When the two forces collided, it was Buggy's Conqueror's Haki that faltered first. His Haki had only recently awakened, and against such overwhelming energy, it naturally couldn't hold its ground.
The clash forced his Haki backward, step by step, while the dozen streams of energy pressed closer, threatening to crush him.
Yet Buggy's face betrayed no fear. Instead, a faint smile tugged at his lips.
Because he had noticed something.
Although his Conqueror's Haki was being pushed back, in the struggle, it seemed to be growing—its intensity sharpening, its essence refining, like impurities being burned away until only something purer and stronger remained.
Buggy couldn't explain why this was happening, but the result was undeniable. His Haki, something that normally could only mature with time and willpower, was being refined and strengthened in the middle of battle.
He began to speculate. Perhaps Conqueror's Haki, that hidden power lying dormant in the spirit, was tied to one's nature, personality, and emotions. And here he was, clashing with streams of energy that were themselves born from emotions and human essence. That might be why his will could stand against them—and why the collision was tempering his power.
Maybe it was absorption. Maybe it was mutual destruction and refinement. Either way, his Conqueror's Haki was evolving before his eyes.
Though being driven back, the energies weren't advancing as fast as they should have. His Haki slowed their assault, and all the while, it grew sharper, stronger. Buggy's smile widened.
The village chief, observing from a distance, was unsettled. He hadn't expected Buggy to wield Conqueror's Haki at all—let alone for it to resist his collected energies. And then he noticed that smile.
A prickle of unease crawled up his spine.
The chief instinctively checked the flow of the sacrificial space. What he discovered froze him. The energy he had gathered painstakingly over decades… was being drained at an unnatural speed. And judging by Buggy's expression, the pirate was the cause.
Buggy, seeing the man hesitate, immediately schooled his smile into a mask of panic. He trembled, his body shaking as though struggling to endure, his expression full of desperation.
It was all an act—bait to keep the chief pouring out energy rather than cutting the attack short.
The village chief frowned deeply. He could already feel the loss of his strength. These streams of emotion had taken him decades to accumulate. Wasting them here was unthinkable. He was on the verge of halting the attack altogether.
But then he saw Buggy again. The pirate's face contorted with strain, as if on the verge of collapse.
The chief hesitated.
Buggy seemed moments from being overwhelmed. Yes, the energy drain was bizarre, but perhaps it was simply the clash with Conqueror's Haki causing the consumption. If so, it was still achieving the desired result—Buggy's defeat.
He couldn't decide.
Buggy noticed his opponent's pause and inwardly sighed with relief. This was a rare opportunity, a once-in-a-lifetime chance to "shear the sheep" and harvest strength. He couldn't waste it. He deepened the act, withdrawing his Haki just enough to look on the verge of failure, amplifying the illusion of weakness.
Finally, when the streams of energy closed to within just a few meters of Buggy, the chief abandoned his hesitation. His lips curved into a smile. He pushed harder, drawing on even more of the sacrificial space's energies. From every direction, fresh torrents of emotion surged toward Buggy.
Buggy felt it immediately. His brief elation was replaced with grim resolve.
This was no longer something to toy with. If he underestimated this, he really might die here.
At once, he pulled his Conqueror's Haki tight, condensing it around himself into a one-meter invisible barrier—a protective wall of will. At the same time, he cloaked his entire body in Armament Haki, layering his defenses. And he prepared, at any moment, to retreat using his fruit if it came to it.
The next instant, the storm of energies from all sides slammed into him.
The protective wall shook violently. Buggy's Conqueror's Haki, though vastly improved, buckled under the strain. The backlash sent shockwaves through his body. Blood spilled from his mouth as he was hurled hundreds of meters backward, crashing against the very edge of the sacrificial space before finally halting his momentum.
He staggered, coughed blood, then wiped his mouth, a mixture of irritation and satisfaction on his face.
Irritation—because the blow had injured him badly. If not for his Life Return mastery and his unique physique's regenerative ability, his condition would be far worse, perhaps crippling his ability to fight further.
Satisfaction—because his Conqueror's Haki had taken a massive leap forward.
If before it was at a beginner's level, now it has firmly stepped into the intermediate stage. His Haki now rivaled that of veteran users who had spent decades honing their power, but without the innate potential to reach true mastery.
Buggy had closed the gap in a single battle.
The chief, however, did not smile at Buggy's battered state. His expression darkened further, his face heavy with gloom.