One Piece: Strongest Trait#46: Supreme King Haki Clash

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Amidst the yelling, Luffy immediately used his rubber powers, stretching his arms to grab onto the Baratie's railing and pull himself back aboard the restaurant ship.

RUMBLE!

The terrifying storm generated by the clashing Haki lifted the wreckage of Don Krieg's galleon right out of the sea, tossing debris high into the air!

Thump! Thump! Thump!

As the tempest swept past, the remaining Krieg Pirate grunts' pupils constricted in terror. Their eyes rolled back, and they all collapsed, unconscious.

Then, they too were swept up by the raging vortex and blown away.

High above, even the clouds began to recede, frantically pulling away from the space directly above Rowen and Mihawk.

This was a clash between two Kings!

Nothing, not even the clouds, could presume to remain above them!

Conqueror's Haki... Clash!

"W-What's happening?!" Sanji braced himself against the buffeting winds, staring wide-eyed at the epicenter of the collision, cold sweat dripping down his face.

Many of the chefs around him couldn't withstand the impact either and had fainted.

What... is this power?!

"Conqueror's Haki! So this is the power of Conqueror's Haki?! Truly astounding!" Zeff, who had heard legends but never witnessed it firsthand, stared with undisguised shock.

"Conqueror's... Haki?" Sanji murmured the term.

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"Conqueror's Haki... So, it's not just for knocking out weaklings... it can be used as raw power too?! Is this what you wanted to show me, Rowen?!" Zoro gritted his teeth, his body shielded by Usopp, Johnny, and Yosaku from the worst of the tempest's effects due to his injuries.

But a feral grin spread across Zoro's face.

This power... He would obtain it too!

With power like this... he could challenge Hawk-Eyes again, right?

As for whether he could obtain it? Zoro had no doubts.

Rowen said he could... so he would!

Otherwise, how could he live up to Rowen's acknowledgment?!

"Hah..." The storm gradually subsided.

The intense crimson-black light in both Rowen's and Mihawk's eyes slowly faded.

Splash! Splash!

The wreckage of Don Krieg's ship rained back down into the sea!

"Astonishing Haki! To possess such 'Disposition' without even having sailed the Grand Line... 'Sky Sovereign' Rowen. I shall remember that name," Mihawk stated, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Only after clashing could one truly gauge the depth of another's Conqueror's Haki.

This young man's 'Disposition'... felt far beyond what someone of his age and experience should possess.

There were undoubtedly individuals on the Grand Line with Conqueror's Haki far stronger than this young man's.

But considering his youth, the fact he hadn't yet ventured into the Grand Line, and had Trained Haki of this level solely within the East Blue, the weakest sea...

This young man's potential was limitless!

Furthermore... Mihawk felt he saw in this young man a faint shadow of the Pirate King!

Although this young man's Haki was far weaker than the Pirate King's, the resemblance, the potential, was definitely there.

The weakest sea, the East Blue... has produced such a young man.

For the first time in a long while, even Mihawk felt a tremor of genuine surprise ripple through him.

———

—[Clashed Conqueror's Haki with Pirate Faction iconic figure, Warlord 'Hawk-Eyes' Mihawk, causing slight mental fluctuation.]—

—[Faction Fortune (Apex Gold) hidden effect triggered. Plundering a portion of target's 'fortune'.]—

—[Awakened! Armament Haki, Observation Haki.]—

———

A series of notifications, visible only to Rowen, appeared.

And the gains didn't stop there.

———

—[Your words significantly increased bond with Zoro. Trait equipping progress increased.]—

—[Demonic Physique (Deep Purple) equipping complete!]—

———

Rowen looked at the notifications, his eyes flashing.

The completion of Demonic Physique's equipping was already part of his plan.

But he hadn't expected that clashing Conqueror's Haki could trigger Faction Fortune's (Apex Gold) hidden effect!

Causing a mental fluctuation in an iconic Pirate Faction figure through a Haki clash allowed him to plunder a portion of their 'fortune'.

Makes sense. After all, completely defeating such a figure allowed Faction Fortune to plunder their entire 'fortune'.

And causing mental fluctuation during a Haki clash could grant a tactical advantage in battle.

No wonder in the original story, Conqueror's Haki users, even those who hadn't mastered infusion yet, often clashed their Haki before engaging in a final life-or-death struggle.

However, this 'slight fluctuation' was negligible for someone like Mihawk; he would recover completely in moments.

This was only possible because Mihawk, respecting his connection to Shanks, had significantly restrained his own Haki release.

Otherwise, Rowen wouldn't have appeared to be evenly matched in that clash.

Shanks's connection really is useful.

Although it was just a slight fluctuation, it was enough for Rowen. That tiny sliver of plundered 'fortune' was sufficient to awaken his Armament Haki and Observation Haki.

As expected of one of the Pirate Faction's top figures, second only to the Emperors among the Warlords. Just a tiny fraction of his 'fortune' yielded such significant gains!

This power was exactly what Rowen needed most before entering the Grand Line.

Plus, Zoro's Demonic Physique (Deep Purple)... completed equipping at this very moment!

"Check Traits!"

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