NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 2: The Rise of the White Raven
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"A Devil!" That was the young pirate's last thought. The grip on his neck jolted him partially sober, giving him a horrifying glimpse of Ian's transformed visage.
Then, he was consumed by a blinding white light, a Cero fired point-blank.
"Still too weak, huh?" Ian muttered. Currently, it could only obliterate a single head, far from the devastating power of the Espada in the original series, capable of leveling entire cities in an instant.
Sonido. That was the movement technique he had just employed, unique to Arrancar. Similar to the Shinigami's Shunpo, the Marines' Soru, and the Naruto universe's Body Flicker Technique.
However, one manipulated space, another was a ninjutsu, while the other two relied purely on physical prowess.
"What's this?" His pale green eyes caught sight of a faint white glow emanating from the young pirate's headless corpse.
"Soul Absorption!" It had to be the pirate's soul. Almost instinctively, he activated the Arrancar ability to devour the souls of humans and Hollows. The white glow surged towards him.
After absorbing and processing the soul through his Hollow-like physiology, he felt a slight increase in his fusion rate. Negligible, but noticeable. The pirate's soul was weak. What if it were the soul of a Yonko, an Admiral, or a Warlord?
Undoubtedly, this was his path to power. If he could devour souls without limit, perhaps he could even surpass the second Resurrección and achieve the legendary third form, the winged release, only seen in games.
His ability to perceive souls stemmed from the Hollow's soul-sensing ability, akin to Observation Haki in the One Piece world. The key difference being…
Observation Haki could foresee the future. Soul perception, however, could delve into the past by tracing lingering spiritual pressure, retracing events and paths taken. A valuable skill to learn and adapt.
His Soul Absorption was still too weak. The tenth Espada, Yammy Llargo, could absorb the souls of most of Karakura Town, even those with faint spiritual pressure who were still alive.
"Well done, young man!" The villagers cheered, devoid of sympathy for the fallen pirate. Some even spat and kicked the lifeless body.
"I'll be going now," Ian announced to the villagers. The next encounter would be a direct confrontation with the White Skull Pirates. He recalled the captain's bounty being around 9 million berries. His soul shouldn't be too weak.
He licked his lips, a predatory glint in his eyes, like a true demon. If angels wouldn't act, then he, the ruthless one, would deliver justice.
"Boss, that guy's been gone a while. You think something happened?" The White Skull Pirates' first mate addressed their captain, White Skull, a hint of worry in his voice. The young pirate was, after all, one of his subordinates, and they shared a close bond.
"What could a bunch of caged slaves possibly do? You worry too much!" White Skull scoffed. He was a large, burly man with an unkempt mane of greasy hair, reminiscent of Blackbeard.
Yet, a flicker of unease crossed his mind. It was precisely his first mate's cautious nature that had allowed them to survive in the cutthroat world of piracy, eventually becoming a captain with a 9 million berry bounty.
They held a certain notoriety in the latter half of the West Blue, though they paled in comparison to the rising star, Eustass Kid, whose bounty was nearing 100 million at such a young age.
*BAM!* The door leading to the hold burst open, and over a dozen figures charged out.
"Damn it! How did you slaves escape?! Get back in there if you don't want to die!"
White Skull roared, smashing his bottle in rage. His crew brandished their guns and swords, menacingly pointing them at the escaped captives.
In their eyes, they were nothing but a ragtag group of weaklings, easily subdued and recaptured.
"White Skull, is it? To use a skull as your flag… it's a miracle you've survived this long."
Ian emerged from the crowd, his voice cold and devoid of emotion. The skull was a symbol of pirate faith.
"A Devil Fruit user? Hidden strength or not, can you withstand bullets and blades?"
White Skull sneered, observing Ian's transformation. He assumed it was a Zoan or Paramecia type, nothing too formidable. With their superior numbers, they should be able to handle him.
"Really?" Ian's pale green eyes locked onto White Skull's, sending a shiver down his spine.
A wave of spiritual pressure, similar to Conqueror's Haki, erupted from Ian. Despite being only at 10% fusion, it was more than enough to intimidate a 9 million berry pirate captain.
"Fire! He's too dangerous to keep alive!" White Skull bellowed. However, several of his weaker-willed crew members had already collapsed, leaving only two or three still holding their guns.
In the next instant, Sonido activated. Flashes of light erupted as each of the remaining gunmen was struck down with a Cero to the head, including White Skull's first mate.
Several streams of light flowed into Ian's body – their souls. His fusion rate increased to 11%. Only six or seven pirates remained, including White Skull himself.
How many members could a 9 million berry pirate crew possibly have? Even including the cook, they numbered no more than a dozen or so.
"I surrender!" Two or three pirates, realizing Ian was no ordinary foe, tossed their weapons aside and pleaded for mercy on their knees.
"Cowards!" White Skull roared, slashing them in half with his sword. Even the most formidable pirates wouldn't tolerate potential traitors in their ranks.
"Depraved," Ian muttered. To turn on one's own crewmates without hesitation was a sign of true malice.
A pale fingertip glowed with energy as a Cero charged. White Skull, sensing imminent danger, charged forward, brandishing his sword and dagger.
"Just one man! I can take him!" He roared, slashing furiously at Ian with surprisingly decent swordsmanship.
But in the next moment, a Cero pierced his skull, sending him crashing to the ground. His momentum carried his attack forward, but his blade merely left a small scratch on Ian's 11% Hierro.
Bullet and blade immunity were still out of reach at this level of fusion.
"We surrender!" The remaining pirates, terrified, threw down their arms. Their captain was dead. What hope did they have?
The instinct to survive was inherent in all creatures, nothing to be ashamed of. But to achieve survival through ruthless and unscrupulous means was to invite universal scorn.
"I'll leave the rest to you," Ian addressed the villagers, his stomach growling with hunger. He made his way to the feast laid out on the deck, already knowing the fate that awaited the captured pirates.
"Fusion rate up to 12%?" He murmured, closing the Dimensional Template System interface.
His appearance gradually reverted to its human form, albeit noticeably more handsome than before, a subtle influence of Ulquiorra's refined features.
Devouring the soul of the 9 million berry pirate captain had only yielded a 1% increase. It seemed that even pirates with bounties exceeding 100 million might not offer much more.
Night fell. Ian sat at the bow of the ship, enjoying the cool sea breeze. As for the captured pirates…
The villagers had chosen to mete out a different kind of justice, subjecting them to various forms of torture, stopping short of taking their lives. They planned to hand them over to the Marines.
Let the law handle their punishment. After all, taking a life would make them no different from the pirates they despised.
"Swordsmanship, huh? Worth practicing." He glanced at an open box on a nearby table, revealing a beautifully crafted black katana resting within.
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