From Now On, I Will Stand In The Sky!

"Arias, what's wrong?" Hancock asked, perplexed by his sudden change in demeanor.

Arias sighed and sat back down, saying, "Hiyori has awakened Conqueror's."

"Yes, I know," Hancock replied. As the possessor of Conqueror's Haki herself, she had sensed Hiyori's awakening at such close proximity.

"Are you wondering why you don't have Conqueror's?" Hancock immediately recognized Arias's confusion.

"Conqueror's requires the qualifications of a king, but do you have the ambition to become a king?" she questioned.

Arias was taken aback by her insight. Ignoring the presence of the nymphomaniac behind Hancock, he began to reflect on his own aspirations.

"Do I have the ambition to become a king?" he contemplated.

Hancock continued, "Even if you don't have Conqueror's, Arias, you are still my favorite!"

Her words resonated with him, causing him to reconsider his priorities.

He delved into his thoughts. Hancock was the empress of Amazon Lily, driven by a fervent desire to annihilate all Celestial Dragons. Yamato aspired to surpass Kaido and become the protector god of Wanokuni. Hiyori, under Arias's training, had ceased relying on others for hope. If her brother, Momonosuke, failed to return, she was prepared to take matters into her own hands and become the queen of Wanokuni.

Arias questioned why they had to wait for Momonosuke's return. Why couldn't Hiyori, with her newfound strength, confront Kaido on her own and become the queen of Wanokuni?

As he pondered, he contemplated the nature of Conqueror's Haki. Was it truly an innate trait? Did destiny dictate their abilities, or did individuals have the power to shape their own destinies?

"If being a king is truly predetermined, then it's fatalistic," Arias pondered. However, considering Oda's unique storytelling twists, perhaps destiny wasn't as fixed as it seemed.

The Straw Hats' actions became the Second Generation's adventure, and Luffy's success evolved into a destiny named Nika. Arias questioned why Nika had to be the one to save the world, and why it had to be Luffy.

From Hiyori's example, Arias saw another perspective. Conqueror's Haki might not be an innate trait; instead, it could awaken when a person possessed the ambition of a king.

Fate had been disrupted the moment Arias crossed over into this world. He began to understand why the system kept urging him to alter the original world line — perhaps to break the chains of destiny.

But did he harbor the ambition to become a king?

Arias sank into deep contemplation. When he learned about time travel and gained the system, did he have a purpose beyond the intended obliteration by Hancock? Adventure and exploration in the pirate world were all he seemed to care about.

Did he have any obligations in this world?

Considering the corrupt World Government, the complicit Marines, and the atrocities committed by the Celestial Dragons, Arias remembered his dreams as Haimi. In his previous life, he had aspired to change all of this.

Now, presented with the opportunity, Arias questioned the feasibility of relying on Nika's supposed destiny and the Revolutionary Army's inconsistent operations to bring about real change.

So, here he was. He wasn't interested in becoming a king, but he desired to make the king bow his head.

Under Hancock's adoring gaze, Arias slowly stood up once again.

"My ambition?" Arias chuckled, a glint of determination in his eyes. "From now on, I will stand in the sky!"

Boom!

As the words left his lips, a tyrannical force surged out, its intensity covering half of the island. Villagers on this side fell unconscious, overwhelmed by the might of Conqueror's Haki.

Even Hancock, who possessed Conqueror's Haki herself, was taken aback by the overwhelming momentum emanating from Arias. This newly awakened Conqueror's seemed even stronger than her own.

Yamato, having just been astonished by Hiyori's Conqueror's Haki, now felt an even more potent awakening from Arias.

"Is it Arias?" Yamato wondered, turning her head in the direction of the Miracle Cave. "What a strong Conqueror's Haki. He is indeed my Yamato's best brother!"

On the ground, Hiyori had fallen into a coma after her Conqueror's Haki awakening. The two pirates, too, were shocked into unconsciousness.

Yamato easily dealt with the pirates, then picked up Hiyori and returned to the Cave of Miracles. The little Loli needed serious treatment and recuperation, and the cave's unhygienic environment wasn't suitable for her recovery.

Returning to the Dawn, Yamato arrived at the port only to find Hancock furious. Salome lay on the deck, covered in blood, and signs indicated the boat had been ransacked.

"Salome!" Hancock rushed forward, examining Salome's numerous wounds—knife cuts, gunshot injuries, and punctures. The most severe wounds even revealed bone.

Jesse, having escaped secretly, decided not to flee immediately upon seeing the Dawn. Enticed by the potential treasures on the ship, he led the remaining pirates to plunder. Salome, however, wasn't about to let them succeed.

Unfortunately, despite its superior intelligence, Salome was just an ordinary water snake. Despite her desperate resistance, not a single pirate was left standing, and she herself was seriously injured and on the brink of death.

Arias, filled with anger, blamed himself for not paying attention to the situation of the Daybreak. He kept flying insects and should have anticipated the attack, but his focus had been entirely on Hiyori.

"Hancock, I'm sorry," Arias sincerely apologized to Hancock.

Hancock, already in tears, pleaded with Arias, "Save her, save Salome. I don't want her to die! Please, Arias, you have many magical abilities. You must have a way to save her, right?"

Arias had never seen Hancock so distraught. The usually aloof empress was now a helpless girl, crying and begging for Salome's life.

"Let me try," Arias said. Placing his hand on Salome's snake head, he released a bit of Qi and imparted the teachings of the Immortal Thief of Liuku. However, Salome, being a snake, had a different physiology from humans. It remained uncertain if the Liuku Immortal Thief would be effective, and even if it was, Salome needed the ability to practice Qi.

Fortunately, Salome was intelligent and had been observing the empress every day. She had learned to swallow the essence of the sun and moon without a teacher. As the Immortal Thief Liuku entered her body, her dying form suddenly emitted a powerful energy.

"No! Use Haki to block it!" Arias and Hancock enveloped themselves in Haki, while Yamato protected herself and Hiyori. A powerful suction force emanated from Salome, draining the vitality from everything around. Fish in the sea, birds in the sky, nearby trees, and even mosquitoes on the branches had their life force extracted.

Salome's scarred body began visibly recovering, showing signs of rejuvenation at a speed discernible to the naked eye.