"Buzz, "
Even the void seemed to tremble.
In the desert, the floating grains of sand fell still under the weight of this imposing manner, vibrating with a low hum.
The campfire at Rojen's feet burst apart with a whoosh, splitting cleanly in two.
Just two to three meters away, Crocodile's face changed dramatically. His whole body trembled, his vision blurred, and he actually felt like his legs couldn't support him. With a dull pā dā, he collapsed to the ground.
As for Trens, who was farther away, and the old cart driver, at the instant they were hit by this wave of aura, their eyes rolled back and they fainted outright.
Even Jason was barely hanging on, his eyes wide with terror and shock.
In this moment, Rojen, standing before Rouge, seemed like a king atop the world's peak, radiating dominance, majesty, and overwhelming will across a fan-shaped arc stretching nearly a hundred meters ahead.
That stern, cold, and commanding aura, something only those who sat atop the world's highest thrones could possess, was now emanating from Rojen's very being.
Only after six full seconds did that terrifying pressure begin to fade away.
"Huff... Huff... Huff..."
Jason dropped onto the sand, completely drained. Staring at the figure before him, his eyes were filled with dread.
Just now, it had felt like facing a king. He couldn't summon even a drop of strength, not because of physical power, but because his spirit had been utterly crushed.
It was like a lowly creature standing before a higher lifeform. Even if the king was wounded, the lesser being would still cower and not dare to strike.
Crocodile was even worse off than Jason, his mind blurred and spinning. And in that instant, his cautious wariness toward Rojen turned into outright fear, from the depths of his soul.
Rojen slowly opened his eyes at the fire, his presence now calm again.
Looking around at the windblown scene, a trace of realization flickered in his gaze.
"Haoshoku Haki, Conqueror's Haki, huh?" Angered by a savage tongue-lashing from a newly recruited brute, Rojen had been forced to face a bitter truth: his mental state was incomplete.
Despite having powerful spirits possessing him and being armed with divine-level techniques, his mindset remained flawed.
He had no real change in outlook. He had dreams but didn't dare pursue them. He was cautious, but lacked the courage to face the world head-on. There was no "A man enraged shall spill blood three feet deep."
Only measured calculation, no fearless resolve.
When facing the sea, he didn't feel its vastness or call to adventure. He saw only its depth, its hidden, deadly currents. Outwardly, he seemed fine. But in truth, he had been afraid.
And yet, it was this simple, blunt Crocodile, of all people, who tore off Rojen's mask, pierced straight to his core, and made him confront his own shortcomings.
That confrontation led to reflection, then understanding, and finally triggered the awakening of a natural-born bloodline gift.
Yes, he was Roger's younger brother. He, too, possessed that one-of-a-kind, kingly power.
This first awakening was so overwhelming that even Jason and Crocodile couldn't bear the pressure.
"What happened to them?"
Rouge, seated behind Rojen, looked at the others collapsed on the ground with some confusion.
Because she had been behind Rojen, she hadn't been directly hit, only brushed by the shockwave, so she hadn't passed out.
"Wind knocked them over, probably," Rojen said with a smile.
Awakening Conqueror's Haki and clarifying his own purpose, these were indeed reasons to feel happy.
"Crocodile, that disrespect you showed the captain? That's your punishment."
A voice echoed in Crocodile's blurred consciousness.
"Jason, your strength is still crap. Go train harder!"
Another line, delivered with perfect calm, entered Jason's mind.
Both of them immediately recognized it as Rojen's voice. Furious, they both shut their eyes in silence, pretending to rest.
"So it was you who did this… and now you're blaming us?!"
Seeing everyone sprawled all over the ground, Rojen helped Rouge back into the camel cart to rest.
After that, he added a few more pieces of firewood to the campfire and sat down cross-legged, beginning to comprehend the newly awakened Haoshoku Haki – Conqueror's Haki.
Speaking of this particular type of Haki, it was certainly unique. It didn't have the raw defense and offensive power of Busoshoku Haki (Armament), nor the Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation)'s ability to foresee enemy movements and sharpen sensory perception. Instead, it possessed a unique form of overwhelming suppression.
It allowed the user to directly cripple the combat ability of any creature with weak or unstable willpower.
It attacked from the mental level. This attack didn't care about quantity, only quality.
It was closely tied to boldness, willpower, and mental strength.
The stronger your spirit, the more devastating this Haki became!
Some even called it the "Quality of a King."
Those who possessed this unique aura were born to rule.
"Dominant, aggressive, and it ignores the physical completely."
A faint smile appeared on Rojen's lips. Thanks to his Guru-level state of mind, he quickly grasped the characteristics of Haoshoku Haki.
Unlike those in the original One Piece world who needed long periods of training after awakening it, Rojen had almost fully mastered it the moment it awakened.
"Thirty meters ahead, that's my current range of attack."
Opening his eyes and gazing forward, Rojen's eyes suddenly narrowed.
"Buzz, !"
The air trembled. The burning flames lowered as if suppressed. Tiny cracks spiderwebbed across the flat desert ground.
"The intangible affects the tangible... What a terrifying ability."
After several experiments, Rojen's mastery over Conqueror's Haki grew steadily more refined.
"It's tied to my spirit and courage. As I continue to train, my attack range will increase rapidly."
Fully aware of this, Rojen closed his eyes again and resumed cultivating his Heavenly Star Hole Merit Technique.
The Next Morning
At first light, Trens and the others rubbed their aching heads and woke up.
With no previous training in willpower, he had been instantly knocked unconscious by that wave of Haoshoku Haki, and only now had he finally come to.
"What happened to me last night? It's like I got whacked in the back of the head…"
He muttered in confusion as he noticed the others also sitting up and rubbing their temples.
"What was that last night?"
Jason shook his head hard, trying to clear his mind.
"It was Rojen… What is he, really?"
Crocodile's pupils contracted. He stared hard at the desert ahead, his heart still reeling.
That sensation, like being struck in the soul, he swore he would never forget it for the rest of his life.
"Everyone awake? Pack up. We move out soon."
Rojen's calm voice rang out, reaching everyone's ears.
He didn't bother to explain anything about what had happened.
Instead, he waved Jason over.
After spending half an hour teaching Jason the fist technique and palm method, he turned and called Crocodile.
"What do you want from me?"
Crocodile muttered sullenly.
"Like I said yesterday, your strength still sucks."
The first exchange between them that morning instantly got Crocodile riled up again.
(End Of This Chapter)
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