The strength of Conqueror's Haki is tied to one's personal experiences. Unlike Armament Haki, it cannot be strengthened through training.
Logically speaking, when an ordinary person awakens Conqueror's Haki, although there may be a brief burst at the start, it lacks staying power and simply cannot contend with top-tier monsters like Garp.
But at this moment, the Conqueror's Haki sweeping out from Valthior surged violently, endlessly, showing not the slightest sign of fading. On the contrary, it continued to rise.
This forced Garp—who had also raised his own Conqueror's Haki to clash against it—to feel a trace of pressure, prompting him to further increase his output.
Moments later, the two Conqueror's Hakis actually reached a stalemate.
The clash between them began to affect reality itself. Black lightning crackled wildly across the battlefield, the already shattered ground split even further, and the frozen sea in the distance could no longer withstand the pressure and began to break apart. Seawater surged back in, raising waves and chaotic currents of varying sizes.
The clouds in the sky churned and gathered, eventually forming two dense masses of dark storm clouds pressing down from above. The rift between them looked as though it had torn the sky itself apart.
...
Whitebeard, who had been fighting Roger, halted his attack at this moment. Together with Roger, he looked toward the upheaval with astonishment.
"That brat… what the hell is going on!?" Even someone as powerful as Whitebeard was deeply shocked.
He had only just awakened Conqueror's Haki, yet he could already contend with Garp? Was that even reasonable?
Roger, though equally surprised, wore a bright grin.
"Hahahaha! This is way beyond expectations, Valthior!!!"
...
At the center of the battlefield, Valthior had already risen to his feet.
A deep blue Susanoo enveloped him, forming a massive upper-body skeleton like a skeletal king guarding him within.
Unlike the others, who were confused and shocked, Valthior could clearly feel the changes within himself.
Haki is a manifestation of one's spirit and will. The Sharingan also requires mental energy to function. Previously, he had used Armament Haki to activate the three-tomoe state.
Before this, he had always tried to break into the Mangekyō's power, but he lacked the necessary push—until today. Being repeatedly crushed by Garp's Conqueror's Haki had finally awakened his own!
And the moment his Conqueror's Haki awakened, it immediately activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, causing the two forces to merge. Because of this, his Conqueror's Haki had been greatly amplified—absurdly so.
Normally, Susanoo is driven by chakra combined with the Sharingan. But he had no chakra. Instead, he was using Conqueror's Haki and the Sharingan to power it.
In other words, his Susanoo was essentially formed entirely from Conqueror's Haki!
"Garp, thanks to you forcing me to face the terror of the sea's top-tier fighters—and the sharp edge of Conqueror's Haki—I might never have grasped this power otherwise…" Valthior raised a hand to his forehead, a grin spreading across his face.
The moment his words fell, his Conqueror's Haki abruptly contracted, no longer clashing directly with Garp.
As it withdrew back into his body, the skeletal frame of Susanoo expanded again, transforming into a massive half-body giant over ten meters tall, shielding him within.
...
Garp stared at the transformation, shock evident in his eyes.
He could clearly sense that the strange skeletal construct protecting Valthior was a physical manifestation of Conqueror's Haki itself.
This left him deeply puzzled.
He awakened it and immediately reached this level? Without any buildup, he could already use Conqueror's coating? And even condense it into this skeletal form?
What the hell was going on?
Was it his Devil Fruit ability? No—that didn't make sense. His power was clearly an ice-based Mythical Zoan. What did that have to do with Haki?
Was it his eyes?
That strange transformation in his pupils?
...
Before Garp could figure it out, Valthior suddenly roared.
The Susanoo shifted again—its skeletal arm forming a massive azure battle axe, which it then swung down at Garp!
Garp didn't dodge. Instead, he coated his fist in Haki and met it head-on with a punch.
Before axe and fist could even touch, their Conqueror's Hakis collided first, unleashing a violent shockwave that tore through the ground and exploded into crackling black lightning.
Unlike before, Garp could now feel the intensity and pressure of Valthior's Conqueror's Haki. His expression turned serious.
"What the hell is this thing?"
"Still not enough?" Valthior muttered inwardly when he saw Garp block the strike. A fierce glint flashed in his eyes.
"I can go even further!!!"
As his voice fell, his aura surged again. The Susanoo expanded once more, its lower body beginning to take shape, lifting Valthior higher into the air as the intensity of his Conqueror's Haki rose at a visible rate.
Garp was stunned.
What the hell is happening!?
Under the pressure, the ground beneath Garp's feet shattered. His ankles sank into the earth—this was the first time since their fight began that he had been pushed into a disadvantage.
That said, Garp still wasn't going all out. As Valthior's Haki intensified, he steadily raised his own to match it.
The two seemed locked in a contest of pure force, constantly escalating. The space between fist and axe grew increasingly unstable, cracking as more black lightning burst forth.
...
Seeing that Garp could still withstand his Susanoo, Valthior felt even more unwilling to accept it.
He knew Garp was one of the strongest on the seas—his Conqueror's Haki among the very best—so it wasn't unreasonable that he could resist.
But it still pissed him off!
Driven by that frustration, the Mangekyō in Valthior's right eye began to spin.
As the tomoe rotated, his Conqueror's Haki surged once again!
A streak of crimson blood trickled down from his right eye.
In that instant, his Susanoo exploded to a new level.
Caught off guard by the sudden spike, Garp finally failed to hold it back.
The massive axe slammed into his fist, forcing him backward as he skidded across the ground, his feet carving deep trenches. Only after sliding dozens of meters did he finally come to a stop.
At this moment, blood dripped from Garp's fist.
A wound had opened, exposing bone beneath the skin.
Glancing at it, Garp's gaze grew more serious.
"These rookies nowadays… really can't be underestimated…"
These fists of his had been tempered countless times, yet now they had been cut open to the bone. That strike's power was undeniable.
...
Valthior didn't respond.
He could feel his stamina draining rapidly. Maintaining this level of Conqueror's Haki was an enormous burden on him—he didn't have the luxury to waste time talking.
The skeletal Susanoo strode forward, raising its axe for another strike at Garp!
This time, Garp didn't take it head-on.
With a burst of Soru, he vanished instantly.
The axe slammed into the ground with a deafening boom, splitting the entire surface of Linderland Island. A bottomless chasm tore through the land, extending all the way to the sea, where the frozen waters were cleaved open into a massive canyon stretching hundreds of meters.
Several ships from Whitebeard and Shiki's fleets were caught in the attack, shattered into wreckage on the spot. Pirates who failed to escape in time were obliterated into blood mist.
...
"Oh? Weren't you acting all tough earlier—refusing to dodge?" Valthior mocked from within the airborne Susanoo.
But before he could even pull the axe free—
A powerful shockwave erupted from far behind him.
Though distant, it arrived in an instant.
Before Valthior could react, it slammed directly into the back of his Susanoo.
Boom!!!
Cracks spread across the skeletal frame as the immense force drove him stumbling forward.
Seizing the opportunity, Garp leapt in and threw a punch.
"Meteor Fist!!!"
As always—straight for the head.
The Conqueror's-coated punch smashed into the ribcage protecting Valthior. The bones shattered under the impact, and the clash of Haki caused blood to pour from Valthior's right eye.
But this hastily thrown punch ultimately failed to break through the Susanoo completely.
No damage dealt!
...
At the same time, Sengoku and Zephyr rushed in from the distance.
Sengoku unleashed another shockwave, striking the base of the Susanoo and knocking it to the ground.
Meanwhile, Zephyr carried the heavily injured, unconscious World and shouted:
"Garp! Stop wasting time here! The fleet has arrived for extraction—we've secured World. If we don't leave now, it'll get troublesome!"
Garp might not have noticed, but Sengoku and Zephyr had already realized what was going on.
The Roger Pirates were clearly using Garp as a sparring partner for Valthior.
If this dragged on, the enemy might swarm them—and if even Shiki and Whitebeard decided to join forces, escaping would become difficult.
Even if the probability was low, Sengoku had no intention of gambling on it.
World was already captured. The mission was complete.
There was no need to take further risks.
...
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