[2560 words]
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[Ten Days Later]
Damien had long left the comfort of Mortem Island, not before enjoying a nightly session with his girls. He departed first thing in the morning, accompanied by Solomon only. Routing through Fishman Island and back to the New World to arrive at Hachinosu.
"Hey, look, a Navy Warship is heading straight for us! Qurererere! Someone's got a death wish!"
"Isn't it weird for a single ship to head our way?"
"Who cares? I want to see it burn!"
*Bang!* Something exploded, and it wasn't the muzzle of a canon; instead, it was the head of the pirate who had spoken.
"Don't bother, I was eavesdropping on the comms of that ship… it's dead silent."
"Dulululu, that means it's one of us… Makes me want to sink it even more!"They even subconsciously tossed aside the recently-deceased 'friend', his headless body collapsing to the floor.
…
When the battleship finally docked, two figures walked down under hundreds of pirates who had come to watch in curiosity.
"Damien the Undying… a big name just returned!"
"Hehe, looks like things are about to get better!"
Damien naturally heard all the statements, but as always, he simply allowed them to leave his mind. One thing that stood out from his return was the stench of the island; it had gotten truly toxic.
He could sense the pirates welcoming him in their own way, but he also sensed deep hostility from every other one of them—sideways glares, muffled comments, snarky thoughts.
"First time I've smelled such disgusting air," Solomon scowled, plugging his nose from the assaulting stench.
Damien hummed, exercising his Empathy skill. Strands of emotions appeared, emanating from the pirates. He picked up greed, envy, lust, wrath and even curiosity… There were people with a large array of motives present.
Rats hid under the shade of the island, spying openly.
'Things have really fallen apart since Shakky's departure,' Damien thought.
Solomon slightly frowned at the hundreds of corpses lining the outer parts of Hachinosu. Bodies floated near the waters, dulling their vibrance. Vultures and other scavengers were prevalent, eating and clawing at the fresh meals.
"Augh!" A distant cry went off.
Solomon glanced at where the sound came from and saw a man fall to his knees, slowly falling to his face. On his back was a sharp dagger piercing through his lungs and heart.
Meanwhile, in other corners of Hachinosu, there were incessant fights and duels, the winners of which were decided by who lived to tell the tale.
Women ran out in fear, only to be caught by scum and dragged into the darkness as their fingernails were scraped across the ruddy floor. Chains clicked and clacked as dozens of slaves were seen in the hands of some pirates—their eyes were hollow of any emotions, nothing left to save.
.
The Sin Incarnate's face was indifferent, almost as if he had locked away all moral codes from his mind long ago. Even the cruellest and vilest of settings could become normal if one stayed there long enough.
"Breathe it in, Solomon. This is the world of the pirates," he emotionlessly stated.
The newly-risen pirate followed behind in silence.
Going from the freedom of the seas after having his home island damned by a Marine had left him with deep prejudice against the Navy.
'Maybe there does need to be some kind of force to put these trash into order,' he thought, realizing the reality of the world.
…
A path cleared open for the duo. It wasn't from the bounty on the table; instead, it was from the dread leaking from Damien, forcing the scum to retreat and rethink.
The pathway spanned from the port through the stone streets of Hachinosu, getting closer to Skull Rock.
Eventually, they ran into a certain pirate.
"What a powerful man!" Solomon muttered at the sight of a pirate that towered over even himself. His instincts, trained over decades of battling Forsaken Beasts, were going haywire.
"Gurarara! Things have gotten worse since you left."
The Sin Incarnate laughed in reply, "Rahahaha! I didn't think Hachinosu would become this miserable after just a few months. It really is a hellhole."
The giant man with the glorious hair nodded, sparing a scowl at the creepers nearby. "None of these trash have any control over themselves. A part of me wants to send them to the bottom of the sea…"
"Maybe that wish will come true soon," Damien smiled.
With a hint of scrutiny, Newgate turned to the other person and asked, " Where'd you find this one?"
Damien eyed Solomon as well, the latter not wavering under their sights. "Extinction Valley. Let's hope he doesn't become the first part of his hometown's name."
"Gurarara, he ought to be impressive to meet your standards."
Solomon's face twitched under their words; he wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.
.
"Where's the big bad wolf?"
Newgate picked up a giant gourd hanging on his hip and inhaled a few liters of his drink. "Captain Rocks has been out in North Blue for the past while," he offhandedly answered.
"What could possibly interest him there?"
The man shrugged at Damien's question, spinning the jug and hearing the liquid swirl around. "He isn't the type to communicate much, but his departure left Hachinosu bursting with new recruits. All worthless trash."
Whitebeard's scorn warped into intrigue as he brought up another topic, "Your right-hand guy has been making quite the ruckus the past little while, Gurarara! Reminds me of you, I even taught him a few tricks."
Damien raised an eyebrow in intrigue.
"Indra? So I've heard."
Whitebeard narrowed his eyes at the undying pirate and asked with curiosity, "You gave him quite the power… you trust him that much?"
"That's right."
"Well, whatever, as long as you don't regret it."
Their little conversion had drawn Solomon's attention, especially regarding the self-proclaimed right-hand man of the Sin Incarnate—his desire to clash with this Indra had swelled even more, evident from his clenched hands.
…
After catching up, Damien made his way back to a less stinky area—the Fourth Division Headquarters.
"What a mess," the Division Commander muttered at the sight of the blood-filled alleys and walkways.
The air was humid and crimson-hued. The once decent architecture was filled with spiderweb-like cracks, while bits of debris littered the Stoney area—it seemed as if great battles had been held here recently.
"Mwahahahaha! You're back, Commander."
The greeting came from a tall pirate wearing a mask and expressing pure anger and seething fury.
"Still oscillating between your many personalities, Hensō?"
The masked man chuckled again through his mask. "I like to add a little flavour to my life, Commander. Today's dish is a little spicy!"
He bowed in farewell, heading to the docks to bathe in blood.
"Weird guy," Solomon muttered.
Things got weird as a spanning shadow enveloped the duo.
"Arai glad Commander back, Arai celebrating… eating rocks."
This time, it was a giant man with stone-like skin. His red eyes and sharp teeth made him quite fearsome, and his hairless features gave him quite the flair.
Arai placed a giant rock into his maw, crunching it with delight.
The giant man was long used to stares but saw one from a stranger this time. In welcoming spirit, he extended a hand of fresh gravel to Solomon: "New friend want rocks?"
"...I'll pass."
"Okay." the Stone Man shrugged, jamming the goodies into his mouth instead.
.
"Arai, where are the others?"
The giant man scratched his chin, and a few earth shards fell where he scratched, clattering to the floor.
"Training."
Damien nodded and moved on. However, before he could move another step forward, something happened.
*Rumble* A burst of light followed by a deafening sound went off, and an 11-foot tall man (3.35 m) appeared at the crater.
"Commander."
Damien smirked at the use of power, "It looks like you've got quite the handle on that ability."
The dark-skinned swordsman nodded. He was wearing simple dark pants and a black vest.
"Is this a recruit?" he addressed the new face at the Headquarters.
His words left Solomon frozen.
"Well, you could say that."
A smile stretched across the Sin Incarnate's face as he saw Solomon bubbling with anger.
"So you're that Indra guy, eh? I'm here to challenge you!"
*Snap* *Crack*
Rotten wood and branches protruded from the man's arms, transforming into a Wendigo. Within moments, he had grown to a fearsome 20-foot size (6 m), almost double that of his opponent.
"I've been hearing so much about you. Let's see how strong you really are!"
Solomon roared, shooting toward his opponent. A black mist emanated from his arms, credit to his storage of fear.
.
"Profane Hex!"
.
The bony fingers in the shape of knives rushed ahead, aiming for Indra's chest. Unfortunately, he saw no surprise in his adversary's gaze.
Boom!
Solomon's eyes widened—his attack being stopped by nothing but a single finger swarming with dense Armament.
"Damn!"
Solomon saw the range between strengths and exercised his full power. A scratchy sound broke out, flooding out from his body.
"Quite the ability," Indra muttered, still unfazed.
"I'll wipe that lax look off your face!"
Solomon growled, booming with the familiar withering mist. Again, Indra did not reply as the impatient challenger shot ahead again, bathed in his corroded mist.
The Wendigo unloaded a barrage of hits, using his fully transformed hands to stab his enemy without a shred of mercy.
Every hit was blessed with Haki, crashing hard against Indra while sending in thick strands of the withering mist.
However, the outcome remained unchanged even after a few minutes of constant attacks.
'He's not even fighting me with full strength… no rage, no desperation. Is that why I can't land a hit? But I'm not like him—I need the rage!'
Defiance filled Solomon's eyes, "Our gap can't be this wide… I aim to hunt down someone far stronger. I can't struggle so much here!"
Alongside the incessant banging from the man's bombardment was a rippling field of energy. It pulsed out with a dull grey hue, aiming to overwhelm the swordsman's mind.
"Hmm," Indra felt the weight increase over his arms and mind, finally upping the difficulty.
He narrowed in on the savage assault and found a gap within a mere second.
.
"No Sword Style: Hell Stab."
.
"Aughh!" The Wendigo was shot back, rocketing into a brick wall and shattering it with his large frame.
The swordsman glared at the crash site, feeling the pulsating energy waves. "Such raw Haki, no wonder the Commander sees potential in you."
Solomon quickly burst out from the rubble, ignoring the pain from the deep gash at his sternum, growling in defiance.
'Such a deep-seated desire to prove himself worthy but overshadowed by this inclination toward overpowering one's foes.'
Indra had read the opponent like a book. The rippling Conqueror's Haki earned Solomon nothing more than disdain from the swordsman.
"A man's ambition should never exceed his worth."
Solomon's enraged eyes shook briefly.
They shot across the trembling earth, climbing up a cracked building and landed on a casual Damien sitting at the roof's edge. The same man he had sworn loyalty to.
Shing!
The air whistled a damning tune, drawing Solomon's solemn eyes.
His gaze fell on the beautiful white blade in his enemy's hands. It was graceful and sacred by appearance, blessed with heavenly light. The Haki poured in, and instead of darkening the blade, it made it brighter, warmer, and more sacred to the eyes.
"..." For the first time in the duel, Solomon chose against bum-rushing at his enemy. He took a deep breath, concentrating on his strength.
*Fwwm* His talent in the Colour of Arms debuted, rushing across his arm to his chest and legs. The strands of Extinct Plating, there from childbirth, left him clad in dark energy, from his toes to the top of his head—a full-body hardening!
"I'll put everything into this!" He declared, clenched both fists.
*Hiss!* The black mist reappeared, coursing through his veins and out from the pores of the rotten arms. It stretched across the tattered region, bringing down a blanket of despair and dread.
Solomon shot forward, leaving a trailing of corroded earth. The dusty land below began to blacken, losing its spirit and rotting away.
.
"Ancient Curse!"
.
The air bubbled from the mist, shrieking and howling in the Wendigo's wake.
'He has intelligence,' Indra commented, feeling the mist attempting to strangle him from behind.
He locked onto the incoming threat with narrowed eyes.
*Crackle*
Indra lightly hummed at the popping sound in the air, which was continuously pouring out from his fingers and into Tenmei.
*Crackle*
It was arcs of light blue lightning. Pure electric charge in the hands of a Lightning Human. Not only was it destructive in all ways, but the lightning also allowed its user to move at incredible speeds—Solomon, in his rush ahead, had only made it halfway over!
*Crackle*
The sacred heat of Tenmei not only whitened Haki but also affected Devil Fruit abilities! The burning blue lightning burst into a white glow—white lightning crackling around the Supreme Blade!
[Rumbling Tenmei Image (in Discord)]
The ground beneath Indra seemed to shudder, the pressure around him intensifying as the very air crackled with impending devastation. In a split second, he launched forward, becoming a streak of light, a blur of blinding white lightning that cut through the distance in a heartbeat.
.
"Rumbling Sword Style: Sacred Charge."
.
There was a pin-drop silence as a black-and-white spectacle broke out. It lasted only a fraction of a second, but half of Hachinosu was plunged in its quiet surge.
The oddly peaceful sight died out in a moment, and a booming sound burst out from the source of the clash.
The sacred energy obliterated the darkness, shattering endless windows and rumbling chunks of earth—a chasm was born under the roar of thunder!
The towering Mythical Zoan didn't even realize when he was sent soaring through the air, his mind falling in and out of conscience. He whizzed across 100 meters of shrieking air, crashing through dozens of buildings before finally being embedded into the earth.
…
It took two minutes for the dust to settle, unveiling a broken Solomon engraved into a crater. It was a spanning hole with a diameter of at least 100 meters—charred and blackened with thick ash blanketing over molten rock.
[Crater Image (in Discord)]
"..." A pair of shaken eyes slowly panned to where the pain was—his chest had a deep gash in the shape of a lightning bolt spanning from his left hip up to his right shoulder, spurting with fresh blood and resembling a chasm.
"I lost…"
*Thud* The branches fell apart as the body hit the floor, and the transformation dissolved away, leaving the fatally wounded human behind.
With a humble click, Indra sheathed Tenmei, calming down the electricity coursing through his body.
"Awareness and ego cannot coexist; your pride holds you hostage."
Solomon heard those final words before his consciousness disappeared, leaving him with whitened eyes.
Indra's dark pupils left the dying man, reaching the lone spectator still seated with little concern.
"Why not humble him yourself?" the swordsman looked up and asked curiously.
The reply came right away: "He's been bested by me before. Another loss with my hand wouldn't do much good."
A pixelation sound followed a burst of crimson light—Damien was beside Indra, his body reforming through the innumerable red particles.
"Solomon had the time to hear your name and know your worth to me, seeing you as a rival to his ambition and obsession," the Sin Incarnate muttered, gazing 3at the collapsed pirate spurting copious blood. "He needed this loss. If he can push past his pride, he'll be a force to be reckoned with. But if not… he'll be washed away in the coming storm like the others."
Damien's eyes were as sharp as his words: "Hopefully, when he wakes up, he will take things a little more seriously from now on..."
To Be Continued…
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Author's Corner.
A quick catch-up with Newgate reveals the crumbling internal structure of the Rocks Pirates in light of Shakky's departure. Rocks' unholy name keeps the crew together, but it cannot stop the cracks from appearing.
This was also Indra's first showcase with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, mixing it in with his swordsmanship, his "Rumbling Swords Style." In preparation for God Valley, Solomon being humbled to the point of death can't be considered overkill, right?
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