Conqueror's Haki: Max Level

"A bunch of small fry dare stand in my way!"

Garp roared.

"Yes, sir!"

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

Boom!

Thunder rolled across the sky. A flash of lightning lit up the rain, bringing the scene into fleeting focus.

"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 too—especially the broad-shouldered man at its bow, with close-cropped black hair and an icy stare.

Their already troubled faces turned visibly terrified.

Before a single blow was struck, the sight of him had thrown them into disarray. Fear sank deep into their souls.

"Kill them!"

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

Kuzan and Bogard sprang into action as well.

Xia Le flashed forward, his feet striking the air in rapid succession. In the blink of an eye, he passed over Sakazuki and the others, heading for a ship farther ahead.

Glancing down, he saw Sakazuki wielding his blade with startling ferocity. In moments, Sakazuki had cut down more than a dozen pirates, killing intent radiating from him.

His swordsmanship was clean and decisive. Against the Golden Lion Pirates, his strength was overwhelming.

Bogard swung his blade, sending a slash hurtling out. It sliced straight through the mast and most of the ship, drawing screams from all over the deck.

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

At this point, Kuzan admired Vice Admiral Garp and fought with his fists. He did, however, carry a military saber at his waist.

Within a few breaths, Xia Le landed on another pirate ship.

"Kill him!"

"We don't have a choice! Even against Garp's men, we have to fight!"

"Kill him, then get out of here!"

In their contracted pupils and trembling bodies, Xia Le could clearly see the pirates' fear.

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

He was absurdly fast!

A distinct aura clung to the blade.

Armament Haki?!

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

This man was an elite among elites, hardened by countless battles. The angle and force of his strike were calculated to seal off virtually every route of escape.

Xia Le had no Observation Haki to warn him, and his combat instincts had yet to be honed.

The blade came down from above his head at unbelievable speed, cutting straight through him to his groin.

His pupils shrank sharply. Fear and intense pain flashed through his eyes.

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

But a second later, his gaze turned cold. The blade was somehow pushed out of his body and fell onto the deck beside him.

Crack!

The slash did not stop there. It tore onward through the hull, splitting the bow in two.

"Shigan!"

Eyes cold, Xia Le pressed his index and middle fingers together and stabbed forward.

Pfft!

The sword-wielding pirate's pupils jolted as Xia Le punched straight through the spot between his brows. The force carried on through the back of his skull and struck the mast behind him with a thunk, leaving a hole.

Bewilderment spread across his face.

He could not understand it!

His blade had clearly split Xia Le in two.

Xia Le let out a slow breath. Surrounded by the other pirates, whose faces were tense and even fearful, he looked at them gravely.

The pirates of the New World were no pushovers.

This was going to be a challenge.

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

Maxed-Out Conqueror's Haki

"Kill!"

With a roar, Xia Le drove his feet against the deck and vanished.

When he reappeared before a pirate, he clenched his fist and smashed it down.

Bang!

The pirate's cheek caved in and twisted as the blow drove him through the deck, blood spraying everywhere.

At the same time, wind rushed toward Xia Le's back. Three blades were coming down on him almost at once.

His eyes hardened, and every muscle in his body went taut.

"Tekkai!"

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The blades struck his back with the ring of metal on metal. Terror seized the pirates.

"He has a Devil Fruit power!"

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

"He even took down Mitas the Great Cleaver!"

Xia Le, meanwhile, breathed a sigh of relief.

Tekkai was not as useless as he had imagined. Against small fry, at least, it worked well.

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

"Tempest Kick!"

A crescent-shaped slash struck the three pirates, carving bloody wounds across them and sending them flying.

But in the next instant, a gunshot rang out.

Bang!

The bullet struck the back of Xia Le's head. His body flickered, then steadied.

He vanished and reappeared before a pirate holding a rifle, who trembled from head to toe.

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

The icy words made the pirate shake even harder.

To him, Xia Le was a monster. The bullet had hit, yet he was unharmed. There was not even a mark.

That was impossible!

Xia Le threw a punch square into his face.

The savage force crushed the pirate's features and sent him flying off the ship.

Boom!

Lightning snaked down, illuminating the faces on deck. Some were frenzied, some terrified, and some twisted with malice.

"Fight!"

Xia Le turned toward another pirate and growled.

It was a savage battle. He faced every pirate on the ship alone, forgoing Conqueror's Haki and fighting with his fists.

Death came again and again.

But his results were impressive. This crew clearly served under the Golden Lion, and every member was formidable. Four wielded Armament Haki; the rest were skilled either with guns or blades.

In the end, Xia Le defeated them all.

He died five times in that battle, and his physical abilities increased again.

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

He tried clenching his fist. At a mere thought, Black-Red Lightning gathered around his arms, giving him terrifying explosive power.

At level 91, his Conqueror's Haki was nearing its maximum, and its power was fearsome.

"A chance to hone myself and earn more points."

Xia Le murmured as he looked up at the pirate ships still ahead.

Deaths suffered while fighting a real opponent with everything he had would not count as suicide.

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

Beside him, another pirate ship creaked and cracked, splitting down the middle.

Xia Le turned to look. Amid the pirates' screams, Bogard looked back at him.

Neither spoke. In the storm, Bogard gave him a thumbs-up.

"He has a Devil Fruit power!"

"Use Armament Haki on him!"

The pirates' shouts rang in Xia Le's ears.

He grinned at a pirate charging toward him, blade swinging, and clenched his right fist.

Black-Red Lightning raced along his right arm, wrapping around it.

In the next instant, he drove his fist straight toward the oncoming blade.

Clang!

The sound of metal striking metal rang out. Black-Red Lightning shot outward, spreading in every direction. The deck cracked beneath his feet, and the air itself warped.

Terror flashed across the pirate's face. Without a moment's pause, he flew backward, smashing through the mast and cabin before vanishing into the downpour.

"Can I 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 improving rapidly.

Where he had once unleashed it recklessly at full power, he could now do his best to keep it within a set limit.

That was good news. Power he could not control was like a runaway horse, capable of causing unimaginable harm to himself and others.

It also drained his stamina and mental strength.

He moved quickly, taking even less time to finish off another pirate ship.

This time, he died only three times.

"Level 94!"