下載應用程式
35.55% One Piece: Path to Power / Chapter 60: [60] New Heights

章節 60: [60] New Heights

[2735 words]

I released chapters 59 and 60 together, make sure you didn't miss the previous one.

----------------------------------------------

[Mortem Island]

A dark-haired young man was currently sitting on top of a tree stump. His regal attire floated in the breeze.

Just being there had let the surrounding grass and nature blossom vigorously. Dead leaves turned vibrant, the grass grew greener than ever; quite the scene. 

"..."

Damien had his eyes closed, fully focusing his mind on the inside. 

Not something like training his soul or whatever nonsense, instead, he was focussing on his very body. The muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones, organs, organ systems, and even nerves. 

"I can feel their minute details but not even close to manipulating them, let alone the cells," he murmured. 

Out of boredom, he unloaded his conscience onto the tips of the hair on his head. 

*Fzzz*

Like tentacles, each strand started to stand up and move, as if with its own brain. "Though my hair isn't long enough for anything useful, not that I want to turn into a pervy sage."

He then loosened the ability and pondered. 

Naturally, it was Life Return. 

Though before he could continue, his Observation flared, evident by the red flash of his eyes. 

.

"Oh, so that's what it does," he said while glancing at the purple flower pattern on the ground nearby. 

*Fwooo*

A blast of air erupted as the inscription glowed with purple brilliance. It took but a second for a human silhouette to arise. 

Dressed in black, though without her reflective mask—a wild Aurora appeared!

"So that was your little surprise," Damien commented. 

The girl beamed a slight smile and responded, "I was able to develop a lot of new abilities after you trained me at Fishman Island. One of them is with these Aether Anchors that allow me to materialize myself wherever they are imprinted."

"Unfortunately, even a drop of seawater can destroy them, but they can be very convenient."

Damien hummed at the revelation, nodding at its usefulness.

However, he then switched the topic and addressed the elephant in the room. "So, how was it?" 

Aurora lightly exhaled before giving a deep nod, her eyes firmer than ever before, something Damien picked up immediately. 

"Everything went well!" she said, her chipper inflection betraying the calm response. 

Damien grinned at her attempt to hide her excitement.

"Don't be embarrassed, it felt good, didn't it? To make a bunch of scum dance to your words."

The comment left the girl a little speechless. 

That's their place," Damien said, standing up. "If you want to grasp them by their throats, you must use an iron fist. Otherwise, they will stab you in the back."

The girl nodded with a serious expression, inputting the advice into her mind. 

"And as long as you satiate their greed, they will do as you say. If they get too greedy then make an example out of them."

Aurora nodded once again, "I know, I won't let you down."

Damien was pleased with the turn of events, smiling in return. 

.

"How should I deal with the spies?" Aurora then asked.

During her preliminary scout of the island, she found many spies walking around. The big thing was that they did not even try to hide; Barro's control was so weak that his own men didn't execute the orders to remove said spies.

"What do you think?" Damien questioned back.

Aurora looked as if she was expecting such a response and aired her thoughts, "Kill the ones on the surface to let them know that Barro's weak grasp has been eradicated… leave the more hidden ones alive."

Damien raised an eyebrow at the second part, to which the girl elaborated.

"If I purge them all then it will end up inviting more trouble in the form of attention of both pirates and the World Government."

Damien nodded in agreement.

"Just remember that all of your actions in the Underworld must remain under the veil of the night."

Aurora smiled. "I know, the Government would never allow the Sin Incarnate's evil claws to seep into the Underworld. Don't worry, I'll make sure they can't trace it back to you."

She then took out a Devil Fruit and handed it to Damien, all the while revealing the small book.

The diary brought curiosity to the pirate's face: "That is?"

Aurora beamed a confident smile and replied, "This is my textbook! Since you want me to manage the Underworld, I'll have to read up on every bit of Barro's notes. He may have turned into a shell of his former self but these notes go back decades, even into his prime years." 

Damien hummed. He noticed that Aurora was quite excited by the sound of her tone, perhaps she had some aspirations in business before her life was turned upside down.

"Then I'll leave you to it."

The girl leaked an honest smile before dissolving away into purple clouds and the anchor from before, leaving Damien alone.

"Her powers are a bit broken," he murmured before shaking his head and bringing up some data.

>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=<

[Amethyst Aurora]

[Age: 18 years, 7 months, 29 days]

[Height: 9' 3"] (2.81 m)

[Status: Healthy]

[Devil Fruit: Aether-Aether Fruit (Nigh-Advanced Mastery) ↑]

[Fruit Rating: 6.5 Stars]

[Skills: Shave]

[Haki: Observation Haki (Intermediate Mastery) ↑]

[Strength: Pseudo Yonko Commander ↑] 

(A/N: Her strength levelling back in Chapter 20 was brought down to the "New World Pirate" level.)

>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=<

Naturally, everything had gone up since he last reviewed her statistics, over a year and a half now. Aurora's strength was getting more noticeable.

"But she's still too reliant on her Logia abilities to awaken Armament Haki," he muttered.

Damien had a feeling that Zephyr had woken her up from that faux reality of invincibility, reflected in her recent initiatives.

"Sibyl, bring up my stats as well," he ordered.

[Coming right up…]

>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=<

[Einar D. Damien]

[Age: 17 years, 10 months, 9 days]

[Height: 11' 3"] (3.43 m)

[Status: Thriving]

[Devil Fruit: Pulverize Pulverize Fruit (Advanced Mastery) ↑]

[Fruit Rating: 6.5 Stars]

[Seastone Resistance: 100.0% ↑]

[Notable Characteristics: Black Bones (III) ↑]

[Skills: Titanic Recovery, Titanic Vitality, Evolable Anatomy, Voice of All Things, Will of D., Rokushiki, Underwater Breathing, Life Return (Initial Mastery) ↑]

[Haki: Observation Haki (Advanced Mastery), Armament Haki (Nigh-Advanced Mastery) ↑, Conqueror's Haki (Intermediate Mastery)]

[Strength: Bottom Tier Yonko ↑]

(The requirements to unlock {Underwater Maneuverability} have been reached.)

>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=<

Such a row of data was not overly surprising to the young pirate; as expected, quite a lot of increasing arrows.

Fruit mastery, physique, seastone resistance, and Armament Haki had all gone up. Ultimately reaching the level considered to be a 'Yonko' of the future.

"Unfortunately, it's the weakest bound of a Yonko, the likes of Shiki, Linlin, Whitebeard, Rayleigh, Roger, and Rocks, all outclass me by miles," the pirate muttered, cupping his chin.

However, the final little line left Damien quite intrigued.

"Is that the bar to get that other skill?"

[Yes, Damien. To begin with, the skills of {Underwater Breathing} and {Underwater Maneuverability} were only locked to prove your worth to the original System User. You have met both requirements so it's all yours,} Sibyl explained.

"Absorb it, then."

*Krr*

Damien felt his body tingle for a second, though perhaps that was just his excitement. All in all, it was rather anticlimactic.

"Well, I guess there's only one way to test it out."

*Vvoosh!* He utilized his masterful Rokushiki and appeared at the edge of the chaotic island and without a wasted second, dived into it.

A large burst of water went off as Damien's towering body fell to sea.

The pirate's throat itched for a second as the gills made their appearance, enabling him to breathe.

He felt comfortable with his current breathing and tried to swim... And beautifully enough, he was swimming!

'Rahaha! It's been a while since I've been able to feel the grace of the sea!'

For the next hour, Damien soared through the seas, relearning his swimming techniques and simply feeling the freedom of the infinite water. It was truly exhilarating!

----------------------------------------------

[Marine Branch G-2, Grand Line]

G-2. Home of the current Marine Science Unit.

It was headed by a mad scientist that the Government found trying to destroy the world, so naturally, they recruited him and gave him resources to spit out something ground-breaking.

"We have gotten the necessary measurements, Zephyr-kun," the head researcher said.

He was naturally addressing the tall Vice Admiral who sat patiently on the table.

"I'm grateful," the navy man replied.

The researcher nodded and walked to a box of metal. With a click, It opened.

Zephyr glanced at it from afar with a look of appreciation. "Such pure seastone, where did you get it?" he could not help but ask.

"Kukuku! Government secrets, Zephyr-kun. I simply cannot tell you that Cipher Pol has been excavating a mine filled with sea prism at the bottom of the sea."

"..."

The Admiral Candidate had to pause but chose against bringing it up. The researcher also acted like it did not happen, carrying the box onto the metal table.

A huge contraption armed with laser emitters and other complicated wirings was held directly above. A mould with an arm-sized depression was placed under the huge brick of seastone.

"Do cover your eyes."

The engine then roared as the machine did its thing.

*Bzzzz* Loud drilling sounds went off as the laser began to slice apart the main size of the arm, leaving the finer details off for later.

It then began to emit an immense amount of heat, enough to melt human skin.

The heat was transferred to the arm-like piece of metal, turning it red-hot within tens of seconds.

Water in the air evaporated at great speeds as a huge piece of diamond-tough metal was directly lowered onto the arm.

The heat made the Seastone malleable and the tough metal lowered on top squeezed the molten ore into the arm-sized mould, filling it up as desired.

It took but two minutes to finish, leaving behind the fiery arm that was still way too hot. The researcher then lowered the mould with the arm into a huge tub of water.

*Sizzle*

Sharp hisses went off as the heat began to dissipate, bringing the colour down to a shiny silver.

Five men walked over, picked up the metal box and placed it before Zephyr with a loud thud. The sheer weight was enough to leave the burly men gasping for air.

"It's 100% pure seastone which is truly hard to acquire outside of Wano. I hope you don't lose this one, Zephyr-kun."

The Vice Admiral nodded, duly noting the Five Elders' warnings through the scientist.

He walked over and grabbed the arm with his left one, clawing at the metal. He picked it up with ease and held it on display.

The clean shine of the pristine metal. The sleek design was exceptionally resemblant to a human arm, if covered with cloth and glove, it would be indistinguishable.

In addition, every joint was wrapped with a golden metal to provide flexibility and range of motion. 

[Image of the Arm (in Discord)]

.

"It's incredible."

The researcher agreed, slowly taking the tiny wires at the shoulder end of the arm and connecting them to a receiver that was drilled into Zephyr's stump before this moment.

The Vice Admiral grunted in pain as the screws lodged in his bones began to pull with the weight of the arm, slowly clicking into place.

A few drops of blood dribbled down the sleek limb, reflecting a crimson gleam.

Zephyr started to extend, doing some simple motions, his mind learning the new limb.

"You still need a few months of therapy to get used to it, don't strain your bones too much," the scientist warned.

Zephyr nodded, admiring the weapon that had become his arm.

"My thanks to you, Tensai, I knew you could use your genius mind for good."

"Once you've all healed up, you will truly become the bane of Devil Fruit, Kukuku!" the researcher could not help but smirk at the thought.

The Vice Admiral concurred.

The time was coming for him to prove himself to the top dogs once more, Black Arm Zephyr would return with a bang!

----------------------------------------------

[Marineford]

"Herja was defeated and thrown to G-1 by Shiki, what a ruthless pirate."

Kong leaned into his seat, pondering at the news.

"It also seems that we underestimated Charlotte Linlin, she truly deserves her spot as a First-Class Threat."

He massaged his temples as his tone turned sour, "Then there's Rocks. For some reason, I feel more and more apprehensive since his sudden departure than I ever did when he was making a mess…"

Kong had it tough; it would not be long till his hair was completely gray with all this chaos.

He then answered a call and finally received some good news.

"So Zephyr will soon be back in action, thank the seas."

He then brought up a stack of bounties and outlined all the major threats. It was time to re-examine the threats of the New World once more.

----------------------------------------------

[Mortem Island]

[The Very Next Morning]

"Shiki has no patience," Damien muttered as he held onto the newspaper.

It detailed every bit of the war, simply stating the facts. 

Shiki and Linlin took their Divisions to raid the Angelic Sea. The two wiped out the Angelic Sixteen Fodders with ease, inviting the wrath of Herja.

Though it seemed her huge fleet of pirates took quite a while, nearly five months to wipe out due to the constant interruption of the Marines led by Kurowashi. The Admiral was committed to wasting away the pirate forces' numbers.

Alas, it ended yesterday, marking its existence in the history books to come.

.

"Such high numbers, it really makes people envy," Damien casually said as he looked at the two bounties.

One with the menacing grin of Shiki, and one with Linlin's voluptuous figure on full display, perhaps credit was due to the magical photographers of the seas.

-----< WANTED >-----

< CHARLOTTE⋅LINLIN >

< 'Evil Spirit' >

< 𝔅 2,188,000,000 - >

< DEAD or ALIVE >

-----< WANTED >-----

< SHIKI >

< 'Golden Lion' >

< 𝔅 2,804,990,000 - >

< DEAD or ALIVE >

----------------------------

Though apart from the high reward, there was a little detail in the report Damien noticed.

"Looks like those Directors still have a good sense," he said, "Limiting any negativity toward the World Government, bending enough to somewhat calm the Five Elders."

"Though it's a river ready to burst, I need to liberate the Agency soon."

.

At the same time, he saw a purple shadow materialize in front of him.

"Damien," the figure called out. "You called for me?"

"Yo," he greeted, looking at the girl dressed in all black.

Aurora smiled at her captain. However, that joy soon plummeted at her next thought: "Are you leaving for Wano soon?"

"That's right, the Sea Kings are ready to escort us, it's about time I go to the Land of Samurai," he answered.

The girl nodded, though her mood was slightly dim.

Damien then reached into his regal coat and pulled out a small pendant.

He inched forward and casually moved aside her silky hair to put the accessory around her neck.

Though his casual intentions left the one on the receiving end to freeze; Aurora's face reddened up as she felt Damien's breath hit her neck as the pendant was fully equipped.

The girl was so enraptured by what took place that her mind seemed to ignore the seastone's effects for a second.

"…"

Soon enough, she fell to the ground, though enough time for Damien to grab her shoulders to stabilize her.

"This…" she weakly muttered.

"It'll help you build immunity to the metal. I want you to liberate your reliance on your Devil Fruit and master the Haki you have seen Zephyr and myself use," he lightly explained.

The girl tried to hide her difficulty. "Armament Haki…" she murmured as she recalled her desperation against the Black Arm.

Someone who essentially overwhelmed her powerful ability to the point of trying to kill herself to take him down.

Ignoring her weakness, she slowly escaped Damien's grasp and stood up, trying to show a look of determination.

"I will have Barro's Empire ready by the time you return!" she declared with a resolute voice, surmounting the weakening of the Seatstone.

Damien was pleased with her determination as his crimson eyes fell upon the purple-haired assassin.

"Very good, I look forward to the height you can reach by the time I return from Wano."

To Be Continued…

----------------------------------------------

Author's Corner.

That deals with the side activities, off to Wano now.

Images are available on Discord alongside other niche details: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q


next chapter

章節 61: [61] The Land of Samurai

[2940 words]

A new giveaway is live on the Discord!

The winner has the choice to create their own Supreme Grade Weapon that will be used by a character later on down the line! It ends next Thursday: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q

----------------------------------------------

[The Edge of the Island]

"Ehh? Is it already time?" Kuzan's childish voice grumbled. 

They were at the South End of Mortem Island, the sole location with decent and pleasant weather at most times. 

Kuzan watched as the Sea Skimmer was placed and the Sea Kings came and grabbed the long ropes at the boat's head. He also saw some baboons running around, transporting supplies and food to the boat, preparing to depart any second. 

"Don't worry, Kuzan. I'll come by every here and there to keep you company," Aurora comforted the boy. 

He looked up and narrowed his eyes, "Something's off with you Aurora-nee, you seem more… lively."

The purple-haired girl paused for a second to think over his words, "You think so?" she asked him and herself. 

"Maybe I am," she said with a smile, glancing again at the soon-to-depart boat. 

.

At that moment, a giant hand fell upon the ice boy's head, turning to both sides and messing up his hair. 

"Don't make trouble while I'm gone," Damien's voice echoed in his ears. 

The boy jumped back, a scowl on his face: "Just watch, one day I'll freeze you before you can even think to mess up my hair!"

Damien chuckled at the bold words and left a few words to cheer Kuzan up: "If you impress me enough when I'm back, maybe I'll let you in on some new techniques you can do with your Devil Fruit." 

The words were enough to bring him some spirit as he pumped his fists.

.

"He's a bright and innocent child," Toki, who had arrived, commented. 

Damien hummed, though his face was not all that approving. "Bright and innocent suffer the most; he still sees the world through a peak hole."

Toki was not as pessimistic, rather she softly said, "I'm sure it'll all work out well."

The pirate chose against replying and left for the boat, giving a single wave backwards, "I'll see you later, Aurora."

Toki walked beside him, "Aurora-san, stay safe."

.

The purple-haired girl gave a lively smile, treasuring the newfound bonds. She watched their boat skim away, off to the turbulent sea. Their destination: The Land of Wano! 

----------------------------------------------

[Few Days Later]

The duo had crossed into the New World via Fishman Island. 

Damien went in quickly and without alerting even the people of the island. He knew Cipher Pol were even more present at the entrances and exits of the main areas of the world. As of now, he preferred a quieter trip. 

.

"Here I thought you would be excited to get closer to Wano, yet you seem so on edge," Damien commented at Toki's ambivalent expression as they drifted through the Calm Belt.

The green-haired girl looked up and gave her usual smile. 

"It's just that I never thought my life-long wish could be fulfilled one day," she slowly answered. "It's a little surreal."

Damien hummed at her thoughts. 

"Last I recall, you wanted to cast away your chains, well it's time to take the first step. Don't worry, I'll help you."

Toki felt relieved by the words, feeling more comfortable with what was to come. 

She even leaked a small laugh, "Damien-san, you have a kind heart," she said with a bright smile. 

The pirate hailed as the Sin Incarnate returned a wry smile. "'Kind'? There are a few billion people out there who would disagree with that."

However, the words didn't affect Toki: "Well, they don't know you like I do."

"Is that how it is?"

"Yes!" the girl exclaimed, feeling excited to finally go to her home.

In a matter of a few days of straight travel through the Calm Belt and with the help of some rather fast Sea Kings, the Sea Skimmer reached its target.

The gigantic Wano Waterfalls dwarfed the vessel in their magnificence. The sheer pressure created by the huge amount of water was enough to crush an ordinary ship into pieces all while drowning the area with its mind-rattling noise.

Not only that, but the nearby weather was just as chaotic. Stormy skies and heavy rain made it their sole duty to remain perpetually here, marking a significant obstacle to all invaders.

.

Damien, who stood at the hull of the boat, was not threatened by the display but couldn't help but mutter under his breath: "This thing better not fall apart from the water pressure."

The ship he had forever borrowed was from a super rookie who had stolen it from some rather wealthy individuals and could be considered a reinforced vessel.

{Bring us up.}

The words seemed like any other utterances, and yet they carried a degree of authority that echoed through the turbulent sea.

It took but a moment before the water exploded into a chain of splashes and five giant koi fish jumped up from below.

Damien was pleased with their appearance, and how they then grabbed the three ropes that were bound to the boat.

*Creak* The Sea Skimmer remained solid, though the point where the ropes were attached let out some dull sounds, other than that, it was alright.

The koi soon jumped into the water and began climbing it! They zoomed through the fall and rushed on without any difficulty.

"Wow, this is the soil of my home island!?" Toki said with starry eyes, grabbing a fistful of the mineral.

"It's just dirt," Damien deadpanned from the sides.

Though the pirate's appearance caused the vegetation to spark in life, however, there was not much there to begin with; a wasteland.

"Such a barren place, it must be Kuri," Damien commented.

It was South of the Flower Capital of Wano, a lawless land of corpses and criminals.

[Wano Map Image (in Discord)]

.

The two made their way through the wasteland, eventually reaching a forested area.

Damien leaked a smile as he felt the embrace of foreign nature around him. 

He felt the breath of so many unknown and exotic species of nature never seen before; a truly special feeling.

Toki was also fascinated with the trees, though to any normal person, it was like a mermaid seeing a forest for the first time in their life. 

{Show me the way to the Capital,} Damien ordered them.

Immediately, a path was cleared by the recession of grass and shrubs to the North.

[Twenty Minutes Later]

The smell of unpolluted air was quite refreshing, leaving Toki enraptured.

"You seem quite impressed by a few trees."

The girl was a little embarrassed and gave a small pout, "I'm just a little excited!"

Though at that moment a roar went off.

*Rumble*

A giant crocodile rushed out from the cover of a mangrove, its giant maw the size of a ship. It charged on toward the two people who he thought were a free meal.

"Oh look, Toki. Even the wildlife of this country is so welcoming that they offered us a ride."

Damien's words came in unison with a deafening boom as his palm dug into the beast's head. "Raawr!" it cried out in pain, forced onto its belly as its limbs waved around frantically, losing the previous flair.

"You did come here to offer us a ride, isn't that so?" 

The alligator was leaking tears from its eyes, naturally, it could not help but incessantly nod, turning around in difficulty while offering its back.

[An Hour Later]

The party of two zoomed through the wasteland, nearing the border.

"!!!" However, it was not going to continue as smoothly once Damien received a warning from the forest.

*Fwooo* The air whistled as an arrow skimmed over and neared the pirate's chest.

*Ting* Unlike expected, the bladed edge simply exploded while the wooden body crumbled into bits upon contact with its victim.

Meanwhile, Damien's eyes flashed red in Observation, studying the next volley of attacks.

Dozens aimed at the alligator, an equal amount at Toki, and a few hundred at Damien. Naturally, the girl had also perceived the threat, her body jumping into action.

*Vooosh* *Vooosh* *Vooosh*

A volley of hundred or so arrows soon hurled their way over to the party of three, mercilessly aimed at their hearts and heads.

"Toki, it seems your fellow islanders have an interesting way to greet their guests," Damien casually commented.

.

"Obliteration Pulse."

.

A spherical burst of crimson energy soon rushed out from the pirate's body, shredding and annihilating the coming projectiles without issue.

The pulverizing energy was so masterfully used that it seemed to stop before hurting the alligator, the girl, or even the land beneath.

.

"Omega Beams."

.

*Szzzz* Two beams of destruction blasted out from the eyes of the man they deemed a sorcerer and began to dance around him.

They whizzed through the air, leaving a trail of demolition at every bounce and ricochet they performed.

The attackers could not even react before the two beams began to cut down their numbers by the dozens per second.

"Augh!"

"Ughh!"

"Aoowww!"

The beams went on mercilessly, leaving a trail of bodies and bits of flesh. Just like that, 70 or so men died before Damien purposefully reined back his attack.

*Rumble*

A loud and ground-shaking sound resounded in the now-quiet area as a giant shadow emerged from the trees.

The figure was that of a man who wore an open kimono with flowers that left his chest exposed. The face belonged to a young teenager with long, pink hair, standing over fifteen feet tall (4.57 m)!

His face brimmed with anger as he glared at Damien. "You! You slaughtered my men, I'm gonna kill you!"

Damien eyed the brazen lad and questioned, "You're the boss of these low-level thugs?"

"I'm Ashura Doji, the Ruler of Kuri!" he proclaimed with great zeal and anger.

[Image (in Discord)]

.

Damien did not respond to the boy's obvious look of wanting to fight.

*Shing*

The noise originated from the girl at his side. One who was once quite indecisive, now looking at the threat with calm eyes.

Her body was a little north of eight feet tall (2.44 m), yet Ashura was nearly twice her height!

"You think some weak woman can take me down, don't mess with me!" the samurai roared out, his blade drawn.

"I didn't expect my first interaction with a fellow Wano person to be like this," Toki said with a sigh, jumping down from the alligator.

Yet her words drew even more anger from the towering enemy: "You look like one of those pampered trash from the capital, you have no right to judge us who live in hell!"

The giant swordsman shot from his position, slashing at the girl without mercy with a blade that sliced through the air.

Clang!

The sound of metal hitting metal broke out as the two swords of vastly unequal sizes forced themselves onto each other.

Toki narrowed her eyes as she felt the weight pressing through her blade and onto her.

Boom!

The two continued a brief exchange of powerful slashes, though it was obvious Ashura Doji's wild attacks were superior. The blade began to press the girl down to the point where she had to rely on something else.

Bang!

Bam!

Boom!

Instead of blocking, Toki focused on parrying the attacks, using the giant samurai's weight against him which proved to be effective to hold off the first assault.

*Fwwm*

Eventually, Ashura grew impatient and imbued his weapon with pristine Haki.

*Clang!* The parry worked though it came at the cost of Toki's body being shoved back dozens of meters.

Her shoes dug into the soil below and her face was clouded with some difficulty. At this point, her katana glowed a vibrant green with the movement of her Devil Fruit.

.

"Time Enchantment."

.

Unlike before, Toki took offense. She used her lithe and slender figure to depart quick and carefully aimed attacks. Burst of green flashes glistened across the ruined grounds, filling the area with an ominous air.

Ashura Doji blocked the attack with ease, yet his eyes could not help but widen in shock. His Haki had thrown aside the bright green energy which had dissolved into the earth below.

*Hiss*

The soil immediately corroded and dried up, going from its earthy brown colour to sizzling into a burst of particles and drying up into nothingness; aged to the point of nonexistence.

"Sorcery!" Ashura exclaimed.

He jumped back subconsciously as if his body told him to retreat momentarily. 

Toki took the chance and raised her sword vertically.

"Time Bow."

The sword was soon flooded with familiar energy as it formed the shape of a bow.

The girl pulled back on the string as tens of equally-green arrows materialized.

.

"Nullity Rain."

.

The air howled under the unleashing of the volley of arrows. They swished through the air at great speeds, all aimed at the samurai.

"!!!"

Ashura's instincts flared once more as he began to whizz through the air.

"Dammit!" he groaned at the loss of control from the duel, being forced to retreat.

He glanced back and saw tiny craters that continued to expand under the aging enchants from the girl's powers.

The fear he felt fuelled his anger and he channeled it all into his weapon. The young samurai's eyes grew sharp as his sword began to tremble from the excess Haki.

*Fwwm!*

It flowed in and turned its colour into a raven-black gleam. It was enough to make even Damien impressed who watched from afar.

"Take this!" Ashura swung his blade in a diagonal cut, unleashing a slash of red sword energy. It sliced its way through the air and onto the swordswoman.

.

Toki put her bow aside and instead raised her thin right palm.

The familiar green energy appeared once more, swarming out to the very soil nearby.

It was barely a second before the minerals began to vibrate and burst into a cacophony of sand-like particles. The grains of sand came together behind Toki and formed an ancient clock with Roman numerals! 

At the center of the clock was an astrological spectacle, a bright sun at the core with stars surrounding it.

[Image (in Discord)]

.

"Clockworks: Aegis!"

.

The ancient clock responded to the words of its master as the two hands set to noon began to tick.

At the same time, a stream of energy burst out from the clock's center and collided with the coming slash.

Boom!

A shockwave burst out, sending tremors through the forested area.

*Tick* *Tock*

As the long hand of the clock spun around, the slash began to dry up and lose its power. The clock ticked on as the outcome became more and more obvious. 

The small hand barely passed "II" before the attack was rendered obsolete.

The result left Ashura shocked once more; seeing his attack slowly corrode away brought a fix of anger and fright to his eyes, leaving him in a frozen state.

.

Toki felt proud at the display, looking at Damien with a smile.

"Well, the defense is quite impressive, but you still lack in offense," Damien commented, staring at the giant clock. "That's enough, let's get going."

He then glanced at the headstrong young samurai and thought to himself, 'As expected of Oden's Nine Scabbards, their talent for Armament Haki is very high.'

.

Toki jumped next to the pirate, meanwhile, Damien's amusement was quickly lost as he gestured to his alligator carriage to resume the journey toward the Flower Capital.

"You! How dare you ignore me!" Ashura roared out as he saw the enemies planning to leave, breaking out from his earlier shock.

*Woosh!*

The larger-than-life samurai slightly bent down, gathering momentum before hopping into the sky with his giant body.

The blade was once again pulled, brimming with Haki and brought onto the departing pirate.

Clang!

Sounds of metal grazing one another resounded once more, though this time in a different fashion.

"H-How...!" Ashura's expression turned upside down as he saw Damien block his attack with his finger! Not only was the attack easily destroyed but the gargantuan samarui's weight was held up in the sky with next to no effort.

Even after channelling his all, Ashura Doji could not move an inch. 

The young samurai subconsciously took a deep breath as he felt the two crimson pupils lock onto himself, sending an instinctive chill down his back.

"It seems you spent so much time sharpening your blade that it left your brain dull."

A flash of black and red shone through the dreaded forests, followed by a sharp hiss of wind.

*Thud* Ashura's humongous body collapsed onto the ground covered in small craters and his eyes whitened out.

Damien did not even glance at the brazen samurai as the two tourists continued their journey.

.

"Damien-san, shouldn't you kill him?" came the bright girl's words.

The pirate glanced at Toki and asked with a hint of curiosity, "When did you turn so bloodthirsty?" 

She tapped her chin, seemingly confused, "My parents taught me that once a samurai draws their sword, they put their life on the line, so it's only natural to give them a quick and painless death."

The answer came alongside a radiant smile, displaying Toki's pride in her knowledge of Wano's traditions.

Damien looked back at the disappearing figure of the knocked-out and self-proclaimed ruler of Kuri and shrugged.

"Well, I suppose you're right, but he isn't worth killing."

[A While Later]

The two eventually made it to a cliff that overlooked a fantastic view of the Flower Capital. Vibrant colours; blossoming trees; mesmerizing scenery and an exuberant atmosphere.

Toki's eyes shined brighter than the sun, lost in the Capital's grandeur.

[Image of the Capital (in Discord)]

"It's beautiful," she murmured, "this is Wano, my home!"

To Be Continued…

----------------------------------------------

Author's Corner.

Officially in Wano. Toki debuted some moves after the 5-plus months of training. The Land of Samurai offers brilliant sights but houses many who take outsiders as enemies... let's see how things turn out for the two humble tourists who have come.

Images are available on Discord alongside other niche details: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q


Load failed, please RETRY

每周推薦票狀態

批量訂閱

目錄

顯示選項

背景

EoMt的

大小

章評

寫檢討 閱讀狀態: C60
無法發佈。請再試一次
  • 寫作品質
  • 更新的穩定性
  • 故事發展
  • 人物形象設計
  • 世界背景

總分 0.0

評論發佈成功! 閱讀更多評論
用推薦票投票
Rank 200+ 推薦票榜
Stone 66 推薦票
舉報不當內容
錯誤提示

舉報暴力內容

段落註釋

登錄

tip 段落評論

段落註釋功能現已上線!將滑鼠移到任何段落上,然後按下圖示以添加您的評論。

此外,您可以隨時在「設置」 中將其關閉/ 打開。

明白了