Defeat Arlong, Awaken Haki

Seeing Arlong charging toward him at high speed.

Exhausted and drained of strength, Moya had no time to react. He barely managed to hold his sword horizontally in defense before Arlong's savage face was already upon him. His pupils constricted as the ordinary steel blade shattered instantly beneath Arlong's teeth.

Bang! Moya was sent flying by the brutal impact, crashing into a wall that collapsed in a cloud of dust, leaving his life or death uncertain.

The effect of Glazed Ground dissipated.

"Moya!!"

"Captain!!"

Buggy rushed to provide support, but upon hearing Nami's cry, Arlong regained a sliver of his sanity. He instantly locked his gaze onto Nami, his eyes turning bloodshot.

"It was you, you stinking bitch! You brought people here to destroy my brothers and ruin my empire! I'm going to kill you!"

Arlong lunged toward Nami like a madman once more. Buggy and the others tried to intercept him, but Arlong had already flown toward Nami, and it was too late to save her.

Bang! Two figures were sent flying.

"Boss Nami~" the crew members screamed in terror.

As Arlong bounced back to his original position after knocking the two figures away, they slammed into the wall and spat out a mouthful of blood. It was Richie the Lion and Pearl the Invincible, whom Moya had sent to protect Nami.

"Ah~ Damn it!"

Arlong roared, continuing his rapid assault toward Nami.

Nami watched the incoming Arlong with fear and despair.

Was she going to fail after all?

"Moya!!!!"

Nami wailed, her heart-wrenching cry echoing through the air.

In that moment, Nami seemed to forget her own safety, thinking only of Moya, whose fate remained unknown.

Boom!

"Nami!!"

Covered in blood, Moya had snapped. His consciousness had been fading amidst the rubble, but hearing the panicked shouts of his crew and Nami's desperate scream, he felt the despair of his own weakness once again.

Everything felt as if it had returned to the first day he arrived in this world—that same helpless, fragile state.

He hated it!

He hated his own arrogance and his blind confidence in his foresight during this time.

Just as Arlong was about to sink his teeth into Nami.

A figure suddenly appeared before her.

With bloodshot eyes and pushed to the absolute limit of his rage, Moya's veins bulged across his arms. His left hand gripped Arlong's claw with crushing force, while his right hand, wreathed in sharp Armament Haki, slammed a punch into Arlong's head.

A single strike was enough to crush Arlong.

Moya had completely lost his sanity. Arlong, dazed and unable to resist, stopped struggling with his limbs.

Moya rained punch after punch onto Arlong's skull. The Fishman's head was driven deep into the ground, his life force rapidly fading.

Yet Moya continued to swing, his fists reduced to a bloody mess, letting out a beast-like roar that chilled everyone nearby to the bone!

"Why am I so weak! Why! Why!"

Moya screamed like a madman, his eyes burning red as he continued to hammer Arlong's skull.

"Moya, that's enough, that's enough!"

Nami rushed over and wrapped her arms around Moya's waist, tears streaming down her face.

Hearing her voice, his crazed eyes fixed on Nami, and he turned to pull her into a fierce embrace.

"Nami, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's my fault."

Moya's voice trembled with self-reproach.

"Moya, I'm fine. You saved me, you saved our village, thank you! You are our true hero!"

Nami whispered, trying to soothe him.

"Captain~ Captain! Are you alright? You seemed to awaken your Armament Haki again just now!"

Buggy said in shock. In the Four Blues, those capable of using Haki were few and far between. Aside from the powerhouses returning from the Grand Line, even in the first half of the Grand Line, pirates who could use Haki were as rare as "phoenix feathers and qilin horns."

Moya was already completely drained. In the moment Nami was in danger, he had once again pushed his body beyond its limits.

Now, suffering from the backlash of his outburst, he didn't even have the strength to speak. As soon as he let his guard down, he simply passed out.

That night, Cocoyasi Village was immersed in a sea of joy. Arlong Park, which had enslaved them for years, had finally collapsed, and the Arlong Pirates had been defeated by the adventure group Nami belonged to.

Both sides had suffered heavy casualties, considering the number of people in the Moya Adventure Group and the individual combat strength of the Fishmen.

The entire village was bustling with a lively banquet, but at this moment, inside a small hut beside an orange orchard, a mummy wrapped in bandages lay on a crude wooden bed, watched over by an orange-haired woman.

"Nami, I never imagined your man would actually succeed. He's truly incredible!"

A dark-skinned woman was teasing Nami; she was Nami's sister, Nojiko.

"Cut it out, Nojiko! What do you mean 'my man'? He is my captain!" Nami retorted.

"So you're denying it? Then I'll just offer myself to him the moment he wakes up. Ah, my hero!"

Nojiko put on a playful, mocking expression, provoking Nami.

"You dare! You despicable Nojiko!" Nami shrieked in a frenzy.

The two of them traded insults and jests, a testament to the incredibly close bond between the sisters.

Moya slowly drifted back to consciousness, his mind a complete blank. It hurt! He felt utterly powerless!

It felt just like that first day he arrived in this world, the day he was beaten half to death by the sailors—helpless, desperate.

I swear, I will never be that weak, that helpless ever again!

When Moya's weakness meant he couldn't stop the Fishman, and Nami was on the verge of dying at the hands of Arlong, Moya had truly felt like he was going insane!

The waking Moya was wrapped tightly in bandages.

He loathed his own weakness; he was furious, his body trembling incessantly. He was completely consumed by self-hatred, as if suffering from a cultivation deviation, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably.

"Ah! I absolutely! I will absolutely never lose again! I will never allow anyone to threaten everything I hold dear!"

Moya's voice was hoarse, his eyes bulging as he let out a heart-wrenching roar.

BOOM! A terrifying aura swept across the entire Cocoyasi Village.

Everyone heard Moya's cry, and their spirits were shaken by the faint pressure of his Conqueror's Haki, causing them to lose focus for several seconds.

At this moment, inside Moya's mind, that seed of Conqueror's Haki began to change.

For the first time, it began to absorb the power of Moya's spirit, undergoing a true fusion. It took root, becoming Moya's exclusive seed of Conqueror's Haki, and began to grow stronger.

Affected by the intense emotional turmoil of his "deviation" and his severe injuries, Moya coughed up another mouthful of blood and fainted once more.

Nami and Nojiko, who had been stunned by Moya's Conqueror's Haki and nearly collapsed, heard his cry and watched him cough up blood and lose consciousness again.

Nami, snapping back to reality, scrambled over in a panic. Looking at Moya's pale face, her eyes filled with tears. Has this man's spirit already suffered such a devastating blow?

Nami leaned gently against Moya's chest, her small hands stroking him softly. Hearing his rapidly beating heart begin to stabilize, she finally felt a little relieved.

Nojiko watched this scene with a sigh, quietly leaving the house and gently closing the door.

Turning around, she saw Buggy and a group of crew members standing at the door, staring intently at her. Just as Buggy opened his mouth, Nojiko made a gesture for silence.

The group followed Nojiko further away before they began to talk.

"Captain, what just happened?" Buggy asked anxiously.

"I don't know either. I just heard Captain Moya let out a heart-wrenching scream, and I nearly fainted. Then Captain Moya coughed up blood and passed out again!" Nojiko said.

"Could it be that the Captain truly possesses that kind of potential?" Buggy muttered.

"What are you talking about? Speak up, Buggy!"

El Drago's rough, booming voice rang out.

"I'm only guessing right now, but there's a very high chance!"

"What is it? Hurry up and tell us!"

"If it's true, our Captain Moya likely possesses the legendary Conqueror's Haki. It's the kingly potential that only appears in one in a million people. Back in the day, Captain Roger possessed this very potential!" Buggy explained.

"What? The Captain has the kingly potential of the One Piece, Roger? I knew the Captain was destined to be a king!"

El Drago shouted in excitement, taking the words out of context—what a guy.

The rest of the crew were shocked, followed by immense excitement. Nothing could make them happier than the news that they might be serving under a future One Piece.

"Don't get too happy just yet. It's only the potential of a king; there are many people on this sea who possess it.

According to what the Captain told me, people like the Vice-Captain of the Roger Pirates, the right hand of the One Piece, Rayleigh, and my so-called old rival, the current Four Emperors, Red-Haired Shanks!" Buggy said.

"Isn't the Four Emperors Red-Haired Shanks your good brother, Buggy? How did he become an old rival?"

"Ahem, I don't want to talk about that."

"Regardless, we must believe in the Captain. The Captain will definitely become the strongest!" Buggy stated firmly.

"Keep a close watch on those small-fry from the Arlong Pirates. We'll deal with them once Captain Moya wakes up!"

"I can't believe that small-fry had such a strong life force. Even after being beaten like that by the Captain, he's still alive, though he's probably been beaten stupid."

"I wonder how the Captain will deal with these Fishmen?"

"Will he recruit them like us, execute them all, or just let them go?"

The crew members were discussing in a chaotic mess, the scene suddenly turning into a vegetable market.