The Loyal Dog

Conqueror's Haki a type of Haki that heavily relies on "talent," and it's the only one of the three types of Haki that cannot be acquired through training.

Those with exceptional talent are truly one in a million...

However, at the same time, just as important as talent is the ability to follow one's will and have an unwavering belief.

Once one's will is thwarted, Conqueror's Haki is most easily affected.

Furthermore, their very nature dictates that it is even more difficult for loyal agents of the World Government, such as the Navy and CP Organization, to Awakening Conqueror's Haki.

Many pirates and Revolutionary Army, whose strength is only that of elite Vice Admiral or even less than Vice Admirals, have Awakening Conqueror's Haki.

Those with exceptional talent can display Conqueror's Haki even when they are merely lowly soldiers.

Within the Navy, however, the proportion is much lower; even among Vice Admiral, only a few Admiral Candidate possess Conqueror's Haki...

Looking at the proportions, anyone can see the problem!

This is inevitable—within the navy, there are either utterly corrupt scum whose will has long since weakened, or those who uphold their own sense of Justice but are suppressed by that very "Justice" in too many matters, their own will unable to be fully expressed...

Such a mindset naturally disqualifies one from possessing "Conqueror's Haki".

The few naval commanders who Awakening Conqueror's Haki all have their own "logic of Justice," which to some extent avoids this "inability to fully express" behavior.

While dissatisfied with certain practices of the World Government, they are also able to convince themselves to "still stand tall and uphold their own sense of Justice."

Hancock's situation is similar—the impact of her psychological trauma is no less significant than the impact of the arrival of the Navy's high command on the wavering of "Justice."

However, firstly, Hancock usually uses "arrogance" to resist, and secondly... her talent is truly too strong!

Unlike the Navy, the number of top-tier fighters in CP0 who Awakening Conqueror's Haki is actually quite high.

Furthermore, unlike the Conqueror's Haki users in the Navy, their "logic of Justice" is very consistent—their master is Justice!

From the very beginning, there was no resistance, and this was fully implemented, which, to some extent, prevented one's own beliefs from being suppressed.

Because they genuinely believe that the World Government, or rather the Celestial Dragons, are absolutely right in whatever they do, just like Repikak now...

This is also why the Celestial Dragons always feel there's a "layer" between them and the Navy. You can tell from the proportion of Conqueror's Haki users among the experts—these are disobedient lackeys who harbor resentment towards us Celestial Dragons!

If it weren't for the Five Elders and other high-ranking officials with some sense keeping things in check, the Celestial Dragons would have been able to completely subjugate the Navy...

Of course, the Five Elders and other Celestial Dragons with some sense understood that if the Navy were to be completely subjugated, obedience would indeed increase significantly, but the cost would be a major problem with manpower.

Currently, at least a large portion of the navy, especially the main navy, enlisted for the sake of "Justice."

If it were CP Organization, it could only accept orphans as its main group...

It's okay if you dislike the Navy for being "a layer apart"; you can just use them to wave the banner of "Justice" to attract more like-minded people to unite around the World Government.

As for whether they are satisfied with the Celestial Dragons? Heh, whether they are satisfied or not, they are still fighting for the World Government and for the Celestial Dragons!

Moreover, within the Navy, there's a trap of "Absolute Justice" waiting for them; once they fall into it, they're not much different from other loyal dogs.

Sig was slightly taken aback when he sensed Repikak's Conqueror's Haki.

"Don't compare me to a guy like Strawberry. Even a stray dog that's been fed a few times is still a stray dog," Repikak said with blatant contempt.

Sig understood that his specific mention of Strawberry meant he must have discovered something... or rather, was already suspecting something!

Following the auction of Celestial Dragons at Sabaody Archipelago, Strawberry became a wanted criminal. In resisting arrest, he killed some Navy and CP Organization spies, but the mastermind behind it has not yet been identified.

In the naval ideology, Strawberry belongs to the "Absolute Justice" faction. He actively upholds the authority of the Celestial Dragons and the World Government, and will not waver in the face of any order from the World Government, even if it seems unreasonable in a broad sense...

It's just like it's perfectly natural to hunt down runaway slaves for the Celestial Dragons, or to use the Sun Pirates to send Koala home and set up a trap.

However... when the Celestial Dragons needed him to sacrifice himself, he actually ran away!

In Repikak's view, this behavior can be summed up in one sentence. "A stray dog is a stray dog."

In the instant that Sig felt a surge of pleasure as he thought of Strawberry, Repikak moved...

From who knows where, he pulled out two daggers that looked like peacock feathers, and instantly darted towards... Tom, who was standing to the side!

It wasn't that they necessarily wanted to kill Tom, but rather to expose Siegfried's weakness.

If Sieg wants to protect Tom, Sig has no choice but to fight faster and more quickly, trying to gain the upper hand first...

However, to Repikak's surprise, Sig had no intention of protecting Tom at all!

Without a moment's hesitation, Sig decided to launch a full-scale attack on Repikak's back.

Originally, Repikak did not doubt Siegfried's determination to save Tom; otherwise, he would not have needed to force his way into Enies Lobby despite vaguely sensing his presence.

Furthermore, he believed he understood Siegfried's abilities, including his Rumble-Rumble Fruit —if Sig Flash of Lightning to stop Repikak, he could indeed catch up, but at the moment of materialization, there would be no Armament Haki, and Repikak intended to take advantage of this.

However, Sig's instinctive reaction was beyond Repikak's expectations.

If he still wanted to kill Tom, he could indeed do it, but he would be at Sig disadvantage from the start because of Zieg!

Left with no other option, Repikak had to change tactics...

After a burst of dazzling, shimmering light, Sig's attack missed, and Repikak had already turned to the side.

At the same time, Sig had already pulled out Gungnir, shattering the shackles on Tom's hands. Then, he turned to face Repikak, his back to Tom, and said, "Uncle Tom, you go outside first. There shouldn't be anyone on the island to look after you right now."

Perhaps due to the heightened focus gained from his mastery of mechanics, Tom, though not a good fighter, possessed an extremely strong will and a much stronger resistance to Conqueror's Haki than ordinary henchmen; he remained conscious at this moment.

"Okay! Be careful!" Tom said, thankfully without fussing.

Sig, with a slight smirk, stared at Repikak...

Sig also realized that he seemed to have some kind of ability to deceive his senses, but if he went after Tom now, Sig would definitely take the opportunity to ambush him instead of frantically protecting Tom.

Realizing this, Repikak let Tom leave—he knew a great deal about Siegfried beforehand, so he was very wary of this opponent!

Dongdong: I have a bit of diarrhea, so I'll only be posting two updates today.