OPTC Chapter 265 The Weakest Conqueror's Haki I've Ever Seen
"Lion Power: Earth Coil!"
Golden Lion bent his hand into a claw and pulled upward. The ground trembled violently as countless rocks and chunks of earth rose like ocean waves, gathering into eight enormous lion heads made of stone that surrounded the group. Each opened its massive jaws, lunging down to bite.
Golden Lion turned confidently, flying back toward his palace. Just a few pests, he thought. They had disturbed his dinner, nothing more.
At that moment, Ye Yan was sitting atop the Chaos Beast alongside his two Flag Spirits. But even the Chaos Beast's massive body was dwarfed by those lion heads. He couldn't help but swear.
"Damn, he can reshape the land with a flick of his hand? Is this guy some kind of ancient deity?"
"Yohohoho... it seems we've finally met a terrifying opponent," Brook laughed, but this time his tone wasn't lighthearted.
"Waaah! What are those things!?" Perona screamed through the loudspeaker inside the Shark Giant's cockpit. Even within the metal fortress, she felt no sense of safety.
Shark Chili didn't know what to say either. The giant mechanical shark, once his pride and joy, suddenly seemed so small before these monstrous lions.
Tom clung tightly around Zhang Da Ye's neck, trembling uncontrollably. The shaking earth and collapsing hills were far too much for him to handle.
Zhang Da Ye pressed the frightened cat down against his chest, trying to keep him calm — otherwise Tom's trembling would spread to him too.
"Leave it to me. Get ready to break through," said Artoria, steady as ever. She sprinted forward, her sword glowing with golden light, slashing out a crescent-shaped energy wave that split one of the stone lions clean in half.
"I'll help too!" Rui Meng Meng leapt high into the air, bringing her black alloy sword down hard. A pale wave of energy struck another lion, expanding outward in ripples before the creature exploded into rubble.
Once destroyed, the lions immediately lost control and crumbled apart.
The group quickly jumped — some onto the Chaos Beast's back, others onto the Shark Giant — and rushed through the opening created by Artoria and Rui Meng Meng.
"Hm?" Golden Lion turned around, his expression hardening. He trusted his powers completely — his subordinates wouldn't have survived a move like that. Yet these strangers broke through with ease.
"Who are you people? Pirates? Marines?" he asked.
Zhang Da Ye replied casually, "Just a group of simple travelers. Mind letting us tour around and maybe take a few souvenirs home?"
Golden Lion's eyes narrowed, his mane of gold flaring. "Are you mocking me? I am the Golden Lion!"
A burst of invisible pressure exploded outward from him. Beasts that hadn't fled far collapsed instantly, foaming at the mouth.
If it weren't for the ridiculous ship's rudder lodged in his head, he might've looked truly imposing.
"So scary!" Perona gasped inside the Shark Giant's cockpit, her face pale with fear.
Shark Chili, however, felt nothing. His robot body wasn't human — Conqueror's Haki meant nothing to him. "Would be more effective if he sang a song," he muttered.
"Yohohohoho~ What a powerful presence! It almost makes my nonexistent hair stand on end!" Brook drew his sword-cane. No matter how strong the enemy, he couldn't give up — not before he saw Laboon again.
Ye Yan rubbed his arms. "Why does this feel like facing the student council president again... I kind of want to kneel."
He was referring to the student council president of Xiahou Academy — a man with natural kingly authority. Anyone who met his gaze felt the urge to bow instinctively.
"Definitely someone dangerous," Rui Meng Meng said, tightening her grip on her sword. Fear was familiar to her, but it never stopped her blade — if anything, it only made her strike harder.
Tom, already trembling from the start, barely reacted at all to the wave of Conqueror's Haki — maybe because he'd already maxed out his fear meter.
Meanwhile, Zhang Da Ye, having been specifically targeted by Golden Lion's pressure, was thinking to himself,
'He's not playing along at all. Couldn't he at least ask what souvenirs I want, so I could say something like "your head"? We could've at least stalled a bit.'
'Also, what's with this pressure? This is supposed to be Conqueror's Haki? It's way weaker than Red-Hair's a few months ago. Is he just bad at it — or did I get stronger? This has to be the weakest Conqueror's Haki I've ever seen!'
Even with the oppressive force pushing against him, Zhang Da Ye didn't waver much.
The rest of the group soon recovered too — thanks to Artoria. The moment she released her own aura, a powerful presence of her own surged forth, neutralizing Golden Lion's Haki entirely.
Perona, who had nearly fainted, felt her fear fade, replaced by a strange calm.
So in truth, the reason Golden Lion only managed to knock out a few beasts wasn't because his Haki was weak — it was because the entire opposing group was absurdly overpowered.
"Oh? You too...?" Golden Lion sneered. "This sea doesn't need so many kings!"
He swung his right leg, sending out a golden slash. "Lion Slash!"
"Haah!" Artoria answered with a golden slash of her own.
Boom!
The two attacks collided midair, dispersing into nothingness. A powerful gust of wind erupted from the impact, stirring the dust and whipping both their golden hair.
To an outsider, it looked even — but Zhang Da Ye knew better. Golden Lion had used one of his techniques, "Lion Slash," while Artoria had simply attacked normally. So technically... she'd won.
Golden Lion studied her empty hands. "So, a Devil Fruit user? An invisible weapon?"
"Who knows? Maybe an axe, maybe a spear... or perhaps even a bow," Artoria said calmly. She ran forward, leapt high into the air, and swung her sword down toward his chest.
"Giahahaha! You think hiding your weapon's length can fool me?!" Golden Lion blocked the blow with the blade attached to his left leg and countered with his right.
Artoria didn't dodge. She shifted her stance, choosing to trade blows directly — her sword slashing at his thigh as his kick struck her chest.
Clang! Clang!
His attack left a scar across her silver armor, while hers tore his trousers. It didn't hurt him, but it did annoy him.
"Trading hits already? Don't tell me you think that's enough to fight me evenly?" Golden Lion grinned.
Artoria flipped backward, landing gracefully. "Only one way to find out."
"Artoria, you okay?" Zhang Da Ye called.
"I'm fine. I only did that because I knew I wouldn't get hurt. As expected, he knows how to use Armament Haki."
A flash of blue light restored her armor to perfection.
Zhang Da Ye said, "I might have an idea to pull him down — or at least distract him. Want to try it?"
Artoria glanced at him. "Didn't you say we just need to stall for time?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Until someone comes who can catch these islands... or at least rescue the civilians."
"Then let me test myself first," she said, her voice calm but determined. "It's rare to face someone I can go all out against without holding back."
Battle intent flared in her eyes. She'd faced Red-Hair, Mihawk, and Admiral Gion before — but all those fights were limited by circumstance. This time, she could truly unleash her full strength.
"…Using Golden Lion as a sparring partner, huh?" Zhang Da Ye thought about it — and honestly, it didn't sound too bad.
Golden Lion was the definition of a true pirate — proud, confident, reckless, yet clever. A leader's boldness mixed with a madman's cunning.
At times, he was even... weirdly endearing.
But he was unpredictable. That made him dangerous.
"Just be careful," Zhang Da Ye warned. "He doesn't fight fair. Expect cheap tricks."
"Indeed, Miss Artoria," said Brook. "Some pirates have no sense of honor. Please stay alert."
He remembered well — the day the Rumbar Pirates fell, their enemies had coated their weapons with poison. Honor was rare among pirates.
"I know," Artoria smiled. "But this time, I'm not fighting alone."
She looked at her companions — each unique, some strong in power, others in intellect, others in sheer unpredictability. Not all were warriors, but all were reliable.
Her faint smile deepened. "If he tries to attack from behind... I'll leave my back to all of you."
Everyone — man or woman, human or otherwise, living or undead — felt something stir inside them at her words.
It wasn't her beauty that struck them, but her unwavering trust.
Even Tom, who had been trembling the whole time, straightened up. He quickly changed into his swordsman outfit, a serious look on his face that seemed to say, "If anyone dares sneak up on her, they'll taste my blade first."
Watching her back, Zhang Da Ye rummaged through his inventory. Who said kings didn't understand people? She clearly did.
"Done talking?" Golden Lion called mockingly. "Because the result will be the same!"
While they spoke, he had gathered massive quantities of seawater into the air.
Though he acted careless, their brief exchange had already made him wary. Artoria's swordsmanship and adaptability were far beyond average.
If he couldn't win in close combat, he'd hit her weakness instead.
He still didn't know her exact power, but if she was a Devil Fruit user, the answer was obvious: "Lion Power: Sea Coil!"
Three gigantic lions made entirely of seawater surged toward Artoria. Each one was as massive as the earlier earth lions.
While Artoria's expression stayed calm, Ye Yan's didn't — the Chaos Beast he rode panicked at the sight of water, dropping him flat on the ground.
"Traitor!" he yelled, scrambling to his feet. "All Flags, get back here right now! Anyone late by five minutes will be scrubbing decks for a month!"
What would've been a nightmare for most Devil Fruit users was, to Artoria, an opportunity.
She sprinted straight up the nearest water lion, treating it like solid ground.
When the other two lunged, she swung her sword in a wide arc, momentarily disrupting Golden Lion's control. Using the falling seawater as leverage, she leapt high into the air, aiming straight for his neck.
"She can step on water?!" Golden Lion was stunned — his attack had backfired completely. He twisted in midair, blocking with his leg-blade, performing something that looked like a spinning kick.
But rushed as it was, his move lacked power — and Artoria's strike knocked him several meters back.
With no footing in the sky, she used the momentum to fire a golden slash upward.
"Giahahaha! The sky is my domain!" Golden Lion laughed, blocking it with ease before darting forward. His twin leg-blades gleamed as he slashed rapidly. "Lion: Thousand Valley Cuts!"
Dozens of golden slashes rained down like a storm.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Artoria parried each one, sparks bursting midair with every clash.
Dual blades meant higher attack frequency — and in the sky, where he ruled, Golden Lion had the advantage.
The relentless barrage drove Artoria back, forcing her down toward the ground.
She tried to use the last remaining water lion for support, but Golden Lion had already released control, letting his slashes shred it to pieces.
Water and stone exploded everywhere as the shockwaves blasted the area. The battlefield became a cratered wasteland.
"Giahahaha! Still standing after that? You're tougher than you look!" Golden Lion smirked.
Sensing her presence with Observation Haki, he raised one leg high and brought it down with force. "Lion Slash!"
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