Conqueror's Haki Infusion Technique

"It's over!"

Watching Fierce collapse to the ground, Oak rubbed his chin and pondered how truly formidable the might of Rocks's previous sword strike had been; he had experienced Iron Fist's punches for himself and had also witnessed Shiki's Conqueror's Haki Infusion, yet he felt that neither compared in power to this single blow.

Conqueror's Haki Infusion!

With a sigh, Oak wondered when he would be able to master such a technique. He had only needed to watch Armament Haki a few times before he could understand and use it himself, yet he still had not found the slightest clue about Conqueror's Haki Infusion.

Sure enough, the more advanced a power was, the harder it was to master. Should he find someone to teach him?

As Oak thought this, he also felt that he needed a weapon. He had just gleaned something from Rocks's swordsmanship. Perhaps if he watched a few more times, he could secretly learn the technique Rocks used to make sword strikes hit like heavy hammers and cannon fire.

"Want to go have a few drinks?"

Just as Oak was considering where to find a weapon that suited him, Newgate's invitation from beside him interrupted his thoughts.

Oak turned and saw Newgate gesture as though raising a drink. He agreed without hesitation.

"Sure!"

He had just been thinking of finding someone to teach him the techniques of Conqueror's Haki Infusion. Wasn't Newgate the perfect candidate?

As the future strongest man in the world and one of the three great legends alongside Shiki and Roger, there was no reason Shiki would know Conqueror's Haki Infusion at this point while Newgate did not.

Besides, Newgate was one of the more approachable people in this group. He was kind by nature, so there was no way he would refuse if Oak asked him for guidance. At worst, Oak could just buy him a few more drinks. In any case, he would not be the one paying the bill.

"My treat!"

Having thought it through, Oak waved grandly, looking exceptionally generous. Kaido, who sensed something was amiss, instinctively turned to look over when he heard that.

"Don't put it on my tab!"

Kaido warned Oak, but Oak merely threw an arm around Newgate and walked away without looking back, completely ignoring him.

"Gurararara!"

Newgate merely gave an amused laugh. As far as he was concerned, as long as someone was buying drinks, it did not matter who paid the bill.

Only...

His gaze swept over Oak.

This brat had only been here a few days, yet he seemed to have already learned Newgate's essence!

"Gurararara, you want to learn Conqueror's Haki Infusion?"

The tavern from last night had already been cleaned out, so Oak took Newgate to a different tavern this time.

Amid Oak's repeated flattery of "Brother Newgate," Newgate completely lost himself in the praise and drank until he was thoroughly tipsy. Oak then seized the chance to make his request.

"Brat, how old are you? You're only fifteen this year, right? Aren't you in too much of a hurry?"

Newgate gave him a surprised look, wondering if Oak was pursuing strength too eagerly.

Oak simply spread his hands.

"What can I do, Newgate? These seas are too dangerous, and I'm currently running around with a bunch of dangerous guys like you. Maybe one day, I'll get dragged into facing some monstrously powerful enemy because of you. If I don't have greater strength by then, am I supposed to be cannon fodder for you?"

His words drew a hearty laugh from Newgate.

"Gurararara!

So that's what you're worried about. Don't worry. As long as you keep buying me drinks like you did today, I'll look after you from now on. I guarantee you won't become cannon fodder!"

As he spoke, Newgate heavily slapped Oak on the shoulder, making Oak's whole body sink and his shoulder tilt. He nearly fell to the ground.

Oak could not help rolling his eyes. No wonder Whitebeard would be called the Strongman Old Man by monsters like Kaido in the future. That strength is no joke. Even this body of mine nearly got smacked apart. As he struggled free from Newgate's huge hand, he said,

"Thanks, Newgate. It's kind of you to say you'll look after me, but relying on anyone else is never as good as relying on yourself. You can't follow me every day, can you? What if I run into a powerful enemy when you aren't around someday? So just tell me how to infuse Conqueror's Haki into my attacks. Then I'll have some means of protecting myself against the top powerhouses of these seas, instead of being like little brother Kaido, getting kicked in the face whenever someone feels like it and not even daring to say a word.

Isn't that right, little brother Kaido?"

After speaking, Oak glanced at Kaido. Afraid that Oak would put another round of drinks on his tab, Kaido had shamelessly followed them over.

Kaido's face instantly flushed red at those words. Even the liquor in his hand no longer tasted good. He slammed it heavily onto the bar, making the entire counter, forged from Refined Steel, tremble.

"Who says I didn't dare speak? I'll tell you right now, if that guy Ganzui hadn't held me back today, I definitely would've taught Rocks a good lesson!"

Kaido talked tough, adamantly refusing to admit to Oak's "slander."

Oak did not believe him in the slightest.

"Tch. Cowardice is cowardice. You make it sound like you'd really dare fight Rocks if Ganzui hadn't held you back. If it were me..."

When he got to the part about himself, Oak paused. Then he naturally shifted away from the subject and continued speaking to Newgate.

"Isn't that right, Newgate? So tell me already. How exactly do you infuse Conqueror's Haki into your attacks?"

Kaido was so angry at Oak's retorts that he was nearly fuming. He had wanted to argue further, but upon hearing this topic, he silently swallowed the words that had reached his lips and pricked up his ears to eavesdrop.

He wanted to master Conqueror's Haki Infusion too!

Oak was right: relying on anyone else was never as good as relying on yourself. If he could use Conqueror's Haki Infusion too, he would not have been afraid to retaliate against Rocks's kick today. At the very least, he could have struck back once.

In truth, with Ganzui's strength, he could not have held Kaido back without using his full power. The reason Kaido had not broken free was entirely because he had not wanted to. Otherwise, if he had really broken free from Ganzui's restraint, was he actually supposed to go fight Rocks?

That would only have earned him an extra beating for nothing. He had merely been giving himself an excuse!

Thinking this, Kaido felt that although he was big and had always been called a brute without brains since childhood, he was actually sharp as hell!

It was just that no one knew how clever he was!

"Gurararara, if that's the case, then I'll tell you!

For an ordinary person your age, even if they had already awakened Conqueror's Haki, it would still be difficult to master the infusion technique. Their body would struggle to withstand the backlash of such immense power. But you're different. Your physique is the strongest I've ever seen. It far surpasses those your age and can even rival Linlin's, so you don't need to worry about that!

As for the technique of Conqueror's Haki Infusion, it is..."

At this point, Newgate paused and poured another huge mouthful of liquor down his throat. Only after thoroughly whetting Oak and Kaido's appetites did he continue.

"Getting beaten!"

"There's no way to teach Conqueror's Haki Infusion directly through words. Only by personally experiencing that power can you learn it!"