Chapitre 129: [129] Solomon
Two Notes:
1. This is a reminder that Damien can swim because of the Underwater Breathing and Maneuverability skills he acquired as he reached certain strength levels (combined to become Fishman-hybrid Anatomy). It has nothing to do with Seastone Resistance.
2. Seastone Immunity was changed to "Seastone Resistance" in previous chapters as it only removes the weakening feeling from being touched by it, alongside the nulling of Haki. He still can't use his fruit power with them on. This was always the case but I suppose "Immunity" was giving the wrong idea.
[3175 words]
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[Three Weeks Later]
[The Haven, Extinction Valley]
"Guest, here, try our delights!" a man with horse characteristics proudly declared. He passed a few skewers of beast meat to the far taller male before him.
Damien, naturally the person in question, smiled and took the food.
*Munch* He wolfed it down before the beast-man could even blink!
"Say, don't you get a little iffy on eating animal meat," Damien mused. "You know, considering your… heritage."
The horse-man broke out in laughter and slapped his thighs, "Neigh-Neigh-Neigh! We only eat the meat of the forsaken beasts in the Ring of Untold Horrors."
Damien hummed at the news, devouring thirty more skewers.
…
Sometime later, the pirate walked through the Haven, soaking in the rich culture of the Extinct, enjoying the fresh air of the relatively untouched island.
Hours went on as night was upon them, the darkness creeping into the village. Distant cries and roars of the beasts echoed throughout the surrounding land, though it was ignored by the folk.
They gathered up once more, celebrating their peace before a large bonfire. Totem poles stood tall, enclosing their dance within a large area.
Damien sat by the side, his hand holding a few rocks.
"Mister Guest, look at this flower!" The pirate turned to the chipper boy with the appearance of an owl, Fukuro.
The boy held up a primal flower of a beautiful purple colour. Damien humoured the boy's enthusiasm and took it with grace.
"Here, watch this…"
*Zwip* A dull sound broke out from the pirate's hand, that of pixelation and dismantling.
Fukuro watched in awe as the palm-sized flower was split into thousands of different pieces, some of the stem, some of the petals and some of the roots.
Each of the 2,394 pieces floated over Damien's palm, gently spinning in a circle. The torches nearby amplified their magnificence.
Another sound resounded as each piece began to move.
Fukuro's jaw dropped as he saw what happened next: the thousands of pieces came together. They formed into the beautiful flower again, gently swaying in the breeze.
"Wow…!" The boy snatched the flower and ran off to check whether it was real or not.
.
"Although I can restore most things now, I can't bring life back to something that has been reconstructed," Damien surmised as he laid down on a patch of grass, glancing at the moon.
Naturally, the flower that had been picked was no longer alive, allowing it to return with temporary brilliance. In other words, Damien could bring together a dismantled person or animal. Still, it wouldn't bring them back to life, leaving empty shells.
"But all of this goes well beyond pulverization. Crushing things is only a portion of its power," the pulverizing human complained.
[Fruits are named based on a simple idea. I would hypothesize that no one has reached your level of mastery before,] Sibyl explained in her usual straightforward voice.
Damien breathed in the cool nightly air and hummed in acceptance, "I suppose so. Only at Advanced Mastery was I able to restore things, beginning with Ryushi. Hadean Release amplified it further."
The topic of fruit mastery naturally led to thoughts of the final stage.
If it hadn't been for No Man's Land, there was a good chance that Damien would take another year or two to figure things out on his own.
[If you wanted a percentage, I'd say you're 99.9% of the way to Awakening your ability.]
Damien smirked, slowly standing up.
He had already spent the past three weeks living off of random animals and sleeping ten hours a week to reach microscopic reconstruction.
"It'll take another month or so of grinding away at rocks, trying to reform them at the atomic level," he sighed. "Dammit, me and my edgy inclination toward destruction… if only I had prioritized reconstruction a while back."
"Hmm?" the pirate paused, feeling a distant concentration of emotion. "Looks like we have a guest."
He shot up, walking to the large bush where he sensed the eyes.
…
A man stood, hidden in the veil of foliage nearby, great longing present in his eyes. He watched the celebration at the center of the Haven, feeling their happiness, yearning for it.
Usually, his days were spent in silence, yet a voice boomed in his ears: "Are you gonna live the rest of your life watching from afar in your fear, or will you confront it like a man?"
The man watching recognized the voice. He glared at the young man who had appeared next to him, "This has nothing to do with you!"
Damien smirked in return, clicking his tongue mockingly: "You're such a fearsome entity, and yet you're scared of what they'll think of you."
Solomon was slightly shaken; his breathing hitched, unable to respond.
"You're a native of this village, no?"
The words invoked quite a deep breath from him.
Damien shrugged, "I can sense your emotions. And the waves of longing and despair from you are like a bright light in this night sky."
Solomon seemed stumped and couldn't form any words, though he didn't need to, as Damien gave him no time to react to what happened next: "You'll thank me later for this."
The undying pirate's hand shot out, grabbing the unsuspecting Solomon, and dragged him out from the bush.
"W-Wai–!"
…
Fukuro, who had come to see more magic tricks with a band of his friends, saw Damien pulling a man clawing at some ripped branches. "Another outsider?" the boy muttered, blinking his owl-like eyes. After all, Solomon did not resemble his fellow Extinct much.
"Not exactly."
Damien flung Solomon ahead, his body soaring across the Haven and landing near the dancing folk with a loud thud.
"…"
Solomon jumped up, looking at the crowd that had surrounded him. They watched with a mix of curiosity and apprehension. The only sound was the flickering flames mirroring the state of the man's heart.
'No…!' Solomon's thoughts raced as he looked around at the faces staring back at him. 'They're all afraid… just like before.' His heart pounded in his chest, each beat echoing with the terror of being damned to live as a monster in the shadows. 'I shouldn't be here… I should've stayed hidden.'
He could feel the sweet, magnetic pull of their fear, an instinctive urge to harvest it surging through him. His hands clenched into fists, trying to suppress the dark hunger that had become second nature. 'I can't… I can't let them see me like this.'
Solomon exhaled loudly; all the while, the Extinct readied their weapons from his sudden movements. But it was one elderly yet resounding voice that stumped them all: "You, a-are you Solomon!?"
The few hundred Extinct looked uncertainly at their shocked leader, Choro.
"I-It is you!" the old man broke out in tears, slowly raising his quivering hands as if to grasp at the strange man.
'He remembers me? He still remembers us?' The shaken voice reduced the throbbing in Solomon's heart.
Choro's following words broke his drumming heart: "You are Liona's child!"
'Mother…' Solomon's mind reeled as memories of his mother's gentle face flooded back. The name, spoken aloud, brought with it a torrent of emotions—grief, longing, and bitter loneliness that had gnawed at him for years. 'We weren't forgotten…'
He looked at the pale man and, with great difficulty, nodded.
Choro was immediately swamped with emotion. His bright yellow eyes dripped with tears, forcing him to drop the cane in his hand and almost fall with it himself. "Y-You were alive this whole time…?" the man questioned with a broken voice. "Where have you been, nephew?"
Solomon subconsciously clenched his fists, looking to the floor in shame and indignity. His one and only blood relative was weeping his eyes out, and he was unable to respond.
Damien's voice broke the lost man: "He was always here."
The comment evoked a few hushed whispers amongst the crowd. It didn't matter their age or size; they each looked at Solomon in confusion.
The lost Extinct absently looked toward the casual pirate, who replied with a gesture to continue. "Haaah," Solomon deeply exhaled, letting out any further hesitation.
*Vvvooo!* An ominous wind blew as black fog erupted from Solomon's position, bringing about a frightening change. It crept out from his shadow, spreading its unholy gloom to the ends of the Haven.
*Snap* *Crack* The sound of branches being split boomed out, flooding the man's body as it grew in size, reaching a whole 6 meters (20 ft)! Thick antlers and the face of a cow's skull; just the creepy presence of the beast alone would send shivers down a person's back—the personification of fear—the Wendigo.
Kids began to scramble, and the women yelled while the men gulped in dread. Some of the senior Extinct raised their weapons, clad in Haki, ready to fight for their home.
Solomon sensed the blanket of fear, his instincts firing to harvest it immediately. He took a step back, sending tremors through the earth.
The sheer density of doom under his every step evoked a thunderous bang, further amplified by his urge to reap the horrors.
Chaos broke out in the Haven once more, but it was silenced by an authoritative yell from the village chief: "What are you doing!? Put down your weapons!"
The people seemed unsure as they looked at their elderly guardian, but they did stop in their tracks. A tense atmosphere fell upon the Haven, blanketing it with its eerily glow.
.
"He is the Spirit of Fear that has protected you for so long," Damien commented. He was the only one whose expression had remained unchanged since the drama began.
His words earned a glare from Solomon, one of anger, gratitude, and ambivalence.
*Snap* The Wendigo began shrinking, shedding its thick branches and returning to Solomon's human appearance. The fog dissipated just as quickly, sparing the crowd a time of hell.
"I should have known," Choro sighed in a trembling voice, using his cane to push himself up. His facial tendrils were all over the place, conveying the man's shaken heart. "You disappeared into the forest during the Day of Reckoning when beasts attacked, the same time as the Spirit of Fear appeared. A child with such a power developed a fear of his own people."
The old man raised a weathered hand to wipe his tear-stricken eyes, "I failed my sister, your mother, to let her child bear such a painful life!"
Solomon froze at the name of his mother. He had spent a lifetime being a monster in the woods, living day in and day out as a beacon of terror, hunting beasts that would give most people nightmares, and now, he was lost for words.
The spectators remained quiet, leaving all but Choro's broken voice to pervade.
"..."
Solomon suddenly felt warmth in his hand: "Huh?" Looking down, the owl-like boy from before was smiling at him.
The sight left Solomon taken aback, forcing him to take a deep breath of air.
For the first time in two decades, he felt something other than fear from his own people looking at him, all from the innocent smile of a young boy.
Fukuro's childish actions immediately calmed the Haven as the others reined in their emotions. The air of fear began to disappear, surprising Solomon.
"Let's welcome Solomon back home!" Buta roared from the side, raising a barrel of unhealthy delights.
The others joined in, blooming in gratitude and joy.
Choro smacked his cane to the floor and loudly declared, "Let's begin the feast all over again! To commemorate the return of my nephew, who has also been our protector for over twenty long years!"
Cheers erupted as a far more boisterous round of celebration commenced, sweeping away any strands of worry from Solomon's face.
His perpetually tense face showed a thin smile, embracing the change.
…
[Few Hours Later]
"It looks like a happy ending," Damien said with an ironic chuckle. He had returned to a distant corner, away from the noise, to enjoy some Extinct saké.
[I didn't expect you to help someone reunite with his home without reason.]
Damien rolled his eyes, "What is that supposed to mean? I've always been a warm and approachable person. I take great pride in that."
Sibyl no longer talked, calculating that logic was no longer part of the discussion.
.
Damien then felt a presence walk toward him. Considering the height of 14' 5" (4.4 m), it was easy to guess the person.
Solomon took a deep breath and opted to address the pirate.
"You're welcome."
"I came here to tha–"
Solomon paused in surprise.
Damien shrugged, "Consider it one of my powers."
"How did you do-"
Damien flashed a grin, "Indeed."
"You can see the futur–"
Solomon failed to continue speaking, opting to slump down to the ground, "My head hurts…"
Damien threw a jug of saké at the man, who gladly gulped it down.
One voluminous sip later: "I always dreaded how they would see me, turning into a monster at the age of five," Solomon sighed, staring into the little saké left in the cup and swirling it around. "I still can't believe that it went this well…"
Damien nodded from the side, lowering his cup to glance at the taller man, "You did look quite hideous. I'm surprised you didn't scare away the kids, let alone give one of the geezers a heart attack."
Solomon froze midway through a sip, blinking at the words echoing in his head. They made him question the desire to show his thanks.
"Rahaha! I was in a good mood, so I helped you out. Don't think too much about it."
The two didn't speak any longer; they busied themselves with the alcohol and enjoyed the peaceful night.
…
"Young Damien, I am endlessly thankful for you reuniting my long-lost nephew with his people!" came a chipper exclaim from the Chief.
The pirate felt waves of gratitude as bright as the sun and asked, "If you want to thank me, why don't you give me a history lesson about this island?"
Choro looked at the sharp eyes of the young man and nodded. "It's the least I can do."
The village chief took a seat, plopping down, hoping not to break his back.
Then came the lore Damien wanted to hear.
"It all began 47 years ago. I was but a vigorous young man enjoying the peace of our land. The island was nothing but peace and serenity. The beasts of today were docile and small in size; they even helped us during sudden storms and mishaps."
Choro shook his head, unable to let go of the serenity of his past. "One day, it all changed. The peace, the joy, the warmth, it all changed!"
Hands balled into fists as the chief continued, "Our land was plagued with disasters, swarmed with all kinds of natural disasters. The changes in the land also affected our people and turned the friendly animals into savage beasts; even the plants grew carnivorous…"
"And finally, twenty-six years after the Great Change, the beasts attacked our Haven in endless hoards, ripping apart everything in their path and dropping our population from tens of thousands to mere hundreds."
The elder looked to the sullen Solomon with heavy eyes: "My nephew was lost in the woods then, his worried mother following behind. I thought them both dead… but it seems he was our saviour all along."
"The Day of Reckoning," Damien muttered, recalling the phrase from earlier.
Choro nodded, and his grasp over his cane grew stronger from the pain of his memories.
"Only the older ones like myself remember, but most of those my age died from the Change." Tears ran down Choro's wrinkly face as he voiced his most painful frustration: "All of that done by the hands of an outsider!"
Damien raised an eyebrow in surprise, though the third person present was not the same; Solomon shot up from his seat with a blazing expression, "You always told us children that it was a natural occurrence that brought this change, uncle!" he roared.
The Chief glanced at his last remaining blood relative and felt the furious confusion in his eyes. Choro sighed and slowly shook his head, "We brought upon this lie so that your children needn't live in vengeance in such conditions."
"We couldn't change it… so why damn our children with such painful truths."
.
Choro still remembered the days when he would share his stories of exaggerated conquests through the Ring of Untold Horrors or when he slayed a 50-meter viper to the brats. Just the thought of it brought a smile to the man's face.
He looked at the two young men and admitted a shocking truth: "We had a treasure. It was passed down from Chief to Chief, and we protected it every generation. But one day, that man came here. He waltzed in with no respect for our people and our practices. He demanded that very treasure, and we refused… earning his ire."
Solomon's eyes brimmed with blaze as his body leaked the cursed fog. "What treasure could be worth so many of our peoples' lives!?"
Choro clenched his hand, drawing blood from his anger, "We called it the Box of Woes. Our ancestors believed that if the box were ever opened, it would bring endless disasters to our home! We warned the man of this, but he did not falter! Such a dreadful person!"
The cane exploded into bits, showcasing the older man's rage and strength.
"He opened the box right in front of us and, without care, released the calamities! It brought plagues, frost, heat, tremors, violent tides and storms upon our humble land, leading to the Day of Reckoning!"
Choro's breathing grew turbulent from his memories, his facial tendrils spiking up in anger.
Solomon felt the grief of his uncle and quieted down, allowing the chief to collect his thoughts. However, the zoan user couldn't hide seething rage building up inside from Damien.
"..."
After a brief silence, Choro continued in a defeated voice, "Aside from the disasters, he also took a fruit out from the box. I remember it like yesterday. It was such an odd thing, yes..."
Damien's eyes clicked at the man's murmurs, 'A Devil Fruit?'
"He then left, leaving us with our island like it is now," the Chief finished, his breathing was all over the place from the previous emotional surges.
"Do you recall what the man looked like?" Damien questioned, his eyes carrying great haste.
"How could I ever forget…" Choro looked to the dark sky, almost as if he could see the face of the man responsible for Extinction Valley in the clouds above. "The man had black hair and a thick beard, a scarred face and the body of a monster. Unbelievably strong!"
His following sentence brought more tremendous shock to the Sin Incarnate's eyes: "A white coat draped over his shoulders, labelled with the word 'Justice' upon it! How damnable!"
To Be Continued…
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Author's Corner.
The lore of Extinction Valley isn't that long but is vital to exploring Solomon and a particular enemy.
Who do you think is this mysterious justice-clad man?
Images are available on Discord alongside other niche details: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q
Chapitre 130: [130] Twist of Fate
"Seastone does affect Haki." Chapter 935, page 8: Luffy laments not being able to use Haki while in seastone cuffs. Later, Queen would have his cuffs removed to fight the fodder; Hyogoro would unveil Ryuo then. I can't provide any strong evidence that it affects non-fruit users, but if it didn't, how else would the Navy imprison the top dogs in Impel Down, Level 6?
TL;DR: Seastone restricts all Advanced forms of Haki (Future Sight, Emission, Infusion) for this fic; basic applications remain. This only holds for restraints (Zephyr's arm is not a restraint).
[2745 words]
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"A white coat draped over his shoulders, labelled with the word 'Justice' upon it! How damnable!"
"A marine did all of this?!" Damien jumped from his seat. Many things could have surprised him, but the revelation was genuinely shocking to the core.
Choro didn't answer; he was still lost in his devastating memories, giving way to the other man present: "What is a 'marine'?" Solomon asked with a dangerous glint in his eyes.
The question left Damien to pause. "Right, a closed-off society like this wouldn't know…"
He turned to the taller man and briefly summarized: "The seas are ruled by an organization called the World Government," he began. "They hold the peace and balance of the seas with the Navy as their fist to knock down the pirates that plague their waters."
"The marines are the soldiers of this Navy, usually seen with those white coats over their shoulders."
The Chief blew up in anger, his facial tendrils jumping to the sky: "Peace!? Is this peace? Such a horrendous life we've been doomed to live!"
Damien narrowed his eyes at the ironic twist of fate. He leaned back into his seat, shaking his head. "The innocents of such islands are collateral. As long as balance exists and the World Government holds strong, those at the top are content with how things are. That's just how it is."
*Boom!* The jug in Solomon's hand exploded to bits.
The black mist appeared again, emanating from his body alongside ripples of overwhelming weight.
"My mother was torn apart from the sandworms. I still remember coming across her ripped-apart corpse! We lost everything because of what that man damned us with!"
The bushes and trees nearby began to wither, losing life and rotting away. Damien saw the effects and waved his hand, cancelling everything the Haki with his own.
"Calm down now. Although it was in the hands of the Marines, I have no right to preach what is right and wrong," he cleared up. A single thought of Shiki or Rocks made it clear who the true villains were.
"I'm a pirate who does as he pleases. Some pirates are far, far worse than that marine. Though the Navy has plenty of bad apples, it would be wrong to say the entire tree is rotten." Damien shrugged at the irony of the situation, "If anything, those at the top of the World Government are the truly evil ones."
Solomon gnashed his teeth, "Then what should I do with this anger!?"
The undying pirate turned toward him, seeing a familiar glint in the furious man's eyes, amplified by the chaotic Haki. It was a whirlwind of hatred, hatred toward the people who damned his home to hell.
"You remind me of myself," Damien calmly stated, looking into Solomon's dark eyes. "But you're too weak to do anything."
'Too weak,' the words echoed in the man's mind. He slumped to the ground in broken vigour, helpless in his rage.
Damien thinly smiled at the sight, finding an interesting possibility. But first, he wanted one final question answered: "Chief Choro. The Great Change, did it also affect your community?"
The old man nodded with a light chuckle, raising his pale arms. "We looked much like you back then, but that day changed us just like it changed the beasts. In fact, my dear nephew is one of the rare cases of non-mutation, much like his mother."
The thought of his deceased sister brought some emotion to the man's eyes. Still, he continued with a firm voice: "Many of our people turned inhuman, with a beast-like appearance. With that came a great boost in our strength and understanding of our Extinct Plating."
*Fwwm* Choro showcased what he meant as he wrapped a solid-metallic armour over his arm, giving off a dull luster. "All our children were born with great talent in this technique. It has saved me on a great many occasions."
Damien nodded in understanding, piecing together the earlier strength he saw from even the likes of a young boy, let alone an old man—It seemed their disasters did come with some silver lining.
.
Finally, he turned to the shaken Solomon: "Let's make a deal then."
The words demanded the other's attention; Solomon listened attentively.
"Like I said, I'm a pirate." Damien looked into Solomon's eyes and offered, "I will be raising my flag very soon. But I need more powerful men at my side. You ate a mighty fruit, and I like the look in your eyes. You get what I mean, Solomon?"
The Sin Incarnate looked up and onto the bright moon in the middle of the night sky. "You have lived here for your entire life. Haven't you ever thought about what lies beyond these seas, the greater world?"
The tattooed man gulped, his eyes showing deep desires buried years ago. He finally shook his head, "I am indebted to you… but I can't leave my people to die to the beasts outside!"
Damien couldn't help but laugh, "Rahaha! What, you think I can't handle a bunch of rabid dogs? If you come under my flag, I will deal with the beasts' infestation."
The words came in a calm tone yet carried great confidence in the hauling task.
"…" The other two men were left with widened eyes; their minds felt the pursuit of strength echoing from the young man before them.
Choro looked at Damien, then at Solomon's expression and firmly demanded, "Nephew, go."
He ignored the look from the zoan user and continued, "You have lived for over two decades protecting us in the shadows. If young Damien can clear those beasts, you have nothing to worry about! Live freely!"
Solomon heard the words and faltered, his mind shifting to ponder what lay beyond Extinction Valley's mountains.
Damien felt his thoughts immediately, knowing he needed a little push: "Give me a second."
The pirate reached into his coat, brought out a transponder snail and dialled a number.
…
[Sabaody Archipelago]
On top of a root found in the lawless region of the Archipelago sat a small bar.
Inside were a dozen customers, each trying to hide their fear of the bartender. A few bodies lay on the floor, beaten to a pulp and robbed of their goods.
A sole woman stood at the bar, smoking with one hand while dusting the countertop with another.
"Clean up your buddy's mess," she sharply said.
Another man by the side frantically nodded, jumping to action. He scrambled about, picking up his dead brother-in-arms and left swiftly.
"When you said you were washing your hands from pirating, this is not where I expected you to end up-nyo."
The one who spoke was a gorgeous young woman with white hair. She wore Amazonian clothes with a lot of skin, which showed off a desirable figure wrapped up with a female snake. She was roughly the same height as that of the barkeep.
"Shakky, come back to Amazon Lily already. How can you spend your youth here-nyo?"
"Ufufufu. You know you can't convince me, Gloriosa."
[Gloriosa Image (in Discord)]
Shakky turned to the beautiful woman, also the Empress of Amazon Lily. "I like it here. It's nice, it's quiet, and it's peaceful."
Gloriosa looked at the bloodied floorboards and the cracked windows with a defeated expression.
"Puru," "Puru," "Puru."
Shakky picked it up with a "Katcha~!" "This is Shakky. How may I rip you off?"
The snail warped into a familiar face, bringing a warm smile to the woman. "Yo, Shakky-nee. Been a while."
"Ara~! It's been a few months since I heard your voice, Damien-chan. I was thinking you forgot about me."
The snail chuckled, and the woman also returned one. Gloriosa watched from the side with curiosity.
"Looks like you have company."
Shakky smiled, "It's just Gloriosa."
"Oh, the Empress?" The snail's eyes turn to the white-haired woman. "It's nice to meet you."
Gloriosa saw a few bounty posters by the wall, and matched the features of the snail to one said reward: "Damien the Undying… you're close to Shakky-nyo?"
The snail hummed, "She helped me out a lot when I was a newcomer, I owe her a lot."
The Empress narrowed her eyes in speculation, almost as if trying to zoom into Damien's soul through the snail. "Well, it's much better than that pestering Rayleigh."
The snail felt a little curious at her words: "Rayleigh found Shakky here?"
The black-haired woman puffed out a cloud of smoke, "Mhm, he tracked me down somehow. I think he's trying to court me, Ufufufu," she giggled.
"Huh, the Dark King is sliding into the Black Death's bar, not what I expected."
Gloriosa nodded with contempt, her pet snake mirroring her contempt. "A big-time pirate trying to befall a Kuja Empress. He thinks too highly of himself-nyo!"
"Former Empress," Shakky corrected.
"Hmph, it's the same thing."
The ex-pirate then addressed the elephant in the metaphorical room: "So, Damien-chan, how can I help you?"
The snail beamed a familiar smile, one looking for some intel, "I want to know about someone from around 45 years ago…"
…
[The Haven, Extinction Valley]
Damien was on call with the former Head of Intelligence of the Rocks Pirates. Meanwhile, Solomon and Choro gawked at the talking snail, marvelling at its magical nature. The pirate had already imbued it with his Voice of All Things for translation.
"A marine with powerful Devil Fruit from then. Black hair and a bearded, scarred face. Ring a bell?"
"..." a pause ensued before the snail responded, "Oya, there is such a marine who made quite the name for himself over four decades ago. I wonder what you want with him."
Damien ignored Solomon's angry eyes and continued his query, "I have a future ally here who wants to know."
The snail's voice was curious: "Oh, I see. Are you thinking of breaking away from Rocks?"
Damien thinly smiled, feeling the woman's thoughts through the snail's speculative eyes. "I don't like putting all my eggs in one basket, Shakky-nee."
"Well, whatever. I'm sure you know what you're doing. As for the marine you want to know about, well, just be careful around him. He has quite the weight in the Navy."
Damien waited as the snail's demeanour became more solemn, "After all, he reigns over both the Navy and even Cipher Pol with an iron fist…"
"...The man you're looking for is the current World Government Commander-in-Chief, Endou!"
"..."
"Pfff, to think such a person would cause this," Damien snorted at the absurdity of the situation. "Truly a twist of fate."
His voice was picked over the receiver, leading Shakky to elaborate, "Although he is older and much weaker now, be wary of taking action against him. He was known as a 'Pirate Butcher' in his prime, and his powers earned him the title of 'Great Disaster.'"
"I'd guess that from just his title," Damien nodded. "For those Five Geezers to give him such power, he ought to be quite the challenge."
"No, Damien-chan, you don't get it," a solemn Shakky interjected. Her serious tone brought tension: "His power spreads havoc and disharmony everywhere. It rips apart the very fabric of anything it touches, leaving nothing but chaos in its wake. In some ways, it's similar to yours."
The Sin Incarnate looked at the snail with narrowed eyes.
In all his readings and intel-gathering, the tales of Endou rarely described his powers in detail. At the time, the World News Agency was a stooge under the World Government, and they wanted to showcase their top dog in a bright light, hiding away the devastating details from all books.
"...You left me with some thoughts. Thanks for the intel. I'll talk to you soon."
The snail conveyed the woman's smile, "Mhm, come visit me at Sabaody when you're free. I promise not to rip you off too much."
"Katcha~!"
The pirate turned to Choro and asked, "Were you able to see the man use his power when he ate the fruit?"
The Chief frowned and returned a half nod. "He 'spared' us by using it near the edge of the Savage Lands. I didn't see it with my own eyes, but the scar he left there tells me enough of the monster he was."
Damien's eyes widened in realization.
He recalled some weeks ago when he went past Tremor District and ran into a wasteland of utter devastation compared to the forest-y Savage Lands. The ground was fractured into jagged pieces, glowing with ominous red light as though the very earth was bleeding. Spires of rock jut out at unnatural angles as if they'd been violently displaced from deep within the earth.
'I concluded it was a fruit ability that caused it then,' Damien mused, cupping his chin. 'So that was Endou's trial run of his fruit power.'
The thought of a fruit causing such mayhem with its first-ever usage brought the pirate to a solemn spirit. Oddly enough, the result did indeed resemble the effects of Damien's Pulverize-Pulverize Fruit.
"You have quite the prey on your dish, Solomon," he called out.
The man in question reined in his emotions and sighed, "I take it he's well out of my league." Though his words maintained an ounce of hope.
"He's left you in the dust."
Damien then stood up, done with the conversation. "I'll be at No Man's Land for another little while. My offer remains till the–"
"I agree!"
Solomon's declaration surprised even himself. His heart pounded with a mix of apprehension and conviction. 'The only way to avenge her… to avenge us is by killing Endou with my own hands!'
He could feel Damien's confidence in every word—he also wished for this. Solomon's resolve hardened. He wasn't just joining a pirate crew—he was stepping into a new life, one where he wouldn't be defined by fear alone.
The sheer strength shown by Damien was also a wake-up call. The ambition in Solomon's eyes was burning in a fiery light, 'This is my only chance to set things right for my people!'
"..." The undying pirate returned an undisguised gaze, almost as if peering deep into Solomon's soul and excavating all his secrets.
>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=<
[Solomon]
[Age: 25 years, 9 months, 25 days]
[Height: 14' 5"] (4.39 m)
[Status: Healthy; Enraged]
[Devil Fruit: Mythical Model Wendigo (Intermediate Mastery)]
[Fruit Rating: 6.5 Stars]
[Skills: Primitive Shave, Inborn talent in Armament Haki]
[Haki: Armament Haki (Intermediate Mastery), Conqueror's Haki (Awakened)]
[Strength: Pseudo-Yonko Commander] (Bege, Hawkins level)
>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=<
Raw, untamed power—that's what Damien thought of Solomon, a rough stone with the potential to become a gem.
The Zoan user waited no longer for the pirate and loudly declared, "I know you wield incredible strength. Teach it to me!"
The undying pirate's crimson eyes carried an air of amusement, almost as if seeing Solomon's hopefulness as a toy to test out. "Alright then," he casually answered. "I just hope you are ready; my training is rather… gruelling."
Solomon unconsciously gulped, though he reined in that uncertainty immediately, returning Damien a determined nod.
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While the Haven at Extinction Valley continued to celebrate their hometown hero, a far more solemn fleet was sailing the seas of Paradise—one that carried the name of justice but, in some eyes, did anything but.
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"We will arrive at Yozora Island in five hours. You're both in charge of the recovery operation!" a booming voice said.
It originated from a man donning a Vice Admiral coat addressing two young men.
""Yes, sir!""
"Be careful. This won't be like Cactus Island, Jaya, or even Banaro Island! Unlike those three, we have zero intel from Yozora Island—it exists only on paper!"
The lead marine's face grew malicious as he thundered a new order, "Beyond that, the nature of our mission has changed from recovery to a military takeover!!!"
The words garnered some doubts in one of the Star Rookies' faces. "But Vice Admiral," he objected with confusion. "Yozora Island has no history of criminal actions. Shouldn't we go in peacefully as the Fleet Admiral instructed?"
The towering marine did not agree, and he was confident in showing that disposition, "Listen up, greenhorn. These orders were issued by the Commander-in-Chief, overruling the Fleet Admiral." He glared at the rowdy star recruit, "As a soldier, you do not ask 'why,' you simply do it!"
The answer was blunt and crass, but it was enough for the leading Vice Admiral. A final command was issued, one lacking humanity: "If the natives resist, you have the authority to cut them down as you please!"
To Be Continued…
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Author's Corner.
Endou has been name-dropped in the past; now you know more about the OC who resides in the Holy Land.
While Damien gains an ally, a marine fleet threatens another high-potential lad. What do you think they want from Yozora (Night Sky) Island?
Note: I will be in England for a week, so expect no chapters till next Friday.
Images are available on Discord alongside other niche details: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
200+ Classement
Power Stone 
51 Power
stone 
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