Chapter 80: Haki is Life Energy, A New Understanding

Charlotte Linlin had lost one eye, but her combat power remained. The souls of her Homies were recalled, and she had realized that Roy's Haki could suppress her abilities.

So, she simply decided to face Roy head-on using only Haki, no longer relying on the flashy powers of her Soul-Soul Fruit.

Their clash became a pure Haki battle. When it came to a physical contest alone, it was hard to determine a winner.

Charlotte Linlin had been a monster since birth; her body was incomparably strong.

In terms of physicality, Roy definitely wasn't her match. But his Armament Haki provided him strength and defense, while his Conqueror's Haki gave him the power to harm Charlotte Linlin.

Without relying on any special abilities, neither side could gain the upper hand in a short time.

"How exhilarating."

Roy grinned happily in the middle of the fight, which puzzled Charlotte Linlin. She swung another heavy punch at him.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing much. This thrill of battle is addictive, walking the edge of death, focusing your entire spirit and attention on a single point. No wonder so many people love fighting," Roy replied with a laugh.

"There's a seed of violence in every heart. When you see people fighting, you want to join in too. I can tell you have no fighting technique, you're relying solely on Haki," Charlotte Linlin said.

"You noticed? You're absolutely right," Roy admitted.

He had never trained in formal combat styles or swordsmanship. The only skill that came naturally was marksmanship, with a gun in hand and Observation Haki guiding him, he never missed.

 "So you're using me to sharpen your combat skills?" Charlotte Linlin growled.

"Again, you're right," Roy nodded.

Enraged, Charlotte Linlin raised Napoleon, infused with Conqueror's Haki.

"Then let's see how far that takes you! Elbaf Spear: Ikoku Sovereignty!"

"Air Burst!"

Roy's fist shimmered with the same quake-like aura as Whitebeard's power, his Conqueror's Haki clashing against Big Mom's strike.

But soon, she realized something unsettling: Roy's Haki reserves seemed endless.

Haki was tied to stamina. The longer a battle dragged on, the more it drained the user.

This was why Luffy's Gear Fourth had a time limit; his Haki couldn't sustain it indefinitely. He needed to rest and recover before using Gear Fourth again.

Haki also grew with fighting spirit and willpower. It was also tied to one's mental state.

Just look at Gecko Moria, after his defeat, his Haki almost completely disappeared, and he became the weakest of the Seven Warlords.

Roy had seen the same happen with Squard.

After being defeated by Roger, Squard was crushed. Only after meeting Whitebeard and gaining new companions did he regain confidence and recover his Haki once again.

Haki was a type of energy, the manifestation of one's will, a form of power that exists within every living being.

Every living thing has a will, even mindless life forms, like plants, strive to survive and reproduce. As long as it lives, it breathes, whether through respiration or photosynthesis.

Even skin pores can expel energy.

With the knowledge of traditional medicine from his past life, he had been experimenting with its flow.

The Haki granted by the system, combined with Roy's own method, had turned into a continuously regenerating source of Haki.

Haki is also life energy.

Charlotte Linlin was the perfect test subject.

After exchanging a punch, Roy suddenly struck a strange pose.

He started punching the air while standing still.

"Are you mocking me?!" Charlotte Linlin roared angrily.

But Roy ignored her and continued punching the air in place.

Her rage grew from being ignored. Since Roy wasn't responding, she wouldn't let the opportunity pass. She raised her sword and slashed at him.

But strangely, just as her blade was about to strike Roy, the air around him twisted slightly, and Napoleon slid off to the side uncontrollably.

"What's going on?"

Charlotte Linlin was baffled.

Why did her sword miss? Nothing had interfered. Her Observation Haki didn't pick up anything strange. Roy was standing right there, so why the deviation?

"Just as I suspected."

Roy lightly pushed his hand out, and Charlotte Linlin felt her body tipping over uncontrollably, as if a force was pulling her down.

"What… is this…"

It was slow, yet she felt like she couldn't dodge. Like she had fallen into a trap.

Charlotte Linlin collapsed, unable to resist. Roy calmly raised his hand and gently struck her chest.

Smack.

A light, seemingly harmless palm. Charlotte Linlin couldn't sense any Haki in it.

To her, it looked like an ordinary slap.

But what happened next shocked everyone watching.

"Guh!"

Charlotte Linlin's body instantly swelled up.

Like a giant balloon, her body expanded to nearly double its size.

"You…"

Before she could finish speaking, blood burst from her mouth.

And then, Haki exploded inside her body.

"This power… internal destruction?!"

It resembled the advanced Armament Haki that could bypass defenses, but this was different.

Roy's seemingly plain palm had actually compressed the Haki circulating within him and injected it into Charlotte Linlin like a bomb.

When his Conqueror's Haki exploded inside her, it forcefully expanded her body from the inside out.

Conqueror's Haki was far more powerful.

Even Charlotte Linlin's monstrous body couldn't withstand it; her pores burst with blood.

Seeing her covered in blood, the Big Mom Pirates were all stunned.

They had never seen Charlotte Linlin in such a miserable state.

She knelt on the ground, eyes rolled back, arms limp, staring blankly at the sky.

Conqueror's Haki had exploded inside her. Sure, her external body was strong, but what about her insides?

Was her internal body also protected?

This single blow had caused devastating internal damage without breaking her outer defenses.

Meanwhile, Roy had completed his conjecture: using a strong opponent, he successfully integrated Haki with the life energy theory, and he had achieved internal Haki reinforcement.

"Looks like I was right. Haki can be refined to strengthen the body. This system is complete… No, wait," Roy paused, as a figure flashed in his mind.

"So that's it. I understand now."

...

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