"Is this really Boa Hancock?"
Kaelen Tsukishiro tilted his head slightly, puzzled. "She's incredibly beautiful, has a dangerous aura, and those long legs… but she seems kind of... airheaded."
At first, that was Kaelen's impression. But almost instantly, he sensed something strange.
"…Wait. Could it be... she's mesmerized by my looks?"
With that thought, Kaelen narrowed his eyes slightly and offered Hancock a sunny, warm smile. He nodded at her calmly.
"Shh..."
Hancock's eyes widened. A blush spread across her cheeks, and she immediately looked down, flustered, unable to meet Kaelen's gaze.
"Wow..."
Kaelen scratched his cheek, slightly dazed. He was at a loss for words to describe the feeling.
Even the Pirate Empress can't resist my charm?
As he touched his face in disbelief, Kaelen's lips curled into a quiet, pleased smile.
Nearby, Robin noticed his reaction and gave him a subtle side-eye of disapproval. But when she turned to Hancock, a strange, unreadable expression flickered in her eyes.
On the opposite side of the deck, someone else had been watching closely.
Brynndi, the infamous "World Destroyer," furrowed his brows in displeasure as he noticed Kaelen and Hancock's exchange. His voice carried irritation.
"Hey, brat. You're that so-called God of Death,the Grim Reaper, right? You don't look all that impressive."
As always, the strong carried their pride. Despite the chaos Kaelen had stirred across the seas, World wasn't convinced.
In his eyes, Kaelen's fame was built not on unmatched strength, but on the weakness of those he defeated. Even the Golden Lion—once a legend—hadn't measured up to World's notoriety back in the day.
Kaelen's smile faded. His eyes narrowed slightly, gleaming with a cold light.
"Brynndi World, the so-called World Destroyer… Frozen for thirty years. Looks like your brain stayed frozen too."
BOOM.
In that instant, crimson light ignited in Kaelen's eyes like a slumbering ancient dragon awakening.
[Conqueror's Haki] surged violently from his body.
The sky split open.
Dense clouds were ripped apart, forming a massive gash across the heavens. The ocean roared wildly, waves crashing and spiraling outward in every direction.
The deck of ships fractured beneath the pressure. Planks buckled and splintered as if the ship itself was trembling.
Nearby, Buggy and Nightin froze mid-battle, paralyzed by the sheer force of Kaelen's presence. Their minds dulled under the overwhelming Haki.
Binjack, who had been hiding and observing from the shadows, collapsed unconscious in a single breath, his body giving out from pure fear.
Facing Kaelen's terrifying aura, World's face twisted with rage. He unleashed his own Conqueror's Haki, and the two forces collided violently.
But Word's control was only at an intermediate level. Kaelen's was at the very peak.
The difference was enormous. World's spirit wavered as he struggled to withstand the pressure, like a lone boat tossed in a raging sea.
---
"So powerful… so confident…"
Hancock gazed at Kaelen's back, her hands clasped tightly to her chest, eyes glowing with admiration.
He wasn't just stronger than she expected—he was far more dazzling than any image or rumor. He made her feel safe... and drawn in beyond logic.
What had started as curiosity now morphed into something deeper—something she couldn't control.
Robin, who had seen Kaelen's strength on more than one occasion, still found herself captivated by his presence. Despite her usual calm, her heart fluttered.
---
RUMBLE!
A single sword strike cleaved through a crashing wave as Dracule Mihawk looked out over the chaotic sea.
"What a monstrous display of Conqueror's Haki," he murmured, gripping his black blade. "It might even surpass Red-Haired Shanks."
A spark of excitement flickered in Mihawk's eyes. Warriors like him were drawn to strength.
Every duel made the blade sharper. And this one... this one promised something special.
---
On a Marine warship nearby, Vice Admiral Bastille gasped.
"This… this is all just from the Haki alone?" he muttered in disbelief, pupils shrinking in awe.
His fellow soldiers stood frozen, jaws slack, unable to comprehend what they were witnessing.
The sea boiled. The sky was split. It was as though the gods themselves had descended in fury.
Admiral Fujitora, though blind, felt the overwhelming force pressing down on the world.
"To release such overwhelming Conqueror's Haki... What sort of will and spirit must he have?"
[Conqueror's Haki]—also known as the Will of the King—was something only one in a million could awaken. Its power was directly tied to the user's indomitable spirit.
Even someone like Fujitora found himself shaken by Kaelen's presence.
---
"BASTARD! You dare mock me?! I'LL KILL YOU!"
World erupted with fury, driven by wounded pride.
"More: Hundredfold Gun!"
In a flash, he activated his Devil Fruit to its maximum. A tiny marble bullet swelled to a meter in diameter, launched with devastating force.
It tore through the air, headed straight for Kaelen, cutting through the backlash of his Haki like a cannonball from hell.
Swish!
A streak of violet light flashed.
Kaelen's blade drew clean through the projectile.
The massive bullet split silently in midair, falling into the sea in two perfect halves, each surface smooth as glass.
---