Chapter 13: [13] The Devil
[2650 words]
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"Well, what do you say, do you want to come under the Rocks Pirates as an apprentice?"
Damien narrowed his eyes at the smoking woman.
Shakuyaku and Kaido.
Both had deep connections to the huddle of power in the New World, though currently, they both were simply weapons of Rocks D. Xebec.
Such an invitation could be considered signing one's own death certificate, but to Damien, it was a calling.
'Rocks is due to fall in a few years,' the young pirate thought to himself. 'The flourish way to survive in this hellish era would be in the den of danger.'
Damien could feel that his small clash with Kaido had already shaped his Haki quite a bit, reflected in the notification that had come.
[Armament Haki mastery has reached the Intermediate stage.]
Such a boost in strength begged the question: just what height could he reach by being around such monsters?
A smile appeared on the young pirate's face as he resolutely answered: "Alright, I'll join."
"Hehe, I look forward to your growth, Damien-chan~" Shakky returned a smile.
She then walked to the docks, caring little of the mess they left behind.
"Let's go then, we need to leave before some nuisances arrive."
Kaido roared out a laugh, "WORORORO! We'll finish our fight later!"
'Pull up Kaido's stats,' Damien ordered.
After a duel, it was enough to quantify the future Emperor's current power.
>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=<
[Kaido]
[Age: 17 years old]
[Height: 19'] (5.79 m)
[Status: Healthy]
[Devil Fruit: None]
[Haki: Observation Haki (Intermediate Mastery), Armament Haki (Intermediate Mastery), Conqueror's Haki (Initial Mastery)]
[Strength: Middle Tier Yonko Commander]
>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=<
He was around Damien's strength level. But he had a feeling that in a drawn-out combat, it would come down to his Devil Fruit to decide the outcome.
Just their little scuffle now had left some much-desired outcomes to occur.
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[Marineford]
[Fleet Admiral's Office]
"What did you say?" a heavy voice boomed within the walls of the office.
A large man with thick muscles and scars sat in the seat of power, endless strength brimming from stature.
He had a short-sleeve shirt and a gray-coloured marine coat draped over his shoulders.
The marine had hair and beard arranged in an array of spikes, and some fuzz on both sides of his face. He also sported a stitched scar under his left eye.
[Image of Kong (in discord)]
.
"F-Fleet Admiral Kong, the news was confirmed and the sightings of Shakuyaku and Kaido of Rocks Pirates alongside Einar D. Damien at Severa Island!" the Rear Admiral broke the news.
The muscular marine simply squinted his tired eyes as he massaged his forehead.
He closed his eyes as a brief figure of a bloodied, grinning man flashed in his mind.
"Those damn D's, just one problem after another, looks like Rocks found another new apprentice who will cause me more headaches," Kong muttered.
The Fleet Admiral shook his head and ordered, "Update their bounties, even for that woman supervising them, I want them taken down before they can enter the New World!"
Kong clenched his fists, "We still have time to crush these budding threats!"
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[West Blue – Near Reverse Mountain]
"So that's it, the gargantuan continent, the Red Line!" Damien exclaimed as he saw the colossal crimson wall run across the entire ocean.
No matter how far out you looked, the Red Line just kept on stretching beyond it; cutting beyond the line of clouds, seemingly touching heaven!
[Image (in Discord)]
.
"Damien-chan, I'll need you and Kaido-chan to hold up the ship, it will be a rickety ride," Shakky said while preparing the ship to climb the mountain.
The two pirates grabbed the sides of the ship as it slowly began to rise up the mountain; creaking uncontrollably.
Great amounts of water splashed onto the ship and the two, threatening to push them back down.
*Creak* *Swish*
Moments passed as the ship was fixed in speed as the ascent continued, leaving the West Blue behind.
Damien eyed the blue sea as they soon disappeared into the clouds.
…
It took a few minutes for the ship to climb to the top of the Reverse Mountain.
A short sigh escaped Damien's mouth as he glanced at the sea of clouds.
{Find us.}
A whisper suddenly echoed in Damien's ears, drawing his eyes into the white sea.
The words had come as soon as the ship reached the apex of the mountain, an area where the ascent from all Four Seas met.
'What was that?' Damien thought while examining his surroundings.
'It came from beyond the Red Line…'
Paradise Sea, the first part of the New World, lay in the direction the ship was headed while the end of the New World was behind them.
[A/N: The world is round so naturally the start of the Grand Line and the end of the Grand Line meet at Reverse Mountain.]
Damien was left pondering as the ship began to descend the mountain at great speeds, howling winds following suit.
*Vvoosh!*
He felt the cold and powerful streams of air as the rollercoaster ride came to an end.
*Splash*
The broken-down ship finally landed into the Grand Line!
Damien walked across the main deck of the rickety ship as he took in the changed atmosphere.
The air felt… chaotic; much wilder and more out of control than the West Blue.
.
"How do you like the air of the Grand Line, Damien-chan?" a soft voice brought him back.
Damien returned a thin smile as he breathed in the air of Paradise.
Kaido also walked over, impatience etched on his face, "Oye, woman, how long till we go back to Hachinosu?"
Shakky shook her head at the young beast, "This is your first main mission, Kaido-chan. We can't return without the new ship so be ready for a lengthy wait."
The man-beast simply growled and then sat his giant body down, falling into a nap immediately.
.
Shakky ignored the snoring Kaido and began speaking to Damien.
"We'll go to the nearby island for resupply, I also need to contact the captain about you," She said as she took out an Eternal Pose from her pocket.
The pose had, "Uruguana", written on it, indicating the island it led to.
Damien nodded at her words.
The journey there would take at least a day and it left some time to waste.
Damien proceeded to ask her a question.
"Shakky-san, why'd you come under Rocks?"
The woman glanced at the young man and gave a small sigh.
"I'll tell you if you call me 'Shakky-nee' from now on," she said with a teasing smile.
Damien scratched his head at the odd request and shrugged in agreement.
*Puff*
She then exhaled a cloud of smoke.
"I come from the Calm Belt, you know where I mean, right?"
Damien nodded as he gestured to the snake symbol on her belt, "Empress of Amazon Lily, the captain of the Kuja Pirates."
Shakky gave a small nod and continued, "Right. Well, you see our island is protected by the lack of wind in the Calm Belt, it keeps the pirates away."
She then hummed a little tune while taking in another puff of her cigar.
"But there are fruits out there that can give ways to overcome the Calm Belt," Shakky explained. "As the Empress, I couldn't just wait for the day to come when we no longer could protect ourselves."
She continued, "One day I had to come to Sabaody to resupply but got caught up with that Garp, it was Rocks who saved me."
"But that man would never do anything without expecting something in return."
A sigh escaped her lips, "A dear lovestruck friend of mine wanted to take my place but I ended up turning her down."
"Since then, we made a deal while I worked under him, acting as his eyes and ears."
She then glanced at the young man before him, a hint of helplessness in her eyes.
"The captain's name keeps both the Navy and other pirates away, but there's always a price for selling your soul to the devil…"
"..."
Damien took in the information and couldn't help but visualize the 'devil' she spoke of.
She then walked up, reached up and patted Damien's shoulder.
"When we get to the New World, trust no one."
Shakky left to go inside the main cabin, leaving a snoring Kaido and a pondering Damien behind.
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[A Day Later]
[Uruguana Island, Paradise]
*Munch*
*Burp*
Two young men sat at a giant table as an absurd amount of food was slowly inhaled away.
Though the youth differed greatly in height, they both had a mind-numbing appetite.
It was like a bottomless pit; the food kept on disappearing as the two munched on.
.
"Hey, hey, those two have a big reward on their heads," a man whispered from the side as he watched the display.
Another man quickly nodded as he read over some papers.
They were newly released bounties that had made their way to the world!
-----< WANTED >-----
< EINAR⋅D⋅DAMIEN >
< 'Sin Incarnate' >
< 𝔅 150,000,000 - >
< DEAD or ALIVE >
-----< WANTED >-----
< KAIDO >
< 'Hundred-Beast' >
< 𝔅 220,000,000 - >
< DEAD or ALIVE >
----------------------------
Damien was slightly annoyed by the vast difference in the numbers.
The only reason the gap existed was due to Damien's disappearance from the world news while Kaido had been rampaging his way through the seas over the past two years.
"What the hell is up with that epithet? What sin did I commit?" he said with a confused look.
Kaido, who was gobbling a huge piece of meat, grinned, "WORORORO! Our Captain is called 'The Abyssal Sin', looks like the Navy sees you as his little toy!"
The revelation left Damien befuddled.
Though seeing Kaido's condescending look made him shoot back, "I guess they see me as a graver threat than you, just wait till I leave you in the dust."
*Crunch*
A huge chunk of the table was ripped off by the hulking pirate as he heard Damien's reply.
…
The people nearby chose against picking a fight as they just watched the two young monsters arguing amongst one another, while simultaneously devouring enough food to fuel a small village.
*Burp!*
Kaido let out a ground-shaking burp as he gurgled down a huge barrel of alcohol.
Damien just shook his head at the scolding to come, and it came fast.
A slender woman appeared from the side with a stern face, "You shouldn't be drinking at your age, Kaido-chan, it'll mess with your growth."
Even though her size was dwarfed by the hulking young pirate, she carried a certain air of hidden power.
Kaido harrumphed at the scolding, "Something that tastes good can't be bad for you, stop pestering me, woman!"
Shakky squinted her eyes in return, "Don't test my patience, young man."
The giant teenager just growled as he threw the saké to the side, exploding into an aromatic spectacle.
Damien couldn't help but laugh out loud as he saw the future Emperor being reprimanded like a child.
Even the spectators were baffled but chose not to display their amusement and stifled their laugh from the fear of the 6-foot-tall woman.
A man gulped as he waved another bounty poster around, ensuring no one nearby was dumb enough to make problems:
-----< WANTED >-----
< SHAKUYAKU >
< 'Black Death' >
< 𝔅 670,000,000 - >
< DEAD or ALIVE >
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[A Few Hours Later]
Shakky had finished some shopping and resupplying, alongside repairing the ship enough to sail for another few months.
Kaido was napping away as Damien made his way to the small room inside the cabin.
It was the same room Shakky was in. The female pirate had called him for something of grave importance.
He took a deep breath, knowing what was waiting for him once he entered.
*Creak*
The wooden door opened as the red-eyed youth walked in.
He saw the small room that was lightly lit, a normal bed and furniture in place.
Damien glanced at the short-haired woman sitting by the table, a transponder snail set in front of her.
The snail emulated the face of the person on the other side of the call.
Wild hair set in spiky dreads, feral expression plastered to the scarred face, a wide grin etched on.
.
Shakky nodded at Damien in silence and turned her attention back to the snail.
"He's here now, Captain."
She then gestured for Damien to take the snail's receiver and moved out of the way.
Damien saw the snail break out in a wider grin as it broke out a deep and hoarse voice: "Einar D.," It said. "A familiar name…"
Damien took a deep breath and replied in an unshaken voice: "Rocks D. Xebec."
"..."
The snail's scarred and savage appearance warped into deep intrigue.
"Xahahaha!" he laughed in a low tone. "You're the interesting kid that left West Blue in shambles a few years ago."
The voice continued, "Shakuyaku told me that you want to come under my flag as an apprentice, good, very good, I always welcome you ambitious brats."
His voice then grew frighteningly low, "Just remember this, kid, you can betray me whenever you want but just be prepared for the hell that will follow…"
A solemn expression appeared on the young pirate's face as he heard the menacing voice.
Damien wasn't surprised at the man's words, if anything, he admired Xebec's power to make so many powerful forces subservient to him.
He vied for that power too.
.
The snail then addressed the woman standing by the side.
"Shakuyaku, you've brought some heat on yourself by picking up that kid, you head to Sabaody while the new kid will go to Yozora Island to get the ore."
Rocks went on to say, "I'll send someone to bring you to the New World from there in a month."
The snail didn't wait for a reply and simply hung up with a: "Katcha~"
Shakky put away the snail and then glanced at Damien, "You heard the boss. I'll give you the Eternal Pose to Yozora Island and a ship, your mission is to retrieve the 'Eternal Ore' that is kept there."
She then warned Damien, "That place is also called the 'Island of Darkness', according to the captain he read a Poneglyph that said the people at Yozura Island await for someone to come and retrieve that very ore."
Damien noted down the fact that Xebec was able to decipher Poneglyphs somehow and then proceeded to ask, "What exactly is the ore for?"
The woman shrugged, "Captain said it can absorb and spread out forces it's subjected to in some magical way, let's just say that Adam's Oak is not enough for a ship to carry the monsters under the Rocks' Flag."
.
The two then walk out to the main deck of the ship.
"Take these and buy a small ship, you have a month to rendezvous with us at Sabaody, I'll wait for you there."
Damien grabbed the items the woman gave him: some money to buy a ship, an Eternal Pose to Yozora Island, a Vivre Card with Shakky's name on it, and some food.
She then pulled out a small red pouch and raised her pistol.
*Bang!* *Bang!*
The bullets hit the outside of the pouch and seemed to enchant it with some purple void-like energy.
"This pouch will store the ore, better than you carrying it back overseas, no?"
Damien nodded, though he could make do without the pouch with his Inventory, he naturally didn't want to expose it.
He graciously took all the items and walked to the edge of the ship.
"See you in a month then, Shakky-nee."
He hopped off using Moonwalk and made his way to the shipyard of Uruguana.
Shakky gave out a small laugh, "What an odd kid~"
To Be Continued…
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Author's Corner.
So Shakky took a certain other woman's place on the Rocks Pirates. I hope you like my interpretation of Xebec from what little that was given.
In the original version of this fic, I gave him the epithet of "The Great Sin". Now changed to "The Abyssal Sin".
Quite ironic that the chapter detailing the 'Devil' of the story is the 13th installment of the fanfic.
Images: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q
Chapter 14: [14] The Guardians of the Ore
[2610 words]
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[A Few Days Later]
"Calling it the 'island of darkness' wasn't an understatement," Damien muttered.
He was currently on a small ship, not far from the gloomy landmass before him.
Yozora Island was covered with a thick, black cloud that was simply immobile. It didn't move, float or even shift in position like a blanket covering the land under it.
No light passed through; just a perpetual darkness.
[Island Image (in Discord)]
*Creak*
The ship docked on and the anchor splashed into the sea.
According to historical archives, this island had no random weather changes, it was just forever dark with occasional rain.
*Pitter Patter*
It was one of those rainy days as the water befell the land.
Damien landed on the dark soil, his boots digging into the moist soil.
The island was relatively small, covered with coniferous trees, silent chirps echoed through the valley as a swampy smell covered the land.
A symphony of voices arrived in his ears, originating from the grass, trees and other foliage.
The life that existed on land was used to darkness, the grass was a special kind that had evolved to live off the sunlight reflected by the moon.
Many mushrooms and nightly plants exist, some even evolving to develop their own luminescence.
.
{Show me the way.}
The natural life seemed to hear Damien's thoughts and began to weave and mould a path for him to travel.
Some glow bugs and fireflies appeared and lit the way over, granting Damien a full view of the path.
"A castle," Damien murmured as he saw the structure at the center of the land.
It was built over a large cliff, an olden-style manor that dominated its relative landscape; an eerie sight to say the least.
[Manor Image (in discord)]
"!!!" Damien felt a distant gaze, but he was unable to pinpoint it, leaving him no choice but to venture on ahead.
…
He walked through the self-clearing grounds; the trees and grass granting him the fastest path to the castle.
Eventually, he came through a large open clearing, surrounded by cone-like trees, seemingly unnatural.
{Watch out…}
The voice of the trees echoed in Damien's ears as he heard a sharp whistle of the air.
Shing!
Damien's eyes widened as he felt the touch of a cold blade at the back of his neck.
It didn't cut into his skin, just rested on his neck; a warning not to move.
"I didn't come here for a fight," Damien calmly stated.
Though he remained unmoved, Damien's boots were swirling with crimson mist, ready to return an attack if needed.
"..."
A silent moment passed as he then heard a sharp yet stern voice.
"Why have you come here?"
It was a man's voice, middle-aged, confident.
"I was sent here to pick up an ore, the Poneglyph said it to be here."
Damien waited and felt a very faint tremor in the sword that was grazing his skin, now sure that the Poneglyph meant quite a lot to the man.
"..."
Another moment passed as the blade was removed from Damien's neck.
The young pirate slowly turned his head and saw the man behind him.
He was around 7 feet tall. He looked to be in his early forties.
The upper half of his face was covered with a hood, probably to keep away from the rain. He seemed to have short dark hair and a stubble beard.
The man wore a dark coat that covered his entire body, but the missing right arm was obvious.
A sharp katana-style sword was in the man's left hand, but he was still quite defensive.
"You've read the stone," the man lightly said.
Damien just gave a small nod as he replied, "I came for the Eternal Ore."
The man's eyes seemed to examine the young man before him, even though they were hidden under the hood, Damien felt the sharp gaze.
"Follow me to the castle."
The man took off in the direction of the dark mansion, and Damien followed suit.
'Even with a missing limb, it feels like he can cut me up, quite the guardians.'
…
It took a quiet 10-minute walk to reach the castle. It was gothic-themed with creaky and dark-coloured wood.
Water dripped down the rotting wood, sending ripples through the puddles littered over the region.
The two walked in via the main doors that creaked in response.
The halls were lit with green candles, and a warm and cozy ambience filled the rooms.
"It's more welcoming than I thought," Damien said.
The man looked at him and nodded, "I hope you forgive me for my haste earlier, there have been many invaders in the past few years."
Damien shrugged, showing he didn't mind.
The man seemed more comfortable as he elaborated, "It happened twenty months ago, a few thousands raided our land looking for treasure."
"They used my nieces and nephews to kill their parents and then them. It took everything to repel them; an arm from me."
"Only my wife and son remain with me as their protector."
The two walked down the red-carpeted floor and into the main lounge area.
.
"Our ancestors have been waiting for someone to collect the ore for centuries now," the man said. as they made their way to the sofa at the edge of the room.
The red couch was laid in front of a giant window that spanned from wall to wall, boasting a wide view of the hedge maze beyond it.
A beautiful woman sat on the couch, combing a very young child's hair.
The black-haired woman carefully sat the child to the side and stood up, bringing her hands together in obvious excitement: "Ara~ A visitor, how rare!"
Damien blinked at the rather contrast between husband and wife but something else caught his gaze: the woman's eyes.
The pupils were yellow, with two black rings circling them; sharp, piercing eyes to say the least.
Damien took a deep breath as he made the connection but took it slow.
.
"My name is Einar D. Damien, pardon the intrusion," he said, somewhat impressed by his own etiquette.
The woman beamed a smile and replied courtly, "What a well-mannered young man, my name is Mina, and you've met my husband, Vlad."
The man by the side gave a quick 'ahem' and took off his hood, the same eyes and hair colour apparent.
"Why don't you have a seat while I get some tea, Dear, why don't you change into something warm," Mina said, getting up from her seat.
This left Damien on the sofa with their child.
'They just leave a stranger with their kid?' the pirate muttered to himself.
"..."
An awkward silence broke out as Damien's eyebrow twitched under the sharp gaze of the toddler sitting away from him.
Damien met his sharp, examining eyes.
The child was less than a meter in height, around 38 inches. Same short-black hair and piercing yellow eyes.
"Well, what's your name?" Damien asked though he could guess the reply.
The boy tilted his head and blinked a few times.
"Mihawk," He said. "Dracule Mihawk."
The confirmation made Damien take a deep breath, nodding to himself.
It also made the pirate take a closer look at the boy, seeing loneliness, curiosity, nervousness, and even excitement in those hawk-like eyes.
.
"You're awfully mature for your age, Mihawk, tell me, what do you want to be when you grow up?"
The boy wasted no time and answered subconsciously, "The greatest swordsman in the sea."
Mihawk then turned his gaze to the hedge maze right outside.
A sharp bright light reflected from the center of the maze as if a metallic object was there, and there indeed was.
It was a large, silver sword planted within a thick black rock.
It had a very odd-shaped golden crossguard with a complex pattern printed upon it, yet the blade carried an unparalleled beauty.
Mihawk's longing eyes stared at the blade that seemed to cut the low winds every so often.
At that moment, Mina came back into the room and gave Damien a cup of tea.
"Mihawk has never seen outsiders since his birth, he may be a little awkward around you," Mina apologized, playing with her son's hair.
Damien shook his head while gesturing at the sword outside, "Such a sharp weapon left outside in a rock, I take it has great meaning to your family."
Mina nodded while also admiring the beauty of the treasured weapon.
"The blade is one of the Twelve Supreme Blades – 'Yoru', it has been in that stone for centuries now," She calmly said.
"You don't feel averse to telling a stranger of such a treasure?" Damien asked with some suspicion.
Mina just beamed her usual smile, "We believe the sword awaits a suitable user, if you can free it from its confines then it's yours to keep."
"And yet centuries have passed and the blade still waits," Vlad's voice resounded as he stepped back into the room.
Damien then glanced at the young boy who was but a toddler. He crouched down at the child's eye level and asked:
"You've set your sights on that sword, haven't you, kid?"
Mihawk gave a quick nod as he clenched his tiny hands, "I'll free the sword one day!"
The exclamation caught the two parents off-guard but Damien just smirked in return, "I look forward to that day then."
Mina chimed with an invitation, "Damien-kun, why don't you join us for dinner, my husband will need a while to bring out all the treasured ore from the keep."
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[An Hour Later]
Damien had finished a meal with the small yet tight-knit family. It was a hearty meal of a Sea King caught by Vlad.
Damien even asked some more questions about the family's origin.
Supposedly they were tasked to guard the ore by someone centuries ago. The island was dark for as long as time went back.
Their ancestors eventually got used to the darkness and gloomy nature of the land; their eyes evolved under these conditions and over many generations to see much further and finer than others.
Swordsmanship was their creed and remains so.
Yoru awaited its user while the Eternal Ore awaited its retriever.
According to Vlad, both Yoru and the Eternal Ore could be said to be equal in their worth!
The family even welcomed Damien to stay for a while.
"Vlad-san," Damien addressed the man sitting before him.
They were in a lounge area with deep-red sofas.
A chandelier holding up six green candles hung above them.
"This is abrupt, but I hope to stay here for a few weeks to train before taking the Eternal Ore, and for you to help me in my training," the pirate straightforwardly asked.
"You were able to stay out of my perception before, I want to sharpen those instincts before diving into the New World."
He had noticed it before against Shakky. And then with Vlad. Both of them were able to 'mask' their presence from Damien and approach from his blind spots.
.
The older gentleman narrowed his eyes at the bold pirate, seemingly to inspect his worth.
Vlad nodded but said with a hint of hesitation, "We haven't had friendly guests over here in a long, long time. I don't mind you staying to train, but you must know that training your senses is best done in deathly scenarios, three weeks is not enough time unless…"
Yet the man's tone sharpened as he said, "Unless I put you through hell to sharpen those instincts."
Such words brought a smile to Damien's face: "I wouldn't have it any other way."
…
The two walked outside to an open garden behind the mansion.
Mina appeared, holding Mihawk's hand as they watched from afar.
Vlad and Damien stood 20 meters in between.
Shing!
Vlad unsheathed his blade as it sliced the air.
"This is 'Yozora' of the Twenty-One Great Swords," he introduced the dark blade. "It has accompanied me for years, let me use it to test your mettle."
*Fwwm!* The sword was soon wrapped in thick Haki as it glistened a jet-black colour.
The one-armed swordsman shot from his position and appeared only inches from Damien's throat.
Clang!
A loud clanking sound boomed the area as Damien's metallic fist collided with the blade.
A shockwave grumbled the land as Vlad weaved through the air.
*Whizz*
His body flashed and flickered through the air and reappeared meters away from Damien, raining down countless shots.
Damien's senses went into overdrive mode as he struggled against the onslaught, slowly and barely warding each hit.
*Clang!*
Boom!
Bam!
Explosions popped incessantly as Damien was forced into an entirely defensive posture.
A slight irritation building as his eyes followed the flickering target.
"Is this all your ambition is worth, young man?" Vlad's calm voice echoed in Damien's ears.
The young pirate could only grit his teeth and force himself to move faster and faster.
*Swish!*
*Spurt*
Cuts and scrapes decorated his body as blood dribbled out from the razor-sharp Yozora.
A one-armed swordsman with speed beyond any foe Damien had yet seen.
.
"Don't expect me to give in this easily!" Damien's firm voice boomed as his eyes grew sharp.
A quick burst of energy spanned out in all directions of Damien's body and cracked the ground in return.
It was a loud screech as Vlad paused for a moment.
Damien exploited the momentary pause as his blackened fist drove into the man's core.
Bam!
The overpowering strength from Damien's very flesh rattled the blackened blade that got in the way.
Vlad's single arm trembled as his body was shot back with great speed.
*Whizz*
The wind whistled as the man readjusted his balance and landed on his feet tens of meters away.
"Good strength," Vlad muttered, returning his gaze to the coming enemy."
Damien shot forward as his Haki-clad fists slammed onto the blades, finally going on the offence.
Boom! *Bang!* BAM!
The clash went on for dozens of minutes as it began to balance out.
Vlad's sharp and calm sword style left Damien not a moment to rest while he did his absolute best to return equal attacks.
His attacks grew fiercer and left fewer openings but it was nowhere enough to win the battle.
…
"You have an excellent talent for combat," Vlad said with an admiring tone as he sheathed his weapon.
Damien panting lightly and gazed down at his cut-up appearance. The wounds were superficial considering his vitality, but the blood was enough to turn his attire from black to red.
"Still far from leaving a scratch on you, though," Damien said with a soft sigh.
.
Mina climbed down and saw Damien's bloodied clothes but was casually waved off.
"I'm fine, they're just a few scratches."
Mihawk too made his way down and stared at Damien.
The dripping blood contrasted heavily with the firm eyes of its host.
"You asked me about my goal," the child said. "What's yours?"
Damien glanced at the curious young boy and gave a simple answer:
"There was a time when my fate was at the mercy of others, since then I made it my goal to never let that happen again; no one will ever hurt what I care for the most."
Mihawk blinked into a lost state but soon flinched in discomfort as Damien poked the kid's forehead with his index finger.
"You're just a kid, stop thinking so much, you make me feel stupid with such a mature perspective."
"Let's go back inside, I'll tell you about the world outside."
The two returned to the gloomy castle as the three-week training session officially kicked off.
To Be Continued…
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Author's Corner.
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Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
61 Power
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