Chapitre 39: [39] Encephala Island (IV)
[2200 words]
Had 2 midterms today; taking a 5-course load is painful in so many ways.
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The ambience and surroundings felt very homely.
The smell of the wood under the warm sun, the sound of whistling wind and even the distant sounds of children playing in the distance.
The sensation of returning home; every nostalgic memory came together to overwhelm Damien's senses.
"Come and give your mother a hug."
The words caused Damien to tremble. The warmth was uncannily real. Such an influx of familiarity was overwhelming, forcing Damien to take a few steps toward the waiting woman.
Deep in his mind was a dull buzzing sensation. He felt bits of his sanity start to decay from every step he took.
The more he reached out, the more his mind corroded.
.
He now stood a meter away from his mother's embrace, his eyes staring at the woman's face, hair and clothing.
"You feel so real," Damien muttered.
"What a silly thing to say," Nadia smiled. "And you've grown up so much."
The words sent a chill down the boy's neck as he subconsciously gulped. The longing feeling hidden deep in his heart was about to burst out.
Damien heaved a low sigh, closing his shaky eyes.
"..."
Nadia tilted her head in slight confusion, unsure of what her treasured son was doing.
Suddenly, Damien's eyes shot open, locking onto the woman lacking the previous tremors. His hand slowly reached out toward her. The hand went out and felt the warmth off Nadia's face.
"But the more real you seem, the more I know that this is not reality."
Under her warm yet slightly confused eyes, the hand reached further and grabbed her throat.
The words came with a sharp increase in strength on the hold of Nadia's throat, locking on like an iron vice.
Damien's fingers dug into her trachea, suffocating the woman. He couldn't help but remain locked onto the blank eyes of the woman as she was lifted off her feet.
Nadia was held a meter off the ground, staring at her son with a sorrowful and pained look.
A broken wheeze echoed out from her mouth due to the oxygen deprivation. The crushing grip left her writhing to the point where her eyes grew bloodshot.
"Please… die for me."
The young mother helplessly shook in her own son's grip as her life slowly drained away. Tears fell from her eyes, a look of betrayal evident.
"..."
A few silent moments that felt to last an eternity.
Damien gnashed his teeth to the point that blood began leaking down his lips. He ignored the buzzing in his mind and increased the strength of his grip.
His mind shivered in anger as he watched the final ounces of life withdraw from Nadia's eyes; her breathing came to a stop and the beating heart halted, all under Damien's broken gaze.
"…"
Two minutes passed. Nadia's corpse remained lifted in Damien's hand. Her empty eyes stared at her son.
Damien's eyes were lost. A steel spirit emerged from deep within, bursting out with seething rage that began to melt away the wooden home.
…
[Outside the Mindscape]
"Ma-Ma-Mam-Ma! Perhaps Rocks' gamble won't play out after all," Linlin cackled from the side.
Her enormous frame, both vertically and horizontally, dwarfed all others nearby.
Kaido, who barely rivalled her scale, had a different opinion: "WORORO! Though I want to do nothing more than pummel Damien," he said with a grin. "He isn't the kind of guy to lose to someone like Enigma!"
The words were followed by a deafening explosion.
Boom!
An ear-rattling sound exploded from the full body of the Sin Incarnate. Waves of dense Haki in the form of Conqueror's burst out, forming a wide sphere of absolute dominion.
The air shrieked while the ground began to tremble.
The warm sun's ambience dulled away as the dark red zone of Haki left behind a broken atmosphere.
Oven, Perospero, Daifuku and Katakuri also fell victim to the surging Haki. "Ugh!" their hands were glued to their temples in a desperate attempt to remain sane.
Their yells and groans were masked by the display of the furious aura emanating from Damien.
"WORORO! My skin feels tingly, looks like Enigma really pissed him off!"
Charlotte Linlin grimaced at the sight of her lovely children being overwhelmed, quickly spanning her own Haki to shield them. Though it didn't hide the surprised look on her face.
"Such rage," she murmured.
The woman then peered at the shaken Overlord and questioned, "Just what did you show him?"
The surprise was ubiquitous—mirrored on Enigma's face.
"How could this happen!? That ability materializes its victim's deepest desires, something they would overturn the world to grasp!"
Though his cloudy thoughts soon cleared up, "…The only way to break out of such a reality is to lose that which you hold dearest! But how can someone so easily cut off their deepest desire!?"
Damien slowly opened his eyes.
"That's the difference between you and the true monsters of this world," came a bland voice of the young pirate.
"They can cast away their greatest weaknesses to become stronger, while you, an Overlord of the Seas, remain hidden in your little cave with hundreds of thousands of toys to accompany you to your craze for control."
Damien began to take steps forward, each summoning craters as they approached Enigma.
"Originally, I was only here as Captain Rocks' executioner…" His hands balled into fists; the anger evident in his boiling eyes. "It's been a while since I've wanted to kill someone this bad!"
Damien's angry words soon came into reality as his body began to swell.
The towering body of the pirate surged and burst with crimson energy; Damien's fury was unleashed with the uncontrolled force of his Devil Fruit. Every pore in his body was leaking Pulverizing energy at copious volumes to the point where it created a black and red coat of energy around him.
It flickered and crackled every so often, showcasing the volatile nature of the form, alongside its untamed spirit. The face warped into a skull, showcasing bony teeth and wide open eye sockets that glowed red.
[Image (in Discord)]
.
The threatening words reached the ears of Enigma.
"Kill me?"
The man's eyes grew angry as a powerful burst of orange Haki exploded out.
BOOM!
The clash of two Conqueror's Haki users only worsened the island's condition, unleashing torrents of whirling winds in its wake.
Indra, who was still fighting off an army of Mindless Ones who were seeking to disrupt the main clash, was left frozen.
Thud!
Bang!
Bam!
The thousands of zombie-like enemies began dropping like flies, collapsing to the ground under the concentration of Haki.
Enigma's control of their mental faculties had been entirely overwhelmed by the Haki clash!
.
"You are but an outlier! One that shall be expelled by me!" Enigma roared.
At that moment, Damien shot forth, the air along his body groaned in agony as the surrounding ground was crushed to bits.
*Purrup* Enigma released his Mind powers as it generated a thick and stable orange barrier infused with his Haki.
*Fwwm!*
The red glow around Damien's hand darkened from Armament Haki.
BAM!
A dark-red punch collided with endless force upon the orange barrier made by the Overlord.
*Creak*
Sounds of glass being crunched resonated as the punch pushed forth, creating cracks in the barrier, though not enough for it to be destroyed.
*Rumble*
Black lightning sparks were also thundering in the air as the clash of Supreme Kings ensued.
.
"Your mind is powerful but that doesn't mean your strength has grown as well; your limits will always shackle you down!" Enigma spat out.
*Purrup*
Damien's eyes grew more stable, his body releasing more and more pulverizing energy to fuel the charge, disregarding the Overlord's words.
*Crack*
The shield creaked once more.
*Shatter*
The orange shards of mind energy gave way and clattered onto the ground. Enigma was thrown back a few dozen meters, slowly coming to a stop. He soon sent out his favourite attack in opposition:
.
"Fury of Atlas!"
.
The heavy pressure soon befell Damien in an attempt to obliterate his mind but it didn't work!
Damien just swatted it off, his mind had already taken so much stress that it no longer cared; the pirate was simply fuelled by his rage, though a strong power, it could only last so long.
The dark red humanoid opened his maw, uttering a few words.
"Tell me Enigma, as a man of computation and deep schemes, have you ever calculated your own demise?"
The words were a green light for both men to release further bursts of Haki, exploding the islands once again with the brutal collision of opposing forces.
Enigma breathed out an annoyed huff. To see a young pirate first use him to sharpen his Haki, then to beat him in his own game, and then to go beyond his calculations, had ignited a certain denial within him.
.
"Lost Words: Descent of Athena!"
.
Upon the declaration of the technique, a huge silhouette of a Greek Goddess dawned from the cloudy skies.
She wore golden armour, a gorgon shield affixed on one arm while wielding a spear in the other. There was also an owl resting upon the woman's shoulder.
The goddess spanned 50 meters in height, dwarfing the rest of the nearby region. A golden flame-like aura coated around her as it lit the dim battlefield with its holy grace.
The Goddess of Wisdom had descended.
[A/N: Attack Image (in Discord). 50 meters = AoT wall height.]
.
Damien, who was nothing but a figure made of volatile red energy, brought both hands together as a final stretch of his powers.
*Grrrrr!*
His body once again exploded with red energy that scratched at the atmosphere, releasing shrieks from the air.
The energy grew larger and larger. It was so incredibly dense that it started to morph into the shape of a giant creature.
It had large, dark-red wings that spanned over 45 meters in wingspan and height. Blackish-red body with sharp scales pointing out of the back, and a glowing yet frightening red underbelly.
[Attack Image (in Discord)]
"Rawr!" the creature let out a grievous roar as if declaring its presence. The sound waves sent out were mixed with Pulverizing energy, shattering all hills nearby to pieces.
.
"Advent of Chaos!"
.
The dreadful dragon roared as Damien called its name, every second it existed was another second that the island was subjected to its sheer pulverizing effect, causing the very roots of the landmass to quiver.
Damien bolted forth, the dragon followed him as it flapped its mighty wings and clashed against the spear of the Goddess of Wisdom!
BOOM!
Endless energy torrents whirled all over the land as the colours of red and gold collided.
The clouds above were blown apart, clearing the depressing weather.
*Rumble*
Sparks of black lightning rained down as the Clash of Kings went on.
Giant tides were spawned at the coast of Encephala Island, spanning dozens of meters in height.
…
It took a good three minutes for the rumbling to end.
Big Mom and Kaido both looked at the outcome with deep curiosity. The woman's children, aside from the kneeling Katakuri, had been knocked out.
Alas, the dust began to settle.
"..."
A deafening silence pervaded as the two Rocks Pirate members perceived the result.
They saw Damien's bloodied body still standing, heaving with heavy breaths.
His back was trembling from the greatly stimulated nerves along his spinal cord that sent frequent buzzes through his ringing mind.
Though Damien's eyes looked droopy, almost about to faint, he gazed resolutely at the other side of the broken island.
The result was satisfactory.
Enigma's body was a few hundred meters away.
His arms and legs were twisted and broken apart. His neck had exploded while the mushy face seemed to have gone through a lawn mower.
Linlin broke out with a smile, "To think a feared Overlord of the Sea would fall here, what a sight!"
.
'I feel hollow,' Damien thought while trying to move his broken body. In his anger, Damien's Devil Fruit burst out with great zeal, though leaving him empty of stamina.
The nerves had also been fried from Enigma's attack. An incessant ringing blared in his ears, but it wasn't enough to make him fall.
Yet even under the haze of stabbing pain was deep satisfaction in the state the Sin Incarnate had left the Overlord—crushed and crippled.
*Thump* *Thump* *Thump*
He took a few steps forward, stretching his stiff body.
*Grumble*
His hands darted to his stomach, "I'm hungry."
Just a duel lasting two hours left Damien drained.
'The future Aokiji and Akainu fought for ten days? Just how the hell does that even work?'
While Damien could continue getting stronger, it seemed that the energy to fight for days on end would develop as his body matured and not simply as his strength increased.
In other words, it was a glaring weakness.
*Fwoo!*
The pirate swung his arm, storing a treasure in his inventory, though at that very moment came a cackling laugh.
"Ma-Ma-Mam-Ma!"
To Be Continued…
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Author's Corner.
Damien fought someone stronger than him and that would naturally drain his stamina much quicker. Much like how Luffy had pretty much shut down after his 11-hour duel with Katakuri.
But now he has another mountain in the shape of Big Mom to surmount.
Which Overlord Arc was better: Borealis or Enigma? Who had the better Fruit?
Images are available on Discord alongside other niche details: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q
Chapitre 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
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
200+ Classement
Power Stone 
51 Power
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