One Piece: I'm Immortal, So I Maxed Out Conqueror's Haki First

"A bunch of small fry dare block my way!"

Garp roared.

"Yes, sir!"

Kuzan, Sakazuki, Bogard, and the others shouted in unison.

Boom!

Thunder rolled across Kong. Lightning flashed, briefly sharpening the view through the rain.

"It's the Marines!"

"Kill them!"

"Wait, is that guy at the bow—?!"

"The hero, Garp!!!"

The Pirates aboard the dozen or so ships had spotted the people on the Warship, especially the sturdy man at the bow with close-cropped black hair and a cold gaze.

Their already troubled faces visibly turned to terror.

They had not even fought yet. The moment they recognized him, panic seized them, and fear sank into their bones.

"Attack!!"

Sakazuki wasted no words. He leaped forward, drew the long sword at his waist, and charged onto the nearest Pirate ship.

Kuzan and Bogard sprang into action as well.

Xia Le blurred into motion. His feet struck Kong in rapid succession, carrying him over Sakazuki and the others toward a Pirate ship farther ahead.

Glancing down, he saw Sakazuki wielding his sword with startling precision. In the blink of an eye, Sakazuki cut down more than a dozen Pirates, radiating killing intent.

His swordplay was clean and decisive. Against the Golden Lion Pirates, he held an overwhelming advantage.

Bogard swung his sword, sending a flying slash through a mast and most of a ship. Cries of agony erupted.

Kuzan kept flashing into position before the Pirates, striking with tremendous force in both fists.

At this point, Kuzan fought with his fists because he admired Vice Admiral Garp. Of course, he still wore a saber at his waist.

Within a few breaths, Xiale landed on another pirate ship.

"Kill him!"

"We have no choice! Even against Garp's men, we have to fight!"

"Kill him, then get out of here!"

Their contracted pupils and trembling bodies told Xiale exactly how frightened they were.

Almost instantly, a figure appeared before him and brought a sword down with both hands.

His speed was absurd!

A strange aura clung to the blade.

"Armament Haki?!"

Xia Le's pupils contracted, but he had no time to react.

This man was elite among elites, a veteran of countless battles. Every detail of the downward strike—its angle, its force—was calculated to seal off nearly every Kong for escape.

Xiale had no Observation Haki to foresee it, and his combat instincts had yet to be honed.

The blade came down from above his head with unbelievable speed, cleaving straight through to his groin.

Xia Le's pupils shrank to pinpoints as fear and searing pain surged through him.

It was almost the most gruesome death he had suffered yet: split in two by a single stroke.

But the very next second, his eyes turned cold. The blade was strangely pushed out of his body and fell onto the deck beside him.

Crack!

The slash continued forward, splitting the bow in two.

"Finger Pistol!"

Xia Le's gaze was icy. He pressed his index and middle fingers together and thrust them forward.

Pfft!

The sword-wielding Pirate's pupils shook. His forehead was pierced clean through, and the force carried on through the back of his skull, striking the mast behind him with a thunk and leaving a hole.

His face was frozen in utter bewilderment.

He could not understand it!

His sword had clearly cut the man in two.

"Hah..."

Xia Le slowly exhaled. Surrounded by Pirates whose faces showed tension and even fear, he grew wary.

The Pirates of the New World were no pushovers.

This was a challenge, without question!

But he could not die, so he would not lose!

Maxed-Out Conqueror's Haki

"Attack!"

With a roar, Xiale stamped against the deck and vanished.

When he reappeared, he stood before a Pirate. He clenched his fist and hammered it down.

Bang!

The Pirate's cheek caved in and twisted. Blood sprayed as he was smashed through the deck.

At the same time, a rush of air came from behind. Three swords slashed at him almost simultaneously.

Xia Le's eyes sharpened, and every muscle in his body tensed.

"Iron Body!"

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The swords struck his back with the ring of metal on metal. Terror spread across the pirates' faces.

"He's a Devil Fruit user!"

"We can't kill him! He just won't die!"

"He even took down Mitas the Great Cleaver!"

Xia Le, meanwhile, breathed a sigh of relief.

Iron Body was not as useless as he had imagined. At the very least, it worked well against small fry.

He spun around, raised his right leg high, and brought it down hard.

"Tempest Kick!"

An arc-shaped slash struck all three Pirates, spraying blood and sending them flying backward.

But in the next instant, a gunshot rang out.

Bang!

Xia Le took a bullet to the back of the head. His body flickered, then steadied.

He vanished and appeared before a trembling Pirate holding a Rifle.

"I hate it when people point guns at my head."

The cold voice made the Pirate shake even harder.

He thought this man was a monster. The bullet had clearly hit him, yet he was unharmed. There was not even a wound.

That was impossible!!

Xia Le threw a punch that struck the pirate square in the face.

The savage force crushed his face and sent him flying off the ship.

Boom!

Lightning snaked down, illuminating the faces aboard the ship—some crazed, some terrified, some twisted with malice.

"Attack!"

Xia Le turned toward another pirate and growled.

It was a frenzied battle. Alone, he faced every Pirate aboard the ship. He even refrained from using Conqueror's Haki, relying solely on his fists.

Death came like the wind, striking him again and again.

But his results were impressive. This was clearly a crew affiliated with Golden Lion, and every member was an elite. Four wielded Armament Haki; the others were expert marksmen or formidable swordsmen.

In the end, Xiale defeated them all.

He died five times in the battle, and his physical abilities rose again.

He put every system point he gained into Conqueror's Haki, raising it to level 91.

He tried clenching his fists. At the slightest thought, black-and-red lightning gathered around his arms, granting them terrifying explosive power.

At level 91, his Conqueror's Haki was close to maxed out. Its power was frightening.

"A chance to train—and to farm points!"

Xia Le murmured as he looked up at the remaining Pirate ships ahead.

Deaths in a real battle, while fighting with everything he had, would not count as suicide.

He leaped. An instant later, he crashed onto the next Pirate ship with a thunderous bang.

At the same time, a Pirate ship off to one side creaked and cracked, splitting down the middle.

Xia Le turned his head. Amid the Pirates' screams, Bogard looked back at him.

Neither spoke. Through the Storm, Bogard gave him a thumbs-up.

"He's a Devil Fruit user!"

"Use Armament Haki against him!"

The Pirates' shouts rang in Xiale's ears.

Xia Le grinned. Watching a Pirate charge straight at him with sword swinging, he clenched his right fist.

Black-and-red lightning raced across his right arm and coiled around it.

The next instant, he punched straight into the oncoming blade.

Clang!

Gin and steel rang against each other. Black-and-red lightning shot outward, spreading all around. The deck beneath his feet cracked apart, and Kong warped.

Terror appeared on the Pirate's face. Without the slightest pause, he flew backward, smashed through a mast and the cabin, then vanished into the driving rain.

"I can control the force of Conqueror's Coating precisely now?"

Xia Le spoke softly.

As his Conqueror's Haki leveled up, his control over it was clearly improving just as fast.

He had gone from pouring out his full power without restraint to being able to keep it within limits.

That was undoubtedly good news. Power he could not control was like a runaway horse; it could have unimaginable consequences for him and everyone around him.

It also drained his stamina and mental energy.

He struck quickly after that, taking even less time to clear another Pirate ship.

And this time, he died only three times.

"Level 94!"