Chapter 40: [40] Mission Complete
[2000 words]
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"Ma-Ma-Mam-Ma!"
Damien turned his gaze to the towering woman who walked up to him.
Her rather voluptuous body was left on display, a single bikini trying its utmost hardest to hold strong.
"Looks like Captain Rocks found another monster," she said with a smile.
"Haki tends to bloom in grave situations." Her eyes then locked onto Damien, "Your Haki Bloom is quite scary."
The words came with a hint of threat. Her eyes were deep, almost as if playing a few scenarios in her head to decide Damien's fate.
"..."
The eyes soon relaxed as another grin appeared on her face.
"Oye, brat, how old are you?"
Damien felt a little conflicted by her change of expression but answered nonetheless, "Seventeen."
Linlin gave a creepy smile: "Next year then!"
Damien felt an ominous wind blow.
"…till what?"
Her smile deepened even more, almost looking manic. "One year till I come to collect your seed!"
Damien nearly fell to the ground from the honest answer that resounded in his head. Linlin's children seemed to have no response to their mother partaking in such thoughts as if they'd grown used to it.
Damien gritted his teeth and boldly told her off: "Don't even think about it, you overgrown harlot! I'm not one of your toys that helps you pop out your brats!"
Linlin had already given birth to twenty-four kids as of now.
If anything, Damien would opt for her uterus to be displayed in a human anatomy museum. But he had no intention of joining the party.
.
The young man's words brought a big smile to the towering woman's face.
"Ma-Ma-Mam-Ma! The stronger you are, the more potent your seed is," she explained. "Just try to grow taller or I will have to extract it manually."
Damien was left speechless.
The woman still did not stop talking: "I see you as a little brother like Kaido, so behave and I'll show you the wonders of this world!" Linlin declared.
The ogre by the side couldn't help but grimace.
"Linlin, don't go deciding things on your own, I'll kill you!" he roared, slamming his club on the ground.
The words evoked a laugh from the woman.
"Now, now, Kaido. We don't have time to play here, the Navy will be taking over the island very soon."
Damien finally found something he could agree on with the gigantic woman.
He spanned his Haki and met a satisfying image.
"Looks like all the Mindless Ones have fallen unconscious, even the ones that were headed here by sea from the other islands."
Linlin shrugged, "Of course, his death removes the Devil Fruit effects on any that were controlled by him."
She then flared at Damien, "Speaking of Enigma, where's his body?"
Kaido too looked around, unable to find the Overlord's corpse.
Damien acted oblivious, "Who knows, he probably fell into the ravines."
Naturally, Damien knew exactly what had happened to the body. Before the two had come over, he also had the chance to bring up the fallen Overlord's stats.
>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=<
[Thaddeus Enigma]
[Age: 48 years, 3 months, 11 days]
[Height: 10' 1"] (3.07 m)
[Status: Deceased]
[Devil Fruit: Mind-Mind Fruit (Awakened)]
[Fruit Rating: 7 Stars (Ultimate-Class Fruit)]
[Time till Fruit Departure: 2 minutes, 12 seconds]
[Haki: Mastery of Observation Haki, Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki]
[Strength: Bottom Tier Yonko]
(A/N; 'Mastery of' means having reached and stopped right before Advanced Mastery of said Haki Type. Refer to the Haki Index for more info.)
>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=<
The fruit departure was alarming.
Damien hadn't thought of recovering the fruit, but with such a timer, he wanted to try something… to store the body in his inventory!
It was a test of the inventory being able to store non-living things.
The inventory is outside time, allowing Damien to preserve the corpse. Though he was unsure if he could remove the fruit, it was a worthwhile thing to test out.
He had done all of this before Big Mom's appearance a few moments ago.
.
The two other pirates lost interest in the body and shifted focus by a loud grumble. Damien rubbed his abdomen, feeling quite empty.
"Ma-Ma-Mam-Ma! Exploding in Haki will leave you hungry."
"Plus, you have no ship," She then beamed a smirk. "How about this, I take you both back to Hachinosu and give you food, in return, you give my precious son some tips on that Haki of yours."
Damien's eyes fell on the boy she was pointing at.
Seven in age; short magenta-coloured hair; sharp teeth that resembled spikes; outfitted in a biker-themed leather attire.
He stood at a towering 12' 2" in height (3.71 m), eclipsing even Damien. Future Master of Observation Haki—Charlotte Katakuri.
.
Damien examined the boy.
He had respect for the character in the anime, but as of now, he was just a little squirt.
"Let me see your resolve."
Damien's words were followed by a strong boom that resounded on the broken island.
The sky was darkened by the spreading Haki that reached out to envelop everything in its path. The Supreme Will fell upon the tall boy, weighing him down to the point where his eyes almost burst out.
"Ugh!" Katakuri groaned as his knees shook and his bones creaked.
The boy's eyes wavered but remained locked on Damien, almost like a prey's final act of intimidation.
Katakuri's struggle evoked a smile from Linlin as she watched in intrigue.
'I need strength to protect my brothers and sisters!' The desperate cry came with a familiar explosion.
Blue waves of Conqueror's Haki crackled out of Katakuri's head, responding to his cries and clashing in opposition to Damien's Haki with a resounding boom.
Suddenly, the wailing halted as Damien took back in his suppression.
All that remained was a panting Katakuri, his tired body creating quite the contrast with the conviction in his eyes.
.
Damien smiled and thought over something.
Katakuri was deeply loyal to his mother and poaching him was unlikely to succeed. However, he may be a worthy card in the future.
"Very well then, I'll give you some tips; how much you get out of them is up to you."
…
[A Little While Later]
*Munch* *Munch*
*Grumble*
*Swish*
*Munchy* *Munch*
An odd occurrence took place within the cake-like ship of Big Mom.
A mountain-sized pile of food began to flatten and got smaller every second.
Giant parts of the mountain were eaten up and devoured by a red-eyed young pirate. Damien had been here for just a few minutes and he had already inhaled enough for fifty adults. And he wasn't slowing down.
…
"Is your fearless little subordinate not here yet? Where did he run off to?" Linlin asked.
She too, had her pile of food.
Damien looked up, not pausing his feast, and alluded to the imminent future: "Speak of the devil."
Linlin paused.
She looked away from her pile of food and saw Damien's eyes that momentarily glowed red.
Her doubts were answered by the words of her son, Daifuku: "Mama, that Indra guy is on the ship with a lot of stuff in hand."
Linlin waved in reply, returning to her meal.
*Creak*
The floorboards grunted as the dark-haired pirate walked in.
*Cruck* *Clatter*
He had five giant sacks in his hands.
The sound of the gold jiggling was evident. However, a couple of sacks were lighter and softer in texture; containing treasures beyond gold.
"It's nice having subordinates, they can do all the hard work while I relax," Damien said as he examined the goods.
Linlin also excused herself from the food.
"Ma-Ma-Mam-Ma!" She cackled. "You brought so many goodies on an enemy ship, you don't think I'll loot you, kid?"
Damien gazed at the giant woman's frame.
He shrugged while uttering in a rather relaxed tone: "You can try it."
Damien's feet simultaneously churned with some pulverizing energy. A naked threat to sink the ship at his discretion.
"..."
The woman pirate returned a laugh, "Don't get so worked up, Damien! I don't want your gold, but I won't mind trading you for some of Enigma's other treasures."
The Sin Incarnate hummed at her words and waved at Indra to open up the sacks.
*Clatter*
The goodies fell on the wooden board, their weights resounding with a dull thunk.
The berries were the first to be seen. The shine and vibrant gold brought about its own glory from some of Big Mom's children.
Damien and Linlin, instead, looked at the other treasure: Devil fruits!
The protagonist of the day quickly went through his mental database to match each fruit to its name and power.
PARAMECIA:
Puff-Puff Fruit – Allows the user to summon a genie from their body by rubbing their abdomen, making them a Lamp Human.
Burst-Burst Fruit – Allows the user to create explosions from the pores of their skin, making them a Bursting Human.
.
ZOAN:
Rhino-Rhino Fruit – Model Black: Rhinoceros – Allows the user to transform into a black rhinoceros and its human hybrid at will.
Bug-Bug Fruit – Model: Parastratiosphecomyia Stratiosphecomyioides – Allows the user to transform into a Parastratiosphecomyia stratiosphecomyioides and its human hybrid at will.
Dragon-Dragon Fruit – Ancient Model: Ankylosaurus – Allows the user to transform into an Ankylosaurus and its human hybrid at will.
…
Damien patted his stomach which had already shrunk down from his slightly higher-than-average metabolism.
Linlin smiled at Damien, "How much for the Ancient Zoan Fruit?"
Such words showcased the woman's knowledge, the same Yonko who would one day be known for her powerful chain of information.
.
Damien almost let out a laugh, "Don't even think about it, if anything, I'll let you take any fruit outside of the Ancient one."
Big Mom sighed in defeat, fully expecting that answer.
"Alright, I'll buy all of those."
She gestured to Daifuku to grab some berries from inside the captain's quarters and settle them down. A solid quarter of a billion berries.
.
Linlin then grabbed one of the fruits that was shaped like a lamp and tossed it to one of her children.
"Daifuku, take this, your shoulders remind me of a carnival tent, this fruit will go well with it."
The boy was a little lost by her words but ate the fruit regardless.
"Phwah!" He fell to his knees from the disgusting taste but finished the fruit eventually.
.
Damien cared little for the genie fruit. The act of rubbing one's lower body to summon a male genie was unsightly to him.
He pocketed the Ankylosaurus Fruit and said to a nearby chess soldier made from Linlin's Soul Powers, "Help me pack up the gold."
He then walked out of the cabin with Indra by his side. The two casually went on further to reach a silent deck of the ship, void of eyes and ears.
"So, where is the real treasure you didn't bring up?"
Indra nodded and reached into his pocket. He took out a short bundle of paper and handed it to his captain.
"The one thing that even the World Government would be greedy for," he explained. "Enigma's research notes."
Damien nodded, taking hold of the bundle of paper.
Thaddeus Enigma was known for his smarts and keen intellect. His Devil Fruit granted him great intelligence that enabled him to stand centuries ahead of other researchers.
The man was also very organized, detailing his main research topics into four sections.
1. A Deep Dive into Seastone.
2. A Study on Sea Kings.
3. Geography: the Grand Line and the entire Log Pose Route from Reverse Mountain to Lodestar Island.
And the final collection of notes put a smile on Damien's face. After all, it was regarding the nature of fruits.
"Seems like Enigma's Mind-Mind Fruit was true to its Ultimate Nature, something like this is revolutionary…"
The young pirate was glued to the final note, one truly priceless treasure that could lead to endless bloodshed.
The title read: "Devil Fruit Extraction Theory."
To Be Continued…
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Author's Corner.
Recall that the 7 Stars fruits are what can be considered OP. So far you've seen Tremor, Ope, Death and now Mind Fruit belong to this category.
As stated previously, each Ultimate-Class Fruit allows its user to manipulate abstract characteristics that build up the Laws of Reality (Physics).
What do you think is the best 7-Star fruit thus far?
Images are available on Discord alongside other niche details: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q
Chapter 41: [41] The Tipping Point
[2100 words]
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"Devil Fruit Extraction Theory."
Such a topic was considered taboo, but naturally, an Overlord didn't care. Therefore, Damien could only accept all of Enigma's hard work and make it his own to explore.
"Enigma, I wonder if you ever thought your research would fall into my hands."
Damien was about to turn the page but felt someone's presence approaching.
A few seconds later, he glanced to the side and saw a rather small and rotund man. He had a beak-like nose, big lips, and black sideburns. The co-founder of the Big Mom Pirates: Streusen.
[A/N: Streusen Image (in Discord)]
The man dressed like a musketeer glanced at Damien and cleared his throat. "Kukukuku, young pirate, dessert has been served, Linlin awaits your presence."
"I'll be right there," Damien replied.
…
[Few Days Later]
A news graced the seas via the World News Agency.
A shocking event that resulted in the fall of an Overlord under the hands of some monster rookies. The upset of order came less than a year after the fall of Borealis, now bringing the New World down to a single ruler, a sole Overlord.
Alas, the Government had 'no choice' but to increase the reward for the raiders, which was sent out with the news:
-----< WANTED >-----
< ZENORA⋅INDRA >
< 'Evil Omen' >
< 𝔅 366,600,000 - >
< DEAD or ALIVE >
----------------------------
Shown to be Damien's one and only subordinate. A resolute swordsman of deep loyalty.
The news warned the people to stray from the pirate, as his appearance could be considered the 'Evil Omen' to the arrival of the Sin Incarnate.
The caption to the bounty even gave a straightforward, though odd detail: "Zenora Indra's bodily markings are particularly similar to those of the Warborn."
It was not much, but enough to make the critical readers curious.
-----< WANTED >-----
< KAIDO >
< 'Hundred-Beast' >
< 𝔅 861,110,000 - >
< DEAD or ALIVE >
----------------------------
There wasn't much to add to the monstrous Kaido. His name has been prevalent since his apprenticeship with the Rocks Pirates.
A weapon of destruction, ever-growing in strength and power.
-----< WANTED >-----
< EINAR⋅D⋅DAMIEN >
< 'Sin Incarnate' >
< 𝔅 1,487,600,000 - >
< DEAD or ALIVE >
----------------------------
The words in the paper depicted the masterful attack at the command of the newest addition to the Rocks Pirate Fleet—Einar D. Damien.
The rather detailed caption went on to highlight the 'evil' of Damien, who let out uncontrolled destruction upon the mindless ones. The ones who had no choice but to be puppeteered by Enigma.
The Sin Incarnate came true to his epithet, uncaringly obliterating the pitiful civilians-turned-pirates, killing tens of thousands of them without batting an eye.
Fortunately, after their departure, the nearby marines swiftly arrived, saved the surviving people and brought them to safety at G-1.
Such a meritorious act of bravery; truly heroic!
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[Fleet Admiral's Office, Marineford]
A loud sigh resounded from the grand office.
Kong sat in his seat, a newly finished desk before him.
It was evident that he had a knack for destroying desks in his anger, forcing his attendants to keep a large stock of replacements.
"These brats," he muttered, massaging his temples. "They can't let me relax for even a single moment."
Kong's eyes were sleepy, bags hanging from them.
"Puru," "Puru," "Puru."
The transponder snail that was by his side suddenly rang.
Kong squinted his eyes; a call right after the upset of order would naturally be bad.
"Katcha~!"
The snail took on the human appearance of a man with golden hair and a beard style like a mane alongside a battle-scarred appearance, resembling that of a lion!
"Kong, it's me."
The words alone left a frown on the marine. "Xerxes, what do you want?"
"The Five Elders have deemed the constant disruption from the Rocks Pirates to be a great threat to the authority of the World Government," the snail replied. "You have yet to deliver any positive news."
Kong's eyes sharpened to the point of becoming that of a wild beast.
The fury leaked out of his mouth along his words, "The intel from Cipher Pol is far from useful, perhaps if you did your work properly then the Rocks Pirates would not have grown to such levels!"
The anger of the Fleet Admiral did not seem to impress the man on the line.
"Do not get impatient with me, Kong. Don't forget, both you and I are equal in rank and authority."
Kong let out a growl, calming himself down.
"..." A pause took place until the snail once again spoke up.
"You wanted more news on the recent rookie making waves? We found traces of the bounty hunter he came in contact with near the core of Paradise."
The voice continued, "Though it's nothing concrete, It may grant you the chance to weed out the Sin Incarnate."
"Katcha~!" without waiting for a reply, the snail hung up and went to sleep.
.
Kong let out a soft sigh, taking in the final ounce of information.
His gaze shifted to the bounty posters at his desk, particularly, the highest of the three in reward.
He then reached out to the transponder snail one more, this time dialling a number.
The call soon connected: "This is Admiral Sengoku."
"Sengoku, report your status."
The snail replied posthaste, "We've reached Encephala Island as planned. I brought Tsuru with me as asked."
Kong nodded, satisfied.
"Is her power working on them?"
A strong response came from the snail: "Yes. Tsuru's Wash-Wash fruit has the power to wash away the evil in one's soul."
"She has been 'washing' the tens of thousands of Mindless Ones who were left unconscious. By the looks of it, we should be able to recruit a good few ten thousand or so of them."
Kong gave a rare smile.
"Good. With the rise of the Rocks Pirates, we can take as much help as possible."
"On top of that, it seems that Sol, the final Overlord, is scheming something big. I'll have Basara control the situation for now."
However, the atmosphere turned a little odd as Sengoku's voice grew unsure.
"There is something else, Kong-san. We confirmed the death of Enigma and the destruction of his crew, but we cannot locate his corpse nor recover any of his treasure, especially his research notes."
Kong pondered for a moment. An annoyed look took over. "Those notes are priceless; turn the island upside down if you have to!"
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[Big Mom's Ship]
"Stop relying on your physical senses so much."
It was Damien. He whizzed through the air and landed a solid smack onto the dome of a younger yet taller boy.
Bam!
A red bump grew on the magenta-coloured hair, causing the boy to reel in pain.
"Observation Haki is a sense of its own, beyond your eyes and ears. Even a blind man can become all-seeing with high enough mastery," Damien instructed.
"You want to see more? First, you must know what it's like being unable to see; unable to sense."
He wrapped up Katakuri's face with a cloth and resumed the training.
…
Damien was a little bored.
If anything, Katakuri became a rather fun vessel for him to unload years' worth of deathly training onto. It was nice to see others go through the hell he went through.
Though the Katakuri's drive was quite impressive.
'Every time he wants to quit, he finds some anchor to bring his mind back to the task and push through,' Damien thought.
In the middle of his thought process, the Sin Incarnate slashed a branch at the boy, smacking his shoulders and back every so often from unpredictable angles.
Damien went through with the familiar motion, though this time the distinct thwack sound did not erupt.
He glanced down and saw Katakuri twisting his body sideways, fully dodging the branch.
"Oh? You're beginning to see something, don't lose it now!"
With that, he upped the ante and increased his speed and power per slash.
*Thwack!*
…
[A While Later]
"Furl the sails!"
The chess soldiers scrambled over the main deck, all busy in their tasks. Some hoisted up the sails, some readied the anchor, while the others secured up the goods.
Damien calmly gazed at the horizon and the slowly appearing island.
The familiar skull-shaped mountain. "Home sweet home…"
The nearby pirates had their thoughts.
"Damien-sama seems glad to return to such a blood-ridden island. As expected of a Division Commander." Many nodded at the words, gazing at Damien with a bright light of piracy.
Though his next words left them stumped.
"…oh how I wish to sink this filthy island to the bottom of the sea."
Damien sighed, walking to the very front, leaving behind a frozen group of pirates.
…
"It stinks even more, looks like the news of Enigma's death catalyzed the pirate recruitment," Damien commented as he walked down the ship ramp to step on the bloodied soil of Hachinosu.
He had disappeared from the ship before Linlin could 'encourage' him further to donate his seed to her cause.
"Hmm?"
The Sin Incarnate squinted his eyes as he felt the gaze of tens of thousands of vermin.
A month ago there was greed and aggression aimed at him, but now there was respect. Though naturally with some hidden aggression rooted in killing Damien and taking his colossal bounty.
The pirates cleared the way through the bustling streets as Damien walked on toward Skull Rock.
On the way there, he felt a different gaze upon him, attracting Damien's eyes.
He looked to the island's far end and saw a giant man ready to set sail on a large ship. It was Whitebeard.
The towering man gave the younger pirate a grin to congratulate his return, then returned to his journey out to sea.
.
"One of you, tell me what happened while I was gone," Damien strung along a recruit.
The man stuttered at the grasp of Damien, his eyes shaking in fright.
"D-Damien-sama, I'll catch you up to it now!" the man said. "While you were gone, Captain Rocks sent out Captain John and Silver Axe to attack nearby islands and recover goods."
"And Whitebeard?"
The man nodded vehemently while answering, "Uhm, he was sent to rob the Heavenly Tribute of a New World Kingdom!"
Damien threw the pirate to the side like a sack of potatoes, pondering.
'Looks like Rocks is letting his ambition out now with two Overlords dead. Seems like the entire New World will soon be under his cold, dead hands.'
Other than that, Damien felt the pirates were oddly scared of him… When did he become some boogie monster?
What Damien didn't know was that he had officially been placed on the List of Avoidance. Said list detailed a few people of grave danger that recruits were advised against annoying. Specifically, they were:
1. Kaido when he's drunk.
2. Damien when he's walking expressionlessly.
3. Big Mom when she's hungry.
4. Shiki when he shares his thoughts about taking over the New World.
5. Whitebeard when he talks about family.
6. Rocks.
…
[Skull Rock]
"Xahaha! Looks like you didn't let me down, little monster."
Damien gazed up to see the menacing captain, shrouded in the cloak of darkness under the decrepit room. The stench of death assaulted the young pirate's nose as his captain's words echoed in his ears.
Damien gave out a low sigh as he replied, "You were right, his overreliance on his Devil Fruit was his downfall."
Rocks just gave out a deep hum at the words.
"I've sent a lot of pirates out to start ravaging the New World, it's about time I usher in a new era…"
"An era that belongs in my hands!"
Damien felt the powerful waves of Conqueror's Haki blast onto his body, all the while the broken room creaked in its wake.
"The final Overlord, Sol, bears the name of D., I hope he can put up a better fight," Rocks grumbled.
He seemed bored.
"Divisions One through Three, Five, and Eight will focus on stealing as much loot as possible, it's time to prepare for the final battle with the few enemies that remain," Rocks said.
"Tell me, brat, what will you do?"
Damien looked straight at his humble captain and noticed the curious gaze.
Perhaps taking down the Overlord left him with some time to kill? It took Damien a few seconds to decisively come down to a plan.
"I want to take a little vacation around the seas," the Sin Incarnate said. "There are a few things I've been meaning to do…"
To Be Continued…
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Author's Corner.
Naturally, things are boiling in Damien's absence. Spanning from the actions of the other Rocks Pirates to the final Overlord and lastly to the Marines; the world keeps spinning.
Simply put, Enigma's death was the tipping point to an era of chaos.
Images are available on Discord alongside other niche details: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q
Weekly Power Status
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