One Piece: Absolute Domination; Reborn as Luffy

"ROAR!" The gorilla let out a low growl, signaling its return to a state of calm. Previously, it had truly lost control, exhibiting an expression and aura that showed pure rage. After all, when Luffy had pushed it to its limits, anyone would have exploded in fury.

Fortunately, Luffy's Conqueror's Haki had intervened, cooling the gorilla's frenzied spirit and dispersing the flames of its anger. This made perfect sense; Luffy's Haki could directly affect the realm of consciousness. The gorilla had certainly raged earlier, but Luffy's aura not only intimidated but also managed to restore a semblance of tranquility within the beast.

"Hmm!" Luffy nodded in satisfaction, pleased with the outcome. The power of his Haki, now rated at eighty points, was indeed much stronger than before. Just a short while ago, Luffy would have never been able to achieve something like this. The gorilla's strength was in the billions, and Luffy's basic Conqueror's Haki would have been insufficient to directly influence such a powerful creature. But here he was, successfully doing just that.

He was well aware that while he had made strides, he was still a far cry from being able to knock out such a formidable opponent with sheer Haki alone. But he recognized his progress, and that was enough for him.

"Hmm?" Just then, Luffy noticed a figure stepping out from the treeline.

"Rayleigh-sensei!" he exclaimed. It was none other than Rayleigh, the former first mate of the Pirate King, who approached with a wide smile on his face. Clearly, he had witnessed the earlier battle and was impressed.

"Luffy!" Rayleigh said, a glint of pride in his eyes. "Very good! I didn't expect your Haki to improve this rapidly."

His words were straightforward, yet they conveyed a deeper meaning. Rayleigh was clearly only referring to Luffy's Haki, implying that he was aware Luffy's other abilities might not measure up to what they once were—likely due to the loss of his Devil Fruit powers. Luffy understood this too. Both Rayleigh and Shanks had greater expectations for him as a wielder of the Nika power rather than focusing solely on his innate potential.

"Hmm?" Rayleigh furrowed his brow slightly, then remarked, "Luffy, you seem a bit taller."

This caught Luffy off guard for a moment. He realized that, surprisingly, he was now slightly taller than Rayleigh. In the past, Luffy had been shorter, but now he stood at nearly 1.9 meters.

 In his previous life, people often cared about height, but in this world, it had lost much of its significance. After all, there were countless individuals over two meters tall. At nearly 1.9 meters, Luffy felt quite pleased with himself. It seemed like a good thing to him to be a little taller.

Rayleigh nodded, thinking it might just be a growth spurt since Luffy had only recently come of age. A little extra height at this stage was perfectly normal.

At that moment, the gorilla turned and began to leave. Rayleigh's gaze remained fixed on Luffy as he spoke, "Luffy! Don't feel disheartened. Your training is still incredibly valuable. Who knows? Your fruit may return one day."

His words were simple yet carried a profound weight. Luffy nodded, picking up on the deeper meanings hidden within. He understood that Rayleigh felt a slight disappointment in him, knowing that without his Devil Fruit powers, Luffy's future might not hold the same promise it once did. Nevertheless, Luffy remained a youth of immense potential. Even if the sense of destiny felt less pronounced than before, he still had boundless potential, and that was always something worth recognizing.

"Rayleigh-sensei!" Luffy replied confidently, "Don't worry. I feel like my fruit's power will return."

He didn't elaborate much further and simply turned to leave. Rayleigh watched Luffy's retreating figure with a heavy sigh.

"Ah!" he lamented. "Luffy! No matter what, you're still a remarkable student."

Luffy strolled through the forest, feeling quite content and relaxed. "I'm so hungry!" he murmured, recalling the exhausting battle he had just endured. The fight had drained a significant amount of his energy, and it was time to replenish his strength. He headed toward the cabin where an abundance of food awaited him—hundreds of thousands of pounds, ready for him to enjoy at his leisure.

The thought of such a joyful life made Luffy burst out laughing. It was exhilarating to think that there was so much food at home, and that he could play around with the beautiful women there whenever he wanted. He could even engage in battles, taking down gorillas without a second thought. Who wouldn't be envious of that kind of life?

Suddenly, as he walked, Luffy sensed something nearby. "Hmm?" He paused to investigate, using his Conqueror's Haki to scan the surroundings within a few hundred meters. The ability was truly unfathomable, allowing him to sense things beyond mere sight.

"It's a tiger," Luffy concluded, nodding to himself as he clarified what he had sensed. A few tigers seemed to be preparing to surround him, and he chuckled at the thought. To the tigers, he must appear as nothing more than a child, just another human. Perhaps they were hungry and were considering him as a meal—an intriguing motivation, to say the least.

"Maybe I should try some tiger meat," Luffy mused. After all, in his previous life, traditional beliefs held that tigers ate humans, and he had never heard of humans eating tigers. Such a notion would have been shocking! But here and now, he found the idea amusing and not particularly threatening, as a single tiger posed no danger to him.

With that thought in mind, Luffy wasted no time and sprang into action. "Whoosh!" In an instant, he vanished from sight, moving with a speed that startled the tigers. They hadn't anticipated such swiftness; it was as if he were a ghost.

As he darted through the trees, Luffy realized he was experiencing a boost in his abilities. His speed was not solely dependent on his physical agility; he began to understand that his Conqueror's Haki played a role as well. This realization was not entirely new; he had felt the pressure during his earlier fight with the gorilla. When dodging its attacks, he had pushed himself to the limit, and in that moment, his speed had increased due to more than just his mobility.

"Conqueror's Haki," Luffy reflected aloud. "It governs the attributes of all things. To be precise, it can influence air and space—everything around me. So it's only natural that my Haki can exert control over these elements." He nodded, acknowledging his previous naivety. "I used to think only visible things constituted matter—animals, plants, rocks, various impurities. But I was wrong. I was completely mistaken!"

A sudden epiphany struck him. "The microscopic world is also composed of matter! Water molecules, all kinds of microscopic particles—everything is matter!" Luffy couldn't help but laugh at his realization, feeling a sense of clarity wash over him. He now understood the world and its intricacies much better.

Luffy fully grasped the idea that, in moments of crisis, his speed had increased not just because of his agility, but because of the influence of his Haki. In those critical moments, his Conqueror's Haki had affected the air, the space around him, and the very flow of air currents. It altered the relationship between himself and his environment, leading to a significant enhancement in his speed.

"I'm truly brilliant! I'm no ordinary person—I'm a genius! I'm an absolute prodigy!" His excitement bubbled over as he fully absorbed this newfound understanding.

[Conqueror's Haki Level: 84/100!] 

"Hmm?" Suddenly, Luffy felt a surge in his Haki level. It had jumped by four points in an instant, which was remarkable! After reaching eighty points, it was usually very difficult to gain additional levels. Yet here he was, experiencing a significant boost. How could he not be thrilled? How could he not revel in this joy?

"Ha ha ha ha ha!" Luffy exclaimed, nodding eagerly. "I understand now! This is a moment of enlightenment! That's why my level increased so much in one go. It's incredibly exhilarating!" His enthusiasm was palpable; he felt alive and full of energy.

"Why should I bother catching the tigers?" Luffy suddenly halted. With the increase in his Conqueror's Haki, controlling a few big tigers would feel like child's play. Previously, he could still manage it, but he had felt fatigued after his spar with the gorilla. He wanted to conserve his energy and minimize the use of his Haki to rest and recuperate. Now, however, he found the situation amusing and took a moment to reflect.

"Hmm?" Luffy's thoughts drifted back to Rayleigh. For some reason, at that moment, he felt a deeper understanding of Rayleigh's abilities. "It's about the Conqueror's Haki," Luffy mused. "After increasing my Haki level by four points, I'm suddenly more aware of some changes." He realized he could now sense Rayleigh's aura, which had been elusive to him before.

"Rayleigh!" Luffy exclaimed. "His Haki level must be eighty-eight! Definitely not reaching ninety." Luffy nodded to himself, feeling confident in his ability to estimate others' Haki levels. It was an exhilarating feeling. With a Haki level over eighty, each point gained felt like a monumental achievement. Rayleigh's level of eighty-eight was certainly formidable and explosive.

Previously, when Luffy was only at eighty, he hadn't sensed things as acutely as he could now. With his current level at eighty-four, he felt as if his perception had multiplied several times over. This was not an exaggeration; it was genuinely how he felt. Consequently, he recognized that Rayleigh's Haki was indeed intimidating, almost terrifying. Luffy was nowhere near his level.

Of course, Rayleigh was getting older. It wouldn't be too bold to say that his Haki level might not increase further. In fact, Luffy speculated that it might be lower than it was in Rayleigh's youth. When Rayleigh was younger, he likely boasted a Haki level close to ninety, especially as the first mate of the Pirate King's crew.

"Having a Haki level of ninety would make sense," Luffy thought. "After all, with such a level, one would be exceptionally powerful and virtually invincible."

Even though Luffy didn't want to solely rely on imagination to understand what it meant to elevate his Conqueror's Haki to ninety points and beyond, he knew that even with his current level of over eighty, he was already a force to be reckoned with. If he could reach ninety points, he could only imagine the level of power and invincibility he would attain!

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T/N:

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