The next morning.
Dak brought Darkrai to a desolate village.
It was unknown in which sea this village was located, as it had already been abandoned.
When Dak first came here, he knew it was a village that had fallen victim to pirates, already in ruins by that time, with not a single soul alive within its decrepit buildings, many of which had been burned down.
During that visit, Dak also looked around other parts of the island.
It was a very small island, perhaps on the scale of Syrup Village, with only small animals and plants, and little else to be seen.
Today, Dak came here specifically to test the full potential of Conqueror's Haki.
Although he was very familiar with the use of Conqueror's Haki in his mind, he had never practiced it, fearing an accident, so he never tried it inside the shop.
"Darkrai, are you ready?"
Dak took Darkrai to a place far from the abandoned village.
"Dark."
Darkrai floated in mid-air and nodded.
Its role was to assist Dak in the experiment and to guard against any accidents.
Darkrai was also curious about this power known as Haki.
Dak had plans for Darkrai to learn Observation Haki later. As for Armament Haki, it could be learned in spare time.
Most of Darkrai's skills were long-range attacks using special energy, rarely engaging in physical combat with the enemy, so Armament Haki would be less useful for Darkrai.
After confirming Darkrai's readiness, Dak began to tap into the power within his heart.
There are several ways to use Conqueror's Haki.
The first, and most basic, application—Diffusion.
Whirr!
Dak's eyes slightly widened, a red circle appearing in his pupils, accompanied by a dark red Haki radiating outward, instantly casting a semi-transparent blood veil over the surroundings.
(Ps: Haki has color in my story, making it look cooler.)
Even in a clear environment, the surrounding flora seemed to sway as if blown by the wind.
Floating in mid-air, Darkrai, observing the Haki released by Dak, showed a hint of surprise in its icy blue pupils.
It had underestimated the power known as Conqueror's Haki.
If it weren't a legendary Pokémon that had lived for thousands of years, but merely a few years old, it might have submitted to this power or even fainted on the spot.
"Ha? Does the first stage of Conqueror's Haki have this effect?"
Dak was somewhat baffled.
In his memory, whether it was Ace in his childhood or Luffy during the Summit War, their unintentional diffusion of Conqueror's Haki seemed only to intimidate the weak and didn't affect the environment.
"Dark."
Darkrai seemed eager to see more effects of Conqueror's Haki.
"Yeah, okay."
Dak nodded.
He hadn't realized he was gradually beginning to understand the meanings behind Darkrai's words.
The second method, after mastering Conqueror's Haki—Focus.
The user controls the Haki according to their will, with timing, range, and power all under their control.
Dak focused his gaze on Darkrai.
The dark red Conqueror's Haki was released again from Dak as the center, but this time there was only one target.
Suddenly, the cloth-like parts of Darkrai's body began to flutter.
"Dark."
Darkrai gave Dak a thumbs up.
Dak nodded and then shifted the target, this time choosing multiple targets—some widely spaced trees.
Crack.
The moment Dak's Haki focused, the insides of those trees made a sound of compression and friction.
"The power has also increased."
Dak noticed the difference between the two application methods.
Using the same amount of Haki, the first method had a broader range but weaker effects and did not differentiate between friend and foe; the second method allowed deliberate control of the release range, resulting in stronger effects and could even harm the weak.
Generally, the second method of using Haki does not physically harm the target, it was merely an unintended effect due to Dak's high level and quality of Haki.
However, this was not a problem, as intentionally weakening it could achieve the same effect as others releasing Conqueror's Haki.
This was precisely the purpose of this experiment with Conqueror's Haki.
The third way, which can cause significant physical damage to the target—Intimidation.
This method of release does not require high skill in using Conqueror's Haki but demands the utmost level and quality of Haki, with few in the vast seas capable of using it.
When using Conqueror's Haki this way, Dak involuntarily exuded the aura of a sovereign, and his dark pupils revealed a sharpness.
When Intimidation was solely applied to Darkrai, its body visibly dropped a distance, though Darkrai quickly recovered.
Still, the cloth on Darkrai continued to flutter intensely in the air, obviously still enduring external force.
Then Dak applied his Haki to the surrounding environment.
Boom!
In an instant, the trees around Dak turned into splinters, and the ground appeared as if a hurricane had scraped off a layer, revealing the soil hidden under the grass and stones.
"Phew."
Too exaggerated.
Dak retracted his Conqueror's Haki and looked at the surroundings with Darkrai.
The previously dense grove had vanished, and the environment could only be described as 'desolate,' a terrifying power.
In the original story, Conqueror's Haki could even directly crack ships, and the user of this level of Haki was none other than Red-Haired Shanks, lauded by many fans as the man with the strongest Conqueror's Haki.
He was also the only one capable of causing physical damage to the target with just Conqueror's Haki.
Others who wanted to damage the terrain or people with Conqueror's Haki could only achieve similar effects through the residual waves produced by clashes of Conqueror's Haki.
The fourth method, which does not require high quality of Conqueror's Haki but demands ultimate skill—Binding.
Although fewer people in the vast sea can use this method compared to the third, at least there are more.
Wrapping Conqueror's Haki around the body or a weapon enhances attack power and lethality while allowing the user to attack the target substantially without direct contact within a certain distance.
"Binding it to the body."
Dak gave it a try.
"Hiss!"
No good.
The dark red Haki hadn't wrapped around Dak's fist before he felt intense pain, even with Armament Haki as a barrier.
"My physical fitness isn't up to par."
(End of Chapter)