The fifth emperor?

Kuro had no idea who these people were.

People with good brains definitely won't believe it. People with bad brains probably won't believe it either, because people with bad brains don't believe anyone, they just want to fight.

Kuro used to think William was smart, but now he realizes he's not so smart after all.

Logia-type Devil Fruit users are incredibly powerful; Clow Reed acknowledges that.

William's strength is indeed impressive, but unfortunately, the path he takes seems very familiar to Kuro.

Aside from Logia-type moves, which were a bit tricky for him, Kuro could see his own reflection in all of the other moves.

What's there to say? Dealing with this kind of person is the easiest thing in the world.

If it were someone else, it might take some effort, but if it were just William, Kuro would completely overwhelm him in terms of both skill and raw strength. He's too familiar with him, so he's actually very easy to deal with.

However, it did take a little effort.

Don't be fooled by his seemingly nonchalant fighting style; the level of Haki he used was quite high. In his final move, he unleashed a combined Haki, no longer wanting to get entangled with William.

"He's not dead yet..."

He glanced at William, whose chest was still heaving, and clicked his tongue: "Why give up a perfectly good business and go off to be a pirate? No future, boss."

"William!!"

Elmira's face darkened to the extreme, and she instinctively gripped her two pistols tightly. Even if it meant death, she wanted to teach this man a lesson.

"He's not dead yet, there's no need to be so angry."

Kuro glanced at him, then pointed at William, saying, "But if it's any later, he might be gone. His killing intent is surging within him, which isn't good. However, if he survives, I'd be willing to give him a chance..."

"If you survive, report to me, and I'll give you a chance to become a real great pirate, instead of some so-called fifth emperor who's just a rat in the gutter."

As he spoke, he floated away and flew directly onto the warship. He greeted the ship, and the warship set sail, completely ignoring the pirate ship, heading out to sea.

Once she was sure the warship had left, Elmira gave it a complicated look before rushing toward William.

...

"You're just going to let it go like that?"

In the warship's office, Lida looked curiously at Kuro, who was chewing on a cigar.

"Otherwise what?" Kuro exhaled a puff of smoke. "His combat strength is indeed quite good. Among the current Seven Warlords of the Sea, he's neither too strong nor too weak. He can hold his own against that crocodile, so his strength is considerable."

“I could handle that kind of strength, right?” Lida said. “How can you say you could?”

Kuro nodded with satisfaction: "You've finally grown up. Yes, never become arrogant. Only by maintaining humility can you go further. Don't be like that William. He was fine before. If he had fought me with the same mentality he had when we met in the East Blue, we might have been able to put up a fight. Hmph, he made the same mistake as Doflamingo. But I'm not the Straw Hat. Making that kind of mistake in front of me is no different from courting death."

This guy is obsessed with winning against me. If he were even a little more normal, Kuro wouldn't have won so easily. He would have had to put in a lot of effort.

But it's just a matter of putting in some effort; the real fighting power on the high seas is not something that can be achieved through such small-scale skirmishes.

“Listen up, Lida, and listen to this too, Croc. There are many kinds of combat power on the high seas. Physical skills, swordsmanship, abilities, and Haki—any one of them, if you reach the pinnacle, you’ll be a powerful figure. But that’s just the limit. You’ve seen my fight with Barrett, so you should understand that true power comes from the combination of all three. Physical skills, swordsmanship, and abilities are hard to distinguish; everyone has their own unique way of doing them. But Haki is universal; the levels are just there.”

Kuro, with a cigar in his mouth, said, "You know the common levels of Armament Haki, four realms: Entanglement, Hardening, Outward Release, and Destruction. Above that is Unification Haki, which is the Haki realm known as 'Muramasa' in Wano Country. This is attainable. Until you have this technique, keep a low profile."

"There are many types of Observation Haki. The most powerful one is the ability to hear all things, but this is also related to talent. However, the others are also quite powerful. Among the Four Emperors, Charlotte Linlin's Observation Haki can even 'see through things.' In the Navy, Issho's Observation Haki has a wide range and can also read minds. Seeing through things, reading minds, foreseeing the future, hearing all things... there are many people with powerful Observation Haki. However, compared to Armament Haki, Observation Haki requires a higher level of talent. It's not mandatory, just do your best."

This thing is actually related to personal traits. Observation Haki is actually a passive ability used for early warning. You need to be calm to release it. If you are not calm, you can't release Observation Haki.

Furthermore, depending on each person's characteristics, their growth will be quite different. Rita's Observation Haki is of the same type as her own, both having a wide range.

However, Lida hasn't reached his level of skill yet. His Observation Haki not only has a wide range, but its greatest function is to sense the strength of others. Others who are proficient in Observation Haki might only be able to sense this when they are face to face, and their perception is not deep. They only know that someone is very strong, but they still have to experience it for themselves to know how strong they are. Kuro doesn't need to do this. Without developing a second form, he knows how strong someone is in his heart.

This ocean has a ceiling; no matter how strong you are, you can't exceed that ceiling—that's the limit.

Just like in my hometown in my past life, no matter how strong the human body is, it will never exceed that limit.

"If you reach the limit of this domineering aura, and you still have Conqueror's Haki or similar techniques that can entangle, then you can peer at the ceiling above the sea."

Kuro pondered for a moment and said, "The Conqueror's Haki isn't just for attacking; it can also spread throughout the entire body. With the support of Unifying Haki and an understanding of one's own abilities, one can achieve the 'Second Form'."

"Huh? Aren't we supposed to add physical skills or swordsmanship?" Lida asked curiously.

“That kind of thing is just a personal understanding, how can you add it? After you reach that form and then fight, it's all about physical skills and swordsmanship. Everyone is on the same level, so it all depends on yourself,” Kuro said.

The second form itself does not have physical skills or swordsmanship, but it must have abilities.

Devil Fruits are a unique feature of the sea and a powerful factor in combat. Kuro had never heard of anyone being able to conquer the world solely through physical skills.

Garp?

Even Garp wouldn't do it.

Times change, just like a long time ago, no one knew that the so-called 'Sea Emperor' would appear.

This concept only emerged after Rocks' death.

The strongest generation on the seas in the eight hundred years since the World Government was founded is actually now.

Without the ability, even if you are covered in Conqueror's Haki and combine it with Unifying Haki, you cannot complete the 'Second Form'. That is a form that can only be achieved by developing your ability to a certain level and combining it with Haki.