Conqueror's Haki Unleashed

"Shut up!"

Dawn swept a cold glance over the crowd rushing toward him. A terrifying pressure, like the fury of a monarch, erupted from him like a tsunami and instantly swept across the entire battlefield.

The people preparing to charge forward were struck as if by invisible sledgehammers. Their movements froze, their eyes rolled back, foam spilled from their mouths, and they collapsed in waves like harvested wheat, completely losing consciousness.

His Conqueror's Haki had knocked out everyone on this small island the very first time he unleashed it.

After doing all this, Dawn could no longer hold himself up. He dropped to one knee, gasping heavily. Yet he did not rest. Forcing his grievously injured body onward, he began reaping the lives of those affiliated with the World Government like the Grim Reaper.

At the same time, he absorbed the valuable items on Joseph's body, along with supplies and materials from the training island that he considered useful, into the dimensional storage space created by his ability.

Before long, aside from the nearly unconscious Stussy and the three people aboard the ship in the sky, not a single living person remained.

Dawn walked up to Stussy, who retained the last trace of awareness but could no longer move her body.

"Come with me. I can help you rescue Vegapunk."

Stussy's delicate body shuddered violently. Her beautiful eyes flew wide open, filled with disbelief.

He... how did he know about this!?

A huge question instantly filled her mind.

However, before she could ask, the mental impact of the Conqueror's Haki and the exhaustion in her body finally reached their limits. Her last shred of awareness faded, darkness fell over her vision, and she completely lost consciousness.

Dawn said no more. He hoisted the unconscious Stussy over his shoulder. Deep black energy surged forth again, wrapping around his body and lifting him slowly into the air before he finally landed on the deck of the hovering three-masted sailing ship.

Carrying Stussy, he entered the cabin. His gaze swept over Kaku, Kalifa, and Lucci, who were bound in iron chains with complicated expressions.

"I thought you would take the chance to figure out how to escape."

Dawn's voice carried a trace of exhaustion, yet it still possessed an overwhelming sense of pressure.

All three inwardly grumbled at the same time: You neither removed these damned chains nor lifted the dark barrier covering the island. Where could we run? How could we run? But none of them dared to say it aloud.

Dawn's gaze passed over the three of them one by one before finally stopping on Lucci. He asked succinctly:

"Now, tell me your choice. Become my subordinates, or... die here."

After a brief silence, Kaku spoke first. His tone carried a hint of helplessness, but also the relief of resignation.

"Either way, it makes no difference to me. Following someone as strong as you doesn't seem so bad. I'm in."

Kalifa bit her lip. She glanced at the savage wounds on Dawn's body and the terrifying presence he still exuded, then at the unconscious Stussy beside him. In the end, she lowered her head as well.

"I... I'm in too."

Though she was young, her agent training had made her mature early. She knew perfectly well what would happen if she refused.

Dawn's gaze finally settled on Lucci.

Lucci snorted coldly and turned his head away.

"Ha. If you ever become weaker than me, I'll kill you without hesitation and take your place!"

Dawn grinned confidently.

"That day will never come."

Having received their answers, Dawn said nothing more. Carrying the unconscious Stussy, he turned and left the cabin, heading toward the captain's quarters.

He needed to treat his wounds as soon as possible and... digest the gains from this battle. On the long road to overthrowing the World Government, tonight seemed to have finally revealed a faint glimmer of dawn.

Under the moonlight, the three-masted sailing ship turned around and silently sailed into the vast night, leaving the training island covered in ruins and corpses far behind.

Several days later.

At the summit of the Red Line, Mary Geoise.

Inside a spacious office, the lights blazed brightly. The air was filled with the scent of expensive incense, and through the drawn-open curtains, one could vaguely see the carefully trimmed greenery and fountain sculptures outside.

Guernica, one of the senior members of CP0, the highest secret intelligence agency directly under the World Nobles, sat behind a large desk, sorting through piles of documents.

His face was covered by his signature white mask, concealing all expression. Yet for some reason, he had felt unsettled all day, as if a shadow hung over his heart. Something bad seemed about to happen, but he could not grasp the source of this premonition.

"Knock, knock, knock."

A steady knock shattered the silence in the room.

Without raising his head, Guernica merely said flatly, "Enter."

The door silently opened. A low-ranking member of the CP system, dressed in a crisp black suit, hurried inside. He approached the desk and bowed respectfully, his voice carrying a barely perceptible tremble.

"Sir, Lord Joseph's Vivre Card... has burned away."

Guernica's writing hand suddenly stopped. The tip of his quill bled a small blot of ink across the expensive document.

Beneath the mask, his pupils contracted uncontrollably. The death of a CP0 member was no trivial matter! Even though Joseph occupied only a lower rank among the formidable members of CP0, his identity itself represented the face of the World Government. He was one of the Celestial Dragons' strongest shields.

The death of such a person meant that unforeseen complications had arisen during the mission, perhaps even entangling them in greater trouble.

Guernica rubbed his inexplicably throbbing brow and waved a hand, his tone betraying neither joy nor anger.

"Leave. I will personally report this matter to the lords."

The CP member felt as though he had been granted a pardon. He hurriedly bowed again, quickly withdrew, and gently closed the office door behind him.

The room fell silent again, but Guernica's heart could no longer remain calm. He set down his pen, pondered for a moment, and took out the Den Den Mushi reserved for important communications.

Before reporting upward, he had to determine as much as possible about what had happened to Joseph. According to the itinerary, Joseph should have been on his way back by now. He had previously been sent to the training base on Yoshiwara Island, somewhere along the Grand Line, to carry out a secret mission selecting agents to infiltrate the Underworld.

"Purururururu... Purururururu..."

The Den Den Mushi mimicked the sound of dialing and rang dozens of times, but no one ever answered. The person in charge of the training base on the other end seemed to have completely lost contact.

TO BE CONTINUED