Chapter 8: Level Up

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"Heracles is a massive pirate crew with over a thousand members!" an experienced Marine beside Arashi said gravely.

"Now, it all depends on Vice Admiral Garp!" another Marine added, pulling his long sword out of an enemy's body.

Arashi was stunned. He then looked at the man standing on the ship's bow, arms crossed. In the next moment, he saw the warship move. 

No, to be precise, Garp was moving. 

He bent his knees slightly, causing the entire ship's bow to tilt downward, and the stern to rise to the ground at a 90-degree angle. 

The bow scraped against the sandy shore, producing a grating, heavy sound. 

As his strength peaked, Garp shot like a cannonball, soaring hundreds of meters high.

He arched through the sky, gazing down at the battlefield. 

His right hand clenched into a fist, and the very sky above seemed to hum and crackle as if it might shatter. 

Brilliant rays of light radiated behind him. The Marines below watched with anticipation as his figure froze in the air momentarily.

"Boom!" A shockwave rippled across the entire Jerseylo Island at incredible speed, causing everyone's hearts to pound.

"Galaxy Impact!" Garp roared as he punched downward.

"Boom!" An unimaginable force exploded from his punch, crashing down violently into the horde of pirates charging out of the town. 

It was as if a nuclear bomb had been dropped—the crowd disintegrated, and the ground fractured, with the shockwave spreading rapidly in all directions, tearing through the town and the entire island.

"Crack!" The town was obliterated, and a massive earthquake followed, shaking the very ground beneath their feet. 

Arashi's pupils trembled violently as he stared in shock at the scene before him. 

It was as if the world had shattered in that moment; under Garp's punch, everything was annihilated, wiped out like a nuclear explosion, erasing all in its path. 

Nearly a thousand pirates were obliterated without even time to scream, buried under the fractured, upturned ground by the terrifying impact of that punch.

"Vice Admiral Garp!" Kuzan shouted excitedly, his eyes gleaming as he stared at the mighty figure in the sky. 

The Marines behind them were now filled with high spirits, cheering loudly. This was the Marine Hero, Vice Admiral Garp!

Arashi stood in place, stunned. For a moment, he felt as if he had sensed the presence of Conqueror's Haki, but he couldn't be sure.

"Could that have been Conqueror's Haki infusion?" He snapped out of it, recalling his memories, thinking about Roger and Shanks' Divine Departure. 

Garp's punch has a similar overwhelming power. He then looked at his simple interface, focusing on the section representing Conqueror's Haki.

[Conqueror's Haki LV10+]

His eyes locked onto the now shattered, desolate town, with dust and debris swirling in the air. 

Arashi licked his lips, realizing they were dry, and felt his body trembling, perhaps from excitement. His system points were at seventy-five. 

Now, he faced two choices.

"A, Wait until mastering a new skill, then decide whether to allocate points based on the situation."

"B, Max out Conqueror's Haki first—perhaps then, I could wield the same terrifying power as Garp's punch!"

Arashi clenched his fist, barely hesitating. "B!!!" He then frantically pressed the "+" button next to Conqueror's Haki, hitting it seventy-five times in a row.

[Conqueror's Haki LV85+]

Arashi's body shook instantly, a deep understanding dawning on him. 

His mental awareness grew stronger, feeding back into his body and simultaneously enhancing his strength, speed, and reflexes.

Slowly raising his arm, Arashi noticed faint strands of black and red aura beginning to wrap around him like threads. 

He felt the immense weight of the power in his fist and realized that without directly hitting the target, this aura could extend and strike the enemy's body. 

Almost instinctively, Arashi clenched his fist, his gaze fixed on the pirates ahead, who were still in a daze.

....

"Garp!!"

"It's the Marine hero, Garp!!"

"Oh my god, how can it be that monster?!"

The pirates finally snapped out of the shock from Garp's punch. 

The fear on their faces replaced the fearless expressions they had moments ago. 

It was clear to everyone that facing Garp meant they had no chance of survival.

Amidst the chaos, no one noticed a young, black-haired Marine slowly moving through the ranks, seemingly gathering an invisible energy. 

Suddenly, a streak of black and red lightning burst at a certain moment, and a powerful wave of Conqueror's Haki surged out from Arashi, sweeping across the entire island.

"Buzz!"

The space around them seemed to twist, ripples spreading rapidly. 

Everything within sight seemed to tremble like a reflection on a disturbed lake.

"Thud!"

The Marines closest to Arashi were the first to fall, their eyes rolling back as they collapsed to the ground. One after another, figures around him fainted quickly. 

Even Kuzan, turning in shock to locate the source of the overwhelming aura, froze when he realized it was coming from Arashi.

"Arashi?!"

He barely managed to utter the name before his body went limp, and he, too, fell to the ground, unconscious. 

At that moment, whether Marine or pirate, everyone within the radius of Arashi's Haki dropped like straw in a storm, unable to withstand the overpowering force.

But Arashi was still lost in the sensation of that punch. He was instinctively guiding the aura to flow along his arm and fist. 

Then, suddenly, he opened his eyes and unleashed a powerful punch.

"Buzz!"

The air collapsed, and a flash of lightning shot out, the terrifying impact landing right in the middle of the pirate crowd, striking the sniper Jerry, who had shot at him twice. 

Jerry exploded on the spot. Centered on him, the force tore apart the surrounding pirates, shaking and cracking the ground under the impact.

The scale of destruction was unbelievable—this punch devastated two-thirds of the town, leveling the remaining buildings that hadn't yet collapsed. 

It was as if another nuclear bomb had detonated on the island.

Arashi slowly withdrew his fist, falling silent. He was now sure that this was indeed Conqueror's Haki infusion. 

However, the power of his punch didn't match Garp's. This was likely due to his still-limited physical strength.

Zeshir Island fell into a deathly silence, the Marines all knocked unconscious, with the sole exception of Garp. 

Even the heart of the Marine hero was pounding. What had he just witnessed? 

A seventeen-year-old boy had just awakened Conqueror's Haki and immediately used the advanced technique of Conqueror's Haki infusion—a feat only achievable by the world's strongest fighters. 

Yet this boy hadn't even mastered Armament Haki or Observation Haki, and his martial arts, swordsmanship, and marksmanship skills were virtually nonexistent.

Garp descended from the sky, landing in front of Arashi. He loudly asked, his eyes filled with shock, "How did you learn Conqueror's Haki infusion?"

Arashi remained silent for a moment before finally responding with just two words.

"Instinct!"

<End Chapter>

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