Chapter 219: The Tyrant's Resonance

Early the next morning.

After exchanging a few words with Gao Wen, Xiang Keluo set off for Whiskey Peak at a speed far greater than his arrival.

With the team's internal ranking battle imminent, he, as the holder of the Number One Coin, was indispensable and the primary target for Jin, Roubo Luqi, Zoro, and the rest of the grind-obsessed group.

He also needed this ranking battle to thoroughly consolidate his position as the team's second-in-command.

Originally, as Jin and the others improved their combat power, Xiang Keluo's Silver-level potential had begun to lag behind the current meta, causing Gao Wen some concern.

But now, after consuming the Kamaitachi Fruit, which was nearly a perfect match for him, and combined with his Haki cultivation that had already surpassed everyone else's, he possessed combat power capable of suppressing everyone except Gao Wen.

It was actually the battles of Jin and the other four grind-obsessed individuals that made Gao Wen slightly more expectant.

After Xiang Keluo's departure, Gao Wen returned to his former disciplined routine.

During the day, he sparred with Kizaru, who dragged his half-dead body around while taking slacking off to the extreme, accumulating Conqueror's Haki experience in hopes of reaching Level 4 soon.

Watching the Conqueror's Haki experience bar rise little by little, the sense of satisfaction was almost indescribable in words.

At this moment.

On the outskirts of Alabasta, within the desert.

Kizaru panted heavily, looking at Gao Wen in the distance, who was covered in blood yet still brimming with fighting spirit, and for a moment felt his teeth ache.

During these past few days of battle, he had long since discovered that Gao Wen's Haki showed no substantial change.

This confirmed his previous speculation: sparring matches of this nature held little significance for tempering one's will and improving Haki, especially Conqueror's Haki cultivation.

In his original estimation, upon realizing this, Gao Wen should have abandoned this grueling method of cultivation and turned to seeking other paths.

He himself could then successfully return to his familiar life of a cup of tea, a pack of cigarettes, and writing a single report all day long.

But now, the development of events seemed somewhat unexpected; Gao Wen was instead becoming increasingly hooked.

"This kind of cultivation is meaningless."

"For you to advance further now, what you need is battle after battle to the death, tempering your will and polishing your beliefs through the process."

"Only then is it possible to go further."

Gao Wen's expression remained unchanged as he flicked the blade in his hand, stating calmly:

"I have my own way of doing things; you only need to fulfill our transaction."

"Tsk."

Kizaru frowned, and seeing Gao Wen's persistence, he ceased speaking.

Although he was unwilling to admit it.

Those who reached the summit were without exception individuals possessed of immense self-confidence.

And what Gao Wen displayed at this moment was precisely such a quality.

"You monsters, every single one of you is so stubborn and opinionated."

"Even knowing the path ahead is blocked, you still believe you can fight your way out."

"Truly..."

"Enough nonsense!"

Gao Wen spoke, cutting off Kizaru's voice, as the long blade in his hand slashed out streaks of sharp flying blades that pierced through Kizaru's body, racing all the way to the limit of vision and stirring up a sky-full of yellow sand.

"Ke~wa~i~ne~!"

Kizaru exclaimed with sarcastic praise as dazzling golden laser beams rapidly gathered and condensed into a blade of light, clashing fiercely with Guanshi Zhengzong in Gao Wen's hand.

Boom!

Tremendously powerful force erupted beneath their feet.

The ground collapsed, and the yellow sand scattered outward in concentric circles like flowing water.

Yet their movements did not pause for even an instant; in the blink of an eye, they had launched a fierce exchange in the desert.

Amidst continuous booming sounds, endless yellow sand was splashed up, accompanied by howling gales that made it impossible to keep one's eyes open.

Within the increasingly intense exchange.

Gao Wen vaguely perceived the Conqueror's Haki born of belief flowing within his body with each collision.

He had a premonition that perhaps the qualitative transformation of his Conqueror's Haki would arrive ahead of schedule.

This also made him even more obsessed with cultivating alongside Kizaru.

Time flew, and several days passed.

During these few days.

Gao Wen lived a life moving between two points and one line: sparring with Kizaru during the day to temper his Conqueror's Haki, and returning to his room to rest at night, even giving him the illusion of having returned to Raven Port.

After finishing a day of cultivation, Gao Wen returned to his room.

The dim candlelight flickered continuously as cold winds blew through.

Much like Gao Wen's restless heart at this moment, his gaze fell upon the system panel, specifically the column symbolizing Conqueror's Haki:

【Conqueror's Haki - LV - 3: 14508/15000】

"Today is the time for harvest."

Looking at the Conqueror's Haki skill bar, Gao Wen's eyes lit up at this moment.

During this period, Gao Wen had fought consecutively against Crocodile and Jin Shizi, followed by over half a month of cultivation with Kizaru, all for the purpose of rapidly stacking up his most lacking attribute: Haki.

Among these, Conqueror's Haki was the most important, being an almost essential ability for high-end battles.

Apart from individuals like Kizaru, whose own abilities were so heaven-defying that they could elevate their strengths to a nearly monstrous degree at the Admiral level.

Others such as the Four Emperors, Garp, and Sengoku were all proficient in Conqueror's Haki; even Aokiji and Akainu, whose depths remained unknown, were highly likely users of Conqueror's Haki.

If Gao Wen wished to reach the summit and establish himself upon this vast sea.

Conqueror's Haki was almost an indispensable existence!

And now, hope stood right before his eyes!

Very quickly.

A familiar system prompt sounded in Gao Wen's ear:

"Conqueror's Haki Experience +603!"

……

【Conqueror's Haki-LV3: 14508/15000——>Conqueror's Haki-LV-4: 111/25000】

……

The next instant.

A wild Conqueror's Haki, far surpassing his former self by several notches, spread outward from Gao Wen like a gale...

Crack, crack, crack—!

Cracks appeared on the walls inside the room, while faint crimson lightning flickered in the void.

This Conqueror's Haki, like a fierce beast unleashed from its cage, instantly blew open the room's windows and spread across most of Alubarna.

Countless patrolling guards, passersby, and even Marines who had arrived in Alubarna lost consciousness the moment this Conqueror's Haki touched them, foaming at the mouth as they collapsed to the ground.

"This impact... an enemy attack?!"

Within the palace.

Jackal Chaka barely managed to stand straight, feeling as though his consciousness were blurring.

Pell beside him was in the same state.

Just as the two were about to take action, Cobra, seated on the Wang Zuo, stopped them.

"Wait!"

Cobra turned to look out the window; his line of sight landed precisely on Gao Wen's temporary residence, where he saw crimson lightning flickering in the void, his eyes filled with terror he could hardly conceal:

"This feeling... there's no mistake!"

"It is Conqueror's Haki, the qualification of a king found in only one out of a million people; I never expected to witness it here."

At this moment.

Cobra even felt somewhat relieved that Gao Wen was not standing on the opposing side.

This man already possessed combat strength surpassing Crocodile and even capable of fighting a Marine Admiral, and now, coupled with the kingly qualification he had just revealed...

All Cobra could think of.

Were the Four Emperors who dominated the New World, whom even the World Government was unwilling to engage lightly.

"If such a man could stand behind Alabasta, incidents similar to the Baroque Works would never happen to this country again."

Cobra tapped his fingertips lightly on the Wang Zuo; thinking of the Poneglyph his family had guarded for generations, his gaze became incredibly complex.

In fact, given Alabasta's status as one of the twenty founding nations of the World Government, they originally had no need to worry about the Baroque Works issue.

But the Poneglyph buried in the Mausoleum destined Alabasta to drift further and further away from the World Government.

After all, once that thing was unearthed, the only outcome awaiting the Nefertari Family was destruction.

"The Baroque Works incident has already proven that when facing powerful pirates like the Seven Warlords of the Sea, relying solely on Alabasta's domestic forces is no longer sufficient to protect this country."

"To prevent the citizens from enduring such chaos again, we must introduce external aid."

After narrowly surviving at Crocodile's hands previously, Cobra had already realized this problem.

It was just that he had been busy quelling unrest throughout the country and rescuing refugees everywhere, thus leaving the matter shelved.

It was not until tonight, upon feeling Gao Wen's eruption of Conqueror's Haki, that he once again placed this problem before himself.

"Compared to seeking shelter from other pirates, Knight Gao Wen's reputation and the conduct he displayed during this incident are undoubtedly more trustworthy."

"But if we want him to step in at critical moments to protect Alabasta without arousing the World Government's suspicion, what exactly should we do..."

Cobra fell into deep thought, until the events that had previously occurred in the East Blue reappeared before him, and suddenly, everything had an answer again:

"The Martial Arts Tournament!"

"The Martial Arts Tournament in the East Blue has already attracted the attention of the entire world; to expand further, we must inevitably extend our reach to other seas."

"Alabasta can serve as the first stop!"

"Through this, we can also revitalize the country's economy and allow the citizens to live better lives."

"If something happens to Alabasta in the future, it will affect Gao Wen's own interests; he absolutely will not stand by and watch!"

Upon reaching this thought.

Cobra could no longer remain seated; after having Pell prepare several gifts, he prepared to visit Gao Wen early the next morning.

……

A few minutes earlier.

Gao Wen's eruption of Conqueror's Haki swept across most of the city.

Kizaru, who had long since fallen asleep, was awakened; he lifted his blindfold, his eyes filled with confusion and surprise:

"Hey, hey, hey~"

"This level of Conqueror's Haki far exceeds the intensity Gao Wen displayed before."

"There shouldn't be such an existence in this country."

"Then that means..."

As he spoke.

A trace of Solemnity appeared in Kizaru's eyes; he hurriedly rose, threw open the curtains, and directed his gaze toward the center of the Conqueror's Haki eruption.

Under the clear moonlight, crimson lightning in the void, like snakes, flickered continuously around a Shabao.

There.

It was Gao Wen's temporary residence.

"As expected, this is Gao Wen's Conqueror's Haki!"

"Conqueror's Haki of this magnitude... it already rivals Barrett's from back in the day."

"He is not far from mastering Conqueror's Haki Infusion, the mark of the supreme conqueror."

"This fellow... has he truly been hiding his strength all along?"

"But that doesn't make sense!"

Kizaru's brows furrowed slightly.

He had confidence in his own combat power.

When facing him, even someone as strong as Gao Wen would find it difficult to hold back his strength.

Moreover, in those numerous battles, Gao Wen had unleashed his Conqueror's Haki more than once.

It was strong, but absolutely not to this level!

Damn it!

At this very moment, Kizaru finally realized why Gao Wen had never cared about his persuasions.

"He has found his own method!"

"Ara ara~"

"With you doing this, I look quite like a clown!"

"And furthermore..."

Kizaru seemed to think of something, his expression becoming extremely strange:

"Does this count as another form of... aiding the enemy?!"

"It probably doesn't, right?"

"After all, I did all this for Instructor Zeha; to put it further, I did it to ease the situation within the Navy, or even to stabilize the grand scheme of the world."

"I have worried my heart out for this world!"

As his voice landed,

in the distant sky, an even stronger wave of Conqueror's Haki erupted once more.

It was like a fierce wind sweeping through, directly causing the wind and sand blowing into the room to swirl backward, while heaven and earth fell silent for a time.

The corner of Kizaru's mouth twitched:

"This is too much!"

Bang!

He directly shut the window, adopting the principle that out of sight is out of mind.

Yet only the two words 'aiding the enemy' lingered in Kizaru's mind, refusing to dissipate.

That night,

Kizaru suffered from insomnia.

On the other end.

Gao Wen barely managed to control the surging Conqueror's Haki within his body, yet traces of aura still leaked out occasionally, leaving streaks of cracks on the surrounding walls.

After a long while,

Gao Wen exhaled a long breath, slowly opened his eyes, and fixed his gaze on the cracks on the wall, the excitement on his face completely unable to be concealed:

"The intensity of my Conqueror's Haki has at least doubled!"

"At this level..."

Previously,

when Gao Wen faced the Jin Shizi, he had not even released his own Conqueror's Haki.

After all, against the Jin Shizi's overwhelming Conqueror's Haki that crushed everything in its path, Gao Wen's level of Conqueror's Haki would have been shattered in an instant.

But now, things were different.

Snap!

Gao Wen raised his hand and gripped the air, eliciting a loud explosion; feeling the Conqueror's Haki flowing within him, the corner of his mouth gradually curled up:

"Perhaps I cannot yet stand on equal footing with the Jin Shizi, but I will definitely not be shattered in an instant."

"Moreover..."

"The sensation from before was not an illusion; I have already felt the flow of Conqueror's Haki!"

"Like qi, like flowing water, even more like an arm..."

"However, there is still some distance to go before reaching the level of Kaido or Big Mom, who can directly infuse it into their attacks."

"Something is still slightly lacking."

Gao Wen closed his eyes, concentrated his will, felt the flow of Conqueror's Haki, and began attempting to manipulate its flow, yet he could never quite find the method.

If Armament Haki was still linked to one's physical constitution, then Conqueror's Haki was the pure manifestation of will.

Even knowing how to do it, there was still that tiny bit missing.

"Do I need to engage in fierce battles and clashes of belief like Straw Hat to ignite the Conqueror's Haki within me, or is there another way..."

Gao Wen's brows furrowed slightly.

Once again, he felt the same problem he had encountered when first entering the realms of Armament Haki and Observation Haki.

Without proper guidance as a self-taught practitioner, the only way to correctly enter these realms was to rely on constant personal experimentation.

Even with the same talent, the speed of development would fall far behind that of someone receiving guidance.

"Let me try again."

Gao Wen closed his eyes and once again attempted to control the Conqueror's Haki within his body.

……

Soon.

Crimson sunlight streamed in through the window; dawn had broken.

After a night of arduous cultivation yielding nothing, Gao Wen prepared to go seek guidance from Kizaru.

Just then.

From the street outside the window came a clamor of disturbance.

"Found traces of the Devil Child, Nico Robin!"

"Don't let her escape!"

(End of Chapter)