Hearing Rocks' words, Bob couldn't help but be stunned.
'Damn! You can't be serious!'
I wasn't prepared at all! The others present were also taken aback.
What did he mean? Everyone knew Bob martial arts were strong, but for the captain to ask him to perform that move—wasn't that just setting him up for failure?
That required awakening the Conqueror's Haki! And not just that, but also the ability to project it outward.
Many began to speculate.
It seemed there must have been some conflict between Bob and the captain in the room earlier.
That's why the captain wanted to embarrass Bob in public.
Some thought this and couldn't help but feel a sense of joy as they looked at Bob.
What they wanted most was to see this so-called genius humiliated.
And the veteran crew members were even more excited.
If Bob and Rocks didn't get along, didn't that mean his position as commander was unstable?
He could be replaced by someone below him at any moment.
Some of the commanders thinking about Rocks' words, were also somewhat surprised.
But they wouldn't think like the others, those who understood Rocks knew.
If the captain said so, there must be a reason.
Could it be that Bob had awakened the Conqueror's Haki? Whitebeard's eyes narrowed as he thought of something.
The other aura that had clashed with Rocks earlier might very well have been Bob Conqueror's Haki.
Whitebeard wasn't the only one with this thought; the other officers also realized this.
They all looked at Bob with expressions of shock.
"Captain! Are you sure you want me to perform that move?"
Bob spoke slowly, deliberately asking again.
"What, do you want me to say it a second time?"
Rocks sat to the side, arms crossed, and replied indifferently.
His voice exuded an authoritative and domineering presence.
Bob glanced around at the people nearby.
On their faces, he saw a variety of expressions.
But all their gazes could be summed up in one word:
Anticipation.
Bob shrugged.
The atmosphere had been built up to this point; no matter what, he had to go through with it. "Understood!"
As soon as the words left his mouth.
Bob aura suddenly surged, and a powerful sense of intimidation radiated from him.
For the first time, he displayed the Conqueror's Haki in front of everyone.
The resulting airflow stirred up strong winds that swept through the surroundings.
Though it didn't have the same oppressive force as Rocks' earlier display, it still carried a significant presence.
Some of the nearby pirates, seeing this, struggled to resist.
Rocks watched this display of Haki, his eyes narrowing slightly—it was much stronger than it had been in the room earlier.
It seemed that during his own use, Bob had grasped the key to it.
What a monster. Some of the veteran crew members were even more shocked; this newcomer actually had such overwhelming Conqueror's Haki.
Just how old was he? It was as if they were witnessing the rise of a new star.
"Gurararara!"
"I never expected Bob to hide something like this—even I didn't know he had awakened the Conqueror's Haki!"
Whitebeard was quite surprised; he had always thought Bob was just strong in martial arts.
Who would have thought he had this up his sleeve? This was truly unexpected.
Golden Lion, standing nearby, also nodded in agreement.
Bob Haki leaked out as he focused on feeling its spread around him.
In his mind, he recalled Rocks' earlier movements.
Facing a large boulder beside the open space, he threw a punch through the air.
"Boom!!"
A sharp crack echoed as the air was compressed by the force of the punch.
The fist, imbued with an overwhelming aura, struck the massive boulder in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, the boulder, which had stood firmly in the distance, was shattered into pieces.
Some of the flying debris struck the faces of the pirates, leaving bloody gashes.
"Holy crap! What kind of monster is Bob?"
"Conqueror's Haki? Is this guy really a rookie?"
"Are young people these days just built different? First, there was Kaido, and now Bob seems even more of a freak!"
"Now I think I understand the captain's decision. Promoting Bob to squad leader might have been the right call!"
"…"
The pirates erupted in excitement at Bob display.
Even some crew members who had initially wanted to mock him were now singing his praises.
Such a young man, with both strength and immense potential.
He was undoubtedly destined to be a key figure in the Rocks Pirates.
This forced them to acknowledge Bob position.
Even the older crew members who had been jealous of Bob now had to admit his worth.
They set aside their hostility toward him.
In the Rocks Pirates, being slightly stronger than others might earn you envy and even assassination attempts.
But if your strength was so far beyond their reach, all you would earn was their awe.
"Not bad! You managed to learn it just by watching once. Though your power is still lacking, and there's plenty of room for improvement!"
"But the fact that you can pull it off at all proves your potential!"
Rocks walked up to Bob and patted his shoulder.
Originally, Rocks had only wanted Bob to demonstrate Conqueror's Haki in front of the crew.
To quell any objections to Bob promotion as squad leader.
But he hadn't expected Bob to mimic the technique after just one demonstration.
This was yet another pleasant surprise for him.
Unlike Rocks, Kaido, who stood nearby, clenched his fists tightly.
At this point, he hadn't awakened his Conqueror's Haki yet, nor had he consumed a Devil Fruit.
Watching Bob, who was around the same age as him, he felt like a mere bystander.
However, he didn't let this discourage him. Instead, it only strengthened his resolve to grow stronger.
Knowing he was lacking in strength, he set Bob as his goal to surpass.
Little did he know that even many years later, Kaido would never catch up to that goal.