It is said that every living being possesses Haki, because Haki is a manifestation of one's will through vital and spiritual energy. This is how Observation Haki and Armament Haki work. However, there is one type of Haki that cannot be learned and must be something one is born with.
It is the King's right, a Haki designed to rule over others...
At this moment, and without warning, a colossal clash between two kings took place, so powerful that it shook all of Sabaody.
At first, it was an even clash of Conqueror's Haki, but soon one began to overpower the other, surprising the old man, who smiled and slowly stopped using Haki. Allen did the same.
That clash only lasted a few moments before disappearing, but it was enough that when the turbulence finally ended, only those with sufficient willpower remained standing.
The nobles, wealthy individuals, and guards of the auction house were lying on the ground without moving.
"What was that?!" exclaimed Luffy.
Beside him, Zoro and Sanji were barely managing to remain standing, while the rest of their crew had been knocked unconscious.
"That bastard..." Kid growled.
Of Kid's crew, only he was still conscious, since Allen had knocked Killer out beforehand, while only Trafalgar Law remained conscious as well.
Finally, Allen himself, Doll, Nami, and Robin were fine, although Doll was outside taking care of an unconscious Camie and Pappag.
"Old man, if you think I'm being impulsive, then you're wrong. This decision was made after thinking about it for quite a while while I was chasing Charlos's fat ass," Allen said.
It wasn't as if he had been planning this from the moment he set foot on Sabaody. It wasn't as if his objective had been to come here and confront the Celestial Dragons. However, during his stay, he had seen enough to force him to act.
He didn't want these people to keep breathing for another moment. He didn't want them to continue parasitizing the world for another minute, and of course, he didn't want their laughter contaminating his kingdom for another instant...
The old man sighed. He could feel Allen's anger, his disgust toward the man he was still holding by the neck despite being unconscious.
The old man could also feel that Allen was allowing himself to be carried away by his emotions without realizing it.
"You're strong..." the old man said with a sincere look. "Strong enough that these old bones can no longer keep up with you, strong enough that I can see your image walking on the heels of my captain... but you're risking everything"
Allen remained silent, but those words made him hesitate. Was he really being reckless?
He shook his head and looked at the old man. "Is it still not enough?"
The old man chuckled, happy that Allen had reconsidered, and his eyes remained fixed on Allen as he evaluated him. For a moment, everyone remained silent until he finally spoke.
"If your goal is to become a legend, perhaps even replace a Yonko, then it is enough..." The old man's smile faded. "But if you truly want to tear out the roots that have dug deeper and deeper for eight hundred years... then my answer is that it would only be suicide."
Allen's eyes widened slightly. Saying he wasn't surprised would have been a lie. He had built the Wall himself, possessed a power level of more than five million, and had the abilities of many Devil Fruits. Even if his opponent were Garp or Roger in their prime, he could fight them, and yet this old man was saying it wasn't enough?!
"Damn..." Allen clenched his teeth, his face becoming grim.
"I understand your impatience, but you must not be reckless. Don't do it because of my words, but think about those girls behind you. I can see it in their eyes. Their lives are tied to yours. If you decide to go to hell, they will follow you."
"...!" Allen turned to look at Nami and Robin.
Both women were somewhat confused by the situation, but their expressions were firm.
"I'm sorry," Allen said.
Nami and Robin widened their eyes before smiling, one shrugging her shoulders while the other covered her mouth.
Allen was fine with the outcome. Even if he were killed while fighting the World Government, he would have no regrets. However, he would never forgive himself if his actions harmed his crew. Moreover, he would end up dragging Luffy's crew into it as well, and they still lacked the strength necessary to participate in a conflict on this scale.
"I see..." Allen said before releasing a long breath, and with it, the anger that had accumulated inside him. "I had forgotten it wouldn't be that easy."
Allen let go of Rosward, who fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes.
Hearing Allen's words, the old man smiled, and the others breathed a sigh of relief. Nobody wanted to get caught in the middle of a war between powers. After all, Luffy, Law, and Kid hadn't even set foot in the New World yet.
Of course, Luffy would support confronting the Marines right now. After all, that was the promise they had made.
"I'm glad I managed to prevent something on this scale. Of course, putting your hands on a Celestial Dragon will bring an admiral, but that's nothing we can't handle."
Allen blinked as he looked at the man. "By the way, who are you, old man?"
The tension broke, and most of them almost fell over. Even the old man stumbled.
Everyone thought the same thing. This guy had been talking to the old man as if he knew his identity, but now he was saying he had no idea who he was.
[Hey!]
Allen shrugged. "Don't misunderstand me. I mean, I know you're an incredibly strong guy, and several names come to mind, but I don't know which one you are."
The old man laughed, while behind him, the hole he had come through began to grow larger, and a giant peeked through.
"Rayleigh-san, are you done talking?"
"No way!" exclaimed Nami.
"I knew it," said Robin.
"Looks like another monster has shown up," said Law, finishing waking up his last companion.
"Tch," Kid grunted. He had finished bandaging his wound and stood up.
The old man extended his hand to his right and, with a movement, grabbed the slave collar from the girl on the stage and made it disappear. An explosion was heard behind him.
"Now I'm just an old mechanic named Silvers Rayleigh. It's a pleasure, King of the World! Hahaha!"
Allen's eyes widened before he shook his head and greeted him with a firm look. "It's a pleasure, Dark King."
"All right, young man, we'd better leave now before an admiral arrives. If it's Kuzan, we could talk. If it's Kizaru, we don't even need to worry because the guy is lazy. But if it's Sakazuki, half the island could be wiped out, although I doubt that will happen. Sengoku wouldn't send Sakazuki unless circumstances forced him to, so thank heaven you didn't kill any of them."
Nami and Robin trembled when they heard that, while Allen said nothing and kept his shameless expression.
Rayleigh nodded in approval before turning his gaze toward Luffy.
"As for you, Straw Hat boy, I have something to talk to you about, but we could do it somewhere else."
Luffy silently looked at the old man, then looked at Allen.
Understanding that Luffy was waiting to help him with his problem, Allen couldn't help but smile. This stupid guy had clearly heard that an admiral was approaching, and yet he wasn't thinking about escaping.
This wasn't because of his naivety like in the original story, where Kizaru almost killed them. Allen had made sure to give Luffy a dose of reality, so this desire to help him was purely out of goodwill.
Allen chuckled. "Luffy, go with this old man. He's Gold D. Roger's right-hand man, so I'm sure he has some interesting stories to tell. Besides, maybe you can convince him to teach you Haki. At this rate, instead of becoming the Pirate King, you won't even make it past the first island in the New World."
Allen's words caused Luffy to exclaim in surprise. This old man was Roger's right-hand man?!
"Haki..." Zoro said quietly.
"We really are naive..." Sanji said while smoking.
Luffy also remained silent. They had just witnessed the clash of two Conqueror's Haki, and he understood that having Haki was essential in the New World. If he didn't learn it, he could lose his crewmates in the future.
"I understand!" Luffy said.
The Straw Hats' mouths fell open comically. Seeing Luffy act intelligently was more shocking than seeing the Dark King himself.
....
When they went outside, they found a regiment of Marines surrounding the auction house.
Allen approached Doll, who had unconscious Camie on her back while Pappag was still sitting on the Bon Chari.
"What, do you still feel bad about your former comrades?" Nami teased.
"Shut up," Doll growled. "I have to take care of this brat. That's more important."
She wouldn't deny that her impulse to leave the Marines had been influenced by the situation at the time and that, under different circumstances, she would have avoided that outcome. But now that she had insulted a Celestial Dragon and indirectly participated in his death, there was no possibility of returning to the Marines, at least while the World Government remained standing.
However, Doll was a strong woman. Unlike Tashigi, who struggled for a long time between her sense of justice and her identity as a Marine, she accepted it quickly.
Allen smiled mischievously. "Don't worry. As soon as I become King, I'll promote you directly to admiral. Would you like that?"
Doll blinked, handed Camie to a confused Nami, then walked over to Allen, grabbed him by the neck, and caught him by surprise with a kiss. It wasn't a simple kiss, but a deep one that left everyone in shock, including the Marines.
"What are you doing, Vice Admiral Doll?!" shouted the rear admiral in charge. It was already embarrassing enough that she had deserted the Marines, but what face would he have when people found out that one of their Vice Admirals had been seduced by Allen Walker?
Once she finished, Doll let go of Allen. There was a slight blush on her cheeks, but she still wore a firm, almost aggressive expression.
"Kid, you'd better make it worth it!" the woman warned before turning around and coating her arms in Armament Haki. "Now I suppose I need to get a bounty..."
The Marines were frightened. How could they not be? Doll was not only one of the few women to attain the rank of Vice Admiral, but her strength surpassed that of many other Vice Admirals. If not for Uta's Devil Fruit practically being cheating, she would be the strongest member of Allen's crew, after him, of course.
Doll laughed and launched herself at the poor Marines. With one punch, she sent dozens of them flying, as if she were releasing all her pent-up stress.
"Who does she think she is?" Nami handed Camie to Robin and launched herself at the Marines, sending a storm of lightning down upon them.
"Incredible!" Luffy said with shining eyes as he also jumped into the fight.
"Damn you..." Sanji slammed the ground with tears of desperation.
Meanwhile, Rayleigh approached Allen with a bead of sweat running down his cheek.
"How should I put this? You're very popular with women."
Allen gave him a half-smile. "What can I say? I'm a handsome, strong man, and more than that, I have the charm of the perfect man. Having beautiful girls fall in love with me is my curse."
An arm appeared around Allen's shoulder and began pulling on his ear.
Allen, to maintain his dignity, ignored Robin's silent scolding as she pouted.
Rayleigh watched this, feeling old, and could only marvel at the realization that the rumors about Allen's "humility" were more than true.
"What are you doing? Hurry up," Carina said with a sigh. "For you two, this might be a walk in the park, but an admiral is impossible for us to defeat..."
"I'm sorry, young lady. Follow me," Rayleigh said, leading the way.
"That was very brave," Allen said to Carina.
She opened her eyes in surprise at the sudden compliment.
Allen narrowed his eyes slightly in admiration. "Girl, you're standing before a legend and the future King of the World, and yet instead of feeling afraid, you seem calm."
Carina blinked before smiling with a slight touch of flirtatiousness. "Oh, but the young master is basically our second captain, so I'm assuming you'll protect us~."
"Of course. Our bond involves more than simply being allies, so in the future, don't hesitate to ask for my help if you need it," Allen said with a smile.
The atmosphere between them became strangely harmonious until two people exploded in anger.
One was Sanji, who shouted and stepped between them. He wasn't going to let his one and only goddess become part of that pervert's harem.
"NOOO!"
The other was Nami, who couldn't believe that while she was fighting, Allen was seducing Carina. She couldn't stand it and sent a lightning bolt between them. Unfortunately, Sanji happened to step into that spot, and the hundreds of thousands of volts struck him.
"Ahhh!"
Sanji fell to the ground, comically charred. The voltage wasn't enough to actually hurt him, but it certainly humiliated him.
"Stupid cook," Zoro said mockingly.
However, just as Sanji was about to insult him, he realized that Zoro was running in the opposite direction.
"Hey, where are you going, Zoro?!" Chopper shouted.
"Haha," Allen laughed. "You really are a fun group."
Everyone stared at him in shock. At that moment, five of Robin's hands were on his body. One pinched his cheek, another his ear, two more were wrapped around his neck, and one was pulling his hair.
It was obvious that Robin was very jealous.
How about you look in a mirror?!
...
At Marine Headquarters, Sengoku lowered his gaze. The worst possible outcome had come true. A Celestial Dragon was dead, and the condition of two others was unknown.
How long had it been since the World Nobles had been attacked on this scale?
"Sengoku..." Tsuru said.
They hadn't communicated with the Five Elders yet, but there was no point anymore. The damage had been done, and Sengoku was obligated to respond. He had to do so decisively, or the future of the Marines would be in danger.
"Understood..." Sengoku stood up before ordering, "Prepare the ships..."
It was a simple order, but Tsuru understood the gravity of Sengoku's actions. He wasn't going to hold back when facing Allen.
...
Meanwhile, throughout the rest of the world, people watched the broadcast with tension hanging in the air. Allen was unaware of it, but they knew perfectly well the true identity of the current King of the World, Nerona Imu, and the power that went beyond even that of the Pirate King.
Facing him was extremely dangerous, and they hoped he wouldn't take action against Allen.
Felicia – At least he reconsidered...
MJ – It's frustrating not being able to tell him what we know.
Gwen – It's true, but we can't cheat. At least we can confirm that Allen has reached the first checkpoint.
Nokotan – What's that?
Esdeath – Stupid reindeer, you forgot Lenalee's explanation. That means Allen will be free to leave the world at this point in the story.
Albedo – Ah~ how wonderful it is to see Allen-sama again.
Makima – You're seeing him from time to time...
Albedo – It's not the same!
Among the spectators, some kept their opinions to themselves. However, they kept their eyes fixed on the end of the first act of this world. They didn't know what was going to happen, since this was the first time Lucifer and Allen had applied this new format of zero external influence on the world, meaning Allen had nothing that he had not acquired within that world.
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A/N: At this rate, Luffy is going to be without a navigator again 🍷🗿