Chapter 99

Before Seven's time-travel, only Rocks had ever demonstrated the Conqueror's Haki Defense technique.

Of course, god-tier Qiangzhe like Yimu and Joy Boy certainly possessed even stronger techniques, but they simply hadn’t made their appearance yet.

It was Rocks’ Conqueror’s Haki Defense displayed at the God Valley that made Conqueror’s Haki a unified offensive and defensive power.

And there’s Kaido’s saying—

Only Haki can surpass all else.

And the Conqueror’s Haki feat from Joy Boy eight hundred years ago—single-handedly splitting the heavens, stunning a Marine Vice Admiral, repelling the Five Elders, and making Yimu kneel in terror.

All of it proves—

Conqueror’s Haki is overpowered, absurdly powerful.

Precisely because of this, Seven didn’t hesitate a single moment—he immediately spent 100,000 points to purchase Conqueror’s Haki Defense.

【Ding, congratulations, you have obtained Conqueror’s Haki Defense】

At that moment, Seven suddenly felt something.

An supreme force completely forged the Glutton, Natural Strength, Steel Balloon, Lunarian bloodline, and Seven himself into a single, unified entity.

These postnatal enhancements became Seven’s innate talents since the moment of his birth, fully fused with his body.

Immediately after—

Countless crimson-black lightning bolts swept across the entire sea in an instant, tearing open the previously storm-clouded night sky, allowing the bright moonlight to pour onto the ocean surface.

Layer upon layer of invisible barriers surrounded Seven, even the howling sea wind severed at that moment.

As Seven gripped his sword, Dream One, crimson-black lightning coiled around the blade, his aura surpassing even what it had been before.

The torn clouds split cleanly apart.

But unlike before, no fish floated to the surface—Seven’s control over Conqueror’s Haki had become far more precise.

At the same time, its range expanded and its quality strengthened.

If before, Seven had been at the peak of Emperor rank, barely touching the threshold of King rank, now he had officially crossed it.

Conqueror’s Haki is simply that unreasonable.

Sensing his crew gradually arriving on deck, Seven willed it—and the crimson-black lightning scattered rapidly from the surrounding sea.

The Golden Lion rarely laughed.

The Conqueror’s Haki Seven had just released was on an entirely different level—the first wave barely reached fifty percent of Rocks’ power.

The second wave reached at least seventy percent.

The Golden Lion suddenly felt his fifty-plus years had been wasted—compared to this kid… the captain, those fifty years were truly wasted.

He accepted he couldn’t match the first captain—Rocks was, after all, the strongest man of his era.

Now, the second captain, Barzab Seven, had left him far behind—he couldn’t accept this.

“Barzab, draw your sword.”

Seven smiled slightly: “You see, you’re in a hurry again.”

“Senior Shiki, once we take Hive Island, we swordsmen will have plenty of time to spar—why rush now?”

He still had over six thousand points left—he planned to buy more items to strengthen himself; he had no time to spar out on the sea.

The Golden Lion reluctantly sheathed his dual blades and deliberately turned to Mihawk and Tenghu:

“The two of you, I’ll go first.”

Mihawk nodded slightly: “I’ll be second.”

Tenghu sighed: “I’ll be third.”

For Tenghu, having four great swordsmen on the ship was a blissful torment—he most wanted to spar with the captain, but he was two steps too late.

Fortunately, after taking Hive Island, the captain had no other plans—there would be many chances to spar.

Seeing the three great swordsmen speak up in turn, Shilou quickly chimed in.

“Captain, I’ll be fourth.”

He had no hope of surpassing Mihawk, the Golden Lion, or Tenghu in swordsmanship anytime soon,

Shilou only hoped to keep pace with the captain, not fall too far behind—at least become the fifth great swordsman of the Morning Star Pirates within the next few years.

He couldn’t bear the thought of another great swordsman being swayed by the captain’s charm and stealing the fifth spot.

Shilou’s pride would never allow such a thing.

Seven glanced at the permanent compass in his hand.

“Everyone, rest up—we should reach Hive Island in about two days.”

After the crew dispersed, Seven steered with one hand while staring at the front-facing trading interface, searching for high-value items.

【Black Cat II: 100 points, anti-materiel sniper rifle, 138 cm barrel, fires 12.7mm rounds, effective range 2,000 meters. Seller’s note: Call me an arms dealer】

“Damn, how did I forget about firearms?”

Seven immediately bought two Black Cat IIs and several rounds of ammunition—one to keep as a sidearm for fun, the other to give to Jin Ni as a weapon.

Sniper rounds wrapped in Conqueror’s Haki should inflict real damage—perfect for firing at Momonosuke two years from now.

Seven even considered buying something like an ICBM, but nothing like that was available on the trading platform.

After browsing briefly and finding no items with high cost-effectiveness, he bought six more flight capes, planning to give one to each crew member.

【Ding, purchase successful. Remaining points: 68】

The flight capes originated from the user of Green Grassland—arguably the greatest inventor in history.

“Green Grassland users are so lucky—backed by a genius inventor like Hui Tai Lang, just selling flight capes alone grants them point freedom.”

“I wonder what animal this guy became after crossing over?”

…

New World, Hive Island.

Inside the skull-shaped hotel at the island’s center, Wang Zhi soaked in a bath, surrounded by several female pirates clad only in thin cloth, posing seductively.

Sss Liu ～

Wang Zhi extended his forked tongue, eyeing a nearby pirate thug who was secretly swallowing saliva.

“Where’s that brat Barzab?”

“Grand Master, three days ago they stopped at Dressrosa’s port for supplies, then set sail again.”

Saying this, the pirate thug stole a glance at the white, glistening flesh in the bath, then continued:

“Also, Whitebeard has mobilized the entire Moby Dick crew—they’re very likely to encounter each other.”

Hearing this, Wang Zhi exhaled in relief.

“Good, let Whitebeard move.”

Fight, fight, smash each other to pieces, let someone else pick up the scraps—as long as they don’t come to Hive Island.

Barzab’s rise has been too fast—he’s cleared the Tumoling twice without a scratch, and even the Golden Lion has joined his crew.

Four great swordsmen!

In all these years, no pirate crew has ever been this excessive—if Barzab keeps growing for a few more years, he might truly surpass Rocks of old.

At first, Wang Zhi, like most pirates, thought Barzab came to the New World to plant his flag.

He never imagined Barzab intended to defeat Whitebeard’s crew and claim the title of the world’s strongest pirate crew.

Of course—he’s barely eighteen, still young, hot-headed, and arrogant; how could he resist the lure of being the strongest?

Thinking of this, Wang Zhi relaxed completely, turning his gaze to the female pirates writhing in the bath.

“Change positions. Keep dancing.”