After the Conqueror's Haki enveloped the entire area, Hachinosu Island fell into an eerie silence.
If not for the countless pirates lying unconscious in every street and alley, no one would have noticed that a Conqueror's Haki storm had just erupted here.
On the city streets, Mihawk and his group reunited at a crossroads.
Denjiro rested his hand on his sword hilt, his gaze sweeping over the devastated scene.
Though his expression appeared calm, a storm was already raging within him.
A single burst of Haki had laid low over a hundred thousand pirates entrenched here—including hundreds of captains renowned even in the New World—without exception.
This kind of power... was it normal?
Nekomamushi took a deep drag from his pipe, the exhaled smoke trembling slightly.
"Such terrifying Conqueror's Haki... If Lord Orion had unleashed this back in Mokomo Dukedom..."
He trailed off mid-sentence, not daring to continue the thought.
Just imagining it sent chills down his spine.
It was at this moment he truly comprehended the absurd level of power this young Fleet Admiral possessed.
"Isn't that obvious?"
Perona floated lightly in mid-air beneath her small red umbrella, tilting her head up with shared pride.
"My Fleet Admiral is invincible, invincible, invincible!"
Mihawk never broke stride, his hawk-like eyes sweeping over the group as he spoke in his usual monotone. "Let's go. There are still a few remaining rats to deal with."
"Hey! Hawkeye, wait for me!" Perona quickly called out, grabbing Robin's hand to hurry after him.
Denjiro and the others followed closely behind.
As Mihawk's group entered the castle's vast front plaza, Orion emerged from another street with Hancock, Nami, and the recently reunited Luffy and Usopp.
The apprentices waiting in the plaza immediately turned in unison upon seeing Orion.
"Swish!"
They straightened their backs and saluted, their eyes burning with near-fanatic admiration.
Orion returned the salute without breaking stride, a gentle smile on his face.
"Well done, everyone."
"For justice! Suuuuuuuuuper!"
Franky struck an exaggerated pose, drawing all attention to himself.
Just then, a white-clad figure came rushing up from behind, carrying a massive spiked club as she quickly caught up to Orion.
"Fleet Admiral!" Yamato exclaimed excitedly, her eyes shining brightly. "That Conqueror's Haki you just used was amazing! Could you teach me when you have time? I want to learn that... proper usage of Conqueror's Haki too!"
"Once I master how to use Conqueror's Haki properly, I can just stomp my feet to finish missions!"
Orion nodded with a smile. "Certainly. After this mission concludes and we return to Marine Headquarters, I'll instruct you personally."
"Excellent!"
Yamato cheered excitedly and spread her arms wide to give Orion a big hug.
However, what greeted her was an incredibly swift side kick!
Hancock had somehow appeared in front of Orion, her long, beautiful leg cutting through the air straight toward Yamato's face.
Bam!
Yamato reacted instantly, raising her arm to block it, but the tremendous force still pushed her back half a step.
She glared at the ice-cold Hancock and snapped angrily, "Hancock, looking for a fight? Others might fear you, but I don't!"
"Yamato, I've got your back!" Perona floated over, eager to stir up trouble. "This woman thinks she can monopolize the Fleet Admiral! She needs to understand the Fleet Admiral doesn't belong to anyone!"
Hancock slowly retracted her leg, her cold gaze sweeping over both women as a supremely contemptuous smirk curled her lips.
"Want to fight? This queen will oblige."
She beckoned them with a finger. "Both of you. Come at me together."
Orion paid no heed to the imminent "war" brewing behind him, striding directly toward the castle gates.
Standing before the castle entrance, Wang Zhi looked down at the leisurely approaching youthful figure, his narrow eyes gradually squinting into slits.
He had long learned from news reports about everything Orion had accomplished since launching his military coup, but he never imagined he would face this god of death Fleet Admiral so soon.
In his view, as the esteemed Fleet Admiral, Orion couldn't possibly wander into the New World as casually as the Admirals and Vice Admirals from headquarters.
Yet the reality was that not only had he come, but he had descended upon Hachinosu Island with such overwhelming force.
Just moments ago, Wang Zhi had been bragging arrogantly inside the castle about leading a group of pirate captains to confront this legendary Fleet Admiral.
But before their formal meeting, only three captains remained standing beside him.
As Orion drew closer step by step, Mihawk and the apprentices followed closely behind him.
The imposing aura coalesced from dozens of powerful figures loomed like an invisible mountain, pressing heavily against the castle gates.
Feeling the surging pressure, the three remaining captains beside Wang Zhi—even as pirates with bounties exceeding one billion—tensed up, ready to flee at any moment!
As Orion approached, Wang Zhi feigned composure and took a deliberate step forward, his gaze burning intently at Orion.
"Fleet Admiral Orion... Do you intend to kill me?"
"Don't forget, I have ties with the World Government—"
Bzzzt—
Before Wang Zhi could finish, an overwhelmingly violent Conqueror's Haki descended once more!
This time, however, the Conqueror's Haki didn't sweep across the entire island but precisely targeted Wang Zhi and the three captains at the castle gates!
"!!!!!"
Wang Zhi looked up in horror.
"How is this possible!"
His obese frame trembled violently from shock, his voice cracking.
"You already unleashed Conqueror's Haki once! Why... why is your Conqueror's Haki still this powerful!"
As a veteran powerhouse of these seas, his understanding of Conqueror's Haki naturally ran deeper than most.
Yet even so, Orion's Conqueror's Haki seemed to have no upper limit—deploying it at will like some wholesale distributor of conqueror's power?
Such large-scale, high-intensity releases of Conqueror's Haki demanded tremendous willpower and physical stamina.
Even the legendary Rocks wouldn't have been able to unleash this level of Conqueror's Haki twice in rapid succession!
——