Not only did Gringo stand up, but Shamrock's face was also taut, watching Sakazuki, who had suddenly awakened Conqueror's Haki, as if facing a formidable enemy.
As Celestial Dragons, they knew all too well what it meant for a Marine Headquarters Admiral to awaken Conqueror's Haki.
It was well-known that there was already a Conqueror's Haki user in Marineford who completely disregarded them, the Celestial Dragons.
Not only did he not care for the Celestial Dragons, but when he was in a bad mood, he would land a punch on any arrogant Celestial Dragon he caught.
Of course, none of that was important.
What was important was that this Conqueror's Haki user from Marineford had once, during the God Valley incident, thrown a punch at Satan Saint, who was possessed by Imu, without a second thought, hitting him squarely on the head, with not a hint of hesitation from beginning to end.
This person was the current Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Garp, an absolute powerhouse with Conqueror's Haki.
Garp alone was a headache for the World Government, and now another Marine Headquarters Admiral, Sakazuki, who adhered to absolute justice, had emerged, so they naturally had to treat him as a formidable enemy.
As Gringo and his son stood up with horrified expressions, looking at Sakazuki as if facing a great enemy, Hancock, who was leaning against Ian, also showed a hint of surprise.
As the Empress of the Amazon Lily Kingdom and a Conqueror's Haki user herself, she naturally understood what it meant for Sakazuki to awaken Conqueror's Haki at this moment.
It was important to note that even without awakening Conqueror's Haki, Sakazuki was already one of the Marineford's top combatants.
In such a situation, even if he had just awakened Conqueror's Haki, Sakazuki's Haoshoku would undoubtedly be in a league of its own.
After all, Conqueror's Haki cannot be improved through training; it only grows as the Conqueror's Haki user's strength increases.
As one of Marineford's top combatants and a user of the Magma-Magma Fruit, which boasts the strongest offensive power among Logia-type Devil Fruits, she couldn't imagine how formidable the Conqueror's Haki Sakazuki had awakened would be.
However, Hancock quickly noticed a peculiar phenomenon.
Sakazuki, having been forced to awaken Conqueror's Haki by Ian, should not have been able to skillfully control it yet.
In such a situation, the Conqueror's Haki Sakazuki awakened would definitely sweep across the entire area indiscriminately.
Although she, possessing Conqueror's Haki, had nothing to worry about, the people gathered behind Ian were all ordinary individuals.
Even Uta, despite possessing Devil Fruit abilities, was no different from an ordinary person with her Sea Stone collar.
Yet, this group of ordinary women, not only remained completely unaffected by Conqueror's Haki, but each of them looked at Ian with fervent admiration, as if nothing had happened.
After a brief moment of astonishment, Hancock's beautiful eyes suddenly narrowed, then her pupils widened, looking incredulously at the black-red Conqueror's Haki barrier in front of Ian!
"How is that possible!"
The moment she saw the black-red barrier appear in front of Ian, Hancock stood up in shock, exclaiming, "The Young Master actually formed a defensive barrier with Conqueror's Haki, completely blocking Sakazuki's Conqueror's Haki!"
Before Hancock could recover from her shock, the two clashing Conqueror's Haki, which had shot straight into the sky above the Holy Land, causing rumbles of thunder, suddenly vanished without a trace.
Immediately after, Ian revealed a relieved smile, exuding an innate kingly aura, and spoke unhurriedly, "Sakazuki, you truly did not disappoint This Young Master.
With a little adaptation, your Conqueror's Haki will be one of the few to be reckoned with on the Grand Line!"
Sakazuki stood rooted, looking at his hands in disbelief.
Clearly, he had never imagined that he possessed the qualifications of a king, nor had he expected Ian to awaken the Conqueror's Haki within him in such a simple and direct manner.
After a brief moment of mixed surprise and joy, Sakazuki took a sudden step forward and knelt on one knee before Ian, his expression devout as he said, "Thank you, Young Master, for awakening the Conqueror's Haki within me."
Ian smiled slightly and said, "Rise! Remember, Conqueror's Haki is influenced by one's disposition.
From now on, This Young Master only demands your loyalty.
Other than that, you need not restrict yourself with the rules and regulations of the World Government.
In short, with This Young Master backing you, you can do as you please! Even if you find those good-for-nothings in the Holy Land displeasing and kill them, no one will dare to hold you accountable!"
"Yes!"
Sakazuki stood up, bowed, and returned to his position, his heart surging with emotion from awakening Conqueror's Haki.
At the same time.
In the Seat of Power, the Gorosei, who were reading newspapers, drinking tea, and wiping their swords, all turned their heads.
Through the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows of the Seat of Power, they looked out at the two surges of Conqueror's Haki shooting towards the starry sky, causing sudden changes in the weather above the Holy Land, and simultaneously exclaimed, "Oh no, it's the Young Master's castle!"
Before the words finished, Satan Saint was the first to stand up, ready to flash out of the Seat of Power to pledge his loyalty to their Young Master.
"Satan Saint, calm down!"
Warcury intervened in time, stopping him, "It's just a mere Conqueror's Haki, why are you panicking?
You and I both know the Young Master's strength.
Let alone here in the Holy Land, even on the Grand Line, no one's Conqueror's Haki can surpass the Young Master's!"
Satan Saint said with a solemn expression, "What's the deal with the other Conqueror's Haki? Why is it emanating from the Young Master's castle?"
"It's Sakazuki!"
Nasujuro, who had been silent, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window with his samurai sword in his arms and said faintly, "With the Young Master as his backing, Sakazuki no longer needs to consider anything else.
Awakening Conqueror's Haki is a natural progression!"
Warcury nodded in agreement, "After all, he is Akainu, one of Marineford's top combatants.
If it weren't for us suppressing him and his need to consider the World Government all these years, he would probably have awakened it long ago."
Pausing slightly, Warcury picked up the teacup in front of him and said softly, "Everyone, don't worry.
Since the Young Master can awaken Sakazuki's Conqueror's Haki, he naturally has the confidence to make Sakazuki his most loyal subordinate."
Satan Saint looked at Warcury, then at Nasujuro, and said somewhat exasperatedly, "So you're all talking without fear of consequences, aren't you?
With the Young Master backing him, Sakazuki, who has awakened Conqueror's Haki, will definitely be even more arrogant than Garp.
Just wait, the same fate I suffered at God Valley, being punched in the head by Garp, will sooner or later fall upon you!
Oh, and Sakazuki, while not as fond of hitting people's heads as Garp, he does like to punch people's hearts!"
Upon hearing this, the corners of the mouths of the four Gorosei present twitched, and then they silently turned their heads, pretending not to hear.
Although they didn't want to admit it, they all knew in their hearts that Sakazuki's magma fists, with the Young Master's backing, would sooner or later fall upon them.
Even though they were immortal and couldn't die, they certainly didn't want to experience the feeling of having their hearts punched through.
"Ahem, I think we might have spoken a bit too loudly to Sakazuki in the past."
After a brief silence, Warcury was the first to speak, then said with a serious expression, "From now on, everyone should pay attention to their attitude.
As long as our attitude is good enough, I believe Sakazuki won't go too far!"
—
Cough, cough, cough, is anyone there?