Chapter 18 Undead Battleship Evolution!

**Boom!**

Blood erupted from blood vessels as a pirate stared wide-eyed before suddenly dying. Ron swung his knife lightly, and a burst of blood followed behind him, causing more pirates to explode, their bodies torn apart.

A steady stream of blood gathered, feeding back a powerful force to Ron. Stepping on Moonwalk, he moved like a Shinigami. Wherever he passed, the remaining pirates splattered blood and dropped dead, one by one.

For pirates with such low strength, Ron didn't even need to make contact. His blade, *Crimson Cry*, could directly manipulate the blood within their bodies, causing it to flow backward and explode, robbing them of their lives. 

He called this technique, *Blood Burst*.

"The pirates are retreating!" someone shouted. 

After Ron killed the murloc, the remaining members of the Ward Pirates scattered in all directions, desperate to escape.

"Don't pursue them. Our target this time is Byrnndi World," Tsuru Vice Admiral ordered, halting the others.

**Meteor Volcano!** 

Sakazuki unleashed his full power without hesitation, sending a fiery rain from the sky like a meteor shower, crashing down in the direction the pirates fled.

Tsuru shook her head at the scene. 

The Ward Pirates were a group of anti-government outlaws. If they died, it wouldn't affect the situation at large.

Once the pirates were dead or had fled, Tsuru directed the other warships to withdraw from the area, leaving only a few Vice Admiral-level officers to assist Sengoku in capturing Byrnndi World.

"Admiral-level battles are beyond our control," Ron said flatly, arms crossed.

He still had some confusion in his heart. Although he possessed Vice Admiral-level combat power, there was a clear divide between a Vice Admiral and an Admiral.

Without Sengoku standing at the front, the four of them could barely fend off Byrnndi World's attacks. As for capturing him? They wouldn't stand a chance.

No one argued, knowing it was the truth. Their role was to assist Sengoku and prevent Byrnndi World from escaping, nothing more.

"That's a nice ship," Ron commented, glancing at the pirate ship floating on the sea, now sliced in half by his hand.

The Ward Pirates' ship was a top-tier battleship, on par with Whitebeard's Moby Dick, equal in quality to the large battleships of Naval Headquarters. The fact that Ron's slash could cut it in two only showcased the sharpness of his blade.

The undead warship beneath Ron seemed to come alive, swimming toward the wreckage of the pirate ship. The bow split open like the fangs of a giant beast.

**Ka Ka Ka!**

Bit by bit, the wreckage was devoured. The iron walls of the undead warship grew more indestructible as sharp rams emerged from its hull, making it as deadly as a hedgehog.

"It's about to evolve," Ron muttered, sensing the saturation of the undead warship. After devouring so many wrecked warships, it was on the verge of its first evolution.

"Is this a Devil Fruit power?" Tsuru Vice Admiral looked at the ship beneath Ron's feet, curiosity flashing in her eyes. 

A battleship that feeds on wrecks—this was a Devil Fruit ability she hadn't encountered before, But she didn't care much about it. She had encountered many more strange Devil Fruits than this.

The evolution of the undead warship was swift, completed in less than an hour. Ron could feel the changes as the ship evolved under his control. This was the power granted by his Devil Fruit, and he maintained absolute command over it.

The warship's new ability after its first evolution was nothing short of formidable—*Enslavement of the Dead*. The undead warship could now devour corpses and resurrect them as enslaved undead, bound to the captain's will. Only Ron could grant them freedom.

As long as the undead warship wasn't destroyed, the resurrected undead were effectively immortal. However, due to the nature of enslavement, the undead retained only 70% of their peak strength. Even Admiral-level undead would only have the power of top Vice Admirals. Still, this ability was game-changing.

With enough corpses, Ron could raise a powerful, immortal army. At that point, overthrowing the World Government wouldn't seem impossible.

The only limitation was that the corpse couldn't be older than two hours. Beyond that, the soul and powers within the corpse dissipated, rendering the transformation useless. Moreover, the resurrected undead couldn't stray far from the undead warship—no more than ten kilometers. Without the ship's support, they would die instantly and be reborn on board.

However, Ron believed that as the warship evolved further, the range would increase.

"Can it really devour corpses?" Ron's eyes gleamed as he controlled the warship, directing it to consume the bodies floating on the sea one by one.

The sound of bones and flesh grinding was harsh, But Ron didn't care, after a while the sea became empty of corpses.

Ron remained indifferent, not immediately summoning the undead he had absorbed. The undead warship's ability was his ace in the hole—something not to be revealed unless absolutely necessary. 

He understood the nature of the World Government too well. If they discovered the warship's abilities, they wouldn't attempt to steal it Because they can't use it, but would certainly restrict his access to strong corpses.

A ruler will never allow a subordinate's strength to exceed his control, no matter how loyal they seem. When subordinates wield power that can threaten the king, jealousy arises.

Many islands and countries have fallen because of this

**Boom boom boom!**

Overhead, the battle escalated. Freed from the burden of protecting Marine, Sengoku now revealed the full extent of his Admiral-level strength. In his Giant Buddha form, golden light radiated as waves a hundred meters high rose with each palm strike.

The devastating shockwaves, infused with Armament Haki, sent Byrnndi World flying repeatedly. But Byrnndi World's attacks couldn't even scratch Sengoku.

As a fellow Admiral-level fighter, Sengku's Armament Haki was at the third stage. This slight advantage widened his chances of victory.

The battle raged on for nearly ten days and nights. Both fighters were physically exhausted, but Sengoku's momentum continued to rise. With four powerful Marine Vice Admirals supporting him, even if he faltered, Byrnndi World had no chance of escape.

But as the fight dragged on, Byrnndi World grew desperate. He had no idea what his fate would be if captured by Marine, but imprisonment on the sixth floor of Impel Down—where he would never see daylight again—seemed the best-case scenario.