The moment Shanks’s Haki erupted, Luna’s body violently shook.
She felt the anger and majesty she released crash into an endless, unfathomable dark red mountain range!
The other party’s aura was as vast as the sea and as solid as steel; instead of being overwhelmed by her, it embraced her Haki with an inclusive yet scrutinizing posture, “wrapping” it up.
That wasn’t a confrontation; it felt more like…
guidance?
Or rather, refining?
Under the “suppression” and “resonance” of Shanks’s higher-level power, her Conqueror’s Haki began to undergo subtle changes.
The initial violent anger gradually settled, blending with a trace of a tougher, clearer “self-will”—that was her absolute persistence of “not owing favors”, “protecting her possessions (future crew members)”, and “controlling her own destiny”.
And at the peak moment when the two strands of Conqueror’s Haki intertwined, resonated, and honed each other in this strange way, a sudden change occurred again!
Beneath the cuff of Shanks’s left arm, that dark red old mark suddenly emitted a dazzling light!
As if triggered by the special “field” generated by the collision of the two royal qualifications, the mark became extremely hot and even began to twist slightly, like a living creature struggling.
“Hmm?” Shanks frowned, feeling the abnormality coming from his arm.
The sudden activity of this mark somewhat exceeded his expectations.
The next instant, Luna’s Conqueror’s Haki, which was being refined and becoming increasingly pure, seemed to keenly “perceive” the glowing dot on Shanks’s arm exuding a certain “heterogeneous” and “bound” aura.
Her absolute will of “not owing favors” and “clearing obstacles” invisibly spread along the Haki, fiercely “scouring” that glowing mark!
Hiss—!!!
It was like cold water dripping into boiling oil, or like sunlight melting ice and snow.
On Shanks’s arm, that dark red mark carrying an ominous and ancient aura unexpectedly became dim and blurry at a speed visible to the naked eye under the scouring of Luna’s Haoshoku, which was filled with newborn royal aura and pure will!
A certain formless power contained within the mark, as if encountering its natural nemesis, let out a silent wail, rapidly disintegrating and dissipating!
In just a few breaths, that special mark that had plagued Shanks for many years like a lingering disease completely disappeared under the “accidental” scouring of Luna’s Conqueror’s Haki.
The skin of his arm returned to smoothness, leaving only normal skin tone, as if that mark had never existed.
Shanks was stunned.
He clearly felt that the trace of perennial, faint sluggishness and bondage on his arm had vanished with the disappearance of the mark.
An unprecedented sense of relaxation, as well as a deeper sense of harmony in the flow of power, transmitted through his whole body.
He suddenly raised his head, looking at Luna, who still had her eyes closed (due to fully releasing and feeling Haki) and her small face tense.
The shock in his eyes ultimately turned into an indescribable, complex light.
Was it a coincidence?
Or was it destiny?
This girl not only awakened Haoshoku, but also unintentionally helped him erase that troublesome “contract mark” amidst the resonance of her initial outbreak and collision with his Haki?
The collision of the two types of Haki did not last long.
The Lord of the Coast had long since fled, and a crowd was passed out on the beach.
Shanks took the initiative to rein in his vast Haki.
Along with his retraction, the Haoshoku released by Luna also retreated back into her body like a tide.
Her body swayed, and a strong sense of dizziness and spiritual emptiness struck her, dozens of times more intense than using [Form Control] before.
The eruption of Haoshoku consumed the most fundamental spiritual and willpower strength.
Her legs went soft, and she fell forward.
Shanks stepped forward and steadily caught her.
Luna leaned in his arms, barely opening her eyes, her voice somewhat weak yet carrying stubbornness: “…Don’t owe you anymore…
Your arm…”
Shanks looked down at her pale little face and couldn’t help laughing out loud.
His laughter was hearty and unrestrained, shaking the night sky: “Hahahaha!
Good!
What a great ‘not owing me’!
Luna, you really pay back this favor with a vengeance!”
He gently picked Luna up, turned around and walked towards PARTYS BAR, while instructing Beckman and the others: “Clean things up and take care of the people who fainted.”
Beckman lit a cigarette, took a deep puff, watched the captain’s retreating figure holding the little girl, glanced back at the calm yet devastated beach as well as the direction of the deep sea, and slowly exhaled a ring of smoke.
“The bell of the new era…
seems to be ringing much earlier and much louder than we anticipated.”
Inside the bar, under the warm lighting.
Luna was placed on a cushioned bench.
After Makino slowly woke up, she immediately went to prepare warm milk and first-aid medicine with red eyes.
Luna closed her eyes, feeling the drastic changes of the system in her mind.
[New skill acquired: Conqueror’s Haki LV29 (85/100)]—Initial awakening, astonishing strength, directly approaching the threshold of level 30.
There is a line of small text annotations behind: [Trait 1: Protection/Domination, has an extremely strong purification/dispelling effect on specific contract-type/spiritual brand-type entities.]
[Willpower Resistance LV50 (54/100)]—Having experienced Haoshoku awakening and collision, it directly rose to level 50!
Derived special effect: [Spiritual Barrier]—Significantly enhances resistance to mental shocks, illusions, hypnosis, and other effects.
[Meditation LV70 (60/100)]—High-order spiritual power awakening, feeding back into the Meditation skill.
[Combat Olfactory Sense LV41 (70/100)]
[Aura Perception LV47 (21/100)]—There is a trend of transforming toward Observation Haki.
[New skill acquired: Crisis Intuition LV31 (30/100)]
[New skill acquired: Aerial Maneuvering (Basic) LV17 (22/100)]
[Elastic Potential Energy Control LV46 (45/100)]
[Underwater Adaptation LV191 (12/100)]—The brief struggle in seawater seemed to accelerate the adaptation process.
A series of astonishing improvements, especially the awakening of Conqueror’s Haki and its attached special “purification” trait, completely exceeded Luna’s expectations.
She vaguely remembered that her thoughts at the time were “not wanting him to get hurt” and “clearing away that annoying thing (referring to the sea beast, but the Haki seemed to lock onto a more specific ‘abnormal point’).”
Shanks sat beside her, holding a newly opened bottle of wine, but didn’t drink it, just looking at Luna.
“How do you feel?” he asked.
“…Like my brain was emptied and then stuffed full again,” Luna answered honestly, opening her eyes to look at him.
“Your arm…
is it okay?”
Shanks rolled up his left sleeve, revealing a smooth arm with a profound smile: “Thanks to you, not only is it fine, but it’s also better than ever before.”
Luna looked at that intact arm and fell silent for a moment.
She knew that in the original work, Shanks lost his left arm here.
Was it because of her intervention?
Did her inexplicable outburst change things?
Because of her obsession with “not owing favors”?
“That mark…” She recalled the abnormality she perceived when the Haki scoured.
“A troublesome little gadget from the old era; it’s great that it’s gone,” Shanks said casually, obviously not wanting to talk more about it.
He turned to stare into Luna’s eyes instead: “Instead, you…
Luna, do you know what you just did?”
“Scared away that sea beast?”
“That was Conqueror’s Haki,” Shanks’s tone carried a solemnity, “the heaven-chosen qualification possessed by only one in millions, the proof belonging to a ‘King’.
You were born with it.”
Luna digested this information.
In the original work, Luna also awakened it after experiencing many things.
Why did she awaken so early…
Was it because of the overlapping of two lifetimes of souls?
Or the influence of the system?
Or simply because she was pissed off?
“I can’t control it,” she said.
“Of course you can’t control it now,” Shanks laughed, “but you already possess the seed, one of the strongest seeds.
What’s left is to learn how to control it, making it your power rather than a disaster out of control.”
He leaned in closer, his voice low and full of power: “Luna, you are destined not to be ordinary.
Sooner or later, this vast sea will stir up unprecedented giant waves because of you.
Today is just a beginning.”
Luna met his gaze without dodging.
Fatigue remained, but deep within her eyes, the flame belonging to a “King,” ignited by the awakening of Haoshoku, was quietly burning.
“I know,” she said.
“I will officially set sail at 18.”
Shanks looked at the unquestionable firmness in her eyes.
That familiar feeling of seeming to see the captain’s back welled up again, but this time, it was clearer, more…
full of anticipation.
“Get some good rest,” he stood up, placed the wine bottle on the table, “the upcoming training will be a bit different.
Since even Haoshoku has popped out, then…
the basics of Haki should also be taught to you in advance.
We can’t have you knocking out your own people the next time it erupts, right?” he joked, glancing at Yasopp nearby who was still rubbing his temples.
Luna’s eyes lit up.
Haki!
Systematic Haki training!
“And,” Shanks walked to the door, looked back with a deep gaze, “thank you.”
For saving his arm, and also for…
that unexpected “purification”.
Luna smiled without speaking, simply closing her eyes and beginning to try using the newly upgraded [Meditation] skill to restore her nearly depleted spirit.
Outside the bar, the night was deep and the sea breeze continued.
A few minutes later, Luna walked out of the bar, came to the seaside, sat down, reached out to touch the seawater, and looked toward the sea, which had returned to calm yet remained unfathomable.
Higuma and that bandit boat had long since disappeared without a trace.
The crisis was temporarily resolved, and the figure of the Lord of the Coast had vanished, but those cold vertical pupils, pearly white sharp teeth, and that suffocating sense of oppression were deeply imprinted in her mind.
“I will come again,” Luna murmured to herself, her voice audible only to her, “next time, it won’t be running away.”
She clenched her fists, the texture of rubber flowing in her palms, carrying the chill of the seawater.
She felt the lingering weakness and pain within her body, but even more so, a clear realization—she was still far from enough.
Facing true behemoths and the terrifying might of nature, she was still insignificant right now.
Tonight, for the first time, she truly witnessed the “vastness” of this world, and for the first time walked along the edge of life and death.
Mountain Bandit King Higuma had become a thing of the past, and the Lord of the Coast had taught her a profound lesson.
And her path to growing stronger had become much clearer in direction because of this night’s experience.
The sea breeze swept across the coast of Windmill Village, carrying a salty and fishy scent.
In the distance, the members of the Red Hair Pirates began to clean up the scene, talking and laughing softly, as if the thrilling moments just now were merely an episode.
Luna stood up again and walked towards PARTYS BAR.
Her footsteps were somewhat unsteady, but her spine was held straight.