Buggy kept thinking about Riven coming to the rescue, but unfortunately Riven still had his own matters to deal with.
"Sorry about this, Buggy, I still have things to do, you and Shanks hold on a bit longer."
Riven patted Buggy on the shoulder, and then in an instant dashed out from the encirclement, cutting through enemies again.
"Wa… wait… damn it!", Buggy wanted to cry but had no tears, he could only fight while retreating alongside Shanks with a mournful face.
They weren't perverted monsters like Riven. At only twelve years old, although the two of them had decent combat power, facing the vast number of elite pirates was still a bit overwhelming.
Shanks seemed rather open-minded though. After bidding farewell to Riven, he once again fought against the rushing pirates.
"Don't get careless, Buggy. The enemies are rushing in again."
"Damn it!"
———
At this time, at the main battlefield of the Edd War, Roger and Shiki were clashing fiercely with Conqueror's Haki, black and red lightning spreading across the battlefield, as if tearing the sky apart.
Some pirates with slightly weaker strength didn't even dare approach the battlefield. After all, the group of predecessors who had been knocked unconscious on the ground served as clear examples.
The clash between the two was extremely intense.
"Divine Departure!"
"Lion, Thousand Cut Valley!"
Their sword techniques collided, and Riven, who had rushed over to observe, didn't dare blink, staring intently at the two blades that hadn't even actually touched.
"No matter how many times I see it, I'm still shocked by this kind of power."
'Conqueror's Haki coating.'
Riven had gone mad. Enduring the residual shockwaves of two overwhelming Haki forces, he simply watched the battle from nearby, using his Observation Haki at full power to feel this innate talent.
Facing this world-shattering power directly, Riven admitted this was the first time he truly felt fear.
It wasn't weakness in will or spirit, but the instinct of a living being facing death.
He knew that if he dared take a few more steps forward, no matter how tough his physique and dual Haki were, he would definitely be shredded into nothing by this power.
But Riven didn't retreat. He admitted he was taking a gamble. But clearly, he gambled right.
When facing the ultimate fear of life and death, people often break through certain limits.
Perhaps because he was too close, Riven's body began to break out in dense wounds, even Armament Haki couldn't effectively defend him, streams of fresh blood flowing from his seven orifices, but Riven didn't dare retreat,
Because this one step back would be for life.
Retreating because of fear of someone else's Conqueror's Haki, according to Riven's understanding of this kind of Haki, if he did that, awakening it again would be difficult. At most in this life, he'd be a vice-admiral level at best.
Then how could he act cool? How could he enjoy himself?
He refused to be the kind of guy who gets one-shotted by Conqueror's Haki coating. Not even admiral level. In the future, he wouldn't even be able to stand firm when facing Shanks' Haki.
In his past life, he was stuck at the bottom with no way to rise.
In this life, it hadn't been easy to get some talent, a chance to become stronger, he wanted to be the strongest man in the world.
The one who acts the coolest.
The freest man.
He wanted everyone to tremble in cold sweat just hearing his name.
It was precisely this simple thought that filled his heart, allowing Riven to face the baptism of the two top-level Conqueror's Haki without hesitation.
BOOM! KRAKAKAKA!
Just as Shiki and Roger's battle reached its climax, a tender yet domineering will rushed into the battlefield, black and red lightning suddenly caught their attention.
Shiki and Roger widened their eyes, and then both laughed loudly.
"Kid, looks like you've got some ambition to realize too. Join me, I won't hold that earlier shot against you."
"That won't do, Shiki. This kid is one of the future stars of the new era."
In the distance, Rayleigh and the other officers who were fighting also sensed this extremely pure Conqueror's Haki, all showing smiles.
The most surprised among them was Buggy, his hair blown by the storm of this aura, eyes filled with disbelief.
"Eh! Riven, he actually awakened Conqueror's Haki?"
"As expected of Riven!"
Shanks, on the other hand, was calm and truly happy for his friend's progress.
But none of them noticed, among the many small fries of the Golden Lion Pirates in the distance, one inconspicuous pirate was holding up a Den Den Mushi for recording.
———
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi—
[Marine Headquarters, Marineford]
"To awaken Conqueror's Haki at such a young age, this little brat on Roger's ship might have potential not inferior to Roger himself."
"I know this guy."
At the end of the desk in the Navy office, a voice sounded from behind Vice Admiral Garp. This voice startled Garp enough to pop his snot bubble, "Nani? The meeting's over?"
"GARP!"
Seeing Garp had fallen asleep again, current Admiral Sengoku gritted his teeth and was just about to explode, but was stopped by Fleet Admiral Kong.
"That Marine on Garp's ship, speak carefully."
Kuzan, who had been sitting behind Garp, stood up, gritting his teeth as he looked at the youth in military attire radiating black-red lightning in the video Den Den Mushi, slowly pulling out a bounty poster, "Target named Doctor Riven, 12 years old, proficient in du—triple Haki, marksmanship, physical combat, suspected to have extremely high attainments in Observation Haki. Cannot rule out being one of Pirate King Roger's successors."
If the previous intel was gathered by the Navy through battle and wealth over the years, then the last sentence was purely personal grudge. As a natural Devil Fruit user, he still had a scar on his thigh that couldn't be removed,
He almost changed from the Navy's future admiral to the Navy's future waifu.
"A monster this young… must be eliminated in its infancy!"
Upon hearing Aokiji's words, Fleet Admiral Kong frowned deeply.
More and more monstrous geniuses were appearing among the pirates. For the Navy, this was a huge challenge, especially someone from Roger's crew.
Now it was confirmed he possessed Conqueror's Haki. If he were allowed to grow, and learned Conqueror's Coating,
Just imagining another pirate of Roger's level appearing in the future, Kong felt pressure for the Navy's future.
"That little brat with a gun on Roger's ship, has he grown this much now?", Hero of the Navy Garp sighed while eating senbei.
(￣～￣) chew
"GARP!", Sengoku let out a furious roar.
———
"One after another, none of them willing to work for me."
"Then go DIE!"
"Don't talk big, Shiki!"
BANG!
Even though he awakened Conqueror's Haki, it didn't change the fact that Riven was still a kid. Roger had no choice but to protect him behind his back.
Just a single shockwave from a sword clash sent Riven flying again.
Riven stabilized his posture, didn't stubbornly return to the center of the battlefield, instead stepped on moonwalk and landed beside Shanks and Buggy.
Buggy looked delighted seeing his figure.
"Riven! There's too many enemies, what should we do?"
"Relax, Buggy," Riven shook the rain off his head, looked up at the stormy sky as if a tempest was brewing.
"You are someone who possesses Conqueror's Luck not inferior to mine or Shanks."
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.
https://discord.gg/bYAfGyp98y