Chapter 16 : Awakening Conqueror's Haki At The Age Of 9!

In a certain area of the sea near Marine Headquarters.

The flagship of the Red-Haired Pirates, the Red Force, is here!

As the new bounties are being distributed, Red-Haired Shanks suddenly feels a faint pain in his left arm.

It's as if an intense burning sensation is coming from where his arm was severed!

"Mmm..."

Despite the searing pain, Shanks grits his teeth, refusing to make a sound.

After all, how could the youngest of the Four Emperors show weakness in front of his crew?

"Boss!!"

"Shanks!!"

"Captain!!!"

The officers around him immediately notice something is wrong. They see Shanks' unusual reaction and want to rush to his side to check on him, but due to the confinement of the system covering the area, their movements are restricted. They can only move slowly, as if they were hit by a wave of slow light.

"Don't worry, I'm fine!" 

Shanks furrows his brow, but his words reassure his crew.

He can feel the cells at the site of his severed left arm regenerating at an alarming rate. Each new cell brims with powerful flame energy and vitality!

In the next instant, a burst of fire erupts, illuminating the surrounding sea!

Even the clouds in the sky take on a fiery orange hue.

In the astonished gazes of the Red-Haired Pirates, Shanks' left arm rapidly regenerates!

When the flames finally die down, a newly formed arm, ablaze with fire, appears on Shanks' body. Through the flames, a striking fire phoenix pattern can be seen on the arm!

The chat room explodes with activity.

Gol D. Roger: "Hey, Shanks! Do you have three arms now?"

Shanks: "...Captain, my left arm was severed 10 years ago. Now, I've got this Kirin Arm, so I still only have two..."

Gol D. Roger: "Ah, that's a shame! With three arms, your power would be on a whole new level!"

Kozuki Oden: "Hahaha! Captain Roger, I think two arms look better. Three would be a bit weird!"

Kaido: "Shanks, is that Kirin Arm really that special? I wonder how it stacks up against my defense?"

Shanks: "We'll have to test it out to know for sure! But this Kirin Arm definitely feels powerful. It even generates Kirin Flames. It's like I lucked into the power of the Flame-Flame Fruit!"

Dracule Mihawk: "After the Summit War, Shanks, come to Kuraigana Island for a duel. Now, you're worthy of testing your swordsmanship against me."

Shanks: "Haha! No problem! With this new arm, I feel like if I hold a sword in my left hand, I could beat you black and blue!"

Kizaru: "Hot and cold, impervious to blades and spears... Is this Kirin Arm really that exaggerated?"

Borsalino: "This is troublesome. A Four Emperors-level pirate gaining something like that is a real headache!"

Sengoku: "Don't stress. The movie is still ongoing, and when the time comes for us to answer questions, the rewards for the Marines won't be small!"

Shiki: "With your shady and smoky character, what can you possibly get? Once I'm resurrected, just watch me overthrow Marine Headquarters and settle the score from the past!"

Sengoku: "Get lost! I don't have time to talk to a dead man!!"

The video continues.

Day after day, Luffy trains diligently from dawn till dusk.

Two years later, Luffy is now 9 years old.

In the mountains, Luffy is training his Observation Haki while being attacked by a hundred wild beasts.

Suddenly, an overwhelming aura bursts from Luffy, spreading throughout the entire mountain range!!!

All the beasts immediately collapse, legs in the air, foaming at the mouth and convulsing uncontrollably.

Some even lose control of their bodily functions... the scene is truly terrifying...

Damn!!

Seeing this, all the strong individuals watching feel a chill down their spines.

Doflamingo: "That's...Conqueror's...Haki ...??"

Kuzan: "There's no doubt, that's definitely Conqueror's Haki!!!"

Tsuru: "Garp, you really are something as a grandfather... Awakening Conqueror's Haki at 9 years old—this kind of talent is rare even in the New World!"

Monkey D. Garp: "Stop talking! The more you talk, the worse I feel!!! Compared to that red Luffy over there, I feel this one is nothing but trash..."

Monkey D. Luffy: "(⊙o⊙)..."

Nico Robin: "Hehe, it's a comment from Luffy's grandpa~"

Roronoa Zoro: "Are we really following a piece of trash as our captain...?"

Franky: "Hahaha! Quit it, you're making it super hard to hold back! Well, suupeeeer~~~!"

Charlotte Katakuri: "This kid's talent is monstrous..."

Marco: "Both versions of Straw Hat Luffy should have similar potential. The other Luffy just focused more on training and awakened his Conqueror's Haki earlier. In theory, this Luffy also has a king potential, it just hasn't been unlocked yet."

Monkey D. Luffy: "Huh? Can I also awaken Conqueror's Haki?"

Monkey D. Garp: "You idiot! How dare you ask that! The other Luffy awakened it at 9 years old! And you? You still haven't awakened it—how embarrassing!!!"

Boa Hancock: "Grandpa, please don't scold Luffy anymore. Luffy has already awakened his Conqueror's Haki, I can prove it!"

Hancock recalls when Luffy accidentally awakened his Conqueror's Haki back on Amazon Lily while trying to save Margaret and the others.

Luffy doesn't remember what happened, but Hancock does.

Seeing Luffy being berated by Garp, she quickly steps in to defend him.

Monkey D. Garp: "Shut up! Stop calling me 'grandpa'! Your matters with Luffy are your own business, don't drag me into it!"

Just thinking about how reckless Luffy is drives Garp up the wall!!

Damn it, this Luffy is a complete waste of training!!

Garp wishes he could jump into the red-framed screen and trade places with the Garp from that world.

In the scene, Luffy continues his training.

Day after day, year after year.

Another five years fly by.

Now, Luffy is 14 years old!

Two months after Ace sets sail, Luffy also sets sail!

At this point, the screen with the red border fades.