The moment Loki rose to his feet, the atmosphere of the Netherworld instantly solidified.
His towering height of over sixty meters exuded a suffocating pressure that made the surrounding air feel heavy, while thick tree roots cast enormous shadows behind him.
The Sea Stone shackles screeched with friction as he moved, dozens of chains pulled taut yet unable to restrain the violent aura he unleashed.
"Unleash me please?" Loki grinned, his massive tongue lolling out like some ancient deity—both sinister and unbridled.
Yamato tightened her grip on her spiked club, battle lust igniting in her eyes.
"Fine! I've been wanting to see just how—"
"Yamato." Orion's calm voice cut through.
Just one words, and Yamato's speech halted abruptly.
She turned to see Orion maintaining his composed expression, even the faintest hint of a smile playing at his lips.
Orion took a step forward.
Yamato bit her lip, reluctant but obediently retreating to Hancock's side.
Mihawk narrowed his eyes, his hand resting on the hilt of his black blade Yoru.
Denjiro, Nekomamushi, and Inuarashi simultaneously shifted into guarded stances, while Morgan gestured for his guards to prepare for combat.
Orion looked up, meeting the gaze of Loki's bandaged eyes.
"You want me to release your restraints?"
"What's wrong? Afraid?" Loki's massive tongue swayed in the air. "Or does the mighty Fleet Admiral need Sea Stone and chains to dare speak with me?"
"You're clever, Loki." His tone remained unperturbed. "You know how to use provocation."
"But you've made one mistake."
Orion took another step forward. "You think I came here to fight you?"
"What else?" Loki's voice deepened. "The World Government sent the God's Knights for me, didn't they? Just to make me their enforcer. Now they send the Fleet Admiral—how could your purpose be any different?"
"Indeed, no different."
Orion nodded. "But I am different from the World Government."
As he spoke, Orion raised his right hand.
Black and red Conqueror's Haki gathered in his palm, materializing into tangible lightning dancing at his fingertips.
"The World Government wants you for your power."
"But I want you for your value."
"Value?" Loki sneered. "What value could a Cursed Prince, a patricidal sinner who stole the fruit, possibly have?"
Orion's voice held no fluctuation. "What happened in the past, I cannot change. But in the future, this world will surely move toward the bright shore you desire but cannot reach—under my governance."
"In this world of light, everyone has their purpose for existence, their own value! The weak civilians work from sunrise to sunset for a better life, while the strong shoulder the responsibility of maintaining world order—uprooting evil and eliminating wickedness without mercy! Under my rule, there will be no more Celestial Dragons, nor will pirates who pillage and plunder be permitted to exist."
"Loki, without doubt, you are strong. More than that, you are a great warrior who bore the sin of patricide to save Elbaf."
"You should not be trapped in this sunless Netherworld. If you lay down your past and bow to me, I will grant you a glorious future!"
Loki's breath hitched abruptly, then he let out a maniacal laugh,
"Heh hahahaha, you say I'm a great warrior? Hahahaha, Marshal Orion, you almost moved me with your words. You're using that rare Observation Haki, aren't you? Trying to forcibly implant your thoughts and perceptions into my mind—how is this any different from the one who controlled Father back then?"
Before the words faded, he took a fierce step forward, the chains screeching sharply with his movement.
The furious Conqueror's Haki erupted from him once more, black-red lightning ravaging through the Netherworld as thick tree roots trembled violently under the force's impact.
"Marshal Orion, retract your Observation Haki. The trash of Elbaf might be swayed by your thoughts, but I am Loki! Did you think a few pretty words would make me weep with gratitude and follow you?!"
Orion narrowed his eyes slightly, allowing the Conqueror's Haki released by Loki to run rampant.
Black-red lightning crackled around him yet failed to move him an inch.
Not only was Orion completely unaffected, but the Conqueror's Haki Loki unleashed seemed to be blocked, halting before Orion and unable to advance further.
It didn't just fail to affect Hancock, Yamato, and the others behind Orion—even the neatly lined-up marine soldiers behind Morgan remained entirely untouched.
Witnessing this, Loki's pupils contracted slightly as he said in a low voice.
"You actually blocked my Conqueror's Haki."
"Surprised?" Orion raised the Conqueror's Haki gathered in his hand. "Conqueror's Haki isn't just for attack or infusion—it can also be used for defense. In the current Grand Line, no one's attack can break through this marshal's Haki defense!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Orion abruptly flipped his hand and pressed down.
Amid a low-frequency vibration, the Conqueror's Haki released by Loki instantly receded like a tidal wave.
Immediately after, Loki couldn't suppress his piercing scream, then uncontrollably bent over and heavily knelt down.
Envloped by the overwhelming Conqueror's Haki, he gradually prostrated himself, facing Orion in worship.
"How... is this possible!"
Never expecting Orion's Conqueror's Haki to be so absurdly powerful, Loki—forced to prostrate himself and worship Orion—struggled to speak, his face filled with shock and disbelief.
"Loki, do you think I'd waste words here if you had no value?"
Watching Loki prostrated on the ground under the Haki's pressure, Orion took a step forward and said sternly, "Using Observation Haki on you wasn't to change your thoughts or perceptions, but to avoid unnecessary trouble. to put another way—I value talent! Otherwise, purely in terms of strength, killing you would be as easy as flipping my hand!"
As he spoke, Orion raised his hand again, and the unmatched Conqueror's Haki surged forth once more.
Unlike before, this time the Conqueror's Haki released by Orion bizarrely condensed and was forcibly compressed into a Haki energy sphere the size of a bowl.
Compressed to its extreme, the energy sphere's surface continuously flickered with leaping black-red lightning, causing the surrounding void to emit sizzling sounds.
Even Loki, upon seeing Orion compress Conqueror's Haki into an energy sphere, lost his previous madness, his face horrified as he exclaimed.
"What are you doing?!"
"Making Elbaf bow!"
Orion revealed a gentle smile, then swung his hand upward.
The compressed Conqueror's Haki energy sphere, under Loki's gaze, soared over his head and ascended into the sky.
When the energy sphere condensed from Conqueror's Haki burst out of the Netherworld and appeared hundreds of meters above the Giant Kingdom, the compressed sphere suddenly exploded.
A deafening blast echoed throughout Elbaf.
Immediately, the compressed Conqueror's Haki rapidly spread in all directions like a flood, instantly covering the entire territory of Elbaf.
At the epicenter of the explosion, the raging black and red lightning was replaced by a massive crimson sun surrounded by a golden halo.
Hanging hundreds of meters above the Giant Kingdom like a rising sun, it illuminated all of Elbaf as bright as daylight.