One Piece: General Blue

"Vice Admiral Garp! Long time no see! Have you finally returned from your vacation?"

Rorschach looked delighted.

"Hohoho! Kid, did you miss my fists? Come on, let me see how much you've improved!"

Garp leaped down from the dog-headed warship docked at the harbor, landing in front of Sengoku. Before his feet were fully planted, his figure vanished in an instant.

The next moment, a gust of wind surged in front of Rorschach , and a fist the size of a sandbag filled his vision, barreling toward his face.

"Wind-Speed Shave!"

A fierce gale erupted around Rorschach , his figure flickering and becoming indistinct. He took a step back, his right hand darting from his waist like lightning to launch a counter punch aimed at Garp.

"Fist Bone: Meteorite!"

"Fist Bone: Meteorite!"

Deep blue Armament Haki instantly enveloped Rorschach's upper body, imbuing his right fist with a power that roared like cannon fire.

With thunder and wind accompanying his strike, their fists collided.

Boom!

The ground trembled as the two evenly matched fists clashed, unleashing a powerful shockwave that scattered dust and debris in every direction.

Both used similar techniques—straightforward and direct.

There was no pretense in their attacks, just pure Haki and raw physical power.

"Heh, Vice Admiral Garp, it seems your strength has declined after a six-month vacation," Rorschach quipped with a grin, his body taut like a bowstring drawn to its limit. Despite the cracking rock under his feet, he didn't retreat an inch.

"Call me Grandpa, you cocky brat!"

Black and red lightning suddenly erupted from Garp's fist.

With the appearance of this lightning, a force as towering as a mountain rose in Rorschach's Observation Haki perception, bearing down on him like an unstoppable tide.

"This is…?"

Before Rorschach could fully comprehend the aura, the power in Garp's right fist surged exponentially.

In the blink of an eye, it completely overwhelmed his Haki and physical strength.

Fast!

Too fast!

Before he could activate his Azure Scales form, Garp's punch sent him flying.

The punch generated a spherical shockwave that enveloped Rorschach, compressing the air like a cannonball and slamming him into the Justice Fortress wall behind him.

"Garp! What the hell are you doing? You just got back, and you're already causing destruction!"

Sengoku's veins throbbed as he looked at the fortress wall, now sporting a massive hole seven or eight meters wide.

"Wow! That punch packed a real punch, Grandpa Garp!"

Through the billowing dust, Rorschach wiped the blood from his mouth, nonchalantly tearing off his tattered marine officer's uniform. Excitement shone in his eyes as he gazed at the smug Garp.

"Could that be Conqueror's Haki Infusion?"

Garp grinned as he picked his nose, his laughter booming.

"Hohoho! That's right! Fist Bone: Galactic Impact! One of my Conqueror's Haki-infused techniques. Impressive, isn't it? And I only used one percent of my strength."

"One percent? Seriously? If you went all out, wouldn't you blow up the entire fortress with a single punch?"

"The fortress? Bah! My fists could level a solid mountain. A hollow fortress is nothing. You've gotten tougher in just six months, kid."

"Oh, stop it, Grandpa Garp. You're the one proving that age hasn't slowed you down."

As the old and young duo exchanged compliments with big grins, Sengoku pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

"Enough, enough! Zephyr, why did you call me here? I don't have time to waste with these two buffoons. I've got a mountain of paperwork waiting for me."

"I brought Rorschach here to experience your Conqueror's Haki and see if he can start projecting his own," Zephyr explained, signaling Roxia to come over.

"Do you know why I haven't taught you how to train Conqueror's Haki in the past six months?"

Rorschach scratched his head. "Didn't you say something about not biting off more than I can chew, telling me to focus on developing my abilities and mastering Armament Haki?"

"That's true," Zephyr said with a nod before shifting his tone.

"But the real reason is that Conqueror's Haki doesn't have a concrete training method, especially in its early stages."

"Why? If it can't be trained, then how…?" Rorschach gestured toward Garp, who was now munching on rice crackers. "How do you master Conqueror's Haki Infusion?"

"To understand why, you must first grasp what Conqueror's Haki truly is."

Zephyr pointed to Sengoku.

"Conqueror's Haki is often described as a manifestation of the king's disposition. That's the widely accepted explanation."

"But more than talent or potential, I prefer to think of it as a reflection of immense spirit."

"Sengoku believes in 'justice that reigns supreme,' embodying a resolve that dominates all."

"That is immense spirit."

Zephyr then pointed at Garp.

"Though Garp may seem carefree, his indomitable spirit, willingness to defy anything, and countless life-or-death battles all demonstrate his immense spirit. That's why his Conqueror's Haki is no weaker than Sengoku's."

"Heh, that's the best compliment I've heard from you!" Garp chuckled, slinging an arm around Zephyr's shoulder and offering him a rice cracker.

Zephyr ignored him and continued.

"The initial awakening of Conqueror's Haki requires not only exceptional talent but also the accumulation and release of strong emotions."

"Hatred, anger, sorrow—or a firm belief, like destroying the world, becoming the strongest, or protecting loved ones."

"Of course, laziness doesn't count. If you told me Akainu could awaken Conqueror's Haki, I might believe it. But Kizaru and Aokiji? Forget it—they're too lazy."

Zephyr added the comment with a smirk, prompting Rorschach to twitch his mouth.

"After awakening, progressing to the projection stage of Conqueror's Haki isn't something you can achieve through regular training."

"This stage requires solidifying your spirit and strengthening it further."

"Sharpening your mind, tempering your will, and training your resolve can all enhance this spirit."

"In short, you must steadfastly pursue the path you believe in without wavering."

Zephyr's tone grew serious.

"At this stage, if your convictions are shaken, your awakened Conqueror's Haki might grow dormant—or even disappear entirely."

"That's why some individuals, who once possessed immense spirit, lose their Haki and strength after experiencing failure."

"But everyone experiences setbacks. What matters is maintaining your resolve and continuing forward after being struck down."

Hearing the gravity in Zephyr's voice, Rorschach grew solemn.

Wasn't this exactly what happened to Crocodile and Moria? He was just shy of naming them outright.

"As your convictions strengthen, Conqueror's Haki will gradually grow to a point where it can be projected," Zephyr continued.

"At this stage, it can intimidate others on a massive scale—or even cause tangible destruction."

"Karp, give him a demonstration."

Zephyr took the rice cracker from Karp's hand and gestured with a slight nod.

Hearing this, Karp grinned widely.

Without making any obvious movement, a force like a volcanic eruption surged out of his body and crashed directly toward Rorschach at close range.

Rorschach grunted, feeling as if his head had been struck by a heavy hammer. His vision blurred momentarily.

Before he could fully react, Karp knocked him lightly on the forehead.

As Rorschach began to summon his Haki for defense, he noticed cracks spreading across the solid rocky ground beneath him, radiating outward in a web-like pattern.

"Do you feel it now? This is the mental impact of top-tier Conqueror's Haki," Zephyr said.

"In a battle among strong individuals, even a momentary lapse in focus could lead to life-threatening consequences.

"And for the weak, both in strength and spirit, the mental suppression alone is overwhelming."

"The ability to deliver widespread mental shockwaves like a natural disaster is what makes Conqueror's Haki wielders so formidable. Against a large group of weaker opponents, a single release of Conqueror's Haki can decide the battle, stunning thousands—if not tens of thousands—instantly."

Rorschach's heart raced with excitement.

Zephyr wasn't exaggerating.

This was the overwhelming power of Conqueror's Haki.

In front of such strength, sheer numbers became irrelevant.

He recalled the scene from the comics on Fishman Island, where Luffy released his Conqueror's Haki and incapacitated 50,000 Fishmen instantly.

Sure, Zoro or Sanji could have fought through the crowd, but it wouldn't have been as swift or effortless.

"When your internal energy reaches its peak, you can attempt to guide and release that formless power, wrapping it around your body like Armament Haki," Zephyr explained.

Sengoku stepped in to continue, rolling up his sleeve.

As he did so, streaks of black and red lightning flickered across his arm, crackling as they pierced the air. They radiated an overwhelming aura of domination, asserting his kingly presence.

"This is the manifestation of Conqueror's Haki—infusion," Sengoku declared.

With that, he moved swiftly into the sky and launched a punch toward Karp and Rorschach from a distance.

"Haha! Exactly! Watch closely, Rorschach !"

"This is why I always emphasize that Haki stands above all other powers!" Karp shouted, launching his own punch toward Sengoku's attack.

As the two titans unleashed their full might, Rosha's world seemed to shrink to just the two of them. Their overwhelming presence filled the air, as if they were the twin suns of Marineford, dominating the battlefield.

A thunderous explosion followed.

Black lightning tore through the heavens as the air fractured into countless spiderweb-like cracks, as though Whitebeard had struck it with his Tremor-Tremor Fruit powers.

The collision of their fists, separated by a distance of six meters, generated a terrifying energy that seemed to tear through reality itself.

Shockwaves blasted out in all directions.

Black lightning bolts rained down, devastating the earth for hundreds of meters around them. The rocky ground crumbled into fine dust, and the air compressed so intensely it folded like rippling fabric. The resulting air cannon displaced the sea, sending massive 30-meter-high waves surging skyward.

Rorschach stood in the midst of this chaos, witnessing the sheer destructive power unleashed by the clash of these two top-tier forces.

At that moment, he felt incredibly small.

The black and red lightning coursing through the air seemed far less substantial than the electrical discharges he could produce.

But Rorschach understood: the power contained in those lightning streaks far exceeded his current maximum output.

He had thought that after six months of grueling training, his strength was nearing the level of an Admiral.

But this spectacle proved him wrong.

The strength of these elite warriors was far beyond his imagination.

The Admirals—Akainu, Kizaru, Aokiji—they had never fought him at full strength.

But this level of unmatched dominance... wasn't it exactly what he aspired to achieve?

As Akainu had once told him: "Who will hold the reins of this era?"

"Hmm?"

Both Sengoku and Karp paused their distant clash and glanced at Rorschach , surprised.

Through their Observation Haki, they sensed a burgeoning force rising within him. Like a stubborn sprout breaking through the soil, it defied the overwhelming pressure of their Conqueror's Haki and began to expand outward.

"Boom!"

Rorschach's body grew to nearly seven meters tall as silver-white lightning coiled around him like serpents, transforming the area within a hundred meters into a stormy sea of thunder.

At the same time, an indomitable presence burst forth from him, attempting to break free of the suppression from Sengoku's and Karp's Conqueror's Haki and expand outward.

"Karp! Sengoku!"

Zephyr's voice came from nearby.

"Got it."

The two old Marines exchanged a knowing glance and reined in their Conqueror's Haki immediately.

With their suppression lifted, Rorschach's rising aura shot toward the heavens.

A sphere of black and red energy expanded from him, surging outward and shaking everything in its path.

As the wind whipped their cloaks, the three veterans watched with proud smiles.

"Impressive! Truly impressive!" Sengoku sighed, feeling a rare sense of satisfaction.

All the stress, migraines, and high blood pressure he'd endured over the past year felt worth it.

The future of the Marines was secure.

"Haha, stop now, kid. This little shockwave is barely enough to stir dust from the ground."

Karp laughed heartily and approached Rorschach , placing a large hand around his neck to halt the release of his Conqueror's Haki.

The sudden interruption made Rorschach's expression twist in frustration.

It felt as if someone had burst in and interrupted him at the peak of his performance.

"All right, all right. I officially grant you permission to graduate. Have Zephyr arrange a final mission for your graduation test. Once you complete it, come back and tell me which branch you want to join."

Sengoku stepped forward, patting Rosha's shoulder with a complex expression in his eyes.

"Don't let us down," he said, his grip firming slightly.

"Now go on, don't keep the young lady waiting."

"Huh?"

A large question mark seemed to pop above Rorschach's head as he followed Sengoku's gaze.

Not far away, a young woman stood in the square, peeking curiously in their direction.

(End of Chapter)

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