Mitsu leaned back, stroking his beard.
"I have some connection with the current captain of Marine Branch 67 here on Gloria. Since you cannot leave this island yet… why don't you train with them?"
His voice trailed off, eyes narrowing slightly. Aragorn caught the weight behind the words.
'I see… he's afraid I might become a pirate. That's why he wants to push me toward the Marines. But… can a seven-year-old even enlist?'
Mitsu answered before the boy could ask.
"Unfortunately, the Marines cannot enlist anyone under twelve. But my good relationship with the captain will allow you to work as a chore boy—still, you'd be able to train alongside the recruits until you're of proper age."
Aragorn's lips spread into an eager smile, his voice filled with feigned excitement.
"Sure! That sounds nice, Teacher."
But beneath the smile, his thoughts turned sharp.
'If I could get my hands on a Rokushiki manual… that would be great.'
Mitsu's eyes softened as he returned the smile, a rare brightness flickering across his weathered face.
"Then come back tomorrow. I'll introduce you to the captain myself."
The conversation ended there. Mitsu rose, joints creaking faintly, and with a firm nod, he left the garden.
Aragorn wandered the streets of Gloria afterward, the bustling city alive with merchants, sailors, and the distant rhythm of Marine patrols. His mind, however, was elsewhere.
'I can't see myself as a Marine… especially knowing the world government they serve. The thought of giving myself to some other entity—it annoys me. More than I can explain.'
He sighed, leaving the crowded heart of the city behind. His steps carried him into the forest bordering Gloria, the cool shade swallowing him in silence.
'I haven't had the chance to try out Conqueror's Haki yet. Always surrounded by people… I wonder if I need an emotional trigger to awaken it, like the others?'
Closing his eyes, Aragorn stretched out his Observation Haki. The world lit up within his mind, shapes of life glowing in all directions. He sifted through the noise until he locked onto one small, flickering flame—a rabbit, some distance ahead.
Quiet as a shadow, Aragorn moved. Dried leaves were crunching under his feet, but the rabbit remained unaware. Ten meters away, he stopped. His gaze sharpened, falling on the brown rabbit nibbling vegetation, its ears twitching, eyes wide and cautious as it gnawed near its burrow.
The forest stilled. Aragorn's heartbeat slowed. His focus tunneled.This was it—the perfect moment to test the will of a king.
The rabbit, perhaps sensing him, turned in his direction and tensed once it saw a human boy standing there. Its chewing slowed greatly as it prepared to run in case of danger—but Aragorn had no interest in getting closer.
He glared at the rabbit, willing his spirit forward.
....
A long, almost comical silence passed by as nothing happened.
The rabbit's body eased slightly, relaxing as it realized the dumb human was just standing there, glaring at it.
Aragorn's eye twitched in annoyance.
'Guess it is not that easy.'
He closed his eyes and focused. On the energy he constantly used for observation. On his will itself.
'Haki is will. It can be turned into three different applications. To observe and see through the world—and even into the future. To harden the body for defense, to sharpen offense. And finally… to place my will upon this world.'
Aragorn's breathing deepened.
'Instead of using haki as I always do to observe… I just need to shift it. To expel my will. To impose it on this reality itself.'
Aragorn's eyes snapped open.
For a heartbeat, they burned with an eerie violet glow—unnatural, sharp, heavy with a power that wasn't meant to exist in one so young.
And then it came.
An invisible wave burst out of him, rippling across the forest like an electric wave no eye could see. The trees swayed, though no wind blew; the stones on the ground trembled faintly.
The rabbit froze. The moment the wave washed over it, its tiny body locked stiff, eyes rolling back until only white showed. With a faint twitch, it collapsed onto its side, legs spasming helplessly before going still.
The forest quieted.
Only Maekar remained standing in the clearing, chest rising and falling, feeling the raw weight of his will settle over the world.
Aragorn's grin stretched wider, teeth flashing as he clenched his tiny fist.
"So this… this is King's Haki," he whispered, voice trembling with exhilaration.
"I— I am a king."
The declaration lit something deep within him. His belief solidified, iron-clad, and in that instant the air itself seemed to bend around him. A violent surge of willpower erupted outward—his body wrapped in a faint violet glow before it exploded in another wave, stronger, sharper, fiercer than the last.
The forest shuddered under his presence. Leaves rattled, unseen pressure rolled across the clearing, and even the stones at his feet cracked faintly under the strain.
But then the rush faded. Aragorn staggered, sweat dripping down his brow, as a deep and heavy weakness washed over his small frame. His knees buckled slightly.
"Damn… this thing is taxing on my small body," he muttered, breathing deep and ragged.
He steadied himself and moved toward the rabbit lying limp in the grass. Reaching down, he grabbed it by the ears and lifted it up, its body swinging lifelessly.
"Guess rabbit is on the menu tonight," Aragorn said, a faint smirk tugging at his lips as his violet-tinged eyes dimmed back to normal.
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