In the world of One Piece, lineage means everything.
Or rather, in most Japanese anime, bloodline is the unspoken law that governs destiny.
Take Kaido, for example. During the Onigashima War, he declared that "Haki stands above all power in this world," only to be defeated by Luffy and the awakening of his Nika Fruit.
But that isn't the real question here.
If Kaido truly believed that Haki reigned supreme, why did he bother eating the Azure Dragon Fruit in the first place?
The answer lies in his past back when he served under Rocks D. Xebec. There, Kaido witnessed Whitebeard unleash the devastating power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, splitting the very seas apart. From that day onward, Kaido became obsessed with finding a Devil Fruit strong enough to rival that kind of destructive force.
Because, in truth, Haki does not always reign above all else.
To be precise, only Conqueror's Haki stands at the very peak.
But here's the problem: Conqueror's Haki cannot be trained. You either have it or you don't.
Look at the ones who wield it. Garp, Dragon, Luffy all from the Monkey family, their bloodline flowing with kingship.
Then there's Shanks and Saint Figarland Garling members of the Figarland family, the "sword arm" of the Celestial Dragons.
Kozuki Oden, heir of the royal family of Wano.
Loki, prince of the Giants.
Rocks, Teach, Roger all of them carry the name of D.
Kaido, with his ordinary background, could never surpass the boundaries of his birth. Without a Devil Fruit, his peak would have been that of legends like Rayleigh, Jabba, or Beckman mighty, yes, but still just beneath the true monarchs of the sea.
And that brings us to the real question:
If power and destiny are bound by blood… how does Blake plan to survive the final clash between the Sun God and the one seated on the Empty Throne and still walk away with the spoils?
Simple. He has a cheat.
When Blake whispered, "System, activate," his consciousness was pulled into a vast, crystalline blue space.
Before him appeared a luminous, holographic screen sleek, futuristic, and humming with digital light.
Across it floated ten glowing slots, each holding a card.
Each card bore a portrait and a name: Borsalino (Youth), Monkey D. Garp (Young), Shiki (Prime), Charlotte Linlin (Childhood)…
Beneath them sat a radiant golden box, gleaming like treasure.
"Same as always," Blake smirked. "Let's start with a draw."
He placed his palm on the box.
It shuddered violently, then shot out a card, spinning in midair before him.
On the card was a striking woman sharp-eyed and commanding.
She wore a rose-colored military uniform with the Marine's "Justice" cloak billowing behind her. Deep violet gloves hugged her hands, and her long pink hair was tied up neatly in a high ponytail. A pair of purple-tinted sunglasses rested on her head.
Hina (Prime)
Blake grinned. "Hina, huh? That could be fun."
He snapped his fingers. "Enter battle."
The blue void fractured and vanished.
In the blink of an eye, Blake stood upon a remote island surrounded by crashing waves and rustling palms.
"So this time it's an island terrain?" he mused, scanning the environment. "That gives her the advantage. I'll need to stay sharp."
Expanding his Observation Haki to its fullest, Blake advanced cautiously toward the island's interior.
Moments later, movement flickered within the dense foliage.
A tall, elegant woman emerged Hina. Yet her eyes were empty, devoid of emotion, like a puppet stripped of its soul.
Blake's gaze hardened. He charged forward, speed bursting like lightning. His right arm coiled back, glimmering as it was wrapped in the black sheen of Armament Haki.
But Hina reacted just as swiftly. Crossing her arms before her chest, she too cloaked herself in dark armor.
Their fists collided with a thunderous crack, sending ripples of force through the air.
Hina was blasted backward, skidding across the ground.
Blake pressed forward without hesitation, chasing after her like a predator.
Hina twisted midair, her hands spreading wide.
"Black Cage Formation!"
Instantly, countless iron bars materialized around Blake, thrusting toward him from every direction.
Relying on the sharp sensitivity of his Observation Haki, Blake dodged through the assault with fluid precision, but his momentum faltered.
Landing gracefully, Hina pivoted and unleashed a fierce spinning kick aimed at his head her long legs slicing through the air like whips.
Blake had no time to admire her form.
His balance was off from his previous dodge he couldn't evade. His only option was to counter head-on.
Their attacks clashed again, shaking the ground beneath them.
Normally, a kick carries greater power than a punch, but Blake's body was built of iron and muscle. The result an even stalemate.
In that brief instant of deadlock, Blake lifted his leg and aimed a brutal kick at her midsection.
Hina leapt backward, narrowly avoiding it but Blake pressed in, closing the distance.
Exactly as he planned.
From what he remembered of Hina's combat style, her Devil Fruit favored long-range attacks and large-area traps.
If he could get in close, her advantage would crumble.
The two exchanged a storm of blows punches, kicks, bursts of Haki clashing in rapid succession.
Each strike cracked the air, each movement a test of endurance and instinct.
Gradually, Blake began to read her rhythm.
"Her Armament Haki's stronger than mine," he thought mid-battle, "but not by much. If I keep this up, I can win through stamina alone."
Confidence surged through him, and with it, his speed and power intensified.
By the time dawn broke, the fight was over.
Blake reappeared in the blue space, breathing calmly, holding a glowing card in his hand.
Armament Haki (Prime Hina)
The card dissolved into motes of light that sank into his body.
Power roared through his veins, his Haki growing denser, heavier, and infinitely sharper.
This was Blake's system cold, mechanical, and unwavering.
Each month, he could draw one card.
The character was random. Some were legends of the One Piece world, others nameless background figures.
The odds favored the famous, but each version of a character child, adult, prime, or elder varied in difficulty.
Once drawn, Blake could choose to challenge them.
Victory granted him a single reward: a skill, Haki, Devil Fruit power, or unique physical trait.
If he failed or chose to delay he could store the card in one of ten slots.
Sixteen years later, all ten slots were filled with his handpicked collection each chosen for a careful balance between risk and reward.
Only two cards Golden Lion Shiki and the Red Count, Baroric Ledfield had ever appeared once and vanished forever.
The others, like Young Garp, were easier to handle versions.
But among them, one stood out as his most precious: Charlotte Linlin (Childhood).
The young Linlin was by far the weakest of the ten.
She had no Haki, no Devil Fruit only a terrifying natural gift known as The Iron Balloon.
If Blake could defeat her, he would gain that ability, an impenetrable body as hard as steel.
The tragedy was that, even at sixteen, Blake still couldn't beat a six-year-old Linlin.
Not yet.
But someday, he vowed, he would.
And when that day came, the seas would quake beneath his feet.