Conqueror's Haki is an innate quality of a king.
It cannot be acquired through training nor inherited by bloodline—only one's destiny determines its presence.
Before actively guiding out his Conqueror's Haki, Maude wasn't entirely certain whether this power lay dormant within him.
Even if he lacked it,
Maude could still rely on the dominion properties of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit to do everything possible to stop this war.
However, the result was that Maude successfully unleashed his Conqueror's Haki, rendering tens of thousands unconscious in an instant.
The entire plaza fell into dead silence.
All eyes were fixed on Maude at the center, their faces filled with shock.
A massive mass of black shadows followed closely behind him, surging like endless waves.
In the eyes of the crowd, the enormous shadow mass appeared like a demonic specter staring them down, making their hearts tremble.
"What did he just… do?"
"Wh-why is this happening?"
"What is that shadow?!"
"A monster… a monster…"
"Is he… trying to kill everyone?!"
Both the royal army and the rebels were filled with fear.
The countless unconscious bodies surrounding Maude, regardless of friend or foe, stood like an unscalable wall within their minds.
What a terrifying power—
For those unaware of Conqueror's Haki, their limited understanding left them incapable of resisting.
Clang—
A sword fell to the ground.
The sound of its impact echoed sharply in the silence, like a pin drop.
Weapons were abandoned, and surrender followed.
Once the herd mentality set in, the sound of weapons clattering onto the ground filled the plaza like a cascading tide.
Maude didn't even need to deploy his prepared [Shadow Ghosts]—he had crushed the will of the royal army and the rebels with his own strength.
Perona floated down beside Maude, murmuring quietly, "Seems like I wasn't even needed."
Maude heard her muttering but pretended not to.
To be honest, stopping the blood-crazed royal army and rebels so easily was a little beyond Maude's expectations.
After all—
This wasn't the New World, where Armament Haki was commonplace.
Otherwise, Maude's first manifestation of Conqueror's Haki wouldn't have had such an overwhelming effect.
As weapons continued to fall, the war that had claimed countless lives began to near its end.
"How did Maude do that…?"
The Straw Hat Pirates was dumbfounded by the changing situation.
Ever since they met Maude in Alabasta, their understanding of the world had been relentlessly trampled.
It was as if—
They had been climbing hill after hill on their journey out to sea, believing the rest of their voyage would be much the same.
Then Maude suddenly descended from the sky, dropping a towering mountain in front of them.
And through his actions, he showed them that the distant seas held countless mountains like this one.
"In the New World… are there really that many people like Maude?"
Chopper stammered, unable to articulate his thoughts, using "that many Maudes" to convey his feelings.
Having caught a glimpse of the New World in advance, the Straw Hat Pirates found themselves unable to answer Chopper's question head-on.
Why?
Because the man who had just knocked out tens of thousands had once told them—
In the New World, people as strong as him couldn't even be counted on one hand.
In the plaza—
Those who had surrendered under Maude's pressure finally heard Vivi's voice.
Only now, with their eyes no longer clouded by anger, did they see a fragment of the truth emerging from the shadows.
Elsewhere in Alubarna—
Dragon, draped in a green cloak, calmly observed the dust-settled plaza.
"Looks like… I'm not needed after all."
He glanced up at the cloudless sky.
Though the war was ending, this country still needed rain—a rain beyond human control to nourish its long-parched land.
Behind Dragon stood dozens of Revolutionary Army members, led by Commander Belo Betty.
All of them gazed toward the plaza, their eyes filled with astonishment.
"In an instant… he took away the combat ability of tens of thousands…"
"Ending a war so easily… what an unreasonable power."
"This is my first time seeing Conqueror's Haki… it's just as domineering as the rumors say."
Maude's display of Conqueror's Haki sparked heated discussions among the revolutionaries.
Betty, cigarette dangling from her lips, silently watched Maude in the plaza's center before remarking, "He really doesn't seem like a pirate."
Sunny stepped forward, whispering, "Maude never intended to be a pirate… it's just that—"
"I know."
Betty removed her cigarette and said calmly, "His origins, his experiences… I know all of it."
"Huh?"
Sunny looked at Betty in confusion.
She hadn't expected Betty to be so attentive to Maude.
Betty glanced at Sunny's puzzled face and said meaningfully, "Sunny, Maude's 'identity' isn't as simple as you think."
With that, Betty subtly cast a glance at Dragon's back.
Sunny's confusion only deepened.
Beneath the royal tomb—
Another fierce battle was nearing its end.
"I will surpass you!!!"
Luffy's furious roar echoed through the Sacred Altar.
Despite his severe injuries, after being knocked down by Crocodile multiple times, he stubbornly stood back up again.
His entire body was drenched in blood, yet there was no sign of his strength waning.
It was as if his will had locked his vitality in place—like an indomitable little cockroach that refused to die.
Directly before Luffy stood Crocodile, disheveled, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, looking rather battered.
This man, who had believed everything was under his control, never dreamed he would encounter such a relentless fool who simply would not die.
"Straw Hat... what will it take for you to give up?"
"In the name of returning what you've stolen!"
Luffy wiped the blood from his face with his hand and smeared it onto his fist.
Through the heated battles, he had finally figured out how to defeat Crocodile.
Crocodile glanced at Luffy with a look reserved for idiots, sneering, "Return what I've stolen? Don't spout such nonsense... I am a pirate!!!"
"It doesn't matter—I'll just beat you down until you do."
Luffy took a combat stance.
In the center of the altar lay a massive square stone tablet—
The Poneglyph, inscribed with records about the ancient weapon Pluton and its approximate location.
Against the stone slab slumped Nico Robin, her chest punctured by Crocodile, a bloody wound still seeping.
"Straw Hat boy..."
Excessive blood loss had left Robin too weak to move.
Though she remained conscious, without immediate treatment, death would inevitably follow.
Out of the corner of her eye, Robin glimpsed King Cobra, unconscious in the corner from the battle's shockwaves.
If Straw Hat couldn't defeat Crocodile... the loyal king would die alongside her in this tomb.
"I only wanted... to seek the truth of history..."
Robin's eyelids grew heavier.
This place... was her final hope.
Yet as always, hopes rarely align with reality.
In the end, her hope was still for naught.
"So tired."
"Maybe... I should just die here..."
Her eyelids slowly drooped.
Boom!
Suddenly—
A deafening crash snapped Robin's eyes wide open.
She looked up to see Crocodile's body embedded into the wall, then slowly slump to the ground, motionless.
"He... won?"
Robin struggled to move her eyes toward the panting Luffy.
Under her gaze, Luffy swayed unsteadily, staggering a few steps before collapsing just like Crocodile.
Mutual destruction?
It was the poison hidden in Crocodile's golden hook...
Robin's pupils contracted, quickly deducing the reason for Luffy's sudden collapse.
"He needs the antidote..."
Robin wanted to help, but her injuries left her powerless. With Cobra unconscious, there was nothing she could do.
"Guhaha... cough cough..."
A sudden laugh echoed through the altar, gripping Robin's heart.
Crocodile struggled to his feet, casting a cold glare at Luffy, who lay unconscious from the poison.
"Stand up again, brat... cough cough..."
Clutching his chest, Crocodile coughed violently.
He never expected a mere rookie to push him to this point—to almost capsize in the gutter.
"This country... is mine..."
Despite the pain, Crocodile limped toward Luffy.
Compared to poison-induced death, he preferred to pierce Luffy's heart with his own hands.
Robin's eyelids drooped, despair sinking in.
Just as Robin believed the outcome was sealed—
Just as Crocodile thought victory was within reach—
Footsteps echoed from the corridor, drawing closer to the chamber.
A figure appeared at the entrance.
"An unexpected outcome."
The man surveyed the altar and commented calmly.
Both Crocodile and Robin stared at the newcomer in disbelief.
Bacardi Maude...
A wave of intense unease surged through Crocodile's heart.
If the people in the plaza saw Maude here, they would be utterly dumbfounded.
Because—
From their perspective, Maude had never once left the square.
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