Conqueror's Haki Awakens

The scorching, dry weather suddenly turned gloomy with the Pirate King's death, as though foreshadowing an approaching storm.

Torrential rain fell over Loguetown.

Yet the people in the square still cheered without restraint at the news of "One Piece."

Wealth, power, ambition, fame, dreams—these words seemed to take physical form, carrying an unparalleled temptation that drove people mad.

Faced with Roger's death, some were heartbroken, while others mourned.

"Captain Roger..."

There were those who grieved for Roger—Red-Hair, who had been close to him and could not bear to part with him, and Clown Buggy, who wept bitterly in despair.

But there were even more ambitious men.

"Fuffuffuffuffuffu! This is a new beginning! The new era has finally begun!" Donquixote Doflamingo, clad in a pink cloak, laughed wildly in the rain.

Moria laughed brazenly. Like a demon, he had hooked horns at his temples and pointed ears and teeth. His bat-wing collar and dark Gothic attire made him look utterly terrifying.

Dracule Mihawk stood silently in the rain, lost in thought.

Sir Crocodile, draped in a black cloak with his hair slicked back, was filled with ambition to reach the summit.

Figures who would later stir up monstrous waves across the seas had all gathered here at this moment to witness the arrival of a new era!

In the more distant seas—the New World.

Roger's death was like a signal that directly ignited the New World!

The great pirates of the New World, including the future Four Emperors Kaido of the Beasts and Big Mom, launched wars and began relentlessly fighting over Golden Lion's and Roger's territories.

After Roger's death, the Marines began withdrawing much of the force stationed in the New World. Yet even as they pulled out, they did not forget to seize quite a few territories along the way, turning them into Marine Branches to facilitate Marine operations in the New World.

Dawn calmly watched the people around him shout madly. This scene was carved deeply into his heart.

He knew it—the Great Pirate Era had arrived!!

Unlike Hina, Sola, and the others, who had been left stunned and dazed after witnessing Roger's execution,

Dawn was the first to recover as the downpour began. He woke his companions, who were still immersed in shock.

At a chaotic time like this, many people would likely lose their minds. If they let their guard down amid such disorder, danger could easily find them.

Even if nothing else happened, the chaotic crowd alone was enough to put Dawn and the others on alert. They had to guard against anyone stirring up trouble.

This was the task Aokiji had given them beforehand. After all, far too many people had gathered in Loguetown. If someone harbored ill intent, even ordinary people could cause enormous casualties.

A single stampede could lead to unimaginably terrible consequences.

Dawn instantly activated Red Ring to envelop them all, while pulling Tira, who was standing right beside him, close to his side.

Feeling their strength surge in an instant, Sola and the others snapped awake as well. They quickly gathered around Dawn, guarding against the crushing crowd.

The crazed, excited expressions around them, filled with ambition and greed, made Hina and the others turn pale.

"Dawn, what do we do now?" Hina instinctively grabbed Dawn's sleeve, at a loss.

After all, they were still only children. Being able to react as they had was already quite good.

Dawn frowned as he watched people scramble toward the exit, fighting over ships in their rush to put out to sea and throwing everything into chaos.

"Let's go. Right now, our priority is protecting ourselves. Leave the rest to Mr. Aokiji and the others." Dawn led them toward the tavern where they had just eaten.

Yet Dawn's heart was shaken beyond measure. Seeing how Roger had remained completely unmoved even by death stirred his own emotions despite himself.

But Dawn had chosen his own path, so Roger's words would not turn him into a pirate.

He was not a good person, but neither was he willing to slaughter innocents. The understanding from his previous life, combined with the rules of this world, had led him to choose this path.

Since I refuse to become a villain, then I will bring my will into this world!

I will make this world change according to my will and beliefs!

As Dawn reflected on how Roger had changed the world's entire structure with a single sentence, he could not help but admire and praise him, even though he had known this would happen.

At that moment, Dawn's heart swelled with boundless pride. The emotions bursting from his eyes burned with searing heat as an invisible aura erupted from him.

In an instant, the people around him swayed on the verge of collapse. Only a handful remained standing, looking around in uncertainty.

"This is... Conqueror's Haki?"

Dawn recalled the sensation just now. He had not expected the first Haki he mastered to be Conqueror's Haki rather than the Observation Haki he had talent for. Was this the kind of Haki that depended on one's face?

The bearing of a king?

But wasn't he already a prince, the heir to a kingdom?

"Forget it. It looks like I'll have to keep this hidden for now." Dawn shook his head, then quickly dragged the unconscious group back to the tavern.

Fortunately, there were countless people in Loguetown now, including more powerful individuals than one could count. The town had already descended into chaos because of Roger's words.

No one noticed that Dawn had unleashed Conqueror's Haki. Instead, they assumed that the still-conscious Dawn had withstood the Conqueror's Haki of some unknown powerhouse.

After bringing everyone into the tavern, Dawn carefully continued to sense the power contained within his body.

When they woke, Dawn felt somewhat awkward as he looked at Sola's puffed-up hair, Hina's wary expression, and the uncertainty written across the faces of the rest of his teammates.

This was the awkward part of awakening Conqueror's Haki—an indiscriminate attack that harmed allies and enemies alike.

"Alright, let's eat something here for now." Dawn smiled at the awakened group.

"But just now..." Hina's expression was solemn.

At that time, she had suddenly felt as though the air around her had solidified. The crushing heaviness had made it impossible to breathe, and in the next moment, she had lost consciousness.

"Our first priority is protecting our own safety. This is the only thing Mr. Aokiji instructed us to do. Perhaps some powerful person just unleashed Conqueror's Haki."

Dawn did not want this matter to draw the attention of the Marine higher-ups yet. He had no choice but to steer the conversation, keeping them from dwelling on what had happened and feeding them misleading information in passing.

Sure enough, Conqueror's Haki drew everyone's attention. They all began discussing which powerful person had unleashed it.

"Perhaps... once I have enough strength, being the heir of a kingdom could serve as an explanation for my Conqueror's Haki..." Dawn mused inwardly as he ushered the two girls into the restaurant.

He concealed it only because he was still too weak. He did not want to attract too much attention and create unnecessary complications, which would make many things difficult for him to carry out.

But in truth, Dawn was not particularly alarmed by Conqueror's Haki.