A Future Father-in-Law's Test

"Kid, your Haki has improved again. Letting yourself rot away in this godforsaken place would be a waste of talent. Want to come with me?"

The cold wind blowing through the corridor abruptly stopped, and even the clamor from the distant slums seemed to have been strangled by an invisible hand.

Lucas felt as though a giant dragon were staring at him.

He slowly turned around.

Kaido stood three steps behind him, his enormous body casting a massive shadow as an invisible pressure burst forth from within him.

Lucas's back was instantly soaked in cold sweat.

He straightened his spine and met those abyss-like pupils, his tone neither humble nor defiant.

"Thank you for your favor. But being sheltered by a major power would hinder my growth. Forgive me, but I cannot accept."

As he spoke, his legs had already tensed to their limit. Haki surged wildly through his body, and Soru was ready to erupt at any moment.

He knew it was all futile.

Before Kaido, his little bit of speed was no different from a snail's.

If Kaido truly made a move, he would not even have a chance to react.

Even so, he would never simply sit and wait for death.

"Don't hurt him!"

A clear cry rang out as Yamato rushed forward, using her petite body to firmly shield Lucas, who stood two heads taller than her.

She raised her little face, her eyes resolute. The small red horns on her head trembled slightly with anger.

Kaido frowned, and obvious displeasure flashed through his eyes.

His own daughter was actually siding with an outsider so completely.

But in the end, he still suppressed the violent fury surging within him.

His gaze passed over Yamato and fell upon the wary Lucas again. There was more scrutiny in his eyes as he withdrew his Conqueror's Haki.

Users of Conqueror's Haki Infusion could sense the aura of their own kind, even if the other person had not fully mastered that power.

The first time he had met this kid, he had sensed that unruly Conqueror's Haki—that arrogance, that ruthless refusal to admit defeat. It was practically identical to his younger self.

Lucas's unusual physique had also stirred a rare appreciation for talent in him.

Most importantly, the Conqueror's Haki he had deliberately used against Lucas had grown stronger each time, yet Lucas had barely endured it every single time.

Otherwise, just for having the nerve to fool around with his daughter, this kid would have long since been smashed into pulp with one swing of his club.

Armament Haki and Observation Haki could always be trained with enough hard work. But Conqueror's Haki and a special physique were things one either had or did not have. They were gifts decreed by heaven and admission tickets for the strong.

"When choosing a Devil Fruit, keep your eyes open. Don't pick up any useless trash."

Kaido's voice still boomed like muffled thunder, but it carried less killing intent and more warning.

"Work hard and grow stronger. I'll be waiting for you in Wano Country."

His body rapidly expanded, transforming into an azure dragon that blotted out the sky.

With a light sweep of his claw, he steadily caught Yamato in his palm.

"Dad! I haven't said goodbye to Brother Lucas yet!"

Yamato's protest was swallowed by the howling wind.

The azure dragon swung his enormous tail, rode upon blazing flame clouds, and soared into the sky, vanishing into the heavy clouds in the blink of an eye.

Only after that suffocating pressure had completely faded did Lucas let out a sharp breath. He staggered back a step and leaned against the icy railing.

His palms were drenched in sweat, and his heart was still pounding wildly.

People often said that merely standing there, Whitebeard could make ninety-nine percent of pirates surrender without a fight.

But who knew that the aura Kaido exuded was no less terrifying?

Compared to a monster of that level, he really was still a rookie who had not even left the beginner's village.

Lucas took a deep breath and suppressed the turmoil in his heart.

He raised his head and looked coldly at Kurozumi Higurashi as she slowly emerged from the Japanese-style room.

"I'm going to kill Roberts. You won't interfere, will you?"

"As you wish."

Kurozumi Higurashi dipped slightly, her smile filled with undisguised opportunism.

"This old woman belongs to the Beasts Pirates now. The affairs of the Kingdom of Ye have nothing to do with me."

And as for that Golden Lion Shiki who had looked after him back in the day?

Ever since escaping from Impel Down, he had vanished without a trace. No one knew whether he was dead or alive.

Only an idiot would cling to a tree that had already withered. Those who understood the times were the true heroes; that was an eternal truth of the underworld.

Lucas sneered, turned around, and strode toward the main hall of Shogun's Castle.

At the top of Shogun's Castle's tower.

An elderly man with graying hair but a still-straight back stood by the railing.

His name was Roberts, and he was sixty-two years old.

He was the acting leader of the Flying Group and the nominal ruler of the Kingdom of Ye.

The wind stirred his graying hair, revealing the crisscrossing scars across his face.

Every scar bore witness to the glory of his past campaigns under Golden Lion Shiki.

He had been a veteran of the Flying Group and also a veteran of the Flying Pirates. He had personally witnessed how that man had single-handedly stirred the entire sea into turmoil.

Unfortunately, that glory had long since faded.

After Golden Lion had stormed Marine Headquarters alone and been sent to Impel Down by Garp and Sengoku, the once-invincible Flying Pirates suffered a catastrophic downfall.

Magnetism did not disappear. Even a Sky Island high above the clouds could still be precisely located by a Log Pose.

The World Government never lacked manpower or resources.

Without their captain's protection, the Flying Pirates were crushed like ants beneath the World Government's encirclement and suppression.

All senior officers were publicly executed, their blood staining Marineford's plaza red.

Only Roberts, this mediocre old man who had spent decades in the crew and remained nothing more than a low-ranking officer, had narrowly survived by playing dead. He fled back to the Kingdom of Ye like a stray dog.

This world was just that ironic.

Those gifted elites with illustrious achievements had all died on the battlefield, one after another.

Yet he, an incompetent mediocrity who only knew how to scrape by, had survived to the end and, by a twist of fate, become the ruler of a country.

In theory, anyone could train Armament Haki and Observation Haki.

But talent had always been the most unfair thing.

Roberts had trained Haki for a full fifty years, yet in the end, he had only reached the level of an ordinary Flying Pirates officer.

That tiny bit of strength, however, was already undisputed top-tier combat power in the now talent-starved Kingdom of Ye.

He looked down at the ruined land below, and a trace of complicated emotion flickered in his clouded eyes.

"What was bound to come has come at last."

TO BE CONTINUED

(PS: During the Elbaf arc, both Gaban and Luffy clearly indicated that they sensed Zoro's Conqueror's Haki, though Zoro himself was unaware of it. Based on that, I set it so that users of Conqueror's Haki Infusion can sense other people's Conqueror's Haki.

Kurozumi Higurashi, the former user of the Mane Mane no Mi, is portrayed in many fanfics as a member of the Rocks Pirates. But after Oda revealed Golden Lion's past, I made her a member from Golden Lion's days running with gangs.

This also explains why Kurozumi Higurashi could copy Golden Lion's face.)