Chapter 217: Conqueror’s Haki Coating

Chapter 217: Chapter 217: Conqueror’s Haki Coating

...

Time inside and outside the light screen seemed to split in a subtle way.

Although Luffy had already woken up and was shakily pushing himself up from the rubble, at this moment, everyone outside the light screen still had their attention fixed on the lingering aftereffects of Zoro’s strike.

The three-headed, six-armed Asura phantom still lingered in everyone’s consciousness. The purple-black Ghost Energy seemed to still be drifting above the battlefield.

"Oni Energy... Nine Sword Style?"

Golden Lion Shiki floated in mid-air, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the hilts of his dual swords, "Sakura Jū" and "Kogarashi."

A complex expression flashed through the eyes of this great pirate who would later stand alongside Roger and Whitebeard.

It was the resonance of a swordsman toward another swordsman, as well as a powerhouse’s vigilance toward an unknown power.

"Interesting... Truly interesting."

Shiki grinned, revealing a row of white teeth. "I’ve seen no less than eighty or a hundred swordsmanship styles, but something like Ghost Energy... this is the first time I’ve ever seen it."

He stared at Zoro, who had already collapsed unconscious on the light screen. His eyes held both curiosity and undisguised admiration.

"That illusion wasn’t a simple visual deception."

Shiki’s voice lowered. "At that moment, that brat truly touched some kind of boundary for a brief instant. It wasn’t Haki, nor was it swordsmanship. It was the materialization of his own will, obsession, and even a part of his soul..."

This boundary was something Shiki himself had only vaguely sensed on extremely rare occasions.

This was the moment when swordsmanship had been cultivated to its absolute peak — when man and blade, heart and technique, became completely one.

"Straw Hat Luffy’s crew member... is quite something."

Roger’s voice pulled everyone’s thoughts back.

The future Pirate King stood with his arms crossed, a completely unconcealed smile of approval on his face. "Although there’s still a gap in strength, that resolve... that will to bet his life just to protect his captain has already transcended the category of ’strong or weak.’"

His words gained the agreement of many people.

Garp nodded silently. This Marine hero understood better than anyone.

True strength was not simply the accumulation of power, but came from something deeper.

His son Dragon was like this. His grandson Luffy was like this. And now, even Luffy’s crew member was the same.

Sengoku pushed up his glasses. The gaze behind the lenses was profound. "If that green-haired swordsman had been born in our era, he might have also made a name for himself."

"Every era has its own powerhouses."

Rayleigh took over the conversation, the corner of his mouth carrying a gentle smile. "Our era has us, and this new era... it seems it won’t be lonely either."

In the crowd, little Hajrudin sat on the ground with his chin resting on his palm, staring at the light screen without blinking.

"That green-haired swordsman... is so cool!"

He couldn’t help but exclaim. "I never thought humans could also burst out with that kind of power!

"Even though he looks thin and small, the aura he gave off in that instant was just like the warriors of our Giant race!"

Loki beside him also nodded vigorously. "To fight with his life on the line just to protect his captain... That’s what a true warrior is! Much stronger than those guys who only bully the weak!"

The conversation between the two young giants represented the heartfelt thoughts of many ordinary spectators outside the light screen.

All over the world, countless civilians were watching this battle through the light screen.

"Even though they’re pirates..."

An old man on one island wiped the corner of his eye. "But the Straw Hat crew is different. They truly want to help that country. They want to found that nation of Wano. They want everyone to have enough to eat..."

"That green-haired swordsman was fighting to protect his comrades."

A young mother holding her child whispered, "This kind of feeling... isn’t something bad people would have."

The recognition of the common people was often more precious than the evaluations of powerhouses.

At this moment, the images of Zoro and Luffy had already transcended the label of "pirates" in the hearts of many ordinary people.

The scene on the light screen once again focused on the center of the battlefield.

Luffy stood up unsteadily. At this moment, his black hair was messy in the wind.

His eyes had changed...

It was no longer the previous burning, almost crazed battle frenzy, but a deeper, calmer determination.

He didn’t charge forward while shouting "Gomu Gomu no" like usual. Instead, he stood in place and slowly adjusted his breathing.

Kaido also did not attack immediately.

This Yonko carried his kanabo. The wound on his chest that Zoro had slashed open was still dripping blood.

Complex emotions flashed through his dragon eyes — anger, confusion, admiration, and a trace of undetectable wariness.

The two of them stood facing each other like this, back to back, several meters apart.

Their paths, at this moment, appeared so clear, yet so completely opposite.

Behind Kaido was Onigashima, which he had ruled for twenty years; the sky filled with dark clouds and roaring thunder; and the throne of the "Strongest Creature," built upon oppression and fear.

Behind Luffy were the heavily injured Zoro, his comrades who were still fighting desperately, the Wano Country that had been sealed away for twenty years, and a dream where everyone could eat their fill and laugh freely.

Two paths, running in completely opposite directions.

"We all really like samurai..."

Luffy suddenly spoke. His voice wasn’t loud, but it clearly pierced through the noise of the battlefield.

"I’m definitely going to send you flying too."

These words were like a key that opened a certain floodgate.

Dark red Haki erupted violently from Kaido’s body!

It wasn’t the controlled release from before during battle, but an almost uncontrolled outpouring.

Dark red shockwaves spread outward with him at the center. Wherever they passed, the ground collapsed. The dark clouds in the sky were stirred by this power and began spinning wildly.

What was even more terrifying were the thunderbolts.

Countless purple lightning bolts struck down from the cloud layers. It wasn’t Kaido actively guiding them — his Haki had reached a level where it could influence the weather itself.

These lightning bolts struck every corner of Onigashima without any pattern, turning the already ruined battlefield into even more of a hell.

"Stubborn fool... Stubborn fool!!!"

Kaido roared toward the sky. For the first time, his voice carried something close to "fear." However, this wasn’t fear of Luffy’s strength...

It was fear of the "unbreakable" quality possessed by this young man.

Twenty years ago, Kozuki Oden had been the same. The flame in those eyes had never been extinguished.

Now, this flame had reignited in Straw Hat Luffy — even more fiercely than in Oden.

"Since you want to die so badly..."

Kaido turned around. Gripping Hassaikai with both hands, his Conqueror’s Haki coating reached an unprecedented density. "I’ll let you experience what true despair really is!"

...

At the other end of the battlefield, Big Mom slowly rose into the air while riding on Prometheus.

The newly born thundercloud Homie "Hera" circled around her. This dark purple thundercloud was larger in volume than Zeus and its color was even deeper.

"Mam-ma-ma-ma..."

Big Mom’s laughter was as cold as ice. "Kid... Law... and that green-haired brat..."

Her gaze swept across below. Kid and Killer were moving through the rubble, trying to find an opportunity to counterattack.

"You almost made this old lady fall into the sea and drown..."

Big Mom’s voice grew lower and lower, but the killing intent in her eyes grew thicker. "This humiliation... I’m going to return it a hundredfold!"

She raised her hand and pointed in Kid’s direction.

"Hera!"

The thundercloud suddenly contracted and condensed into a lightning spear as thick as a bucket, shooting violently toward the position where Kid and Killer were!

The speed of this strike was ridiculously fast. It had almost reached its target the instant it was launched.

Kid roared and dodged. Killer’s long scythe drew an arc across the ground as his body flashed to the side like a phantom.

However, the moment the lightning spear approached the ground, it suddenly split into dozens of smaller lightning snakes, covering an area of a hundred meters in radius!

BOOM!!!

The light of the explosion turned the entire Onigashima purple. Kid was struck by one of the lightning snakes. His mechanical arm burst out with glaring electric sparks.

Although Killer barely avoided the main attack, he was still sent flying by the aftershock and crashed heavily into some ruins.

What was even more terrifying was that the residual force of this strike directly pierced through Onigashima’s strata.

The ground beneath everyone’s feet began to shake violently. A massive crack spread outward from the center of the explosion, as if the entire island was wailing.

"Tch..."

Kid climbed out from the rubble. His mechanical arm was already severely damaged.

Killer also slowly stood up. He looked at Big Mom and said, "We can’t let her keep bombarding us from long range like this. We have to close the distance."

On the main battlefield, the duel between Luffy and Kaido had entered a new phase.

The two clashed once again, but this time, Luffy no longer attacked blindly like before.

His movements became more rhythmic — dodging, blocking, counterattacking. Every step was precisely calculated.

What surprised Kaido even more was that Luffy had begun imitating his attack style.

When Kaido swung Hassaikai and reinforced his attacks with Conqueror’s Haki coating, Luffy didn’t take it head-on. Instead, he carefully observed the flow trajectory of that power.

His Observation Haki was being pushed to its absolute limit at this moment. He could even vaguely "see" the form of Conqueror’s Haki coating on the weapon’s surface.

Once, twice, three times...

With every exchange, Luffy deliberately prolonged the contact time during the weapon collision. It wasn’t for attacking, but for perceiving.

Finally, during the tenth collision, Luffy’s eyes lit up.

He understood.

The reason every one of Kaido’s strikes was heavy enough to shatter mountains, the reason he could tank all attacks with his physical body, and the reason he could draw down heavenly thunder...

Aside from that terrifying body known as the "Strongest Creature in the World," the most crucial point was...

"You wrapped Conqueror’s Haki... around your weapon."

Luffy leaped backward and landed on top of some ruins, panting heavily but with bright eyes.

"It’s not Armament Haki. It’s Conqueror’s Haki. Using Conqueror’s Haki to coat the weapon, so that every attack carries crushing force... That’s your real trump card!"

Kaido stopped moving.

He stared at Luffy for a full three seconds without speaking.

Then, he smiled.

It was a smile of approval, but also a smile filled with even stronger killing intent.

"You figured it out? Not bad. Much better than those idiots."

Kaido raised Hassaikai. Dark red Conqueror’s Haki burned like flames around the club. "But what does figuring it out matter? Knowing doesn’t mean you can do it. Conqueror’s Haki Coating is a technique that only the strongest in the world can master."

He paused. A playful glint flashed through his dragon eyes. "Do you really think that a brat like you, who only just awakened Conqueror’s Haki not long ago, can master this level?"

Luffy didn’t answer.

He simply took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

On the battlefield, the wind suddenly stopped.

No — it didn’t stop. It was "fixed" by some invisible force.

The drifting dust froze in mid-air. The falling rubble came to a halt in its trajectory. Even the lightning bolts released by Big Mom in the distance showed an extremely brief lag.

...