"It changes everything." Whitebeard’s remaining eye found Luffy’s small, bloody figure. "That boy just announced to the world that he will stand at the top of this era. Not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But he will."

He coughed blood, grinning.

"So the kid has it after all." A tired smile crossed his beak. "Pops saw it first."

Crocodile, standing over a felled Marine captain, stopped mid-laugh. He glanced at Luffy, then away, spitting sand.

"Conqueror’s Haki. The power to intimidate the weak-willed into unconsciousness." His lava bubbled. "But against magma, will is just gas."

No shockwave. No explosion. But every Marine within a fifty-meter radius collapsed simultaneously. Their eyes rolled back. Foam bubbled from their lips. Swords clattered. Shields fell.