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The sight of red and black lightning crackling around someone barely out of his teenage years sent shock waves through observers worldwide. The violent manifestation of Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki) brought ordinary citizens to their knees like wheat before a hurricane, their unconscious forms littering the streets in testament to overwhelming willpower made manifest.
Kin'emon felt his traditional hat torn away by the supernatural pressure emanating from his lord, his own composure cracking as he witnessed the full scope of destruction. "Please restrain yourself, Momonosuke-sama! Too many innocent people will suffer from your anger!"
Sanji and Nami stared at the black-haired youth with newfound terror, their previous assessment of him as merely a lecherous nuisance evaporating like morning mist. The casual display of world-class power revealed that his earlier behavior had been nothing more than an elaborate mask—one that concealed something far more dangerous beneath.
"This level of Conqueror's Haki..." Nami whispered, her voice tight with recognition and fear. "I've only seen Luffy display anything comparable. Remember Fish-Man Island?"
The memory was burned into both their minds: tens of thousands of Neptune Army soldiers collapsing simultaneously under their captain's unleashed willpower. The aftermath had looked exactly like this—a battlefield carpeted with unconscious bodies, testament to power that transcended normal human limitations.
Arashi coiled more tightly around Nami's waist, the belt-like creature's mythical powers providing crucial protection against the psychic assault. Through their symbiotic bond, the navigator gained access to all three forms of Haki without requiring personal training—a convenience that had saved her life more than once in New World battles.
Sanji's mastery of Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) and Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) allowed him to remain standing, though the oppressive atmosphere made his skin crawl with primal warning signals. 5 years of intensive training had given him confidence in his abilities, but this display suggested he might have been overly optimistic about his progress.
"Where did Luffy find an enemy like this?" Nami muttered, sweat beading on her forehead despite the comfortable weather. "Even someone this young has the qualifications to be a king. The New World really is full of monsters."
"Now isn't the time for complaints, Nami-chan," Sanji replied, his voice steady despite the circumstances. "We need to understand his intentions regarding Luffy. If he's truly hostile, we can't allow him anywhere near the Sunny."
The transformed cook shifted into a combat stance, channeling techniques learned during his hellish training period. He refused to believe that this Kozuki brat could match the strength of a Shichibukai, regardless of his impressive Haki display.
As heir to the Kozuki bloodline and future shogun of Wano Country, Momonosuke commanded absolute loyalty from his retainers—even when his decisions seemed questionable. The rigid hierarchy of samurai culture meant that Kin'emon could only offer advice; ultimately, his lord's will was law.
"Kin'emon, I am the future General of Wano Country," Momonosuke declared, his voice carrying the authority of generations of rulers. "I require information about their relationship with Straw Hat Luffy. Even if Doflamingo himself tried to interfere, he couldn't stop me from getting answers."
Having cleared the battlefield of unnecessary witnesses, Momonosuke allowed his Conqueror's Haki to fade—though the oppressive aura surrounding his physical form remained unchanged. To Sanji's heightened senses, the young samurai radiated menace like a sleeping volcano, beautiful and terrible in equal measure.
"This presence..." Nami shuddered, unpleasant memories surfacing unbidden. "He reminds me of Admiral Borsalino. Are all New World fighters this terrifying?"
"He's not interested in reasonable discussion," Sanji observed grimly, preparing for violence. "Nami-chan, if fighting breaks out, use your fruit powers to escape immediately. I'll buy you time."
The chef's protective instincts overrode his self-preservation—a personality trait that hadn't changed despite his physical transformation. Some core aspects of identity ran deeper than gender.
Kozuki Momonosuke studied their defensive postures with cold calculation, his earlier playfulness completely absent. "So that's your answer? Very well. I hope your bodies prove as resilient as your stubborn tongues."
Steel sang against leather as he drew his father's blade, the legendary weapon gleaming with inherited nobility. Black Armament Haki flowed across both handle and edge, transforming the already formidable sword into something that could cut through mountains.
Legendary Blade: Ame no Habakiri - One of the Twenty-One Great Grade Swords
The sight of such a legendary weapon being drawn with obvious intent to use it sent Kin'emon into internal conflict. His lord had made his decision, and duty demanded loyalty regardless of personal misgivings. As a retainer of the Kozuki clan, he could only support whatever path his master chose.
Just as violence seemed inevitable, a familiar voice cut through the tension like a blade through silk.
"MOMO!"
Monkey D. Luffy burst around the corner with Usopp trailing behind, his timing impeccable as always. The Straw Hat captain's arrival changed everything in an instant—though not in the way anyone expected.
"Don't come over here, you idiot!" Nami screamed, recognizing the potential for catastrophic escalation. "We're about to fight!"
But her warnings fell on deaf ears. Luffy had spotted his target and nothing else mattered.
The transformation in Kozuki Momonosuke was immediate and shocking. The cold, calculating young lord vanished, replaced by someone whose emotional restraint crumbled like a dam in a flood. Ame no Habakiri slipped from nerveless fingers to clatter on the stone street, while tears began streaming down his face.
"Luffy-senpai!" he cried, voice thick with overwhelming joy. "I've missed you so much!"
Without hesitation, he shoved the bewildered Sanji aside and ran toward his training partner with arms outstretched—only to receive Luffy's traditional greeting in the form of a Haki-enhanced sandal to the face.
"Momo! I missed you too!" Luffy declared cheerfully, putting his full strength behind the "affectionate" blow.
The impact was tremendous. Enhanced by both Armament Haki and the Chikara Chikara no Mi (Power-Chikara Chikara no Mi), the strike sent Kozuki Momonosuke flying through the air like a missile, his trajectory ending in an explosive collision with a nearby flower shop.
"Momonosuke-sama!" Kin'emon shouted in alarm, rushing to retrieve his lord's dropped blade while debris settled around the impact crater.
Nami and Sanji exchanged bewildered glances. Was this friendship or enmity? The signals were completely contradictory.
"Luffy-senpai, you really went all out," Momonosuke said as he emerged from the wreckage, brushing dust and flower petals from his clothes. Aside from two sandal-shaped marks on his face, he appeared completely unharmed. "You almost damaged my handsome features."
Before anyone could process this casual dismissal of what should have been a devastating injury, Momonosuke moved. One moment he was standing in the ruins; the next, he appeared directly in front of Luffy with his Haki-coated fist aimed at the rubber man's chin.
The uppercut connected with a sound like thunder, launching Luffy high into the air. The Straw Hat captain's namesake went flying, though he managed to stretch his arm and retrieve it mid-flight before gravity claimed its due.
Rather than crashing painfully to the ground, Luffy somehow managed to land on Momonosuke's shoulders, wrapping his arms around the samurai's head in an enthusiastic embrace while laughing with pure joy.
"Momo! I didn't expect to see you here," he said, his happiness infectious despite the bizarre greeting ritual they'd just performed. "Didn't you say you were going back to Wano?"
Kozuki Momonosuke wiped his nose with the back of his hand, emotions warring across his features. "Don't remind me. Kaido and I fought ten times after you left. I lost every single battle—he's worse than a monster."
Watching the two men embrace while tears streamed down their faces, Nami finally understood what she'd witnessed. This was simply their way of saying hello—a greeting between warriors that would have killed lesser men.
The violence hadn't been born of hostility, but of genuine affection expressed in the only language that made sense to those who lived by strength. In the New World, even friendship could be deadly to bystanders.