One Piece: Max-Level Observation Haki from the Start

Under relentless internal and external pressure, Sengoku suddenly broke through—advancing his Conqueror's Haki to an entirely new level on the spot.

While Roya was somewhat surprised, he couldn't help but admire him.

"Truly, a man of substance beneath the fame."

Sengoku's rise to the position of Fleet Admiral had not been by luck. He had clearly earned it.

Now, his body stood tall and straight, emanating a commanding presence from within. He radiated with absolute confidence.

He declared loudly:

"Roya, I must admit—I underestimated you from the very beginning!"

"This battle… the Navy has lost!"

The moment these words left his lips, it stunned the entire audience.

It was, for all intents and purposes, a declaration of surrender—and it felt like someone had just flipped a switch.

Below the platform, the chaotic battle abruptly paused.

Everyone—Marine and pirate alike—looked up toward the execution stand.

Roya chuckled lightly but said nothing. He could tell that Sengoku's true intention wasn't to admit defeat.

And indeed, Sengoku continued:

"If this drags on, it'll only lead to needless casualties on both sides."

"So, how about this? Let the two of us decide the outcome with a final one-on-one duel."

"If you win, you can take Ace. I guarantee the Marines will not pursue you."

"If I win, you withdraw your forces, and Ace will be left to me."

The elite Marines remained silent. The pirates only let out a few scattered jeers and grumbles.

But the truth was—everyone knew the pirates now held the upper hand.

Given what Roya had displayed, no one could dream of executing Ace under his watch.

The Three Admirals were either seriously injured or had pulled back.

The newly empowered pirate captains were now suppressing even Vice Admiral-level forces.

The Science Division had been completely wiped out.

Roya and Whitebeard had yet to make any serious moves, and already the Navy had suffered devastating losses.

At this point, the complete annihilation of the entire 100,000-strong Marine force was merely a matter of time.

And yet Sengoku, with a few words, was attempting to turn the Navy's dire situation into a single wager—placing the outcome on one duel between himself and Roya.

If he won, he could flip the entire battlefield in the Navy's favor. If he lost, at least he could save the remaining elite troops.

A brilliant gamble—if it worked.

And what made it worse? Sengoku spoke with absolute confidence, as if this proposal were perfectly natural and reasonable.

So much so that even many pirates didn't immediately register the blatant imbalance of the offer.

But Roya saw through it clearly—Sengoku had tapped into the deeper levels of Conqueror's Haki.

He was using that spiritual pressure to subtly impose his will on everyone else.

Those with underdeveloped Haki had no means to resist such a powerful mental invasion.

So to their ears, Sengoku's absurd terms sounded not only acceptable—but undeniably correct.

Roya let out a faint snort, releasing a burst of his own Observation Haki—instantly shattering Sengoku's Conqueror's influence.

Conqueror's Haki dominates. Observation Haki perceives. But when used against each other, it all comes down to who had the greater mastery.

And in both domains, Sengoku wasn't even one-thousandth of Roya.

In an instant, the audience's gaze toward Sengoku was filled with one word: shameless.

Roya chuckled.

"Well then, since you're so confident... I'll grant you your duel."

"If you win, Captain Whitebeard will order a retreat, and Ace and I will be yours to deal with."

"But if I win, aside from taking Ace, I want one more thing—you, the Fleet Admiral of the Navy, will scrub the deck of my ship for five years. How's that sound?"

He turned to face the crowd below, ignoring Sengoku's face—which was now black as the bottom of a pot.

"And that, my friends, is what I call a fair wager. Don't you agree?"

"Hell yeah!!"

"Exactly! If you lose, come mop our deck! That's fair!"

"What kind of garbage is 'we won't chase you if you win'? You try chasing us—you'll drop dead right there on the spot, I swear!"

The pirates below erupted in cheers and laughter.

The Marines, on the other hand, were plunged into a deeper silence.

Roya turned back to Sengoku with a smile.

"So? Will you accept this bet or not?"

Forced into a corner, Sengoku had no choice.

He let out a cold snort but quickly composed himself.

With a grim expression, he said:

"Remember your words. If you lose—you're mine to deal with!"

With that, he tore off his "Justice" cloak and removed his Fleet Admiral's uniform underneath—revealing a body of iron-hard muscle, forged like molten gold.

Then, his body surged in size!

In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a nearly thirty-meter-tall, golden, radiant giant.

Mythical Zoan: Human-Human Fruit, Model: Daibutsu (Great Buddha).

With a thunderous stomp, Sengoku's massive golden palm came crashing down—a terrifying shockwave exploding from his hand, surging toward Roya.

The force was far beyond what anyone had previously believed him capable of.

Even Ace, still bound nearby, was caught in the edge of the blast and sent tumbling across the execution platform like a rag doll.

Fortunately, the nearby executioner reacted swiftly—driving his sword downward precisely between Ace's arms.

The blade embedded itself into the platform, acting as a hook to anchor Ace's body.

Ace looked up in shock—only to see that the executioner was gazing at Roya with absolute admiration.

His heart trembled. He immediately understood—the executioner was a plant, someone Roya had arranged in advance to guarantee his safety.

With deepened respect and gratitude, Ace turned his eyes toward Roya.

Sengoku's shockwave reached Roya—

And smashed into an invisible barrier, splitting and flowing past him harmlessly on either side.

But that wasn't the end of it.

The redirected shockwave curved behind Roya, then recombined into a single stream—

—and launched itself back at Sengoku!

As if to make sure no one missed the message, the returning wave flared with golden light, morphing into a giant glowing palm that swung at Sengoku's face!

"You dare?!"

Sengoku roared in fury, raising both palms to block the incoming slap.

But the power behind it was far greater than expected.

Despite his defense, Sengoku was blasted backward, flipping through the air.

It was a messy, humbling sight—but at least he avoided the even more humiliating fate of being slapped in the face by his own shockwave.

Still, the blow shattered the confidence he had gained from his recent Haki breakthrough.

For the first time, Sengoku truly understood the helplessness and frustration Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru had felt—each one bested in their own signature moves.

"This… this can't go on. There's only one option left—"

At the final hour, Sengoku made his decision: he would gamble everything.

Because for him, losing would be worse than dying.

The golden light around him vanished. His massive form returned to normal.

A faint, barely perceptible glow began to shimmer across his body—

The prelude to a technique that, until now, had only existed in theory.

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