“You—!”
Captain Caron stared at Leon’s back in astonishment after nearly being pulled off his feet.
His mouth opened, but no words came out.
Caron had to admit that the Sea King had truly shaken him.
As a Marine captain and the commanding officer of an entire branch, he had captured plenty of notorious pirates with bounties in the tens of millions.
But this was the first time he had encountered a Sea King that defied all common sense.
Losing his composure was hardly surprising.
He had assumed the creature was no different from the Sea Kings he had faced before—that a single slash would bring it down and turn it into their evening meal.
Instead, his strongest attack had failed to leave even a scratch.
He had not pierced its defenses at all.
The Sea King’s abnormal durability had left Caron with no hope of defeating it.
“It’s useless.”
“Give up…”
“That thing isn’t an opponent we can handle.”
Caron shook his head bitterly.
“My strongest attack couldn’t even break its skin.
That isn’t normal.”
“It may be a deep-sea Sea King.
Creatures like that are on an entirely different level from the ones found closer to shore.”
“All we can do is hope Marine reinforcements are nearby.
A concentrated cannon barrage might be enough to drive it away.”
“As for defeating it through individual strength…”
“We would need someone at least as powerful as a vice admiral.”
Caron believed Leon had stepped forward because he refused to sit back and wait for death.
But in his eyes, the attempt was hopeless.
Even a Marine captain like him had been powerless against the creature.
What could a newly enlisted recruit possibly accomplish?
Especially one who had spent the entire voyage lounging around like he was on vacation.
Even if Leon was Admiral Kizaru’s nephew, there was no reason to believe he could stop this Sea King.
Even Kizaru at Leon’s age might not have been able to drive away such a monster alone.
The thought made Caron regret everything.
If anything happened to Leon, how could he possibly explain it to Kizaru?
This was the Admiral’s only nephew.
His only remaining family.
“We’re finished…”
Caron was not the only one who had lost hope.
Every Marine aboard the warship was overwhelmed by fear and helplessness.
The Sea King surged forward through towering waves.
Its enormous jaws descended toward the ship, ready to bite straight through the hull.
No one could imagine escaping alive.
“Even Captain Caron couldn’t stop it.
“We should’ve turned around the moment we spotted it.”
“It’s too late now.”
Amid the panic, several Marines noticed Leon standing at the very front of the deck.
“What is he trying to do?”
“He probably doesn’t want to die without putting up a fight.”
“At least Admiral Kizaru’s nephew has courage, but courage won’t be enough.”
“He never bothered training, and now he thinks he can suddenly save us?”
“Captain Caron already failed.
Does he honestly believe he can drive that Sea King away?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.
With how lazy he is, even we could probably defeat him.”
“Expecting him to fight a Sea King is pure fantasy.”
Their voices were filled with despair.
“I trained so hard…”
Caron clenched his fists, frustration twisting his expression.
“And I’m still not strong enough.”
Under everyone’s gaze, Leon stood alone at the bow and faced the charging Sea King.
At such close range, he could clearly see the creature’s jagged fangs as its jaws opened above the warship.
They resembled the teeth of a monstrous crocodile, savage and vicious.
Leon slowly raised his head.
He did not even remove his sunglasses.
He simply stared at the zebra-striped Sea King before him.
“Get lost.”
Behind the dark lenses, his eyes flashed sharply.
A streak of dark red lightning seemed to flicker within his gaze.
Buzz!
An invisible force erupted from Leon’s body.
It spread outward in a circular wave, using him as its center before crashing into the approaching Sea King.
Boom!
An overwhelming presence burst forth.
At first, it felt like a calm stream flowing through the air.
Then, in an instant, it transformed into a raging storm.
The atmosphere around the warship seemed to tremble beneath the pressure.
The violent current whipped Leon’s clothes around him as the invisible force engulfed the Sea King.
This was Leon’s—
Conqueror’s Haki.
It had awakened naturally when he fused with the peak physiques of Whitebeard, Kaido, and Charlotte Linlin.
For Leon, wielding Conqueror’s Haki was as instinctive as breathing.
The terrifying pressure surged outward from his body, so intense that the surrounding air appeared to distort.
The Sea King was swallowed by it immediately.
The savage fury in its enormous eyes began to fade. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
Its pupils lost focus, and the aggression that had filled them only a moment earlier vanished completely.
In less than a second, Leon’s Conqueror’s Haki crushed the creature’s will.
Its consciousness faded instantly.
Its bloodshot eyes rolled back until only the whites remained.
Foam spilled from its mouth.
At the same time, its attack came to an abrupt halt.
Once it lost consciousness, the Sea King could no longer control its body.
All strength drained from it.
Its massive form collapsed into the sea.
Boom!
A heavy impact echoed across the water.
The Sea King’s towering body crashed down, sending waves rolling in every direction.
Water erupted into the air before raining across the deck and soaking several nearby Marines.
The enormous creature floated motionless on the surface.
It had completely lost consciousness.
Every Marine aboard stood frozen.
Their eyes widened as they stared at the unconscious Sea King.
Ordinary soldiers and Captain Caron alike were left speechless.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The entire warship became so quiet that not even a whisper could be heard.
No one could process what had just happened.
The massive Sea King that Captain Caron had been unable to injure had suddenly collapsed without Leon even touching it.
The sight overturned everything they thought they knew.
They remained rooted in place, bodies stiff and expressions blank.
Fortunately, the strange silence did not last long.
Leon broke it himself.
He turned around and casually walked back toward his lounge chair.
“Stop standing there like statues.”
“Tell the cooks to bring some men over and carve out the edible parts before the smell attracts more Sea Kings.”
“If we wait too long, we’ll lose tonight’s dinner.”
“I’m already tired of eating frozen food.”
“This thing came straight to us, so we might as well use it to improve everyone’s meals.”
With that, Leon returned to his chair.
He lay back, adjusted his sunglasses, and crossed one leg over the other.
He looked as relaxed as ever.
It was as though what he had just done meant nothing at all.
His words finally shattered the silence.
In the next instant, the entire deck erupted.
Everyone was stunned.