Conqueror's Haki

The raging wind made the Solar True Flame around Nangong Yan surge even more fiercely, while the torrential rain extinguished some of it. Nangong Yan truly did not know whether he should thank the weather or hate it.

Although Nangong Yan called the flames produced by the Golden Crow Fruit the Solar True Flame, it was not the divine fire of ancient Chinese mythology, capable of burning anything and impossible to extinguish with water.

Perhaps if he continued developing the Fruit in the future and eventually awakened it, it would reach the point where nothing could withstand its flames and water could not put it out. But at its current level, water was still effective.

Nangong Yan radiated golden light from head to toe, standing out especially clearly beneath the dark sky. The rain evaporated before it could even touch him.

Lion Chikiri Valley!

Golden Lion spat out his cigar and swung Oto and Kogarashi. Several enormous, majestic transparent slashes obliterated the rain and swept across the sea, carving deep ravines into its surface that took a long time for the seawater to fill back in.

Nangong Yan took a deep breath. His three claws and two legs moved together, and the blazing Solar True Flame condensed into four pale-golden fire dragons, leaving a rainless zone amid the downpour.

The sword slashes collided with the fire dragons like needle against wheat awn. It was like a nuclear explosion. A massive hollow appeared in the sea, and surging waves crashed outward in every direction. Countless flames and sword slashes shot out, leaving the surrounding ocean riddled with scars.

Golden Lion and Nangong Yan hovered in the air. One had golden hair flying wildly and a cloak billowing in the wind; the other had black hair whipping about and a coat snapping fiercely.

They stared at each other as fighting intent rose around them. The atmosphere grew even heavier, and even the wind and rain seemed to intensify.

An incomparably immense aura suddenly emerged from Golden Lion. A powerful force pushed aside the gale, and ripples spread toward Nangong Yan, pressing down on him. The raging winds in the sky were completely unaffected.

Nangong Yan's expression darkened. He felt an overbearing spiritual force crash into him, seeking to crush his will, undermine his confidence, and suppress his strength.

"Conqueror's Haki?" Nangong Yan murmured softly. The Mangekyo Sharingan appeared, its ocular power surging as it resisted the powerful spiritual impact.

However, Nangong Yan did not completely repel Golden Lion's Conqueror's Haki. His ocular power formed layer upon layer of barriers, weakening the Haki before allowing it into his mind.

Conqueror's Haki was also a form of spiritual power, something one was born with and tied to one's force of character.

Nangong Yan figured that even if his bearing could not be called particularly great, it could not be called small either.

Besides, at its most basic level, Conqueror's Haki, like Observation Haki, was a form of spiritual power.

Nangong Yan believed that with the Mangekyo Sharingan, how many people in the One Piece world could compare to him in controlling and utilizing spiritual power? He refused to believe that his attainments and bearing were insufficient to awaken Conqueror's Haki.

He might not possess the ambition to rule the world or overthrow the World Government, but he certainly had the ambition to dominate a region and roam the world freely!

Nangong Yan wanted to build a powerful force as protection, then lead it to witness more wonders and enjoy more pleasures. He had no interest in overthrowing the World Government, becoming one of the Five Elders, or becoming some president.

It was not that he did not dare. Nangong Yan simply found managing such a vast world far too troublesome. Not only would he have to constantly guard against hostile forces, but he would not even have enough freedom. It was utterly boring.

After being weakened by Nangong Yan, Golden Lion's Conqueror's Haki entered Nangong Yan's mind. Nangong Yan deliberately put on a pained, unsteady appearance, luring Golden Lion into continuing to release his Conqueror's Haki instead of using other attacks.

Secretly, he frantically activated the Mangekyo Sharingan and pushed his mind to its limits, analyzing the principles behind Conqueror's Haki.

Nangong Yan's guess had been correct. Conqueror's Haki truly was a method of using spiritual energy. It could awaken under certain extreme emotions, but if one was sufficiently proficient in spiritual power, the emotional requirement became far lower. Besides, Nangong Yan's current emotions were hardly lacking. His fighting spirit was blazing.

A quarter of an hour later, Nangong Yan was still swaying unsteadily with an ugly expression, yet showed no sign of falling. No matter how foolish Golden Lion was, he would have sensed that something was wrong. And Golden Lion was not foolish. On the contrary, he was very intelligent.

Just as Golden Lion wondered whether Nangong Yan was secretly recovering his stamina, dazzling black-red lightning blossomed across the sky. A Conqueror's Haki that was somewhat weaker, yet equally domineering, erupted from Nangong Yan's body.

Black-red lightning intertwined through the air, spreading like giant pythons. It was as though it were celebrating the birth of another conqueror between heaven and earth. Thunder boomed within the dark clouds, silver-white bolts writhed through them, and the sky lit up!

At that point, how could Golden Lion not understand what had happened... That bastard Nangong Yan had actually been using him, relying on his Conqueror's Haki to temper himself and awaken his own. Humiliated and enraged, Golden Lion immediately launched a fierce attack.

Lion's Might: Sky Ripper!

Exploding with rage, Golden Lion unleashed one of his ultimate moves. His two famous blades slashed down toward Nangong Yan, and a colossal sword slash that pierced from heaven to earth, as immense as a pillar, tore through the thick storm clouds and cleaved down at Nangong Yan like a pillar supporting the sky.

Before the sword slash arrived, its momentum had already reached him. Nangong Yan's scalp went numb. A massive sword scar split the sea, and the water was held back by an invisible force, parting to either side.

Nangong Yan used every means at his disposal in his current state, unleashing the strongest offensive and defensive techniques of his half-beast form all at once.

Burning Three Powers Strike!

Susanoo, Third Form!

Nangong Yan swung his two Golden Crow claws and the dark-golden third claw on his abdomen at the same time, forming a wondrous configuration. A special rhythm spread outward as an immeasurable amount of Solar True Flame erupted at the cost of his stamina.

The three Golden Crow claws struck out together, forming a massive golden claw wreathed in golden Solar True Flame. Wherever it passed, it was as if even the void had been ignited. The rain vanished into nothingness as it charged toward the sword slash that pierced heaven and earth, incomparably sharp and tyrannical, trailing a golden afterimage!

A vast amount of ocular power poured forth like floodwaters released from a reservoir. A pale-golden skeleton rapidly condensed into a gigantic humanoid. Muscles swiftly formed and packed together, armor covered its body, and the giant stood suspended in the air.

It sounded like a long exchange, but their attacks had actually been unleashed in an instant, taking barely more than a single breath.

The heaven-piercing sword slash, carrying an edge capable of cutting through everything, collided with the Golden Crow claw. The Golden Crow claw was fierce and scorching, its momentum no weaker than the slash's, but its scale was far inferior.

A heaven-shaking boom deafened everyone. Blinding white light turned dozens of miles around them as bright as day, while terrifying shockwaves blasted away half the storm clouds in the sky and raised waves dozens of meters high across the sea.

One breath later, the Golden Crow claw shattered. Golden flames scattered in every direction, landing on the sea and evaporating huge masses of seawater before finally dying out. Steam billowed endlessly, and the salty, fishy scent in the air grew even stronger.

The remaining sword slash struck Nangong Yan's Susanoo. Its immense force and razor-sharp edge sent the Susanoo plummeting, nearly smashing it into the ocean. The Susanoo was carved full of cracks by the sharp slash, but fortunately, it did not shatter. It had blocked Golden Lion's furious strike.

The Susanoo dispersed, and a trace of bright red blood seeped from the corner of Nangong Yan's mouth. He had suffered a minor injury.

Golden Lion's ultimate move in his rage was not so easy to block. Escaping with only a minor injury was already quite good.

After Nangong Yan and Golden Lion had fought for so long, the various nearby forces had all determined the exact location of the battle. They stood on distant ships and islands, observing through high-powered telescopes.

Once they saw clearly that Nangong Yan and Golden Lion were fighting, all of them became excited, especially the reporters. This was huge news.