Awakening Conqueror's Haki

Moke shrugged. "I'll be staying here for a while longer. I'll take care of that Slaver Group for you."

"You?"

Ata and Haila both looked at Moke, their eyes filled with doubt.

"The world's only multi-Fruit ability user certainly has the right to say that." At that moment, a tall woman of the Longarm Tribe stepped out from one side.

However, the way she looked at Moke held a measure of awe.

"A multi-Fruit ability user? Doesn't that mean a person can only eat one Devil Fruit?"

Ata and Haila looked utterly baffled, even wondering if they had misheard. If the speaker had not been their eldest sister, Sisis, they would have refuted her long ago.

Sisis continued, "And not long ago, he defeated Crocodile, one of the Shichibukai... I imagine his new bounty poster will be spread across the world within the next couple of days!"

"What?!"

Ata and Haila cried out in unison. When they looked at Moke again, their gazes had completely changed.

If Moke truly possessed such strength, then those Slaver Groups were nothing much.

Sisis rolled her eyes before looking at Moke. "Most people who come here have ulterior motives, so I checked with the underground intelligence network. I didn't expect such a huge surprise."

She added, "As long as you can truly heal Ata's injuries, I support her joining your Pirate Crew as well."

Ata: "..."

Sisis said, "Ata, to tell you the truth, I already learned from the underground forces who harmed your companions."

Ata's eyes widened as she stared at Sisis in shock.

Sisis spoke with a hint of apology. "I shouldn't have kept this from you... I stayed silent because that person was far beyond your ability to handle. You're so straightforward that I was afraid you'd do something foolish without regard for the consequences!"

At this point, she looked at Moke again. "But now, you have the capital to stand against that person."

Moke narrowed his eyes. As expected of someone who could protect an entire island of beautiful chefs—she was no simple woman.

She had immediately pinpointed the crux of the matter.

However, Moke had already been prepared. "Doflamingo, one of the Shichibukai, is Ata's enemy. The one who ambushed the Chef Pirates back then was Gladius, one of Doflamingo's subordinates."

Ata's expression changed drastically.

Indeed, that man was not someone she could contend with. She could never match him alone.

Moke caught every change in Ata's expression. He immediately added, "I can also say this plainly: even if Ata doesn't join my Pirate Crew, I'll clash with Doflamingo sooner or later. So... you have no reason to suspect that I'm deceiving Ata about this."

Then he took a box from the bundle in his hands and held it out to Ata. "This is my sincerity."

Sisis, Ata, and Haila exchanged looks. Then Ata took the box and opened it. She froze for a moment before crying out, "A Devil Fruit!"

Moke said, "This is the Paramecia-type Slip-Slip Fruit. After eating it, the skin over your entire body will become incomparably smooth and tender, even capable of deflecting attacks. Most importantly, it is one of the rare Devil Fruits capable of completely remaking a person."

"To put it bluntly, no matter how ugly someone is, after eating it, they'll become one of the most beautiful women or handsome men in the world."

"There's a Devil Fruit like that?"

Sisis, Ata, and Haila all widened their eyes, their faces full of disbelief.

With trembling hands, Ata took the Devil Fruit. Then she looked at Moke again, finally making up her mind. She raised the Devil Fruit to her mouth and bit down.

Soon, something miraculous happened...

With such wholehearted sincerity, Moke successfully recruited Chef Ata under his command.

Time flew by, and half a month quickly passed.

Robin, Mr. 1, Mr. 2, and Mr. 3 arrived at Chef Island and secretly found Moke.

Mr. 1 respectfully held the Holy Sword out before Moke with both hands.

Moke looked at Mr. 1, then at Robin. "I'm quite curious how you convinced him."

Robin blinked and flashed a captivating smile. "That's a secret!"

Moke chuckled at that but did not press further. Instead, he accepted the Holy Sword and reached toward its blade.

"Careful..."

Mr. 1, Mr. 2, and Mr. 3's expressions changed drastically. The three of them had suffered at the hands of this Holy Sword before. If they had not used the power of the jeweled orb to suppress it, they would not even have been able to bring it out.

"Hahaha!"

Moke burst into laughter. "Looks like you've suffered because of it. But... to me, it's merely a supplement."

As he spoke, he touched the Holy Sword under everyone's watchful eyes.

Boom...

The bizarre power within the Holy Sword seemed to have been provoked. It immediately erupted and desperately surged into Moke's body...

But in the next instant—

Moke absorbed that power, which sought to assimilate him into the same bizarre force. However, the Ghost Aura belonging to Sandai Kitetsu within his body suddenly came under pressure.

It seemed unwilling to be replaced and resisted with all its strength.

Yet for a time, neither force could overcome the other. Seeing this, Moke revealed a surprised expression. He did not rush to interfere, merely watching the two tigers fight.

In the end, he discovered that the two powers showed signs of merging.

His eyes lit up, and he immediately activated his Devil Fruit ability. Under the intervention of his Devil Fruit power, the two forces truly merged.

It possessed the tyranny of Ghost Aura as well as the strangeness of the Holy Sword.

At the same time, Moke felt his control over his ability reach a new realm.

The bizarre power from the Holy Sword and the Ghost Aura of Sandai Kitetsu were both drawn into his body. This time, he was no longer merely absorbing a little and transforming his body into the same substance.

Instead, he absorbed them completely and made them his own.

In the end, the Holy Sword itself entered Moke's body and became a tattoo of a Holy Sword on his chest. The Ghost Aura on Sandai Kitetsu in his hand also vanished.

It became an ordinary Grade Meito!

Yet those two powers continued tempering Moke's body. Moke could even feel every aspect of his body rapidly improving.

Most importantly, at the instant the Holy Sword entered his body—

Besides its bizarre power, the Holy Sword contained another incomparably tyrannical force. Though it was faint, it truly existed.

Although it entered Moke's body along with the Holy Sword, it continued to reject him.

"What is this?"

Moke was deeply surprised. Then he used his evolved ability to absorb it frantically. At last, he successfully absorbed a wisp of it.

That wisp shot directly into his mind.

Boom...

A terrifying force erupted from Moke and swept outward in all directions with him at its center.

Robin, Mr. 1, Mr. 2, and Mr. 3 bore the brunt of it, their faces all turning pale. Robin's body swayed, and she nearly collapsed.

"Conqueror's Haki..."