An uncontrollable ambition rose from the bottom of his heart.
Rumble~
As Sengoku and Rayleigh fought, a terrifying surge of Conqueror's Haki, mixed with a mental storm,
emanated from Roy, forcing its way into the clash of their Haki and firmly claiming a place of its own.
"Hahahaha!!"
"I really do have the qualities of a king!"
Roy laughed wildly. The Awakening of his Conqueror's Haki had not only allowed him to break free from the clash between the two men's Haki, but had also sent his mental power soaring once more, taking his development of his fruit ability to a new level.
The surge in his mental power had caused his Conqueror's Haki to erupt with a mental storm mixed into it upon its Awakening, allowing it to damage its surroundings right from the start.
That was an ability one could only possess after cultivating Conqueror's Haki to its peak!
Sengoku and Rayleigh, two top-tier powerhouses, both felt the sudden surge of Conqueror's Haki. Though it felt unrefined, the Haki was filled with a pressure that made their hearts tremble.
"This brat..."
Sengoku frowned, the Buddha's light around him flickering.
He had seen far too many geniuses, but this was the first time he had seen anyone awaken Conqueror's Haki at such a young age.
What was more, the boy was clearly gravely injured and exhausted, yet he had still managed to unleash Haki of this level at the brink of death.
"Hahaha! Kid, do you have an ambition of your own that you want to fulfill too?!"
Rayleigh swept the momentarily distracted Sengoku the Buddha aside with a slash, instantly arrived at Roy's side, and laughed, appreciation flashing in his eyes.
"Sengoku, do you see that? This is a monster of the new era!"
Roy was trembling all over, the veins on his forehead bulging.
Although the Awakening of his Conqueror's Haki had sent his mental power soaring, his successive outbursts had pushed his body almost to its limit. He felt every cell screaming, his gravely injured body longing for rest and recovery.
It hurts!
It hurts so much!!
His body's exhaustion nearly made him faint.
"I... can't... go down yet."
Roy gritted his teeth and slowly sat up from the ground.
He had already earned his ticket to becoming a top-tier powerhouse in this battle. All that remained was to get away. As long as he escaped pursuit,
and kept a low profile for a few more years, then found a few powerful companions, nothing on this sea would be able to stop him anymore.
Rallying the last of his strength, he slowly spread out his telekinesis and stirred the seawater. A gigantic curtain of water swept toward Sengoku, covering the sky and forcing him to retreat to avoid getting seawater on him and having his Devil Fruit ability nullified.
Though that amount of seawater would hardly weaken a powerhouse like him, Dark King Rayleigh was watching him like a hawk nearby!
"Nicely done, kid!!"
As Sengoku retreated, Rayleigh scooped Roy up and stepped through the air, flying toward the ship in the distance.
Seeing Rayleigh carry Roy away, Sengoku fell silent for a moment on the shore and did not give chase.
After all, Borsalino, one of the three great monsters of the Marines' new generation and a hope for their future, had been in the sea for quite some time.
If they did not rescue him soon, he really might die in an accident on this mission.
He turned and gave orders to the Marines who had just arrived, arranging for those who could swim to rescue Borsalino from the water, while he headed to headquarters ahead of them to report to the Fleet Admiral.
On the ship back, Sengoku stood on the deck, looking in the direction Rayleigh had left.
He had thought this mission involved only a few outrageously bold pirates, whom he should have been able to deal with easily given his strength. He had not expected a member of the Roger Pirates to be involved.
As a result, not only had they failed to capture Roy's group, but they had also let them escape.
That brat named Roy possessed such terrifying talent at such a young age.
He could use his Devil Fruit to that extent right after eating it, had Observation Haki that could read people's hearts, and Conqueror's Haki that could damage its surroundings as soon as it awakened.
"What a headache!"
Sengoku the Buddha murmured under his breath.
"Admiral Sengoku, Borsalino has been pulled out of the water," a Marine ran over and reported.
"How is he?"
"He's physically fine, but..."
"But what?"
"But after he woke up, he had a serious look on his face and kept muttering things like 'How scary' and 'I nearly died.'"
Sengoku rubbed his temples helplessly.
That Borsalino was clearly strong, yet he always acted so carelessly.
Still, he really had been careless this time. Who could have imagined that a brat could knock the user of the Glint-Glint Fruit into the sea?
"Tell Borsalino to return to headquarters on his own. I need to call the Fleet Admiral."
"Blu blu... blu blu..."
"This is Kong." A steady voice came from the other end of the Den Den Mushi.
"Fleet Admiral, the mission failed," Sengoku reported succinctly.
"Failed? With your strength and Borsalino's, you failed to capture a rookie pirate?" Kong's tone betrayed his confusion.
"Dark King Rayleigh intervened."
There was silence on the other end of the Den Den Mushi for several seconds.
"Rayleigh... that man from the Roger Pirates?"
"Yes." Sengoku paused. "There's something else. That Roy not only has a fruit ability similar to Golden Lion Shiki's, but he also awakened Conqueror's Haki during the battle."
"Conqueror's Haki?"
"Yes! And it was strong enough to damage physical objects as soon as it awakened." Sengoku's tone grew grave. "Fleet Admiral, this brat is dangerous. Judging by the talent he's shown so far, another major problem will emerge on the seas in the future."
This time, Kong was silent for even longer.
"Sengoku, issue bounties for Roy's group as soon as you return."
"As for his bounty, set it at 200 million."
"200 million?" Sengoku was taken aback by the amount.
"Fleet Admiral, isn't 200 million too high?"
"Not at all. He dared to attack a Celestial Dragon in Sabaody, awakened Conqueror's Haki at such a young age, and escaped from you. Even though Rayleigh helped him, this rookie is worth that price."
"I understand. Click."
200 million? In this era, a first bounty of 200 million would draw the attention of the entire sea to him.
When that happens, both Marines and pirates will set their sights on this brat, won't they?
Expose Roy to everyone's gaze, leaving him no chance to hide and time to grow.
Perhaps that was Fleet Admiral Kong's intention!
A stretch of sea far from the Sabaody Archipelago.
Rayleigh had brought the gravely injured Roy aboard the ship some time ago.
Roy was lying on the deck, gasping for breath, blood still seeping from the wound in his abdomen. His mental power was nearly depleted.
The sight left Tesoro and Stella beside him frantic with worry, scrambling through the cabin for things to bandage him with.
Yet a smile appeared on Roy's face as he watched the two of them rush about.
He had survived.
Not only had he survived, he had also awakened Conqueror's Haki.
This battle had been worth it.