Vice-captain of Whitebeard pirates

As soon as Roger finished speaking, an invisible storm centered on him and swept across the area. In an instant, time seemed to stop.

The leaves swayed gently in the wind, the dark wave surged like a tide, and the black giant, driven by pure killing intent, slowed down as it took long strides forward.

Conqueror's Haki!

At that moment, everyone realized what it was. As the future Pirate King, Roger possessing Conqueror's Haki wasn't surprising at all.

What shocked Larson was that even after the Conqueror's Haki faded, the black tide's speed remained slower.

"There's a chance!"

Before Larson could speak, another storm of Haki surged. Whitebeard stood expressionless, radiating a faint aura of majesty. In fact, his Conqueror's Haki seemed even stronger than Roger's.

Veterans like Whitebeard and Roger had long mastered the control of their Haki. When they unleashed it, they could accurately target the objects affected without accidentally harming their own crew.

Marco and the others only felt a breeze pass them. They didn't sense anything else, but that didn't mean they were unaware of what had happened.

Buggy's eyes sparkled: "Here it comes, the captain's Conqueror's Haki!"

The red-haired man beside him gazed with longing. Only those with Conqueror's Haki could truly be called kings. He wished he had it as well.

Marco grinned, "Our captain has it too!"

Despite the threat of the approaching giants and black tide, the crew's confidence surged.

Their fighting spirit reached an all-time high.

A captain with Conqueror's Haki could significantly boost the morale of their crew.

After two rounds of this display, Larson could see more clearly now. The speed of the black tide and giants had dropped to a crawl.

Even Marco and the others noticed.

Yet, despite the slowing, the black tide still crept forward.

Larson narrowed his eyes and said, "This distance isn't enough to stop them completely!"

"Haha, let me give it a try, too."

Rayleigh stepped forward, smiling at Larson: "A little embarrassing."

Another wave of Haki washed over the area, though it wasn't as strong as the previous two. After a few moments, the storm vanished, and Rayleigh sighed: "Still a little off."

After three rounds of Conqueror's Haki, the Kuroshio's speed had decreased significantly. It now took more than ten seconds for it to advance a mere meter, but it was still moving. Given enough time, it could reach Larson eventually. It was only a matter of time.

Everyone understood early on that just slowing it down wasn't enough. Only by stopping the black tide completely could they be safe.

Larson looked over at Gaban.

Gaban suddenly felt guilty. "Why are you looking at me?"

Larson said, "Come on, it's your turn."

Gaban felt even more guilty. "Why me?"

With a surprised look, Larson asked, "You don't have Conqueror's Haki, do you?"

Gaban, displeased, responded, "You think Conqueror's Haki grows on trees? It's already amazing that we have two people with it on our ship!"

Larson sighed, "I thought as the vice-captain of the Roger Pirates, you'd have the same Haki as Rayleigh."

Gaban looked embarrassed. He understood Larson's words: Rayleigh, as the vice-captain, had it, so why didn't he?

"And you're talking about me, but you don't have it either," Gaban muttered.

Larson smiled, "Actually, I do."

With that, he took a step forward, and in an instant, a storm of Haki on par with Roger and Whitebeard erupted, causing Gaban's hair to stand on end.

This was the fourth round of Conqueror's Haki. Now, the speed of the Kuroshio could be completely ignored.

Larson looked back at Gaban, "What were you saying?"

Gaban's face flushed with embarrassment, but he pretended to stay calm. "Ahem, it's just Conqueror's Haki. No big deal."

In truth, it wasn't that surprising. In such a short time, four individuals had displayed Conqueror's Haki.

But these four were all captains or vice-captains, and compared to them, Gaban, another vice-captain, felt a little out of place.

At this point, the giants were lumbering toward the crew. Their speed had slowed to a crawl, as though they were moving in slow motion.

"We have to deal with these giants before the black tide arrives and then get out of here."

Due to Blue's death, Larson wouldn't let anyone be touched by the black tide unless absolutely necessary.

If they were touched by it, they might end up like Blue.

Whitebeard and Roger stepped forward, standing in front of everyone. "Remember, don't make direct contact with these guys. Use your weapons to take them down!" Whitebeard reiterated the instructions.

Then, Whitebeard and Roger led the charge. Whitebeard, wielding his weapon in combination with the power of the Gura Gura no Mi (Tremor-Tremor Fruit), effortlessly sliced through four or five black giants, reducing them to pieces.

Roger, though not a Devil Fruit user, unleashed attacks just as powerful. With a single swing of his sword, the black giants before him dissolved into black water, merging back into the black tide.

This was an alarming sight. It became clear that Roger's future title as Pirate King wouldn't come from luck or chance, but from his overwhelming strength.

The others quickly followed suit, using their most powerful techniques. However, Marco, the captain of the Whitebeard Pirates' 1st division, felt anxious.

He had no weapons. His fighting style depended on his physical abilities, and using physical attacks would bring him into direct contact with the black tide—a dangerous prospect.

Trying to reassure himself, Marco thought, "It won't make much difference if I don't join in. I'll just stay close behind."

Despite these thoughts, he couldn't help but feel envious as he watched his crewmates fight bravely at the front lines.

What a shame.

At that moment, Larson passed by Marco and patted him on the shoulder. "You should be able to use Armament Haki."

Hearing this, Marco's eyes brightened, and without hesitation, he activated his Armament Haki. After confirming it worked, he let out an excited shout, charging toward the densest cluster of giants.

Laughter erupted from the battlefield:

"Haha, here I come, young master!"