Chereads / One Piece: Absolute Domination; Reborn as Luffy / Chapter 43 - 43: Steady and Dominant Haki

Chapter 43 - 43: Steady and Dominant Haki

At this moment…

Luffy's Conqueror's Haki was powerful enough that he could likely knock out the gorilla with just a burst of Haki. Inspired, he decided to test it out. From a hundred meters away, he spotted the gorilla ambling along. It still looked a bit weary from their recent duel. After all…

That human boy had turned out to be far stronger than expected and had even inflicted some injuries on him.

"Roar!" The gorilla grunted in frustration, unsettled by the memory of their fight. The boy was terrifying, and yet… the battle had been meant to be a sparring match. Somehow, things had escalated, and the gorilla struggled to come to terms with it. Then, as he walked, he felt a powerful aura envelop the area around him.

"What is this presence?"

The gorilla froze, his eyes filled with confusion. "Roar!" he called out, unsure of what was happening, but he could tell that this energy was shockingly intense.

In a flash, his mind seemed to explode.

Thud! Thud!

Two dull sounds echoed, and then…

The gorilla's gaze went blank.

Boom!

With a heavy thud, the gorilla collapsed, falling unconscious on the ground.

Nearby, a few butterflies danced playfully, fluttering around without a care, absorbed in their own world of gentle games.

Luffy chuckled in approval. His Conqueror's Haki was absolutely astounding now, several times more potent than it had been at eighty points. And that was no exaggeration. Each point gained above eighty was a hard-won increase, but now he had reached eighty-four, and he could feel the incredible strength radiating through him.

A hundred meters away, the gorilla had fallen without Luffy even needing to get close. Before, he would have had to be within a short range to affect someone's consciousness with his Haki, and even then, the effects would have been limited. But now, from a distance, he could easily render the massive creature unconscious. The difference was like night and day.

And there was more…

Luffy could now control his Haki with remarkable precision. Previously, unleashing his Conqueror's Haki had affected anyone nearby indiscriminately, but now, he could direct it accurately. The gorilla might have passed out, but the butterflies right next to it continued to play, completely unaffected.

This level of control would have been impossible for him before. His previous releases of Haki would have surely knocked out or even killed delicate creatures like butterflies, given that even a gorilla could hardly withstand the full force of his Haki. Fragile as they were, the butterflies had no chance of resisting his Haki back then.

But now…

Now Luffy could wield his Conqueror's Haki like a finely honed blade, channeling it along a focused line, sharp and precise.

And then…

A new desire took hold of him—a craving to test this power further. "Hmm?" Luffy scanned his surroundings with his Conqueror's Haki. Suddenly, he sensed an interesting shift. With his Haki at eighty points, he'd only been able to monitor a few hundred meters. But now, he could detect everything over half the island.

"Interesting!" Luffy nodded in satisfaction, taking it all in. Then, in a burst of curiosity, he decided to locate Rayleigh. And there he was…

In the depths of the forest, the Dark King Rayleigh was slowly making his way through the trees, deep in thought. He appeared worried—likely about Luffy. After all…

What else could bring such a frown to Rayleigh's face?

Luffy decided to test his limits by attempting to read Rayleigh's thoughts. But… he failed. He could sense a powerful barrier in Rayleigh's mind, a force defending his thoughts. To be more precise…

It was a protective force emanating from Rayleigh's own Conqueror's Haki. There was no mistake about it. Rayleigh's Haki level was incredibly high, creating a formidable shield around his mind.

Although, few in the world possessed Conqueror's Haki that could rival Luffy's, any user of Haki with a basic mastery could shield their thoughts and consciousness.

And so…

Luffy's attempts were thwarted. He made several attempts to break through, each one as unsuccessful as the last. Reluctantly, he let it go and moved on.

Furthermore...

Those attempts didn't go unnoticed by Rayleigh. The Dark King suddenly stopped in his tracks, his brow furrowing as he spoke to himself, "Hmm? Just now… what was that energy? What kind of force?" Clearly, Rayleigh sensed that something intangible had briefly brushed his awareness. But after a moment of thought, he shook his head with a sigh, saying to himself, "Maybe I'm just exhausted."

And Luffy, who had been holding his breath, quietly exhaled in relief. He had only tested the waters, probing slightly without using full force. If he had pushed harder, Rayleigh would surely have noticed.

"Rayleigh is definitely no easy figure to fool," Luffy muttered to himself. "His Conqueror's Haki is terrifying. I wasn't able to read his mind." But he wasn't disheartened.

After all…

This was Rayleigh, the first mate of the Pirate King, Roger's right-hand man. There was no doubt that he ranked among the most powerful figures in the world. Shrugging it off, Luffy decided to try something different.

"Oh, right!" he exclaimed. "I almost forgot about those tigers. I'm starving—it's time to eat!"

With that, Luffy focused and directed his Haki with precision. A moment later, the bodies of a few tigers froze in place, their movements coming to an abrupt halt. Luffy laughed, pleased with the outcome. "Excellent. Those tigers were planning to eat me, huh?" he chuckled, "Well, too bad for them—I'm the one who'll be having a feast!"

Luffy briefly considered using possession to control them directly but quickly realized he didn't need to. The tigers, with blank expressions, gradually regained their awareness.

"Roar!"

The air filled with aggressive growls as the six tigers started to face off against each other, baring their teeth in a fierce standoff. Before long, they began tearing into each other, clawing and biting in a chaotic melee.

In the past, he would have used possession, an approach that required a lot of mental focus as he controlled his targets like extensions of his own body. Possession felt much like maneuvering limbs in a video game—fun, but tiring because it demanded his full attention. He couldn't afford to get distracted while his mind was managing each move.

But now, things had changed. Luffy no longer needed to possess his targets to control them; instead, he could project a mental command, almost like an "instinct" or a behavioral suggestion, into their minds. Just by implanting the idea of "rage" in the tigers' consciousness, he was able to set them against each other with no further effort.

It was as if he had handed the controls over to an automated system, enabling him to sit back and simply watch the show. He could direct them to act and then let go, enjoying the sight as they tore into each other—simple, clean, and endlessly entertaining.

Luffy felt a surge of satisfaction. This ability was a new skill he had gained with his enhanced Haki, and it was exhilarating beyond belief.

"Now this is fun," he said, his grin widening, "absolutely explosive fun. Total domination without breaking a sweat."

And with just a mental nudge…

More animals began emerging from the distance, charging toward him before turning on each other in a violent frenzy. Tigers, leopards, lions, crocodiles—all manner of beasts started attacking, their feral instincts unleashed in a brutal spectacle of survival. They clawed, bit, and tore at one another in an explosive, chaotic fight for dominance.

"More biting! More fighting! Keep going until the last one standing!" His excitement grew until he could barely keep up with his own words.

The island, usually quiet and serene, had turned into an arena of primal ferocity as dozens upon dozens of animals fought to the death. And Luffy?

He observed it all, watching as the spectacle unfolded, the chaos spreading around him like a feast of wild energy. Within moments, nearly a hundred animals had joined the fray, and half of them lay dead or defeated by the end of it.

"Well!" Luffy nodded, thoroughly pleased with the outcome. "Time for a barbecue!" But…

As he surveyed the remains of the fallen animals, a problem dawned on him. With so many bodies, starting a fire big enough for a feast would be a challenge. One person couldn't manage it all alone. Should he call for help?

He shook his head, dismissing the idea. "Nah, that'd ruin the fun."

Just then…

A low rumble filled the sky, and he noticed dark clouds forming above.

"Looks like it's going to rain," Luffy noted. He extended his Conqueror's Haki to scan the clouds, realizing they were quite a distance away. But he knew…

He could compress his Haki, forming it into a concentrated line instead of a broad area of influence. This technique had proven effective before, like when he'd directed his Haki to target the gorilla specifically, hitting only his intended target with perfect control.

Using this method, Luffy stretched his Haki higher and higher, reaching out toward the clouds. As his Haki touched the heavens, he could sense the natural rhythm of electrons within the gathering storm. This was a direct connection with the raw forces of nature itself.

What is lightning if not the violent meeting of electrons in response to physical forces—a manifestation of the physical world in a striking, observable way? With his advanced Haki, he could grasp the electron patterns, feeling their order and motion, and control them down to the smallest detail.

Soon…

The lightning began to respond, its powerful molecular structure influenced by Luffy's will. His Conqueror's Haki moved among the electrons, guiding their alignment. They flickered with agitation, their raw, frantic energy undeniable. But with Luffy's Haki vastly improved since his last surge of power, he could perform feats that would have seemed impossible only recently.

BOOM! BOOM!

The sky roared as bolts of lightning lit up the clouds. Luffy's control was so precise that he could pull the lightning down to earth, redirecting its natural course. From below, the pattern of clouds and lightning seemed almost unnatural, though to the casual observer, it might appear merely coincidental. But anyone watching closely…

Would sense that something was off.

In the distance, Rayleigh had stopped and was gazing up at the sky, his expression pensive. "Hmm?" he murmured. "No… this isn't right." He shook his head. "Something strange is going on with these clouds, but I can't quite put my finger on it." While someone else might have dismissed the phenomenon as mere weather, Rayleigh's instincts told him there was more to this than met the eye.

BOOM! BOOM!

The storm raged above, lightning crackling as Luffy continued manipulating the electrons, drawing out energy and motion. By guiding the patterns within the clouds, he was effectively pulling the strings of the storm.

ZAP! CRACKLE!

The energy of the lightning felt wild and intense, but Luffy was undeterred, fully embracing the challenge of his new control over the forces of nature.

"This is harder than I thought," he muttered, feeling the strain of bending the high-altitude lightning to his will. Manipulating the storm and controlling its natural intensity was no easy task, but Luffy was thrilled by the test of his own mastery.

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T/N:

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