Unknowingly,
The process of realization—Luo Lan had gone through it dozens of times already.
But every single time, he would remember only at the very last moment—and it was always too late to stop anything.
Then everything would reset, and he would forget once again.
Although his memories were always wiped clean, each iteration left behind a new scar upon his spirit.
By now, Luo Lan's face already carried a hint of exhaustion.
---
"Where is this place?"
"It feels so familiar… but also completely foreign."
"That direction... yes, over there. I don't know why, but—"
"I feel like I must go there. The faster, the better."
Dragging his weary body forward, Luo Lan walked step by step—toward the past.
"Why can't I remember anything?"
"Why..."
"Why does it feel like there's a voice inside my head, constantly whispering..."
"Remember. If you don't, it will all be too late—not just for him, but for myself as well!"
"What... does that even mean?"
He kept walking.
As he walked, Luo Lan asked question after question.
Not to anyone else—but to himself.
And no matter how hard he wracked his brain, nothing came back. Not even the faintest shred of memory.
Eventually, he arrived at that place again.
And little by little, the memories began to return—the truth of their identities resurfacing in his mind.
Doflamingo! And...
His brother!!
"Stop! Don't do it!!"
Bang!!
---
Inside the laboratory.
Standing before the experimental console, Seras stared at Luo Lan's now pale face, worry growing by the second.
It had already been seven hours.
And the captain's condition was getting worse.
Should he stop the procedure?
No—he couldn't. It was a direct order from the captain. He didn't have the authority to override it.
Besides, he wasn't just a person. He was a cyborg, one with loyalty hard-coded to 100%.
Disobedience simply wasn't an option.
From another perspective, Luo Lan had deliberately left no way out—not for himself, and not for Seras.
After all, Luo Lan knew perfectly well that Seras couldn't disobey.
Success or death—there would be no third option.
If he wanted to awaken Conqueror's Haki this way, it would come at a price. A heavy one.
It was a gamble.
But Luo Lan believed—
He would succeed.
---
The program was simple in theory, brutal in practice: it forced Luo Lan to relive his deepest fear, over and over again, in the form of a dream.
No one outside—Seras included—had any idea what Luo Lan was experiencing in that dreamscape.
Back in the illusion, Luo Lan looked up at the birdcage in the sky.
Still dazed. Still confused.
Yet again, his feet moved of their own accord, carrying him toward that fated place.
He thought furiously as he walked.
But just like the countless times before, he couldn't remember a thing.
Until…
Two figures appeared before him once more.
"Stop him—stop him now!"
The voice in his head again.
Who was it? Who kept shouting inside his mind?
Suddenly, a massive flood of memories surged into his brain—so intense it caused stabbing pain.
Yes. I remember now.
It was...
Doflamingo. And—
My brother, Donquixote Rosinante!!
"I said STOP!!!"
Luo Lan screamed at the top of his lungs.
But Doflamingo didn't even flinch—as if Luo Lan didn't exist at all.
His finger slowly pulled the trigger.
The world seemed to move in excruciating slow motion.
Luo Lan stared, red-eyed, watching helplessly as Doflamingo's finger tightened, unable to intervene.
The rage accumulated over dozens—nearly a hundred—failed attempts surged within him all at once.
A terrifying aura erupted.
The sky thundered.
The entire world turned blood-red.
"I SAID—STOP!!"
BOOM!!!
In the next instant, Doflamingo was blasted away—like a ragdoll caught in a storm.
---
Luo Lan slowly opened his eyes.
Although the madness of the dream no longer reflected in them, they still burned with bloodshot intensity.
He sat up.
And asked the first question that came to mind:
"Where is everyone?"
Unfortunately, no one was around to answer.
He hopped off the experiment table—and nearly collapsed.
Looking down, he finally saw the reason.
Seras lay unconscious on the floor, foam bubbling at the corners of his mouth.
Luo Lan glanced around the lab.
Well, damn.
Over a dozen researchers in lab coats were scattered around, all passed out like Silas.
If you had a bird's eye view of Division 157 at that moment…
You'd see people collapsed everywhere.
Not everyone, of course.
A few individuals in different parts of the base were still conscious.
But even they were pale and trembling—faces filled with fear, as if they had just survived the end of the world.
Luo Lan made his way outside, stepping onto the training grounds.
He stared at the devastation, twitching slightly.
"Wait... my Conqueror's Haki has that much range?"
"...Should I take advantage of this and train a bit more while everyone's still out cold?"
"It's not like I get to freely release Haki like this every day."
Thinking this through, Luo Lan gave himself a big thumbs-up.
"Damn, I'm a genius."
---
In the parade ground.
Smoker was on one knee, gasping for breath.
He was a seasoned officer—he had seen Conqueror's Haki before.
"This is Conqueror's Haki... Don't tell me—Luo Lan?!"
"What the hell is that bastard doing?!"
Smoker felt completely at a loss.
Sure, it was impressive if Luo Lan had awakened Conqueror's Haki.
But this? Releasing it casually inside a division base?
And that intensity—was it even normal?
It felt far more terrifying than the time he'd witnessed a 500 million bounty pirate use it in the New World!
Smoker was ready to go off—
And then the sky changed color.
A crimson hue spread across the heavens.
Black lightning streaked through the air, dancing visibly across the clouds.
A suffocating aura, like doomsday itself, descended once more.
"Luo Lan, are you done yet?!"
Smoker cursed aloud, bracing himself.
He focused all his willpower to resist the crushing pressure.
Thirty seconds.
It finally stopped.
His head was still ringing, but at least it was over.
He let out a long breath of relief.
But not even five seconds later—
The same apocalyptic pressure returned, full force.
"Again?!"
"Luo Lan, you son of a b**!!!"**
And with that, Smoker collapsed onto the ground, bubbles foaming from his mouth.
---
A/N: Once we reach chapter 100. Updates will go from 3 chapters a day to 2 chapters a day until chapter 200. After chapter 200, updates will be only once a day.
Currently at chapter 330 on Ko-Fi.
P.S. If we reach 20 followers on Ko-Fi, I'll update 10 chapters in one go.
https:// ko-fi.com/sami27