One Piece: Path to Power

Chapter 102: [102] Duel of Seeds

[2050 words]

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[Fourth Division Standard Ship, New World]

[One Week Later Later]

Damien was more than satisfied with what happened at G-2. The fall of Basara had already made its way through the seas, ringing the world with shock.

Meanwhile, the Fourth Division welcomed a new member: Arai, or as Damien liked to call them, Elite Fodder.

A few clanks broke the pirate from his thoughts, coming from someone's feet. "You've made quite the name for yourself, Indra."

The swordsman looked at Damien and simply nodded, then went off to his own devices, probably to train.

"Well, I'm sure there are people out there who would be celebrating for gaining such a high bounty," the Commander muttered with a wry smile.

Indra had graduated from being seen as a simple subordinate under Damien. He was once the "Evil Omen" whose presence indicated the arrival of the Sin Incarnate, and now he was the "Hellspawn"—a Tragedy under the Rocks Pirates alongside Silver Axe, Captain John, Shakuyaku and Kaido.

'Sibyl, outline Indra.'

[Okay.]

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

[Zenora Indra]

[Age: 24 years, 30 days]

[Height: 11' ] (3.35 m)

[Status: Thriving]

[Devil Fruit: None]

[Weapon: Kyoran of the Great Grade Series]

[Skills: Great talent in swordsmanship, Dormant Skill (???), One Sword Style, Moonwalk, Shave]

[Haki: Observation Haki (Nigh-Advanced Mastery), Armament Haki (Intermediate Mastery)]

[Strength: Top Tier Yonko Commander] 

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

'It's interesting, an ability that lies dormant,' Damien pondered.

It was not hard to connect the dots; Indra had been written as a 'Warborn' many times in the papers—an extinct tribe known for some rather unnatural origins.

It piqued the Sin Incarnate's curiosity, to say the least. 

…

[Later that Afternoon]

The Fourth Division and Kaido docked onto Hachinosu, getting off the tired ship. 

Their arrival was marked with quite the reception.

"Scumumumu! The Fourth Division is worth over four billion berries! It's amazing!"

"Hehe, it's worthy of a Titan-led Division, they even brought down an Admiral! It would've been better if they brought back Basara's corpse… I want to try his liver!"

"I heard the head now holds the Thirteenth Supreme Blade, I want to cross swords with him!"

…

The boisterous pirates continued their chatter. Most were relishing the fall of an Admiral, cheering the ones behind it. In their devious eyes, Hachinosu was one level stronger and their group was one step closer to world domination!

However, it would not be right if there was some kind of disruption along the way, shaking the earth for its sheer weight.

"Ma-Ma-Mam-Ma!"

Damien eyed the towering woman who had crashed onto the street before him. "What now, Linlin?"

The woman grinned, licking her lips, "I just gave birth a few days ago… come now, I'm ready for the refill you promised me!"

The female pirate did not take no for an answer. Her eyes suddenly changed shape, turning into orange rings.

*Fuuu* A black mist burst out from her body, reaching out to the ends of the street.

A menacing grin was etched on her face as she demanded with a magnetic tone: "LIFE or SEED?"

"T-That's the Soul Pocus, ru-!" 

Damien narrowed his eyes, looking at the hundreds of pirates around him who had been knocked out to the reddish floor. 

Indra got halfway in drawing his sword before being stopped by Damien. "You should know that little technique of yours holds no power over me. Do you really want to do this right now, Linlin?"

She did not answer, simply cackling a dull melody.

"Napoleon!"

Her pirate hat jumped into the air as if answering her call. With a poof, it transformed into a fully-fledged bicorne!

"Ryushi."

Damien extended a hand, commanding the blade to appear, and it did. "How about it, the winner gets to demand a favour from the loser of anything."

Big Mom mirrored Damien's smile with her own. "Fine by me!"

*Krrrr* Black lightning echoed from their blades, crackling at the loose earth below, leaving it in ruins. The Haki leaking out was enough to dull the bright sun, befalling the island with an eerie glow.

The two sprang out from their positions, charging ahead with no care of their surroundings and leaving spanning craters every step.

A shockwave was unleashed as the two blades crashed upon one another, echoing through Hachinosu's core.

The sheer explosion left glass to shatter, nearby buildings to shred away, and give birth to massive waves to the sea nearby.

"T-They aren't even touching!" a veteran pirate mumbled, before being swept away by the torrents raging through the island.

A collection of opposing Conqueror's Haki was sent to the darkening sky above, leaving a giant scar in the heavens.

"Rahahahaha!"

"Ma-Ma-Mam-MA!"

The pirates shared a wide grin, not withholding any strength—a gesture reflecting in the uncontrolled release of their Haki that had left Hachinosu groaning in pain.

…

"How long do you think they'll be at it?" Kaen asked from the side, a hand covering his face from the blasting winds.

Indra stood tall and was not entirely sure either, "Who knows, but it will take a while."

He looked around: the pirates who could withstand the influx of chaotic forces were few in number. Meanwhile, Kaido was laughing like a madman as the Haki from the clash was drilling into his pores.

…

Time went on.

A flurry of conditions had left Hachinosu in shambles, yet the maddened pirates of the Rocks received it well.

They found it exhilarating, at least the ones that survived did.

Pablo cleaned his pistols, glancing at the hell being waged at the far corner of Hachinosu.

A location that had been left in ruins, nothing but fine dust and broken earth remained. "How long will the Patrón fight for… it's already been thirty hours!"

Nomu drank some saké, sucking it out of his thumb, all the while commenting on the subject, "Looks like the Commander got a lot more energy after Basara, it's pretty incredible!"

It was more than noticeable. Damien's survivability had blossomed and was reflected in the collision with the Evil Spirit. 

"Neither of you see it; the Commander is not satisfied."

The two looked at Indra, unsure of his words. "The likes of Newgate and Shiki have clashed for days on end, it isn't odd to see them go for at least a week with an unending fight."

Indra narrowed his eyes at the chaos far away.

"Usually Logia fruit users have the most impressive stamina as they are perpetually in a state of intangibility. On the other hand, Paramecia requires experience in years of combat, a mighty vitality and body."

"Last I checked the Boss took on mountains and walked out with a few scratches," Nomu uttered.

Pablo blew out some smoke, sharing his thoughts, "And now he is a Titan of the Rocks, that's as big of a target on someone's back as it gets, mi amigo. Patrón wants to be able to fight endlessly!"

Indra stood up, the hell being wrought in the background of his steps, "That target is on our backs as well, you both would be wise to step up or be swept away." 

He walked away, intending to double his training.

…

[Five Hours Later]

Boom!

Damien landed on some ruined soil, his feet sinking deep. He took a deep breath of air, smelling a mix of ash, dust and blood.

The sun shone on his ruined attire, leaving him nearly shirtless and exposing some superficial bruising and cuts.

"Rahaha! Linlin, the island won't take much more, why don't we end it with a grand finale?"

His tired words echoed through the torn-up land, reaching the voluptuous pirate.

Her hair was currently bursting with a giant flame while wielding her elongated bicorn and a thunderous cloud at her side. All but her polka dot bikini had been obliterated from the duel.

[Linlin Image (in Discord)]

Her orange-ringed eyes locked onto the pirate, "Ma-Ma-Mam-Ma! You look tired, Damien! But fine, get swallowed by the Spear of Elbaf!"

The woman swung her mighty blade, aiming to crash it onto Damien's neck.

.

"Ikoku Sovereignty!"

.

The pink slash soared through the sky, crackling with black lightning. Its sheer size was enough to inhale entire battleships and leave ravines in its wake—a simple yet devastating strike.

Damien felt the buzzing threat and chose a more unorthodox maneuver. 

"!!!" The future flashed through his eyes, outlining the next ten seconds like a blueprint. 

His mind fired thoughts, running through different paths, and Damien found what he was looking for. 

*Crack* A shift of weight spawned a spiderweb in the earth below, followed by a dust cloud from the leaping pirate.

In the shocked eyes of not only Big Mom, but all the spectators, the Sin Incarnate charged straight into the coming slash, a slash that spanned half of Hachinosu!The air was sliced into thin torrents as the Haki ground away at its physical composition, all for Damien to jump directly into. 

The towering pirate's body was wholly encased in the Colour of Arms, welcoming the island-cutting attack. 

Boom! *Krrrr!* The streaming cyclone-like attack roared out through the shrieking winds, drilling into the young pirate's pores. 

The heat was molten-hot, firing up Damien's nervous system, it was like magma coursing through his veins. But there was little to no damage outside of some first-degree burns—his body held strong!

Linlin's eyes widened as she saw her attack thunder on ahead and part the seas into the distant horizon, leaving a flash of red behind.

"Ryushi Combat Arts…"

The blade responded, generating an influx of pulverizing energy dense enough to shatter mountains. 

.

"…Broken World!"

.

The pincer-like end crashed onto the woman's core, drilling into her stomach. "Auughh!" A deafening yell broke out from Linlin, resounding the entirety of Hachinosu. 

Blood poured out from her mouth, credit to the pulverizing energy and Emission of Haki. Her widened eyes reflected the pain, shock, and anger. The glare continued as her body rocketed through the skies, creating a grey trail before finally carving into Skull Rock. 

*Rumble*

A deep shock pulsed through the island, creaking and groaning from the tremors. Cracks spread out all over the mountain-like skull, spreading deep into its roots and through the streets.

.

Damien deeply exhaled, feeling numb all over. Although his bones were nearly indestructive, the flesh around the skeletal system had to hold up.

Any further rejoicing from the clash was put to a halt when a shadow landed behind the Sin Incarnate, clearly quite annoyed. "Enough of that, you trying to sink the damn island!?"

Damien met Shiki's angered eyes, not showing a hint of remorse. 

The Flying Pirate clicked his tongue, reining in some of his attitude, "Consider it your win, you monstrous brat. Hehe, it's been a while since I heard Linlin cry out in pain."

Damien raised an eyebrow at his expression, finding it odd. 

Though any more of their chat had to be put on hold for what followed: "Haaah!? When did I lose!?"

Both Titans looked at the shadow clawing her way out of the crater. 

The blazing fire in her hair was burning hotter than magma. Though even that display was not enough to hide the noticeable gorge on her chest, one that was bleeding, but lacked the depth to leave a scar. 

Shiki smirked at the sight, revelling in her misery, "Any more and the island will sink, the Captain wouldn't like that. Since you've taken the most damage, I think that makes you the loser here."

The towering woman audibly gnashed her teeth so hard that sparks flew from her mouth. "Hmph, fine! I'm going to eat!"

She jumped into the sky, landing on her thundercloud: Zeus, and flew away. 

.

"Maybe I was wrong about you, Shiki. You're not a complete dick."

The golden-haired pirate grinned at Damien, "She was annoying me for losing the bet with you and now I can say the same to her."

The look in the Titan's eyes then warped into appreciation, "Pirates are the kings of the seas; credit is due to those who can bring down Admirals, you've earned my respect, Damien!" 

Shiki examined the young pirate, seeing his shredded clothing. The skin beneath had already healed from the time Linlin took to crash into Skull Rock, boasting no visible damages.

"Anyways, you're one tough bastard… it's almost a little scary, Jihahahaha!"

To Be Continued…

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Author's Corner. 

I've tried to align the stamina thing with what we've seen in Canon. Even Gear 5 Luffy deflates in a very short time while Logia users like Akainu and Kuzan went 10 days in their clash.

Although Damien is tough and can heal from just about anything, the drain of Haki against more experienced and/or stronger enemies is hefty.

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