach use it again.

"Let's find a high place where we can observe their battle," Kos said. He had already found a good spot, a place where they could see Teach fighting but wouldn't be affected by the fighting.

After the clash of Conqueror's Haki, Teach continued walking forward. Finally, he saw the figure facing him, arms crossed, standing there waiting for him.

Teach got a clear look at his face. Although it was their first meeting, he was Daimyo and his strength was absolutely formidable. You could clearly feel it just by standing in front of him.

The terrifying sense of oppression was palpable. Although he wasn't as powerful as his Pops, he had to admit that this was a monster—a monster who was only twenty-one years old and already close to the pinnacle of the world. Even if he were to obtain that Devil Fruit in five years, he wouldn't be confident that he could reach that level.

Of course, it's also because his Devil Fruit ability is too abnormal— the Combine-Combine Fruit, which allows him to control the arrangement and combination of any inorganic matter. But more importantly, it allows for fusion. He can fuse with steel to give himself a body of steel, or fuse with rubber to make his body more elastic. This is a permanent fusion with no limits, which is why he was able to possess such a strong physique at a young age.

But more importantly, he possessed monstrous talent and an unwavering belief in becoming stronger. His Haki aura was immense, enough to cover the entire island. His Observation Haki had also reached its peak, and his battlefield combat skills, honed to perfection, resulted in a massive number of kills.

He was tall and strong, with long blond hair, wearing earmuffs and a military uniform; his robust physique contained astonishing power.

Aside from the weakness of his Devil Fruit, he is a character without any weaknesses. Even on the high seas, he can easily create submarines with his abilities, so the ocean is of little use to him.

"Douglas Bullet!" Looking at the figure, Teach clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and slowly said, without any anger. They had never met before, and his body trembled involuntarily. It was excitement; he could finally meet an opponent he could fight. Since leaving the New World, he had never had a real battle.

That was precisely why he came to this island; otherwise, knowing there were stronger opponents, why would he have come?

This former member of the Roger Pirates, this man known as the "Devil's Descendant," overwhelmed others with his overwhelming power. He was a powerhouse comparable to Pluto Rayleigh, the right-hand man of the Pirate King. He left the Roger Pirates three years ago, before the great battle between the Roger Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates, so unfortunately, Teach never met him.

But seeing it with my own eyes, I realized that the rumors were indeed true; for Teach, he was a legend as well.

A powerful fighting spirit erupted from Teach, a fierce fighting spirit that, combined with his aura, seemed ready to explode at any moment.