From the moment Dragon saw Lin Mo in the village last night, he realized that this child was no ordinary person.
At only ten years old, he already possessed swordsmanship capable of defeating Kuina in an instant. Even more astonishing was that he had just shown a bit of Observation Haki, confirming that Lin Mo's talent was indeed extraordinary, a rare prodigy.
But Dragon still felt something was missing, as if the child's strength was beyond what he had shown.
So, he decided to use Conqueror's Haki to probe Lin Mo's true potential.
When Koshiro sensed that Dragon was using Conqueror's Haki to test Lin Mo, his face immediately hardened. "Dragon, he's still just a child!"
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Dragon replied, his gaze never leaving Lin Mo.
Lin Mo, undeterred, met Dragon's sharp eyes with a calm gaze.
The moment he felt Dragon releasing his Conqueror's Haki to test him, Lin Mo knew there was nothing more to discuss. Even though Dragon's probe was only the tip of the iceberg and held no malice, Lin Mo was prepared.
Silently, Lin Mo sealed the opening of his wine gourd.
Then, his own equally powerful aura surged forth, clashing with Dragon's Conqueror's Haki.
A massive shockwave erupted as the two Conqueror's Haki collided. With a loud "bang," the tea table in front of them shattered into countless pieces, and even the walls of the tea room cracked under the tremendous force, sending spiderweb-like cracks across the room.
Neither Lin Mo nor Dragon had released their full power.
"This is interesting. You certainly haven't disappointed me," Dragon said with a growing smile, preparing to increase the intensity of his Conqueror's Haki to see how much Lin Mo could withstand.
However, just then, Koshiro reached out and grabbed Dragon's shoulder, stopping him. "Enough, both of you! Are you trying to destroy my dojo? Stop it now!"
Though Koshiro was surprised to find that Lin Mo also had Conqueror's Haki, this wasn't the time to be shocked.
A clash between Conqueror's Haki could easily destroy an entire dojo, or even the whole village. If they weren't careful, this tea room wouldn't be the only casualty. The kids training at the dojo might get hurt, and that would be disastrous.
Seeing the urgency in Koshiro's words, both men reluctantly withdrew their Haki.
Dragon apologized with a small grin. "Sorry, I couldn't hold back."
Koshiro sighed helplessly. "You two really don't make it easy for me. Dragon, you're an adult—why are you competing with a child?"
"Haha," Dragon laughed lightly, but then turned to Lin Mo and asked, "Lin Mo, do you know about the Revolutionary Army?"
Lin Mo stared at Dragon in silence.
He knew...
Was Dragon about to extend an olive branch to him?
Before Lin Mo could respond, Dragon continued, "This world operates on survival of the fittest. There are too many useless rulers in power, causing those without strength to suffer. The Revolutionary Army exists to overthrow the oppressive rule of the Celestial Dragons and bring equality, freedom, and peace to the world."
After a brief pause, Dragon added, "I heard from Koshiro that you want to be a traveler. What's so good about being a traveler? You'd be wasting your talents and potential. Instead, why not join the Revolutionary Army? Together, we can overthrow this decaying world and bring light to it. What do you say?"
"No thanks," Lin Mo replied directly. "Whether it's the Revolutionary Army, the Navy, or the Pirates, I'm not interested in any of it. I just want to be a free traveler, unbound by any rules. No matter how righteous your cause may be, it has nothing to do with me."
As soon as Lin Mo finished speaking, the system prompt sounded in his head.
Ding! Engaging with Dragon, leader of the Revolutionary Army. Sign-in progress +10%. Current total progress: 60%. Reward: Conqueror's Haki level +1. Current Conqueror's Haki level: LV3.
Instantly, Lin Mo's aura rose with the increase in Conqueror's Haki, making his presence even more imposing.
Before he could even enjoy the power boost, the system's prompt sounded again.
Ding! Rejecting the invitation of Dragon, leader of the Revolutionary Army. Sign-in progress +10%. Current total progress: 70%.
For a moment, Lin Mo was taken aback, but a smile spread across his face. The progress had increased by 20%!
It seemed his decision to turn down Dragon's offer had been the right choice. Dragon's appearance wasn't a coincidence; interacting with him had indeed triggered the sign-in task.
However, even though the progress had increased twice, only one reward had been given.
After a brief thought, a realization dawned on him: the rewards from sign-in tasks were tied to the people he interacted with. Moreover, each individual could only trigger the reward once.
As Lin Mo's Conqueror's Haki increased, both Dragon and Koshiro grew serious.
At that moment, they both had the same thought: This kid has gotten stronger!
Despite having done nothing more than a simple clash of Conqueror's Haki, this child had somehow inexplicably grown stronger!
Had he achieved some kind of breakthrough?
Dragon's gaze toward Lin Mo shifted from admiration to eager anticipation.
Now he understood what Koshiro meant when he said Lin Mo was a "miracle."
At only ten years old, Lin Mo possessed astonishing talent and strength, making him a key figure who could shift the tides of any battle in the future.
If they missed out on him, it would be the greatest loss to the Revolutionary Army.
With that in mind, Dragon couldn't help but speak up, "I understand that you want freedom and independence. But you're only ten years old, still a child. Traveling alone is far too dangerous. If you join the Revolutionary Army, we can be your umbrella until you fully grow. At least you'll be protected for now."
"No," Lin Mo replied firmly. "I don't need an umbrella, and I won't join any faction. The more you say, the less it matters."
"Lin Mo."
"I'll leave now," Lin Mo interrupted Dragon, standing up and walking out of the destroyed tea room.
Koshiro didn't stop him.
Dragon rubbed his temples in frustration. "What a stubborn little brat..."
"Haha," Koshiro laughed lightly. "You know, Lin Mo is a kid with his own thoughts. It won't be easy to convince him."
In the Yard...
Zoro, still aching from the punch Lin Mo had delivered, was finally able to get up. As he looked around, he saw the tea room doors open and witnessed the clash of Conqueror's Haki between Dragon and Lin Mo.
"Eh?" Zoro was stunned, frozen in place.
Only when Lin Mo calmly walked out of the tea room did he snap out of it.
Staring at Lin Mo's retreating figure, Zoro's eyes flickered with excitement. His grip on his bamboo sword tightened.