Aeridar had read the manga and watched the anime, so he remembered clearly: back when Luffy first set out to sea, there were only four pirates in the East Blue with bounties over 15 million Berries.
There was the Black Cat Pirates—Captain: Captain Kuro of a Hundred Plans, bounty: 16 million Berries.
The Krieg Pirates—Captain: Pirate Fleet Admiral Don Krieg, bounty: 17 million Berries, self-proclaimed ruler of the East Blue.
The Arlong Pirates—Captain: Arlong the Fish-Man, bounty: 20 million Berries, formerly a subordinate of the Warlord of the Sea, Jinbe the Knight of the Sea.
And the Buggy Pirates—Captain: Buggy the Clown, bounty: 15 million Berries, former member of the Roger Pirates and a user of the Chop-Chop Fruit.
As for this "Head Buster" Broo, he never appeared in the original story. Either he was taken down by the Marines or another pirate crew somewhere along the way… or he's still alive, robbing people in some remote corner of the world.
But a pirate so insignificant he didn't even warrant a background cameo in the original? Naturally, Aeridar didn't give him a second thought.
BOOM—
"Hey punk, don't get cocky! I'll smash your damn skull in!" Broo roared, slamming his spiked mace into the ship's bow with a crash, splintering the wooden deck and leaving a deep dent.
"Heh heh heh… I'm gonna kill you. Soru!" Aeridar let out a twisted laugh and vanished in an instant.
"Damn it, where'd he go?!" Broo's eyes darted around as he gripped his mace, clearly panicking. "Shit… is this another Devil Fruit power?!"
Suddenly, a slightly shorter figure appeared behind him, throwing a punch aimed squarely at Broo's back.
"There you are… Gotcha!" Broo's expression, once flustered, twisted into a sinister grin. Without even turning his head, he swung his spiked mace behind him in a wide arc.
"Crap—!"
Aeridar's heart tightened. He sensed something. A flash of intuition shot through his mind—and without hesitation, he pulled his fist back and disappeared again.
BOOM!
Dust exploded, wood shards flew everywhere. A gaping hole was left in the deck where Broo had struck, its jagged edges radiating outward like cracks from a hammer blow. That impact was pure brute force.
"Tch—little bug got away," Broo muttered, yanking his mace free. His ugly face twisted in frustration and faint surprise.
"What the hell just happened…?" Captain Gurley Jaron stood at the bow of the Gigiriel, watching the clash in disbelief. He'd clearly underestimated both of them. How had Broo known someone was behind him without even looking? And how did Aeridar manage to dodge a surprise counterattack?
FWOOSH!
Aeridar reappeared on the deck beneath the mainmast, staring up at the towering Broo, visibly stunned. "You ugly bastard… You've mastered Observation Haki?!"
That was it. That was how Broo managed to react the moment Aeridar appeared behind him. He had sensed Aeridar's movement with Observation Haki and struck without even needing to see.
Fortunately, Aeridar had his own Observation Haki too—just strong enough to pick up on Broo's incoming swing in time and evade.
"Huh? Observation Haki?" Broo blinked down at him, confused. "What are you even talking about?" But Broo had caught on to one thing: Aeridar had the same uncanny sensory ability he did. That was surprising. "You've got that power too?"
"So you really didn't know," Aeridar muttered, realization dawning. "Looks like you awakened it by accident. Still, you've got a surprising knack for it."
"You have the same power as me… This is the first time I've seen it in the East Blue. You're saying it's called Observation Haki?" Broo was intrigued. His ability had manifested two years ago—during a life-or-death fight where a Marine Captain nearly killed him. He'd awakened it on instinct and used it to pull off a counter-kill. A big chunk of his 16 million Berry bounty came from that very ability.
The rest of the pirates had stopped fighting, watching nervously as the eerie calm between Aeridar and Broo stretched on. Even the crew of the Gigiriel couldn't help but breathe a little easier.
"Honestly, it's a waste of your talent. You should be in the Grand Line by now. Instead, you're just an ignorant fool." Aeridar scoffed with a smirk.
"You little…!" Broo growled, his rage boiling.
"You want answers? Fine, I'll explain." Aeridar spoke calmly, cutting through Broo's fury. "Haki is split into three types. Observation Haki is one of them. Every living being gives off a unique presence—a sound, if you will. With training, you can hear that sound and sense your opponent's next move, even their location. Observation Haki heightens your senses, lets you perceive the presence and emotions of others, and even foresee danger."
"It's a power used by the strong in the Grand Line to deal with Devil Fruit users. And Haki isn't some mystical gift—it's a latent power that lives inside all humans. Most people never awaken it, never even realize it exists. But you… You awakened yours without any training."
"Haki, huh… I think I've heard that word before." Captain Jaron frowned in thought. As a senior member of the Red Clover Merchant Guild, it rang a bell.
"A power used to counter Devil Fruit users—and that's just one type of Haki?" Dimitri murmured from the sidelines, stunned. "The Grand Line really is something else…"
"So that's what it is… A power to deal with Devil Fruit users," Broo muttered, suddenly enlightened. He stared at Aeridar with a chilling smirk. "Heh heh heh… You're a Devil Fruit user, aren't you?"
"Idiot." Aeridar scoffed. He immediately understood what Broo was getting at, and dismissed it with disdain. "You think that level of Observation Haki is enough to beat me?"
"Well, there's only one way to find out," Broo sneered. "This power was made to take on freaks like you."
The one thing he'd clung to was that line: 'Haki is a power used by the strong to counter Devil Fruit users.' That was all the justification he needed. Swollen with pride and foolish confidence, he launched himself from the ship's bow—
THUD!
With his massive mace raised high, Broo charged toward Aeridar, every footstep pounding against the deck like a war drum.
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