[2550 words]
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[At an Island in the Paradise Sea]
"638 till nap…"
"637 till nap…"
"636 till nap…"
There was a lone boy at the top of a cliff on an uninhabited island.
The boy had puffy black hair, simple yet dirty clothes, and an annoyed expression as he continued his workout.
He was currently doing pushups with a giant boulder resting upon his back, he was surely an interesting individual.
One who counted down for every rep rather than the other way around.
"619 till nap…"
"618 till nap…"
"617 till nap…"
He continued the monotonous exercise until he heard the noise of a bird.
*Squack!*
A seagull landed on the tree, it had a newspaper held in its claws.
"Hmm? A report," he yawned. "Well let's see what we got…"
*Rumble*
The kid jumped up as the rock slammed on the ground with a bang.
"Now then~" he sat on a nearby log and started to read.
"…"
"A ra ra!"
"Big Bro Damien and his crew have done something crazy again!" he smiled and read on.
"Rocks Pirates, Roger Pirates and Borealis Pirate…"
"Mora Island Annual Auction; Supreme Grade Sword…"
"The Navy confronts all three pirate crews…"
Kuzan's eyes traced over the images of the ruined lands.
"Whitebeard killed the Overlord, 'Winds of Revolution' Esso Borealis!" Kuzan's eyes widened as he saw this.
The image of Borealis' corpse was then shown, left in broken pieces after being hit by a chain of catastrophic earthquakes.
"Naval battle raged over the seas while Garp the Fist and Sengoku the Buddha clashed with notorious pirates!"
The boy continued to read with great relish, enjoying the stream of drama to his rather boring lifestyle.
Soon, a smirk emerges on his childish face.
The picture showed Admiral Sengoku using his fruit power while facing three foes.
One was a man with silver armour while the other two were young. One was ginormous with an equally large club, and the other had dark hair with red streaks, sporting a sizzling red energy on the palm of his hands.
"Hehe, Big Bro Damien fought an Admiral, how cool!" the boy exclaimed, clenching his fists.
…
The news mentioned a few major events.
The Clash between the Overlord-Level figures.
Damien, Kaido, and Silver Axe vs Sengoku.
Rayleigh vs Garp.
Golden Lion Shiki's arrival as Roger Pirates and the Navy's brave retreat in hopes of distracting the pirates away from the innocent civilians at Mora Island.
New bounty posters.
Naturally, the main message was the brave acts of the marines who, without care for themself, went in to save the people of Mora Island from the evil Rocks crew.
"Hehe, well I should get back to my pushups... I was at, Ah! My memory is so weak!" he feigned discomfort, massaging his temples.
"Right, 46 left!" He chuckled mischievously.
"RAWR!"
A Sea King rose from the sea under the cliff and met the boy's eyes.
"Alright, alright! It was 173…"
Another growl went off, pushing the kid out of his fantasies.
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[Applenine Island, New World]
A giant apple sat at the center with snow covering the top.
The entire island was layered with fresh snow as the cold wind flowed through the cities, carrying bone-chilling gusts.
[Image of Applenine Island (in Discord)]
The news had already spread over the seas, many eyes were drawn into the mess, after all, one of the Three Overlords had fallen!
A towering woman with a hat and a pink bikini sat with food placed before her. Her eyes darted to the side of the table as she read from the latest newspaper.
"Rocks and Shiki are meeting up? Ma-Ma-Mam-Ma!"
She was quite a voluptuous woman with a desirable figure yet the huge amount of food stuffed in her mouth made one look away in discomfort.
"I suppose it's time for me to head back… *Munch* It's been two years already. But there is a place I want to visit before returning to Hachinosu," she muttered. "All of you, get ready to sail!"
"Yes, Mama!" many voices of varying ages responded as they jumped up from what they were doing.
[A/N: Charlotte Moscato (the one she killed at the start of WC Arc) was 41 at death. He will be born 1 year from now. In other words, she already has 24 children as of now.]
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[Superbia, The New World]
Within the New World was a rather peculiar island.
It was a medium-sized island. Large ports on all sides; tens of ships swayed in the gentle current at each dock.
The island had three rings, each divided up by skyscraping walls.
The outer ring was for imports and exports. The inner ring is where the main population was, sporting a city that had around 300,000 citizens. Farther into this island's center was the core ring that housed a giant golden castle.
This was the Island of Superbia, the main residence of an Overlord of the Seas!
…
[The Throne Room]
A pirate ran into the chamber, huffing and puffing.
"L-Lord Sol!"
He was looking up at the giant throne mounted upon a large staircase. "Hmm?" a deep voice questioned, lacking interest.
"Lord Sol, it's the Overlord Borealis... He's dead!" the pirate said in a hurry, disbelief glued to his face.
"..."
"Ho? Interesting," the Overlord was amused.
The man sat atop his golden throne, wearing luxurious crimson clothes embroidered with rare jewels and expensive gems. He stood around nine feet in height (2.74 m) and had long white hair running down to his chest.
Unlike Borealis, he was rather young-looking, not a day older than 35. However, his face was scarred and grey; his visage seemed to be lacking the shine that his throne room emanated with.
"Who was it?" he asked.
"Ah! I-It was 'Whitebeard' Edward Newgate who killed him!" the pirate informed.
"Is that so? Sohohoho!"
Then a silence fell upon the hall.
"..."
"U-Um... Lord Sol, Whitebeard is under the man called Rocks D. Xebec…" he gulped. "They say that his strength is even greater than Garp the Fist!"
"W-We should be caref-"
"You ask me to be careful?" Sol questioned in a sharp tone. "His strength may go beyond that of Garp, but at the end of the day, they will all fall before my might!"
The Overlord, Pryde D. Sol, gazed down at the pirate with a hint of displeasure.
"Isn't that right?"
"O-Of course!"
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[Encephala Island]
Another location in the New World.
A string of 12 islands surrounded one larger one in the center. At the center of the large island was a huge factory.
Tens of thousands of citizens were walking with blank expressions, they showed no exhaustion, no emotion, no life.
They simply went on and did what was told by the huge speakers mounted on the watchtowers. Some carried large pieces of metal, some tended to animals, and some fished.
Even the guards held the same demeanour.
It was quite a horrifying sight, there was no sound, no wasted movement, just pure synchronization.
…
Within a magnificent tower was a man leaning on his right hand while smiling.
He was the other Overlord of the Sea, Thaddeus Enigma!
The man was well-dressed for his line of work, he carried a powerful presence. However, his regal appearance was off-set due to the large burn marks on his face.
He sat before a simple table. A unique chessboard lay before him.
Instead of the black and white pieces, there were four types: Green, orange, gold and blue.
The Overlord stared at the board as he elegantly said, "Borealis is... dead. How refreshing."
Enigma smiled, picking up the blue king piece and removing it from the board. "It seems like a new piece has entered the game."
The curiosity in his voice was palpable, echoing through the confines of the luxurious chamber. Enigma beamed a thin smile, and whispered, "I suppose it's my turn to make a move."
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[The Titanic, The New World]
"Jihahahaha! So you're the new kid breaking the news lately!"
Damien now stood before the round table in the executive hall aboard the Titanic.
He gazed at the man inspecting him with eyes filled with interest and hidden malice.
The pirate had long wavy golden hair and odd-shaped eyebrows. With two long, loose strands of hair running along with his sideburns. A cigar was in the left side of his mouth as he drank saké from the other end.
"Golden Lion Shiki," Damien called out the man's name. "You know me?"
The words evoked a laugh from the pirate.
His golden eyes peered at the young pirate and offered, "I saw what you did to that golden gorilla Sengoku, why don't you come under my division?"
Damien shook his head. "I'll pass."
Kaido cared little for their chat and intervened, "Shiki, fight me!"
"Kaido, you crazy brat, you want your ass handed to you again?"
"WORORO! I've improved a lot in the past months!"
[Image of Shiki (in Discord)]
*Creak*
The doors flew open as a soft voice broke out, "Ara~ Looks like you both are up and moving, come and have some food."
Shakky began to bring out some delicacies from the kitchen, allowing the two young apprentice pirates to dine in peace.
The woman sat in an empty seat and began to summarize: "Borealis is now dead, the vacuum of power will alert quite a lot of bad eggs. We still need a few months to restock on pirates as well."
Shiki waved his hands, "The pirates we want are a dime a dozen, under Captain Rocks' power, they will flood in. Especially with the new bounties up."
Kaido and Damien's eyebrows were raised, though they didn't quit devouring their food.
*Furl* Shakky slowly placed a half-dozen wanted posters in ascending order:
-----< WANTED >-----
< KAIDO >
< 'Hundred-Beast' >
< 𝔅 711,110,000 - >
< DEAD or ALIVE >
-----< WANTED >-----
< SHAKUYAKU >
< 'Black Death' >
< 𝔅 800,000,000 - >
< DEAD or ALIVE >
-----< WANTED >-----
< SILVER⋅AXE >
< 'Blinding Light' >
< 𝔅 834,000,000 - >
< DEAD or ALIVE >
-----< WANTED >-----
< EINAR⋅D⋅DAMIEN >
< 'Sin Incarnate' >
< 𝔅 860,000,000 - >
< DEAD or ALIVE >
-----< WANTED >-----
< EDWARD⋅NEWGATE >
< 'Whitebeard' >
< 𝔅 2,446,000,000 - >
< DEAD or ALIVE >
-----< WANTED >-----
< SHIKI >
< 'Golden Lion' >
< 𝔅 2,520,990,000 - >
< DEAD or ALIVE >
-----< WANTED >-----
< ROCKS⋅D⋅XEBEC >
< 'The Abyssal Sin' >
< 𝔅 4,070,500,000 - >
< DEAD or ALIVE >
-----------------------
The Rocks Pirates were not the only ones she presented, three other posters were brought out too.
-----< WANTED >-----
< SCOPPER⋅GABAN >
< 'Twin Axe' >
< 𝔅 970,550,000 - >
< DEAD or ALIVE >
-----< WANTED >-----
< SILVERS⋅RAYLEIGH >
< 'Dark King' >
< 𝔅 1,808,600,000 - >
< DEAD or ALIVE >
-----< WANTED >-----
< GOL⋅D⋅ROGER >
< 'Mad King' >
< 𝔅 2,564,800,000 - >
< DEAD or ALIVE >
-----------------------
It was quite the haul.
The numbers alone could combine larger than a strong nation could produce in a year. Far beyond the level of the Heavenly Tribute to the Celestial Dragons.
Damien couldn't help but smirk at his numbers. He was chewing on a giant piece of leg bone as he peered at the ogre by his side.
Damien elbowed his rival-in-rank as if to ensure he saw the numbers.
*Grrr* It was an animalistic growl; primal.
Kaido was fuming at his bounty in comparison to Damien, why was he one step behind?
"Jihahaha! Not a mention of the Navy being chased by my fleet, what a bunch of losers!"
Shakky puffed out a cloud of smoke.
"It's only natural, they focused on saving face by surmounting Borealis' Empire who was already dead by the time we left Mora Island," she answered.
*Creak*
The conversation had to immediately halt as another figure waltzed into the hall. Crazy hair and manic eyes… It was Rocks D. Xebec!
"Looks like you two woke up… I heard what you did against Sengoku, it's worthy of being under my flag," he declared.
Meanwhile, Damien eyed the sword at his captain's waist. "Look like you got what you went there for."
The words evoked a grin on the man, though it wasn't that of joy, but rather of malice. "I also heard of a rather odd and unnatural movement of the forest at Mora Island… It seems you have quite a lot of secrets..."
The grin widened to the stretches of the man's face.
"..." A cold wind blew through the meeting room, whistling with an ominous tone.
However, Xebec didn't give time for Damien to react. "I don't care how sharp my knives are, as long as they remember whose hands they belong to."
Rocks went on ahead and plopped onto the seat at the head of the table. "As a graceful captain, I should reward my subordinates when they do well, no?"
He then turned his eyes to Shakky as if to gesture for her to speak.
The woman nodded. "Damien-chan, do you remember me mentioning the divisions of our crew?" She asked.
The pirate in question returned a nod.
"As per the draft, the captain wants nine total divisions with a powerful leader in each."
She then threw a piece of paper at the young pirate. It had a chart drawn out.
First Division Commander – Edward Newgate.
Second Division Commander – Shiki.
Third Division Commander – Charlotte Linlin.
Fourth Division Commander – [VACANT].
Fifth Division Commander – [VACANT].
Sixth Division Commander – [VACANT].
Seventh Division Commander – [VACANT].
Eighth Division Commander – Captain John.
Ninth Division Commander – Shakuyaku.
Damien looked through the names of the leaders and had to take a deep breath.
A crew led by the likes of Big Mom, Whitebeard, and Shiki was already enough to conquer the New World. For all three of them to be under the same Captain was a force that could surely grasp the World Government by the throat.
.
"Though my division is more focused on internal affairs, all the others are combat-focused," Shakky explained. "Captain Rocks has set the sixth, seventh and eighth division to hold most of the fodders."
She then dropped the bomb: "He thinks you and Silver Axe that was brought in are a good fit to hold the title of division commanders."
"..."
Damien blinked, darting his eyes to the captain drowning himself in some saké that he brought out from thin air.
"I'm more of a lone wolf..."
Rocks seemed uninterested in his words. "It doesn't matter what you think, brat and I don't care if you hold a small count of pirates under you."
He took another deep inhalation of alcohol.
"Those pathetic Overlords are always throwing around their divisions and battalions, Xahaha! If it helps draw in more dogs under my flag, then I'll have nine of them!"
The man then walked away without a care in the world, tossing his empty gourd to shatter on the treasured floor.
.
Damien let out a helpless sigh while Shiki grinned with an evil smirk.
"You bear the name of 'D.', like our captain, I look forward to seeing what level you reach!" the Golden Lion spat out before flying away.
Shakky shrugged at the situation, leaving Damien with a single comment. "Captain Rocks sent a hundred or so fresh meat recruits to your abode at Hachinosu, you can choose which to bring under your Division, have fun!"
This left Damien and Kaido in the hall.
"WORORO! You beat me to becoming a Division Commander, Damien, I won't lose to you next time!"
Damien returned a mocking smile.
"Oh? I wonder how many hundreds of millions of berries will our bounties differ by then…"
"Hah!? Then I'll just pummel you now!"
"Try it, you overgrown ogre!"
To Be Continued…
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Author's Corner.
Bounties up. The estimate on Discord was well-guessed.
Images are available on Discord alongside other niche details: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q
[2200 words]
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[Five Days Later]
The Titanic had returned to Hachinosu.
Damien had come to his little area on the island and was met with an unsettling sight.
Around half a thousand pirates were sitting around. Some hung from the structures like monkeys, and some lay around like loiterers. Hell, a few were already dead.
"She said a hundred or so," Damien muttered.
He let out a sigh and inspected them. Most of them were picked up fresh from the wave of pirates after Mora Island.
The bad name of the Rocks was a beacon for these guys. However, practically all of them were useless. The disappointment and boredom on Damien's face were obvious as he was not trying to hide it, naturally, rubbing some egos the wrong way.
"Oye, Oye, you may have done some big things by scratching an Admiral and gaining the Big Boss' favour, but we aren't all here to curry yours!"
Another voice joined in, "Based on the crew rules… anyone who kills a Division Commander can replace them…"
These words alone brought around twenty or so sights to grave changes; Damien didn't need Haki to smell the greed in the air.
The newly crowned Commander just smiled in return and gestured to the main loudmouth in the group: "You want my spot?"
The pirate thought it was his golden chance and walked right in front of Damien's face.
"That's right."
Damien was around ten and a half feet tall, eclipsing the 8-footer before him. "Your face looks awfully similar to your other friend making so much noise."
The other man squared up as well, "He's my brother, we're close like that."
"So why don't you give us the Commander role and we'll make sure you're the second in charge."
Damien felt the gazes around him.
It seemed everyone had woken up, their complete attention on him as he wanted.
Damien reached out with a palm.
*Tap* He gave the brave pirate a pat on the shoulder, a rather friendly venture.
The man smirked, thinking it was Damien's way of giving him the torch.
"..." Yet his face soon warped. His hand reached for his head while his entire psyche began to shake.
"W-What's going on…?"
Damien took a step back as if he was moving out of the way.
The pirate's eyes reddened as his entire body ballooned up as if to blow up.
"What's up, big bro?"
*Pop* Like a grape, the pirate simply exploded into a gooey mess, unleashing a red mist everywhere.
"B-Big bro!!"
Damien hummed and patted the shoulder of the dead pirate's brother, "Your brother made a mess of my lawn. Why don't you clean this up, I'm not a fan of seeing such brutality in front of my balcony."
"…"
The bright and honest young Damien walked ahead, leaving the quivering folk alone.
"I'll tell you what, I'm not interested in your numbers, unlike Shiki, I prefer quality over quantity," the Sin Incarnate loudly announced. He then looked around as if supporting his point, "There's around five hundred of you here, only one of you can make it in my Division."
A pirate by the side felt confused, "You want us to select one?"
Damien just returned a half-smile, "You can 'select' one however you want, just know the quota is set."
The young Commander then walked onto his balcony to enjoy the view of the coming carnage.
"..."
An ominous silence as hundreds of pairs of eyes glanced at one another; the atmosphere grew tense, very much so.
A bloody feeling bubbled in the pirates' hearts, sending shivers down the backs of many.
Some walked away, trying their luck in the other Divisions. Eventually leaving behind three hundred or so men.
Some wanted to either bet on Damien's talent or take his spot via a challenge. And soon, a free-for-all all began.
…
Damien brought out some refreshments, drinking a fresh glass of lemonade to aid him in the evening sun.
Meanwhile, the air had already grown rosy with the excess blood.
Loud clangs and bombs went off below, echoing through the streets of Hachinosu. A river of red flowed out under the noon sun.
"Die!"
"The spot is mine!"
"Yotototo! I'll take you all down!"
…
The Sin Incarnate sat for around ten minutes.
The battle royale had eliminated all the weaker ones who rushed in, leaving behind a hundred or so tough eggs.
Yet the new Division Commander wasn't impressed. Not until he saw a sharp light reflect the afternoon sun.
Damien's eyes darted to the side as he saw a shadowy figure shoot out from the side, whizzing through the crowd.
He had a sharp sword in hand, cleaving pirates left, right and center.
*Shing*
*Slash*
*Splatter*
Every cut left limbs in the air or blood on the floor. The red seeped into the earth below.
"Ahh!"
"My arm!"
"My balls!"
"Aughh!"
Damien nodded at the quick attacks, narrowing his eyes: each kill was efficient, cold, and fast; no excess movements and the usage of some decent enough Haki was present.
The pirate numbers dwindled into single digits soon enough.
"W-Wait, I quit the match, y-you can let me go now!"
"Yeah, we won't stand in your way!"
The assailant didn't blink.
Two heads flew into the sky and their lifeless bodies fell into a puddle of blood.
*Shing*
The blade cut the air as the man wiped the blood into one of his victim's robes.
*Click*
The sword was sheathed, leaving the sole survivor at attention before the Sin Incarnate.
Damien put down his drink with a soft tap.
*Clap* *Clap* *Clap* He inspected the sole pirate while giving him hearty applause.
The man seemed to be in his early twenties, standing a little under nine feet tall (2.74 m). He had dark skin and an athletic stature hidden under a black vest.
He also had tribal tattoos all over his body, especially his arms. All the while sporting a scar that ran along the left side of his neck and across his face. The long black hair in tandem with the long sideburns gave him a wolf-like appearance which was further underlined by his sharp eyes.
[Image (in Discord)]
.
"You're different from the other scum that finds their way to this hellish island," Damien said while cupping his chin.
"What's your name?"
The pirate looked straight into Damien's eyes and answered.
"Zenora Indra."
Hearing the firm tone of voice earned a nod from Damien.
*Fwoo*
It was a quick movement of air. Indra took a deep breath as he saw Damien already standing in front of him; faster than he could track.
The notorious pirate was a foot and a half taller, eclipsing the swordsman.
"Welcome to the Fourth Division of the Rocks Pirates, Zenora Indra," Damien declared. "You seem to have a story. I look forward to hearing it one day."
Indra returned a deep nod, conveying his thoughts with concise movements.
.
Damien then felt a powerful existence coming, directing his attention to the giant figure of a certain pirate.
"Newgate-san, what brings you to my humble little corner?"
Naturally, anyone considered 'giant' by Damien was indeed quite larger than life.
"Gurarara, I thought I smelled a lot of blood, looks like you got some cleaning to do." Whitebeard walked around relaxedly, his weapon always at hand on this island.
Damien shrugged, "Don't worry, I'm sure I can 'encourage' some pirates to clean it up."
The words earned a chuckle from Whitebeard who found himself inspecting Indra. "Hmm, I heard Rocks gave you a Division, looks like you found a rough gem."
Damien nodded in agreement.
"Well you're a guest here and my mother raised me to treat my guests with hospitality, you want tea or saké?" he asked.
Naturally, Damien knew the answer as he threw some premium alcohol at the man.
Whitebeard sat on a broken piece of concrete.
*Gurrup* Moments passed as Newgate exhaled a refreshed sigh. "This stuff is pretty good."
Damien also sat nearby, sipping his drink.
Indra was effectively a guard, opting for silence by the side.
"So, Newgate-san, I take it Sphinx Island is doing well?"
The large pirate firmly nodded, "I send a decent sum of gold there every month, the hardest part is finding someone trustworthy enough to deliver it."
Damien wasn't surprised. "With Borealis now dead, I take it the Captain wants the other Overlords?"
"That's right, he's gonna wait a while to restock on some fodders," Whitebeard informed his younger colleague. "If anything, he'll probably send you for some big mission soon; be ready."
The words raised an eyebrow for sure.
Although the majority of the pirates were partaking in a banquet with music, laughter and sex, the two pirates just drank in silence, enjoying the warm sun of a peaceful day.
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[Later]
Damien had forced some pirates to clean up his yard, paying a fair wage of 10 berries per year of manual labour.
Indra had been sent to the dueling square of Hachinosu to practice his skills for the day. Mostly the Haki that needed sharpening.
"Now then, it's about time to take in my goodies," Damien muttered as he sat alone in his yard.
"First, to evolve…"
The pirate began to control his breathing, calming his heart rate down to around ten beats per minute.
The blood flowing through his veins began to bubble and churn, getting thicker and more potent. The muscle linings tightened and grew stronger. Cracks echoed out from the young pirate's body as they creaked into a stronger material.
Damien gave out a deep breath as his body reached a new level, a catharsis of relief.
[{Lightning Recovery} has evolved into {Titanic Recovery}]
[{Mighty Vitality} has evolved into {Titanic Vitality}]
A wave of heat passed through the young man's body and his eyes sharpened with his newfound power.
[{Titanic Recovery} – 3 times the speed of {Lightening Recovery}]
[{Titanic Vitality} – 3 times the durability of {Mighty Vitality}]
Damien couldn't help but smile at the feeling of practically being reborn. By instinct, he felt that even if he cut off his own arm, as long as he held it near the stump, it would be able to reconnect!
"..."
Yet he was soon assaulted by the familiar feeling of something missing.
"What the hell?" Damien muttered, inspecting his body and subconsciously placing a palm over his heart.
He now felt an opening in his entire structure. It felt as if he could fill his very skeleton with energy.
[Damien, it seems your body unlocked a new anatomy to achieve something called 'Black Bones',] Sibyl explained.
[{Black Bones} – Allows for the acceptance of Armament Haki to further harden one's bones to the point of turning black.]
Damien blinked.
It sounded awfully like a Black Blade used by the likes of the future Mihawk or the past Ryuma.
"Seeping Haki into my skeletal system will take quite a long time and probably won't be a single-stage thing…" he surmised.
And the details on the anatomy supported his thoughts.
Bones had four main layers:
Periosteum – The soft outer covering over the bone's surface.
Cortical Bone – The hard and thick layer.
Cancellous Bone – The inner spongy layer.
Bone Marrow – The very core of the bone where all blood cells are made.
These divided Damien's new anatomy into four main stages: Black Bones (I) through (IV).
"I guess the best way to seep the Haki in would be to get beaten up a lot, or perhaps jump off a few Sky Islands." The pirate scratched his chin in thought, pondering on the possibilities. "Either way, it won't be a quick process but each level should drastically improve my overall structural integrity."
"Evolution out of the way, there's one last thing on the menu," he muttered.
Damien then took another deep breath, calming his excited heart. "Sibyl, assimilate the Underwater Breathing."
[Alright, the new ability will fuse into your DNA now.]
Damien closed his eyes, not sure what to expect.
"..."
Thirty seconds passed.
"Anytime now…"
[It's already done.]
Damien paused.
"Really? I don't feel anything?"
Sibyl explained immediately, [It's part of your being now, completely natural. Just try to imagine being underwater and breathing freely.]
Damien did so.
He felt his mind submerge under the dangerous waters of the ocean, the kryptonite of all devil fruit users.
And then they emerged!
Thin gills opened up around his throat. Slits of skin separating, opening gaps within.
Damien opened his eyes, walking toward a mirror: "Quite the peculiar sight."
He had officially taken in the {Underwater Breathing} skill and was now halfway to reaching the point of being immune to the Curse of the Sea!
Returning his psyche to land, his gills closing automatically, disappearing away. It was now a natural sense.
Damien stood up, stretching his body, feeling excess strength coursing through his veins leading to a familiar desire.
*Grumble*
"I'm hungry."
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[Later that Day]
*Burp*
Damien finished a hearty meal at the main eatery.
Hundreds of pirates were here and another one had arrived in front of him.
"What is it, Amber?"
The petite shadow lowered her head.
"The Captain and Shakky-sama are awaiting your presence," she said in a sharp voice.
Damien narrowed his eyes in thought. "Alright." The Sin Incarnate left for Skull Rock right away while muttering to himself, "No rest for the wicked…"
To Be Continued…
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Author's Corner.
As written in the Rework-Notes over a year ago, Indra's appearance was changed. In the original story, he was meant to be more of a side character but turned out to become something more so I had to devise some plot for him.
Now I wonder what Rocks has got for Damien to do...
Images are available on Discord alongside other niche details: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q