Chapter 94: Recruitment – Awakening of Conqueror's Haki!
Ryuunosuke and his crew soon arrived at the sea near Jaya Island.
This area was filled with salvage ships, all scouring the ocean floor for wreckage and treasures that had sunk after being blasted into the sky by the Knock-Up Stream.
It was a clear reminder—no matter the place, people will always find a way to survive.
Throughout this voyage, Ryuunosuke had noticed something else too.
Unlike the pirates glamorized in the anime, most of the ones they encountered were dirt poor.
Forget treasure-filled ships—some couldn't even afford supplies. Their only option? Robbery.
But even robbery needs some capital. Some of these guys were swinging around rusty swords like they were still in their rookie days.
Ryuunosuke understood. It didn't matter what world you were in—only a few could actually thrive in the chaos.
This was the Great Age of Piracy, after all.
Ever since Roger's final words sparked the world's obsession with the One Piece, tens of thousands of pirate crews had set sail.
With that many groups out at sea, it was inevitable that some would be scraping by.
Suddenly, Ace came running over, eyes bright with excitement.
"Bro! Dad's coming!"
"Huh?" Ryuunosuke raised a brow.
Ace grinned from ear to ear. "He and the crew were supposed to wait for me in the New World, but after hearing about your fight with Morgans… Dad changed his mind."
Even now, Ace held onto hope.
Maybe… just maybe, Ryuunosuke would be moved by Whitebeard's charisma and join the crew.
After all, hadn't Ace himself once joined because of that same reason?
"Uncle Whitebeard's coming?" Ryuunosuke laughed. "That's great."
He took out his Den Den Mushi and dialed Chrollo.
If they were gonna meet the Whitebeard Pirates, it was best to roll in with backup.
"Captain, are you nearby?" Chrollo voice rang through the snail.
"I'll be there by afternoon."
"Alright, good," Ryuunosuke said. "We're meeting with the Whitebeard Pirates, so get everything ready on your end."
Hanging up, he raised his hand and opened his system panel.
140,000 reputation points.
Twenty thousand had come from grinding and monster hunting along the way. The rest came after Chrollo jacked a weapon ship.
Time to summon new members.
He'd already decided—one from the Phantom Troupe was coming over.
But which one?
Feitan? Machi? Shizuku?
Those three were top picks. Chrollo was the brains, but every team needed limbs to move.
And they didn't need another brainless meathead like Uvogin for now.
This world already had enough reckless lunatics—Luffy and Ace came to mind.
"System," Ryuunosuke said calmly, "Designated recruitment—Tendo Pain."
He raised his hand and selected the option.
Since the Pain Group was already unlocked, it made sense to summon its captain first.
A flash of light burst from a summoning circle that materialized in front of him.
A tall man with a black cloak and metallic piercings on his face stepped forward.
[Tendo Pain (Yahiko) – From the world of Naruto, body controlled by Nagato, wielder of the Rinnegan.]
[Rating: SS]
[Abilities: Chibaku Tensei, Shinra Tensei, Bansho Ten'in, Elemental Nullification…]
["Ding! Extracting abilities…"]
As Tendo Pain joined the crew, system notifications echoed in Ryuunosuke's ears.
Every member of the crew—especially the core members—felt a strange power surge into their bodies.
Even the handyman crew felt it, though to a lesser extent.
"The captain's aura… it's changed again."
"You noticed too, huh?"
"Of course. Every time he does something like this, everyone gets stronger."
"Could it be? Can the captain enhance our power just by recruiting people?"
"He might really be a god..."
"A god... no doubt about it."
The crewmates murmured among themselves.
Though they were weaker than most, being around someone like Ryuunosuke exposed them to things most people never even dreamed of.
"System," Ryuunosuke said again, "Designated recruitment—Machi."
Her abilities were exactly what the ship needed. Her Nen-based healing techniques could patch up anyone, and that was worth more than gold out at sea.
In a flash, another figure appeared before him—short pink hair, tight-lipped, cold aura.
[Machi – From Hunter x Hunter, Transmutation-type Nen user, Phantom Troupe member, sixth strongest in arm-wrestling.]
[Abilities: Nen thread stitching, tracking, telepathic communication…]
["Ding! Extracting abilities…"]
["Ding! Congratulations! Three squads have been formed with at least two special members in each. Unlocking: Dragon Hunt Order!"]
["Special reward: Life Essence – 5 drops for Captain Ryuunosuke, 3 drops for each squad leader, 1 drop per member."]
Ryuunosuke couldn't help but smirk.
This recruitment session was worth it.
Not just the rewards and abilities—but Pain and Machi themselves. Their presence massively elevated the Dragon Hunt Pirates' power level.
[Life Essence: Contains highly condensed life force. Permanently increases cell regeneration speed and grants advanced healing.]
[Dragon Hunt Order: A captain-exclusive artifact. Can be fused into the body, allowing instant communication with 10 assigned sub-order holders.]
One by one, new ability descriptions and item details filled his vision.
And then… something strange began happening inside his body.
A pressure—unseen, intangible, but overwhelming—started leaking from him.
"…Is this… Conqueror's Haki?"
Ryuunosuke looked at his panel with wide eyes.
A slow smile formed.
He didn't expect to awaken it like this.
He figured the system would just give it to him at some point. But no—this felt natural.
Earned.
This wasn't just a strength boost. This was a massive leap forward.
Anyone at the top of the food chain in this world needed it—had to have it.
Sure, people like the Navy Admirals didn't use Conqueror's Haki, but that was only because they paid for that gap with insane levels of physical ability, swordsmanship, and Devil Fruit mastery.
Awakening Conqueror's Haki was rare and hard to explain. No one knew the exact trigger—just that it represented the will of a king.
And now, Ryuunosuke had taken a big step toward standing atop this chaotic, lawless world.
He was one step closer to becoming a true king of the sea.
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