Luffy believed that with time, he would definitely be able to fully unlock the power of the Nika Fruit once again. All he needed was for the right moment to come.
"Mhm!" he nodded, feeling incredibly pleased.
It seemed that his Conqueror's Haki had far surpassed his previous understanding of it from the world of One Piece. Perhaps the system's influence had completely transformed the nature of his Haki.
That wasn't an exaggeration.
After all...
The system's very existence hinted at countless mysteries.
In this world, miracles were everywhere.
And Luffy, along with his system, was a miracle among miracles.
"Ha ha ha ha ha!"
Luffy was thrilled.
But…
At that moment, he felt an intense weakness spreading through his body.
After all…
He no longer had the other powers he'd had moments before.
Of course, compared to a normal person, he was still leagues stronger.
"If I were to face off against some mid-level pirate worth a few million…"
"I'd be no match."
Luffy sensed a shortage of other powers within him.
However, the Conqueror's Haki alone made him fearsome.
The key now was to train swiftly.
Right now, he only had fifty points of Haki.
Not yet enough to be intimidating.
He had a slight premonition…
That as his Conqueror's Haki grew, it would become explosively powerful, unimaginably terrifying, and overwhelmingly destructive.
"Hm?"
All of a sudden, a small bird swooped down from afar.
Luffy realized he had an opportunity.
He wanted to test what effects his Conqueror's Haki might have on a living creature.
Moments ago, he had only tried it on a stone.
But now, this little bird would make a perfect subject.
He focused.
With a mere thought, his Haki surged out like a flash of lightning, instantly enveloping the bird.
Swoosh!
In an instant, Luffy's awareness connected with the bird in mid-flight.
"What?"
Luffy hadn't anticipated that he'd be able to do something like this.
It was almost as if he had inhabited the bird's very soul.
"Hm?"
But then, he noticed the bird's spirit struggling violently, trying to force his Haki out.
Which made sense.
After all…
Any living being would resist having another soul or consciousness invade it.
However…
The bird's consciousness was weak.
For a brief time, Luffy wasn't repelled.
This was his first time experiencing something like this.
It was exhilarating.
Absolutely thrilling.
"Incredible…"
Luffy's eyes widened.
He realized he could faintly glimpse some of the bird's memories.
Mountains.
Rivers.
Forests.
These images flashed through his mind.
Moreover...
Luffy knew these memories weren't his.
They were fragments of the bird's memories.
Although...
The images were just brief glimpses.
Still, Luffy found it astonishing.
"This Conqueror's Haki… it's insane," he muttered.
He realized that, if he could reach higher levels of mastery, he might eventually be able to fully access the memories and experiences of creatures like this bird.
It was beyond anything he'd ever known.
~----------------------------------------------------------
T/N:
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