"Originally, I thought those three cards bet to increase my strength or increase my training reward was the main ability. But it turns out, the entire Betting was my ability."
"So, now I can bet anything that I want," Liam answered.
Hearing his words, Nami asked.
"So, how does this relate to your condition?"
Liam chuckled and said.
"Actually, while you guys were fighting against Crocodile, I met someone from World Government. I convinced Smoker to fight against Crocodile but they suddenly came out of my cooperation with Marine and tried to kill Smoker and me."
"Fortunately, I had developed my Devil Fruit. As I said before, I can make any kind of bet. This time, I used my luck to make a bet where I increased my strength alongside Smoker's to fight against those CP agents."
"And just before I killed them, I made another two bets. The First bet was my lucky charm. Because my enemy was a Zoan Fruit User, his endurance and defense were naturally amazing."
"And, with his vigorous training of Iron Body, he completely believed he could block my attack, so I made a bet against him. Of course, this bet was a mental bet so I didn't need his affirmation."
"As long as he didn't think of evading my attack, it was more than enough. So, in that bet, the reward was his vitality and punishment was permanent damage in my organ."
"What?" Nami suddenly roared and held his collar.
"You bastard, how could you make such a reckless bet?"
"Calm down, Nami! Aren't I okay? Besides, if you don't even have trust in yourself, how can you even think of surviving in this sea?" Liam looked at her with a serious expression and said.
Only after seeing his serious expression, Nami calmed down but she still didn't let go of him.
"He is right, Nami. If we can't even take a risk, there is no need to continue this journey." Luffy solemnly spoke.
Finally, Nami let go of his collars and calmed down.
"Of course, I won and got one-third of his vitality. The second bet was a bit difficult. Because it was a forced bet since my opponent had no fixed thought in his mind, I couldn't make a normal bet."
"Because of that, the reward was low while the punishment was extremely high. If it wasn't for my own luck, the reward and punishment would've been even worse."
"So, I only gained ten percent of his vitality. This made me realize something. If I can make such an absurd bet, why can't I take it one step further."
Hearing his words, Nami suspiciously glanced at him and said.
"What do you plan to do?"
Everyone looked at him with serious expressions.
Liam turned his head at Crocodile who was still unconscious and said.
"I plan to make a bet, betting all of my vitality and strength for his vitality and devil fruit."
"No!" Nami instantly disagreed.
"Hey, hey, Liam, are you sure you want to do this? You have trained so hard for this strength. Not to mention, losing your vitality will only make you weaker." Usopp was terrified as well.
"Liam, your healing ability is quite amazing. I believe you can easily heal within two months. Please, don't take such a risk." Chopper also didn't support his idea.
Others didn't speak. They knew that they couldn't ask him to stop but they didn't want him to take such a risk either. At this moment, Luffy crossed his arms and looked at him.
"Liam, how sure you are?"
"Luffy!" Nami panicked as she glared at Luffy but he didn't even look at her. His eyes were fixed on Liam.
Liam shook his head and said "Although I know the rewards and punishment, I don't know the condition. So, I am not sure at all."
As soon as he said that, Luffy's hands extended as he puts his hands on Liam's shoulder. His eyes were extremely serious as he said.
"I will not stop you nor I will ask you to do this. But, you promised me that you will help me become Pirate King. Without you, I can't become a Pirate King. So, you mustn't die."
At this moment, nobody spoke even Nami who was extremely against his idea. Robin was surprised by such interaction. She didn't expect someone would do such a thing.
And, others wouldn't even try to convince him to not do it. After all, this was a life and death bet. If it is unsuccessful, he might get so weak that it would no different than death.
Of course, there were people who opposed this idea but between Vice-Captain and Captain, there seems to be a strange relationship. There was extreme trust.
Hearing his words, Liam smiled and said.
"Originally, I thought I could simply wait for a few months and recover. But, soon I come to realize something. Our journey might not be easy. Our first battle was against a Shichibukai."
"If Luffy hadn't managed to learn Armament Haki or if his weakness wasn't something so obvious, we might never be able to defeat him. And, our enemy will only get stronger after this."
"Luffy is the Captain so he will definitely protect us but he has several weaknesses. Some of them are covered by us but there are still some weaknesses that we simply can't cover."
"In such conditions, our crew will be at extreme risk. As a Vice-Captain of this ship, I can't simply rest and hide even if it is for a moment. My enemy will not show pity on me just because I am injured."
"That's why I can't hesitate now. I have you guys. If I was against you, my luck would've been worse but with you guys behind me, I believe my luck will spark."
"So, I must make a bet. This ability, I must understand it completely." Saying so, he walked up to Luffy and put his hand on his Straw Hat.
"I will keep my promise. I won't die until I make you the Pirate King."
Hearing his words, a big smile appeared on Luffy's face. He nodded his head and Liam walked toward Crocodile's body. Although Crocodile wasn't awake, he wasn't dead either.
But, with Seastone Bullet inside his body and Seastone Handcuff, it was impossible to use his Sand Abilities.
"Liam!" Nami wanted to stop him but after seeing everyone's attitude, she gritted her teeth and decided to trust him.
Liam walked up to his body and crouched down. His hand touched Crocodile's body and at this moment, he started betting.
A card emerged out of his body.
[Bet Established / Requirement Achieved / Reward Vitality-Devil Fruit / Punishment Crippled Strength-Vitality]
Seeing the words on his card, Liam was surprised.
'So if I knock out my enemy, the bet wouldn't be forced. That means unless there is a rejection from the person I want to bet against, the Bet would easily establish.'
'But then again, I need to increase my luck in order to properly increase my reward and decrease my punishment in case it fails.'
Thinking about it, Liam took a deep breath and released all of Luck all at once. The moment he released his Luck, the Luck Storage inside his mind got empty and a new card emerged out of him.
[Reward Two-Third Vitality-Devil Fruit Card / Punishment Full Strength-Two-Third Vitality]
He was truly surprised. Although the punishment was worse, at least he wouldn't die. But, if he succeeds, then he would not only get two-thirds of Crocodile's vitality, but he will also get his devil fruit.
He understood what Two-Third of Crocodile's vitality means.
This guy is 50-50 in One Piece World. He goes from fighting Early Stage Luffy who couldn't even use Armament Haki to attack Whitebeard, Akainu, and Mihawk-like characters.
In the end, he even got the bounty of 1.9 Billion Bailey.
This is a guy whose vitality was truly astonishing, almost two-thirds of Luffy. And, knowing what kind of person Luffy truly is, just one-third would be more than enough to make anyone a monster.
Liam took a deep breath and started. The moment he started, a powerful pressure came from Crocodile. This pressure didn't affect anyone except Liam but this pressure wasn't Conqueror.
Since Crocodile was knocked out, the cards released the pressure equal to absorbing the second devil fruit. This kind of pressure wouldn't kill him or even injure him but if he can't hold it, he would lose.
Now, this was a true bet. If he could hold on against this pressure, he would win but if he can't, he would fail.
'So, if the person is unconscious, the condition would change huh? Well, this pressure is amazing.'
Liam gritted his teeth and his eyes started turning red. The ferocious aura pressing his body almost broke him from the inside. But, at this moment, a powerful aura burst out of him.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Nami, Usopp, and Chopper fell to the ground. At the same time, everyone outside the room and even the castle passed out with foam coming out of their mouth.
When Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji faced this kind of powerful aura, they panicked but suddenly remembered Liam's words. Three of them opened their mouth at the same time.
"Conqueror Haki"
............
Check out my Pa@treon for Advance Chapters!
'He didn't lie.' Liam clearly felt the Conqueror Haki bursting out of him. Previously, it was only momentarily so he didn't think too much about it. But right now, it was completely pressing the mental pressure released against him.
This made him realize that he truly has awakened Conqueror's Haki. But, it also startled him. Luffy wanted to become One Piece and had the blood of Dragon.
Zoro had given up everything for the path of Swordsmanship, making his ambition so strong that it would awaken Conqueror Haki.
But, he was different.
Although he had a strange ability to heal faster, he didn't have parents like
Luffy. At least, he didn't believe he had.
So, in his eyes, he only awakened it through his Ambition.
So, what was his ambition?
At first, it felt like his ambition was to become travel the sea and go on the greatest adventure.
But now, it seemed like his ambition was more than that.
He wanted to make Luffy King of the Pirates.
That was his ambition.
If Rayleigh or Charlotte Katakuri could have Conqueror Haki, why can't he?
He is also the Vice-Captain of the future King of the Pirates.
He is also a man who wanted to reach the peak of this world.
So, why would it be impossible for him to awaken Conqueror Haki?
At this moment, a strange smile appeared on a painful expression. He gritted his teeth and fully released his Conqueror Haki, suppressing the Mental Pressure.
Boom!
But the next moment, another aura burst out. Liam didn't look around nor he tried. Because when this aura burst out and collided against his Conqueror, he knew the owner of this Conqueror Haki.
Only then he realized that Luffy had also awakened Conqueror Haki through pressure of his own.
But surprisingly, when these two Conqueror Haki appeared, they didn't collide for long and instead merged. Of course, Luffy and Liam were completely unaware of it.
When this newly merged Conqueror was released, it created drastic pressure. It even spread so far that the entire Alubarne was asleep and the castle was shaking.
Fortunately, this was a Castle. It didn't break completely.
Thud!
Robin could no longer bear the pressure and passed out. Only Zoro and Sanji gritted their teeth and continued to resist the Conqueror Haki from Liam and Luffy.
'I am going to be the Greatest Swordsman in the world. How could I lose to a mere Conqueror Haki? This is the power of my Captain and Vice-Captain. I can't fall down. I must hold on.'
Zoro's eyes turned red as he bear the Conqueror Haki. His strong Willpower was slowly pouring out of him.
Different from him, Sanji's blood was reacting to the Conqueror Haki rather than his Willpower.
'Damn it! If I fall down now, I will lose to that Green-Haired Bastard. No, I can't fall down. I am a chef and the combatant of Straw Hat Pirates. If I can't even resist Conqueror Haki, how can I protect Miss Nami and Miss Robin?'
At this moment, Zoro and Sanji had the same thoughts.
'I can't fall here.'
Both were desperately resisting the Conqueror Haki. But, at the same time, Zoro's Conqueror Haki was fully released. The pressure upon Zoro became much smaller and he turned around, looking at Sanji with a mocking face.
Luffy didn't care about it. His eyes were just focused on Liam. He didn't even blink fearing that he would miss everything.
Although Luffy didn't care, Sanji wouldn't stand by seeing Zoro's mocking face. He gritted his teeth and tried to release his Conqueror.
Unfortunately, he wasn't born with Conqueror Haki.
'Damn it! Why can't I awaken it? Why can this moss head awaken Conqueror Haki but I can't?'
Sanji felt even more ashamed when he found that he couldn't release Conqueror Haki.
But, he wasn't the kind of person who would give up. It's just that he didn't realize what exactly does he needs to awaken Conqueror Haki.
Suddenly, some words rang in his head. These were just memories but enough to make him realize something.
[You need to have the ambition of a king to awaken the Conqueror Haki. Even if you are under someone, as long as your ambition is strong enough, it will awaken Conqueror Haki.]
Thinking about it, Sanji asked himself.
'My dream is to find All-blue. Even most of the chefs do not believe that such an ocean exists. So, why isn't my dream enough to awaken Conqueror? Is it because it's just a dream, not an ambition?'
'King of Pirates, a man who stands at the peak of all pirates. World's Greatest Swordsman, a man who stands at the peak of all swordsmen. A Vice-Captain who would never lose to his captain in order to help his captain fulfill his ambition.'
'Hehe! I understand. This is his goal. His ambition is different. Even if he hasn't realized it yet. His ambition is to become the Strongest Person in this world. Only then he can help Luffy clear all kinds of obstacles.'
'Then, what should be my ambition?'
When Sanji asked himself, he was confused for a moment. He looked at Liam who was focused on Crocodile. He looked at Luffy who was focused on Liam.
And, he looked at Zoro who was struggling to resist the Conqueror Haki from Liam and Luffy. Finally, he looked at his crew members who have passed out.
At this moment, he realized something.
He realized his ambition. At the same time, the words that he said a long time ago came to his mind.
'I promise I will be so fast that I will never be late to save my friends.'
When this thought came to his mind, he laughed at himself.
'I couldn't even save them from getting knocked out. How can I break my promise that easily? I understand. I must become the Guardian.'
'That moss head is the hand of Straw Hat Pirates. Liam is the mind of the Straw Hat Pirates. Luffy is the heart of the Straw Hat Pirates. Then, I will become the Legs.'
'If moss head is a sword, then I will become a shield. If moss head is a combatant, then I will become a Guardian. I will protect the crew.'
'I won't lose to moss head.'
Sanji roared inside his mind and at this moment, his Willpower soared. Before this, he never thought of himself as an ambitious person. He only thought of himself as a fool with a foolish dream.
But, right now, he would never abandon his dream even if it costs his life. He will never lose to Zoro. No matter what, he, Sanji of the Straw Hat is the Guardian.
At this moment, a powerful aura burst out of him. But when it did, something magical happened. Liam instantly turned around and realized something.
Although he hadn't been pressured before, he could still feel the Conqueror from Zoro. But for some reason, his Conqueror merged with his Captain's Conqueror and pressed Zoro's Conqueror.
But, right now, he could feel threatened by Zoro's conqueror. So, when he turned around, he instantly realized something. This wasn't Zoro's Conqueror.
It was Zoro and Sanji's conqueror. His expression became weird.
'Is this truly a forbidden love between Sanji and Zoro? The moment both released their Conqueror, they merged to fight against Luffy's and my conqueror.'
A minute ago, he clearly remembered his Conqueror Clashing against Luffy's Conqueror. It was only because his respect and love for his captain were very high that somehow his Conqueror merged with Luffy's conqueror.
But, this didn't happen to Zoro and Sanji. Because the moment Sanji's conqueror exploded, it instantly merged with Zoro's Conqueror.
And, even though it has been a minute since he released his Conqueror, it didn't stop neither did Luffy's conqueror.
More importantly, four people from this ship awakened Conqueror Haki.
Although it hasn't been confirmed, there were four Conqueror Haki users in Roger's Ship excluding Oden. And, if Oden was included, there would be five.
Of course, if Yamato was included in their Ship, there would be five Conqueror Haki users as well.
But the most surprising was Sanji's Conqueror. Because it never awakened in the original story. At least, he didn't remember him awakening it.
Liam didn't think too much and turned his eyes at Crocodile. At this moment, the bet was finally successful. He released a deep breath and suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Luffy, Sanji, Zoro, I succeed."
Hearing his words, their Conqueror Haki suddenly disappeared. Even Liam's Conqueror Haki had disappeared. Their eyes widened for a moment and smiles appeared on their faces.
"Hahaha! I knew you could do this." Luffy giggled.
"But, wasn't it too easy?" Sanji tilted his head in confusion and asked.
"No matter what, he succeeded. That's all it matters." Zoro chuckled as well.
"Well, Sanji, it wasn't that easy. I didn't know the condition of the bet. It turns out to be the mental pressure. If it wasn't for Luffy and mine conquerors merging together to press the mental pressure released by my card, I would have failed."
Liam shook his head and stood up as he continued.
"But, I found out something. This mental pressure seemed to be related to the amount of vitality or reward that I bet on."
..............
Well, I do have three extra chapters in Pa@treon and it will soon rise up. So, check it out.