While Ethan Sugawa swallowed a Blood Pill to heal his injuries, his mind continuously replayed Roger's sword strike, carefully comprehending the black lightning still surging within his body.
He could feel his understanding of Conqueror's Haki gradually deepening. It wouldn't be long before he fully mastered Conqueror's Coating.
Determined, Ethan calmed his mind, sat cross-legged on the ground, and silently began his intense comprehension.
…
On the other side.
Roger, noticing that Ethan was already on the verge of grasping the essence of Conqueror's Coating, saw no need to linger. He turned to the gathered crew and shouted loudly:
"Raise the sails! We're setting off!"
Shanks pointed hesitantly toward Ethan, who was still seated on the beach, and asked with concern:
"Captain Roger, are we really just going to leave Ethan here? He's still injured. What if the Marines come and capture him?"
"Relax. These injuries are nothing to him. He'll be fully recovered in the blink of an eye."
Roger spoke calmly. "Even if this little island had a Marine garrison, they wouldn't stand a chance against Ethan."
"To actually bring him down, the Marines would need to send at least an Admiral."
Hearing Roger's words, Shanks finally let go of his worry. He turned and took one last deep look at Ethan, then disappeared from the deck.
"The next time we meet… I will definitely surpass you…"
…
On the shore.
Ethan didn't awaken from his meditation until after the sun had set.
By then, the Conqueror's Haki pressure radiating from his body had become tangible, coiling around him in streaks of black lightning.
Looking down at the arcs of electricity in his palm, Ethan's lips curled into a bright smile.
"I finally mastered Conqueror's Coating!"
Although his control was still imperfect and there were many flaws, this confirmed that he had successfully trained his Conqueror's Haki to the top level.
On the Grand Line, he could now be considered a true top-tier powerhouse.
"My raw strength won't see major improvements for a while. I should now focus on nurturing the Primordial Spirit and the Flower of Life, preparing to consume a second and third Devil Fruit in the future."
As he walked toward the small town on the island, Ethan laid out his plan in his mind:
"Besides that, the Asura Fruit still has untapped potential. I need to fully develop its powers next."
He currently could only manifest four arms from his six-armed form, far from the Devil Fruit's upper limit.
In addition to the sacred Asura flames he had already unlocked, there were still two other elemental powers that had yet to awaken.
Over the past year, his attention had been completely consumed by physical training, swordsmanship, and Haki. He had neglected developing his Devil Fruit.
"It's time to prioritize that now."
With this in mind, Ethan entered the town, casually found a place to stay, and began preparing for his solo voyage.
…
Three months later.
On an unnamed pirate ship sailing the Grand Line.
"Spare me! Please, I beg you!"
Ethan stood over the ship's captain, who lay on the deck like a dead dog. A cold smirk crept across Ethan's lips.
"Spare you? When you were plundering and slaughtering those helpless civilians, did you spare them?"
"I… I'll give you all the treasure I've stolen…"
Ethan gave him no chance to plead further. Black flames suddenly ignited in his palm and instantly engulfed the pirate captain.
Agonized screams echoed across the deck, but within moments, the man's life was extinguished, his body lying motionless.
Even after his death, the black flames hadn't physically harmed his body. His skin remained flawless, as if he were still alive.
Apart from lacking breath, he looked no different from a living man.
These black flames were called Nether Ghostfire a new flame Ethan had developed by fusing his Soul Power with the Sacred Asura Flame.
Unlike the Sacred Asura Flame, which could only attack the physical body, the Nether Ghostfire directly targeted the soul.
Anyone tainted by it would have their soul eternally tormented by its flames until death.
If Ethan were to face an opponent like the Five Elders again one with monstrous regeneration he now had the means to burn their soul directly with the Nether Ghostfire.
After annihilating everyone on board, Ethan quickly began collecting his spoils starting with the pirates' souls and blood.
All of these would be used to cultivate his Primordial Spirit and the Flower of Life.
After three months of relentless hunting, the Primordial Spirit Flower was on the verge of blooming. Ethan only needed to absorb one hundred more souls to fully awaken it.
Once it bloomed, he would possess his Primordial Spirit, allowing him to consume a second Devil Fruit.
Aside from that, he also looted the ship's treasure storage, quickly estimating its worth at about 100 million Berries.
After securing the treasure, Ethan was preparing to set sail in search of new prey when a seagull suddenly landed on his shoulder.
It quickly pulled out a Den Den Mushi from its feathers and handed it to him.
Before Ethan could figure out what was happening, the Den Den Mushi suddenly transmitted a familiar voice:
"Moshi Moshi? Ethan, is that you? It's Stussy."
"Stussy?"
Ethan blinked, his curiosity piqued.
"You've been gone for so long without contacting me. Why now? Did something come up?"
"Exactly!"
Stussy's tone was urgent. "Kaido's been captured. Did you hear?"
"So what if he was?" Ethan picked his ear lazily, completely unconcerned.
"Kaido's skin is like armor. He's not going to die from this. No need to worry about him."
"That's not the point."
Stussy's voice grew serious. "You said you wanted to obtain the World Government's advanced technologies, right?"
"They're currently extracting Kaido's lineage factor to develop artificial Devil Fruits. I've heard they're making real progress. They've already successfully created a batch of artificial Devil Fruits."
"For real?"
Ethan's interest skyrocketed.
He hadn't expected that just as the Primordial Spirit Flower was about to bloom, he'd also stumble upon a new lead regarding artificial Devil Fruits.
The timing couldn't have been more perfect.
Stussy continued, "Vegapunk and the others are conducting the research where Kaido is being held. If you want to get your hands on the artificial Devil Fruit technology, you'll need to intercept them before they relocate."
She provided Ethan with the coordinates of the island and shared additional details before hanging up.
"This time, I'll make sure the World Government suffers a heavy loss!"
Ethan immediately set sail, steering his pirate ship toward the island where Kaido was being held.
…
Three days later.
Ethan finally arrived at his destination.
To avoid detection, he anchored his ship a full one hundred nautical miles away.
He then flew alone toward the island.
From the sky, he could already see Marines patrolling the coast and several CP0 agents stationed on-site.
"Even CP0 is here. Looks like Stussy's intel was spot on. Vegapunk and his team really are here."
Ethan's eyes lit up with excitement. If he could capture Vegapunk, he would gain control over not only artificial Devil Fruits but also countless other cutting-edge technologies.
Though his desire burned intensely, Ethan didn't act recklessly.
"With my current Conqueror's Haki, I still can't fully suppress CP0. If I can't take them out instantly, the ensuing battle will definitely draw attention."
"I need to find the perfect opportunity to deliver a decisive strike."
After waiting for several hours, Ethan finally found a gap in their defense.
In an instant, he launched his assault toward CP0 at lightning speed.
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Oh, you like the story? Wow, who knew. Go ahead, drop a review and throw some power stones maybe I'll be motivated to keep going.