บท 124: [124] The Rumbling
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[Captain's Quarters, The Titanic]
It was a relatively empty yet dark room filled with a stench of death itself.
There were cracks all over the room; even the treasured ore and its characteristics seemed to decay under the might of a primal force against life itself.
A fog of black mist filled the room as two human outlines remained visible.
"So you want to leave, Shakuyaku?" a wild and raspy voice questioned. The voice lacked emotion and had nothing more than a sliver of curiosity.
The black-haired woman stood rather stiff, trying to hide the trepidation in her eyes. She cleared her throat and remained strong, "Yes, Captain."
"..." Rocks studied the woman before him, his crazed eyes scanned thoroughly.
Cold sweat broke out from the woman's neck as her breath grew heavy under the glare of the Abyssal Sin. Even though the man wasn't trying to be overly malicious, his body naturally released a certain aura that anyone else would perceive as fatal.
The silence was lifted after what seemed like hours to the female pirate. "Xahaha… alright, little girl. You fulfilled your end of the bargain years ago. You can leave as you wish and continue flying my flag over Amazon Lily."
He then returned to his drinking, his mind elsewhere on a different event that would take place not too long from now.
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[Few Days Later]
Damien and Newgate threw a feast on Shakky's departure.
Practically everyone except Rocks joined in. Even with their numbers greatly lessened, many men and women did not get well together. However, the magic cure of alcohol tended to alter that result.
It lasted five days and five nights; the entire sea of pirates was left drunk and sleep-deprived. That aside, another thousand men died throughout the party; whether it was being stabbed while drunk or smashed apart by Kaido, it was nothing new.
…
It was a new day, and the Titanic finally returned to Hachinosu!
The entire trip lasted around two months. Every last pirate that arrived knew that some fateful event was creeping up from far away. They weren't sure what it was or when it would happen, but it would flip the world upside down when it did.
While others would be filled with anxiety about such a pivotal day, the Rocks Pirates were instead quite excited, vying for blood!
…
[Fourth Division Headquarters]
"So," Damien addressed the stranger in a questioning tone, "You chose my Division?"
The one he spoke to happened to be donning a white mask with an indifferent face, seeming quite mysterious.
"Hensō the Faceless," came another voice belonging to the reticent Indra. "He held down a Vice Admiral for my mission onto Ox Lloyd's Warships, a Super Rookie alongside Nomu and Agon."
The swordsman passed Damien a poster documenting a reward:
-----< WANTED >-----
< HENSŌ >
< 'The Faceless' >
< 𝔅 489,000,000 - >
< DEAD or ALIVE >
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Damien hummed, inspecting the pirate.
>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=<
[Hensō]
[Age: 31 years, 3 months, 23 days]
[Height: 9' 2"] (2.79 m)
[Devil Fruit: Mask-Mask Fruit (Advanced Mastery)]
[Fruit Rating: 6 Stars]
[Skills: Primitive Moonwalk, Primitive Shave]
[Haki: Intermediate Mastery of Observation and Armament Haki]
[Strength: Bottom Tier Yonko Commander]
>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=<
[Mask-Mask Fruit (Hensō Hensō no Mi)]
[Paramecia Fruit]
[Fruit Rating: 6 Stars]
[Allows the user to equip different masks, each personifying a particular emotion and granting their corresponding abilities, making them a Faceless Human.]
>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=<
The pirate in question slightly shook under Damien's undisguised gaze. He felt his entire history was being read like a book… and it was!
Henso, alongside Wang Zhi and the other extras, were recruited into the Rocks Pirates, granting them the chance to choose a Division. "Supernovas are usually unruly. Why come to me?"
Henso took a deep breath through the opening of his mask and slowly answered, "My entire crew was wiped out in the war, and I have nowhere else to go." His voice wavered in uncertainty as he finished, "I feel aimless, and perhaps an anomaly like the Sin Incarnate give me ideas of what my life shall be henceforth."
Damien reined in his Haki, allowing Henso to calm down. "Alright, go find Kaen, he'll show you around."
The faceless pirate nodded and wandered off.
.
Indra stood to the side, his usual confidence shadowed by a lingering uncertainty.
"Have you sensed it too, Indra?" Damien asked, his tone sharp yet curious.
The dark-haired swordsman turned to his commander with a solemn gaze. "The air… is foul. The island has always been putrid but has a vile atmosphere this time."
Damien slowly nodded. "It looks like we need to up our guard," he calmly stated. "With Shakky-nee leaving, it seems that quite a lot of rats will come out from hiding."
Indra understood the gravity of the situation, slowly nodding.
Damien looked at the swordsman with the corner of his eyes. He could feel Indra was a little off since the Scorched Sea War. The usual stoic demeanour was ever-present, but the slight trepidation hidden deep down did not escape the Sin Incarnate's observation.
"Whatever's holding you down, spit it out already."
Indra matched his commander's eyes while bringing out the grip of a katana with no blade. "The sword you gave me was destroyed in the battle."
"Who gives a shit? It was just a Great Grade Sword. I have like twenty of them from Wano," Damien casually replied.
Indra shook his head, absently gripping at the remnants of Kyoran. "The sword means everything to our creed… losing the sword bestowed upon us is akin to the greatest failure."
The emotions surrounding Indra were clouded with apology and self-anger. Such a state of apprehension caught Damien by surprise. "Your creed," the Sin Incarnate echoed. "The Warborn of Polemos Island, yes, I've read up on them."
"From all the books I've read and the intel I've gathered, the Warborn, its entire society, ended over two decades ago as a consequence of their special nature."
Damien paused his recollection, studying the silent Indra. The slight tremble down his arms, the vice-like grip of his broken weapon, the inability to maintain eye contact—quite obviously a troubled past.
"I don't need you to revisit past pain," Damien cleared the air in a forthright tone. "But I will need your aid in the coming war, which requires you at one hundred percent."
The shiver in Indra's arm immediately stopped, the heightened heart rate returned to normal, and his wavering eyes regained composure. The Hellspawn who had terrorized the Navy was back in full force, standing tall and proud to an unnatural degree.
'It's a subconscious response,' Damien frowned to himself. 'He was raised to be a warrior, a machine, born for blood and combat.'
"Tell me, what keeps you so loyal to me that you're willing to butt heads with Admirals?" he then asked, giving the swordsman no time to breathe.
"The sole purpose behind the existence of my people is to become the most destructive weapon in our master's hand," Indra replied, unshaken. "It is what we were bred for."
But his concise reply was met with a scoff. "I don't care about all that 'sole purpose of existence' nonsense." Damien's casual words left the warborn speechless.
The undying pirate crossed his arms and continued, "I've already trusted you before to hold back Basara, and you did that with flying colours. My grievance with Kurowashi was even more important to me, and you didn't fail me there."
Damien stepped forward, looking straight into the slightly shorter Indra—red eyes met black ones. "The coming year will put the Scorched Sea War to shame," he declared, his voice carrying the weight of past sorrows and unyielding resolve. "Everything I've fought for since my home was razed to the ground and my mother's death before my helpless self will be on the table."
"Now I need to know if my right-hand man will remain as reliable as ever."
Indra had long been used to his boss' direct style of talking, and this time, he picked up the tension hidden behind Damien's words. It was to the point where the undying monster feared by billions was reduced to a shallow flame in a sea of uncertainty.
The swordsman let out a deep exhale and returned a firm nod. "I won't let you down."
.
'He's back to his usual self,' the Sin Incarnate concluded based on the look in Indra's eyes. 'But whatever mess his past was, it really did a number. He's been practically stripped of emotion with the sole purpose of following orders.'
"I meant what I said to you when I first met you. The day where you slew ninety-nine men to come under my Division," Damien said with a smirk. "I look forward to the day you share your story."
He then extended his right hand, holding it in the two-meter gap between the young men. "Until then, you'll need a new weapon."
Indra nodded, awaiting his commander's following words. And they came with a surprise.
"Both you and I need a catalyst for our respective strengths to be at least somewhat prepared for the imminent future. I'm planning on heading out to sea for a few months. While I'm gone, I expect you to make good use of these two things…"
*Vvooo!* A sharp gust blew about as an item was brought into the pirate's palm, gracing the world with its beauty.
"I'd be damned if someone says I don't know how to reward the loyalty of my people. Like my Ryushi, this blade is of the Supreme Grade," Damien stated with an appreciative tone. "'Sacred Blade' Tenmei, its graceful nature suits you well."
Indra was lost in the brilliant white katana, absently reaching out to grab it, and the instincts of a swordsman couldn't help admiring the craftsmanship.
Damien grinned as his subordinate stopped himself from unsheathing the blade and extended his Haki through it.
Indra held the blade with both hands, the right on the grip and the other on the white sheath. With a melodious shing, the Supreme Weapon was unleashed, gracing the world with its divinity.
"It's a beautiful sword…"
Indra appreciated the blade's mist-like design, feeling its sturdiness like a dozen mountains. He continued to pour in Haki, but surprisingly enough, it didn't turn black; instead, the white design over the sword began to glow brighter, taking on a genuinely sacred appearance!
[Haki-clad Tenmei Image (in Discord)]
The undying pirate heard the voice of the treasured blade, hearing its hum. "Tenmei approves of you."
After a short while, he clicked the weapon back into its dormant state.
Still holding it with both hands, he looked up with great resolve, much to Damien's satisfaction.
.
"Well, that's the first of two tools I will give you."
"Commander, this is already priceless–"
"Wrong," Damien shut his words down in a sharp voice, leaving Indra unable to form words. "Even the legendary Ope-Ope Fruit, which can supposedly grant eternal youth, can be given a price."
The Sin Incarnate smirked at his right-hand pirate and said, "The only thing truly priceless in this broken world is loyalty."
Without losing eye contact, another goodie poofed into Damien's hand. Its complicated nature made it evident to be a Devil Fruit!
He tossed over the fruit, leaving Indra no choice but to reach to grab it. "You said your people exist to become the most destructive weapon, right? Take these 'priceless' treasures and prove it to me."
The swordsman gulped at the absurdity of the rewards bestowed upon him. In one hand was a sacred white sword, and in the other, a blue fruit with a stem resembling a lightning bolt coursing with power.
"The invincible power—the Rumble-Rumble Fruit."
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[A Few Days Later]
[Hachinosu Docks]
A specific ship was preparing to leave, and by considering the luggage, it seemed like a one-way ticket.
The weather was not friendly. Pouring rain and chaotic tides were forecasted. It's not something anyone with a hint of IQ would want to sail in.
"You don't have to come with me, Damien-chan." The black-haired woman smiled towards the younger man beside her.
"It's nothing much. Plus, I already told the Captain I'll be gone for a few months. Might as well accompany you, Shakky-nee."
The two stood on a small ship that had just left the docks, slowly disappearing into the distance. Shakuyaku had bid farewell to the very few people worth saying goodbye to, namely Whitebeard, Silver Axe and Indra.
As for her Ninth Division, it had disbanded! Without her direct supervision, it wasn't worth much.
Amber, Shakky's right hand, had also left with some other Ravens. They had promised to keep in touch with the Black Death and to keep a chain of information ready; Shakky's worldwide news network remained stable.
*Puff* A cloud of smoke drifted about as the short-haired woman sat on the ship's railing. She wore her usual with long legs revealed in their full glory. "I must say, I didn't expect you to have the legendary fruit that had gone missing for over a century and a half," the woman said. "Let alone give it away so casually."
Obviously, this refers to the ability in Indra's hand that only she was privy to.
Damien shrugged, "Well, it's better than lying around unused. Plus, Indra's name is quite literally from a Storm God. I'd say it was fate."
Shakky hummed, embracing the chaotic winds of the New World. "Anyways, where do you plan to go?" she gave him a teasing grin, "Ara~! Could it be to meet your two little sweethearts you told me about?"
Damien, who was leaning against the mast, rolled his eyes. "I'm going to a more hellhole of an island first."
Shakky raised an eyebrow, "Well, don't keep in suspense."
"I recently arrived at a block in my fruit powers. I need a little push…"
Shakky tapped her chin and remarked, "You don't mean that hellish place?"
Damien nodded as he saw her expression and dropped the bomb, "That's right. I want to go to the Isle of Disasters—Extinction Valley!"
To Be Continued…
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Author's Corner.
This was an essential chapter for Indra's character. You've become privy to some pieces of the Warborns, but they remain hidden under a fog of mystery, one that Damien hopes to one day uncover. For now, he lays his trust in a capable subordinate for the fateful day on the horizon. After all, those treasures aren't worth much collecting dust in his inventory.
Images are available on Discord alongside other niche details: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q
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