"Lu En, you sure you can handle all of them by yourself?"
Luffy glanced at the horde of pirates charging across the deck, then at Lu En standing calmly at the front.
Lu En smirked. The red-black glow flickering faintly in his eyes pulsed like a beast about to be unleashed.
"Relax. When it comes to clearing out weaklings like these… my ability's a lot more efficient than yours."
"'Weaklings'?" Alvida snarled, her face twisted with rage. Her oversized iron club gleamed in the sunlight, veins bulging across her forehead.
"You talk big for a brat. What are you, the 'Pirate Hunter' Zoro or something?"
Zoro's name was well-known across East Blue—feared even by pirates with bounties in the tens of millions.
Lu En gave a faint chuckle.
"Zoro? No… but remember this."
His eyes snapped open—glowing with pure, terrifying crimson and pitch-black light.
"I am 'Heavenly King' Lu En. And one day—I'll stand above the sky."
BOOM!
A violent blast of Conqueror's Haki erupted.
Red-black lightning danced through the air like a thunder god's wrath, crackling and howling.
The Alvida Pirates froze in place—eyes wide with horror.
Then, one by one, they dropped.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Even Alvida herself slumped forward, her massive form hitting the deck like a fallen boulder.
Dozens of pirates. Entirely wiped out in a single breath.
Because before the will of a king—
The weak aren't even allowed to stand.
Lu En exhaled, the glow fading slowly from his eyes.
"WHOA!! THAT WAS SICK!!"
Luffy's jaw dropped.
"You knocked out the whole crew in one move—including that scary lady! That was insane!"
His exaggerated reactions were almost too much—but to Lu En, it felt good.
This was his first true display. His first statement to the world.
And Luffy's approval?
Not bad at all.
"Y'know…" Luffy scratched his head. "That felt familiar."
He looked off into the distance, brows furrowed.
"Back when I was a kid… me, Ace, and Sabo got captured by some bad guys. But then… they just passed out. All at once. I didn't know what happened back then."
Lu En gave a knowing smile.
"That's Conqueror's Haki. It overwhelms weak minds. Anyone without the will to resist just drops."
He was sure of it—what Luffy described was the moment Ace awakened his own Conqueror's Haki as a child.
But Ace had hated that power.
Because it came from his father—Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King.
Because of Roger, Ace's mother died. Because of Roger, Ace spent his childhood shunned, hated, told he should never have been born.
Lu En didn't judge him.
He hadn't lived Ace's pain.
But in the end, Ace chose to seal away his potential. And that choice… likely played a part in his tragic end.
Ace didn't have the will to be king.
But Lu En?
He had no intention of holding back.
In fact, Ace's downfall—and the Summit War it would trigger—were golden opportunities for Lu En.
Whitebeard, the world's strongest man, would fall.
His Factional Fate [Ultra Gold] would reap that downfall and grow stronger.
And the Gura Gura no Mi—the Quake Quake Fruit?
That power was Lu En's goal.
In this world, not all Devil Fruits were created equal.
The old phrase "no useless Devil Fruits, only useless users" was garbage.
Every Fruit had a ceiling—and they were ranked. The Quake Quake Fruit was top-tier. The kind of power that let Whitebeard shatter islands.
Even Sabo had shown that inheriting a powerful Fruit like the Flame-Flame Fruit could instantly match, even surpass, its previous user.
The key was simple:
The stronger the Fruit, the higher the starting point.
A powerful Devil Fruit alone could push someone to Warlord-level strength.
Whitebeard was called a man who could destroy the world.
Lu En would not let Blackbeard take that kind of power.
He had to get stronger. Fast.
He needed to claim the biggest piece of the war's aftermath.
His eyes gleamed coldly.
"That line you said earlier was cool, though," Luffy laughed. "'Standing above the sky'? Heavenly King Lu En! That's an awesome name!"
He was more excited about the name than the Haki.
Lu En smiled.
"You know, the Pirate King had a right-hand man—Silvers Rayleigh. His title was 'Dark King.'"
He looked out over the ocean.
"If you're going to be Pirate King… then as your comrade, I'll be the 'Heavenly King.'"
It wasn't just a dramatic nickname.
It was a declaration.
A brand.
In this world of bounties and titles, a pirate's name mattered.
And if he didn't choose one for himself, the Navy would name him something ridiculous later.
So Lu En made a calculated choice.
Rayleigh was already the 'Dark King.'
'Sea King'? Not ideal, especially for someone from Earth.
But the last of the three ancient weapons… was Uranus—'Heavenly King'.
It fit.
It was bold.
And it gave him a perfect story to tell the press when the time came.
"Bond with trait-loading target increased. Loading speed accelerated."
A new line of golden text flashed in his vision.
Lu En's lips curled into a grin.
Just as planned.
"'Heavenly King,' huh? I like it!" Luffy laughed.
He had no idea what Conqueror's Haki truly meant. But he loved the idea that his first crewmate had such a cool goal—and believed in his dream.
"Bond increased. Trait loading progress accelerated."
Lu En's eyes sparkled.
Sure enough, his loaded traits were progressing faster.
Superhuman Physique [Deep Purple]—a clear jump.
Even Sun God [Ultra Gold]… finally twitched.
Bonds were the key.
It really did have that shonen flavor.
The nickname wasn't just for drama.
It was a strategy—one that was working.
Lu En glanced at the sky. No News Coo birds in sight yet.
But they were always watching.
And when the paper hit, he wanted "Heavenly King" Lu En in bold print.
"Welp, the big lady's down. Let's get a ship and hit the sea!" Luffy grinned.
BOOM! BOOM!
Cannon blasts echoed across the water.
Naval warships closed in fast.
"The Marines are here!" Luffy yelled. "Time to make a getaway! Let's go, Lu En!"
"Got it."
Lu En turned sharply. He had no interest in stealing Alvida's traits—especially not 'Super Boar Bulk.'
"Phew… what a haul."
Elsewhere, Nami sat on a small boat, hugging a bulging sack of stolen treasure.
She turned to leave—just in time to hear a splash behind her.
A lifeboat hit the water. Two figures aboard.
A familiar man… and a straw hat.
"You're…!"
Nami's eyes widened.
It was him. That guy from the merchant ship dance floor.
Lu En smiled, glancing at her outfit—now swapped into a thief's gear.
"Looks like the lady thief got what she came for."
Nami instinctively clutched her bag tighter.
"You know her?" Luffy asked.
"We've met," Lu En replied casually.
"Cool! But we gotta go!"
Luffy pointed at the fast-approaching Marines.
"Later, Miss Thief. Name's Lu En."
With that, Lu En turned the rudder and set sail in the opposite direction.
Nami blinked.
"…Lu En?"
She quickly set off as well, steering away from the chaos.
That guy…
She didn't think much of his farewell.
The sea's huge. We won't run into each other again… right?
"HAHAHA! That was awesome!"
Luffy laughed as their small boat drifted out of sight from the Marines.
"Oh, right—Lu En! That lady earlier said something about a pirate hunter. You know who that is?"
Lu En raised an eyebrow.
"Roronoa Zoro. Supposedly a beast in human skin. Ruthless. Powerful."
"Sounds cool!" Luffy grinned. "If he's that strong, I want him on my crew too!"
"Then we'd better head to Shells Town. That's where they're keeping him."
Lu En pulled out a nautical chart he'd taken from the merchant ship.
"Then it's settled! Let's go!"
Luffy's excitement was infectious.
Lu En smiled faintly.
Roronoa Zoro…
The one true man of the Straw Hat crew.
Let's see what kind of traits you've got, swordsman.
Author's Note:
Conqueror's Haki unleashed, a name declared, and Zoro's on the horizon! If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to bookmark, vote, and comment—your support fuels the adventure!