Chapter 42: Become My Son, Whitebeard!

"..." System, did you just glitch? Magnus had always believed that the system had already hit rock bottom in its behavior, but today it proved him wrong—once again. At first, the system mistook Rocks for the future Sea Emperor he would become twenty years from now. Now, it was confusing Whitebeard as that same right-hand man of the future Rocks, not realizing that Rocks was currently just a member of Magnus's crew. And so, the system bugged out. Luckily, Magnus didn't have high expectations. As long as it continued providing those solid passive stat boosts and growth bonuses, he was content. Thanks to several boosts in cellular activity, he had already broken through his natural limits and stepped into a realm rivaling Marine Admirals and future Yonkō. The awakening of Haōshoku no Haki (Conqueror's Haki) had opened new doors. Magnus valued the talent the system granted above all. As for skill-type rewards— Like Rokushiki (Six Powers) and the two basic Haki forms—well, getting rewards for something he'd already mastered didn't push him beyond any further limits. "Rocks looks like he's about to collapse," Magnus murmured. On the Black Pearl, the future Whitebeard was currently just a somewhat stronger-than-average young pirate. Facing a horde of enemies, he couldn't offer Rocks much help. That meant Rocks had to both fight Captain Bennett and watch for sneak attacks from the rest of the Red Heart Pirates. Things looked bad. Magnus already had his blade in hand. If Rocks was truly about to fall, he'd intervene. It'd be unfortunate, but saving Rocks' life took priority. Because Rocks wasn't some nameless subordinate. He was his crewmate. Letting a crewmate die right in front of you was the greatest shame a captain could suffer! But soon, Magnus relaxed. Rocks had awakened. By pushing his body's cells to the limit—like a drowning man clawing for air, like a fish flailing to return to water—he unlocked that primal survival instinct. That instinct... was Haki. Under the joint assault of Bennett and the other pirates, Rocks was battered and bleeding. But in that space between life and death, his understanding sharpened. Rokushiki—Soru, Tekkai, Geppō, Kamie, Rankyaku, and Shigan—those six techniques that pushed the body to superhuman limits... were in fact a precursor to Haki. But the distinction mattered: Rokushiki was skill. Haki was power. "Useless! Totally useless!" Bennett laughed as Rocks missed another strike. Ever since eating his Smoke Smoke no Mi, Bennett loved humiliating physical fighters. What's the point of strength if you can't even touch me? "Rankyaku!" Rocks roared. "Didn't I tell you—pointless—?!" But before Bennett could finish, a wave of pain surged from his leg. "What... what the hell!?" Rocks' kick had landed. Square on his thigh. CRACK! His leg broke. And the next strike—a kick to the face—shattered any illusions he had left. "Natural-type Devil Fruit user? Hasn't anyone told you... Haki is the natural enemy of all Devil Fruit powers." Looking down at him from above, Rocks felt a flicker of pride. When he'd first joined Magnus, he hadn't even known what Haki was. But under his captain's guidance, he'd not only learned—he'd just awakened Busoshoku no Haki (Armament Haki). And if he could use that... Kenbunshoku no Haki (Observation Haki) wouldn't be far behind. ("Lipuri: Totally true~.") Mastering Haki was the line between amateur and elite. A true pirate could not call themselves one until they had it. But those two kicks nearly emptied Rocks' stamina. Haki may counter Devil Fruits—but it cost stamina to use. Rocks was already running on fumes. Using Haki for the first time drained what little he had left. Meanwhile, a dozen Red Heart Pirates were getting ready to charge again. Rocks clenched his jaw, groaned, and finally shouted: "Captain! I need help!" He had wanted to prove himself to Magnus. To show he was worthy. And while he had taken down Bennett... he was too drained to hold out. One pirate raised his blade. Whitebeard—still just a teen—could only watch in despair as the sword swung down. Then the wind stopped. A long-shadowed figure with a sheathed blade leapt from above. Every pirate froze. As if time had stopped. "Excuse me. Coming through." Magnus kicked aside a pirate, smiled, and approached Rocks. "So? How does using Haki feel?" "...Not bad," Rocks replied, pride in his voice. Only by using it could one truly grasp what Haki meant. It wasn't just strength. It was evolution. A transcendence of the flesh. Meanwhile, Whitebeard stared at the man who'd just appeared. Not because of his strength. But because... every enemy on the deck had gone completely still. Not frozen by power. But frozen by fear. He approached the boy. "Name's Magnus. Captain of the White Wolf Pirates. Maybe you've heard of me. I saw your fight with Rocks. You've got potential." "So... what do you say? Want to join my crew?" "Or... if that's not your style, I could put it differently." A soft smile. The system's message hovered in his mind. "Hey, kid... wanna become my family?" (End of Chapter) [Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/euridome] [Thank You For Your Support!]