Originally, Marco had only approached Lucas Moore out of admiration for his strength and unflappable demeanor.
It wouldn't have mattered even if the kid had refused.
But now?
Lucas Moore had actually caught the Navy's attention.
And not just any Navy officer, but the legendary hero Garp an admiral in all but title.
That alone spoke volumes about how unusual this kid was.
That's why Marco had called Whitebeard to report the situation.
Whitebeard was genuinely surprised upon hearing about Lucas.
He too began to feel a strong urge to recruit him.
But then he thought of something.
Even Garp, after trailing the kid for two whole days, couldn't sway him. That meant Lucas's will was as steady and unshakeable as bedrock.
"Marco, did you try to recruit him?" Whitebeard's voice came calmly through the transponder snail.
Marco sighed. "Yeah, I did, but he turned me down. Said he's just a traveler, doesn't need a home or a family. Quite a headache, really."
"Hahaha!" Whitebeard suddenly let out a hearty laugh. "A traveler, huh? What an interesting little brat. Now I'm curious to meet him myself."
Inside the employee quarters on the second floor of Baratie.
Lucas had just entered the room when Sanji came running over, excitement written all over his face.
"Lucas, Lucas! That guy Krieg was that really you who took him down?"
Sanji's eyes sparkled as he asked.
Lucas gave a nonchalant nod. "Yeah."
"You're amazing! Everyone was terrified of Krieg, but you, who's around my age, weren't even scared and beat him so easily. I'm so jealous. If only I had your strength. How did you beat him? With your sword? But yours is a wooden one, right? It can't kill. Did you kick him instead? Ahh, I'm so curious! Tell me how it went!"
Lucas: "..."
Was Sanji always such a chatterbox?
He remembered Sanji being a lot more reserved in the anime.
Even when he did talk, it was mostly to flirt with women.
What happened here?
This was annoying.
Just as Lucas was about to feel overwhelmed by Sanji's enthusiasm, the system notification suddenly rang in his mind.
Beep beep! You've earned the recognition of Whitebeard, Edward Newgate. Sign-in progress +10%. Current total progress: 90%. Reward: Conqueror's Haki Level +1. Current Conqueror's Haki: Lv4.
Lucas barely had time to be surprised at earning Whitebeard's recognition without the man even being present.
A surge of tremendous power burst out from him, radiating in all directions like a shockwave.
It lasted only a moment.
But it was enough to knock Sanji unconscious on the spot.
Conqueror's Haki was different from Armament or Observation Haki.
When its level increased, if there were strong individuals nearby, they could sense it clearly.
It had been the same back in Shimotsuki Village, when both Dragon and Koshiro had sensed the boost in his power.
But this time, the surge from his Conqueror's Haki felt even more potent, even more expansive than when his swordsmanship had reached level six.
Downstairs in the restaurant...
The once lively, bustling chatter came to an abrupt halt.
Marco's men and the Baratie chefs all collapsed to the floor.
Only Zeff and Marco, who had just finished his call with Whitebeard, remained standing.
"What was that just now...?" Marco looked startled. "Conqueror's Haki? Who did that?"
Zeff didn't look good either, but he could tell the pressure had come from upstairs.
And up there, only Sanji and Lucas should have been present.
Without hesitation, Zeff rushed upstairs.
Marco followed close behind.
When they reached the employee quarters, they saw Sanji unconscious and Lucas standing there, unharmed.
Zeff's expression turned grim.
"It was you, wasn't it, Lucas?"
Lucas glanced over at the two of them and replied calmly, "Yeah."
Zeff placed a hand on his forehead, clearly exasperated. "Never thought you'd have Conqueror's Haki... Even if you do, you can't just release it like that. It's dangerous."
"I don't think he did it on purpose," Marco said, brows furrowed. "Looks like his Conqueror's Haki just leveled up. The burst must've happened unconsciously."
"Seriously?" Zeff was stunned. "That much power from an involuntary surge... What would it be like if he went all out?"
Marco chuckled. "We'd probably be caught in the blast too."
Zeff inhaled sharply. "That's terrifying."
"Lucas, kid," Marco said, looking at him seriously. "Are you really sure you won't join the Whitebeard Pirates?"
Lucas replied flatly, "No."
"I told Pops about you. He really wants to meet you."
Lucas: "..."
So that explains why he got credit for impressing Whitebeard out of nowhere.
Seeing Lucas remain silent, Marco smiled. "You're heading for the Grand Line next, right?"
Lucas nodded. "Yeah."
"Good. If you ever spot the Moby Dick, come aboard and meet Pops. You both like drinking, maybe you'll hit it off as drinking buddies."
Lucas gave a vague nod, not really committing to anything.
Marco noticed but didn't push him on it.
"Alright, I won't keep you any longer. My men are probably done eating by now. Time for us to head back. Though, looks like I'll have to carry all of them to the ship myself."
He muttered to himself as he walked out of the room.
Zeff gave Lucas a long, quiet look before finally letting out a sigh. "Forget it. Let's just close up early tonight."
And with that, he too left the room.
Marco spent quite a bit of effort hauling his crew back to the ship.
As soon as he was done, he picked up the transponder snail again and made another call to Whitebeard.
"Pops, I think I finally get why Garp values Lucas so highly. That kid isn't just a swordsman. His Conqueror's Haki is insanely strong. Honestly, he might already have Armament and Observation Haki too..."
The next day.
Sanji woke up groggily.
He barely remembered what happened last night just chatting with Lucas when a sudden, overwhelming sense of dread hit him, and then... nothing.
He jumped out of bed.
Right outside the room, on the corridor railing, he saw Lucas drinking and enjoying the sea breeze.
He paused, then quickly stepped outside.
"Lucas! What happened last night? I passed out all of a sudden. Did something happen?"
Lucas didn't respond.
"Are you okay? You weren't hurt, right?"
Lucas gave him a glance and shook his head. "I'm fine."
Sanji let out a breath of relief. "Good, good. As long as you're okay."
Lucas smiled faintly and hooked his wine gourd back onto his belt.
Just then...
A familiar voice drifted up from below.
"Hey? What's up with the deck at the entrance? Did pirates drop by yesterday?"
Upon hearing that voice, Lucas's face froze.
Inwardly, he sighed with profound annoyance.
Why is Garp back again...