Huff—
After exhaling hard, Garp stepped forward, walking toward the area where the two beasts had collapsed.
There was no reason to keep hiding anymore.
"My grandson is a truly extraordinary talent," Garp muttered, his shock giving way to excitement.
A monster who could perfectly control Conqueror's at seven.
And that monster was his grandson.
As Garp revealed himself, Koby and Helmeppo snapped out of their stupor—though their eyes still held lingering shock.
Everything that had just happened had shattered their common sense.
"Vice Admiral Garp… why are you here?" Koby blurted.
"I've been watching you the whole time," Garp replied casually. "You just didn't notice."
His gaze remained fixed on Raifeng, admiration growing thicker and thicker.
Good.
His own grandson was terrifying.
Seven years old, already controlling Conqueror's.
Even across the entire sea…
How many could match that?
Garp suddenly felt like he'd gained a new asset—something he could brag about to Sengoku.
The thought almost made him laugh out loud.
"You were watching the whole time?!" Helmeppo looked offended.
"Then you just stood there while we were about to die?!"
Garp's face darkened instantly.
"I haven't even started yelling at you idiots for provoking a Long-Tusk Giant Elephant, and you're blaming me for not saving you?"
"You don't even know your own limits, and you dare do something that insane."
Helmeppo immediately shut up, lowering his head, sweating.
"Vice Admiral… we were wrong," Koby admitted quietly.
Garp turned and glared at Raifeng.
"And you, Raifeng—brat—you're a walking disaster!"
"Old man, didn't we get through it fine?" Raifeng grinned, completely unconcerned.
Originally, he'd only planned to target the elephant.
Then the unexpected happened—a second beast appeared.
But luckily…
Conqueror's Haki came in clutch.
He'd handled both monsters in one go.
Garp fell silent for a moment, unable to argue.
Then Koby finally asked the question that had been tearing at his brain.
"Vice Admiral… what happened just now?"
"Why did they just… collapse?"
"Was it you? Did you do something?"
"Yeah!" Helmeppo added quickly. "We didn't even see them get hit."
Garp pointed at Raifeng, expression sour.
"Ask him."
Seeing Raifeng's calm face only made Garp more certain.
Raifeng absolutely knew what Conqueror's Haki was.
And that thought made Garp want to complain.
What a monster.
At this age, already this fluent with it…
Give him time and who knows what kind of monster he'd become.
Even Garp didn't want to imagine it.
"Raifeng… sir," Koby said, eyes wide. "You mean… it was you?!"
Koby and Helmeppo stared at Raifeng like he'd grown a second head.
That terrifying phenomenon…
was connected to this seven-year-old?
How was that possible?
Helmeppo's throat went dry.
"T-This…"
Garp sighed.
"Fine. Your level isn't high, but you should still learn some basic truths about the sea."
"There are plenty of Devil Fruit users—you already know that, so I won't explain those."
"But besides Devil Fruits, the Marines have a very practical set of combat techniques."
"It's called the Six Powers."
"Only the elite among elites can fully learn it."
"And even then—Six Powers is only the foundation."
"Only after mastering it do you barely qualify to touch a higher level of power."
"That power is called…"
"Haki."
Koby and Helmeppo's eyes went unfocused.
"Haki…"
A completely unfamiliar word.
But even without understanding it, they could feel one thing clearly—
It was far beyond them.
They weren't even qualified to learn Six Powers yet.
And Six Powers was just the entry ticket?
Then Haki had to be… absurd.
"Haki comes in three types," Garp said.
"First: Armament Haki. You know Logia users can ignore normal physical attacks. Armament lets you hit them anyway."
"It can also coat weapons, improving both defense and attack power."
"Second: Observation Haki. It lets you sense an enemy's actions and react before the attack even arrives."
"These two are still far beyond you, so I won't go too deep."
"But what matters is the third type…"
"It's known across the sea as the mark of a king—something only one in a million is born with."
"It's called…"
"Conqueror's Haki."
"This is a power you can only have if you're born with the talent. Without it, you'll never awaken it no matter what."
"And the difficulty of mastering it is far beyond Armament or Observation—hundreds of times harder."
Koby and Helmeppo felt dizzy from the information dump.
Armament and Observation already sounded unreachable.
And now there was something even more extreme.
"Conqueror's Haki…"
Garp continued.
"When you release it, it produces an overwhelming aura that crushes the enemy's mind."
"If the target's will is weak, it can knock them unconscious instantly."
"And from the outside, there won't be any visible wounds."
"It's a mental impact—not a physical strike."
Garp paused.
Koby and Helmeppo looked as if they'd been petrified.
Because that description—
Matched what they'd just experienced perfectly.
Two monsters, no visible injuries…
…and then sudden unconsciousness.
"D-Don't tell me…"
They slowly turned toward Raifeng, eyes shaking.
No way.
There was no way.
Garp's voice dropped, calm but heavy.
"You've already guessed it."
"The reason those two beasts collapsed was because their minds were crushed by Conqueror's Haki."
"And the one who used it…"
He pointed straight at Raifeng.
"Was him."
Silence fell like a guillotine.
Koby and Helmeppo stood there, faces blank, completely stunned.
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