Mangekyō Sharingan

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"..."

Blackbeard's mouth twitched in frustration, barely able to hold back his curses.

"Forget it! I won't be hiring you!"

"Not hiring anymore?" Kitaro's expression chilled. "Then hand over the Devil Fruit, now."

Under Kitaro's icy glare, Blackbeard had no choice but to comply.

A moment later, he reluctantly pulled out a mysterious-looking Devil Fruit from his cloak—the Thunder Fruit, one of the most powerful Logia fruits. Enel had of course died in this operation.

Blackbeard's fingers itched to taste it himself, but he quickly noticed Kitaro's cold, watchful gaze, sending a chill down his spine. No, challenging this guy right now would be suicide.

Gritting his teeth, Blackbeard held out the Thunder Fruit. "Take it."

Unfazed, Kitaro reached for it, admiring the fruit with an intense gleam in his eye. He had dreamed of this moment since he was a kid watching One Piece, wishing he could gain the powers of a Devil Fruit. Now, holding the Thunder Fruit—a fruit that could give him unmatched power—was surreal.

"Good. If you had just cooperated earlier, you'd have saved yourself a lot of pain," Kitaro remarked, smirking.

Blackbeard's mouth twitched, but he forced a smile. "Fine… we'll call it even. There may be more opportunities for us to work together in the future."

"More opportunities?" Kitaro raised an eyebrow as he tucked the Thunder Fruit away in his pack, his back already turned as he walked off.

Blackbeard shouted after him, "Hey! Where do I find you if I need your… 'security services'?"

"You'll figure it out."

And with that, Kitaro disappeared from sight. Only then did Blackbeard's crewmates, Van Augur, Doc Q, and Burgess, dare to approach him, each of them sporting bruises from their recent "encounter."

"Captain!" Doc Q wheezed, clearly still feeling the effects of his burns. Van Augur's cheek was swollen, and even Burgess, the least injured, looked somewhat shaken.

Blackbeard waved them off, his mind still on the Thunder Fruit. "Don't blame yourselves. That kid… he's on a whole other level."

"Who was he?" Van Augur asked, still mystified.

Blackbeard scowled. "He called himself Uchiha Kitaro, said he was from some 'security company.' That brat took the Thunder Fruit right out of our hands."

His crew looked equally dismayed. Losing one of the most powerful Devil Fruits to a stranger stung.

"I'm not done with him. When my plans are complete, I'll make him pay back every last berry—plus interest. Uchiha Kitaro… I'll remember that name."

---

Meanwhile, Kitaro wasted no time leaving Jaya Island, preferring to avoid its chaotic pirate-dense environment. Boarding a merchant ship, he set sail for the next town, reveling in his journey. He'd always loved traveling, and this new world offered countless wonders he wanted to experience.

For the next half-month, Kitaro visited town after town, savoring each one's unique beauty and cuisine. But just as he was beginning to truly enjoy himself, a familiar system notification appeared.

[Ding! The mission: Soaring Strength (completed)]

[Reward: Three Tomoe Sharingan]

Kitaro's face lit up with satisfaction. His clan's training had paid off; a lot of his people had quickly mastered the Fire Breathing technique.

Soon, a surge of potent chakra flowed into Kitaro's eyes, and his Sharingan absorbed and fused the new power. His Sharingan was already close to its peak, but this steady grind would refine it further, bringing him closer to his full potential.

Then, another notification chimed.

[Ding! The mission: Funds are in short supply (completed)]

[Reward: Mangekyō Sharingan]

A grin spread across Kitaro's face. His power—and his clan's reach—was growing faster than he had anticipated.

---

Kitaro's heart raced with excitement. He had always maintained his composure with the one-, two-, or the three-tomoe Sharingan, as they offered incremental boosts in power. But the Mangekyō Sharingan was entirely different—a complete transformation in ability.

With the Mangekyō activated, not only did he gain access to powerful new abilities, but he could also summon Susanoo. This was far beyond the abilities of the three-tomoe Sharingan.

[Detected: Host has activated Mangekyō Sharingan. Mangekyō reward converted into additional pupil power.]

Suddenly, a powerful surge of chakra poured into his eyes, causing a sharp, stinging sensation. After a moment, the energy fully integrated, and Kitaro's eyes felt slightly swollen. Instinctively, he activated his Sharingan and scanned his surroundings.

The world looked entirely different.

Objects in the distance became crystal clear, and as he funneled more power into his eyes, he felt the Mangekyō activate. But this time, it was unlike any activation he had experienced.

"This is…"

Everything in his field of vision slowed to a crawl. It wasn't as though time had stopped, but everything moved with an agonizing slowness. A drop of water, which would usually fall in a second, now seemed to take an eternity to reach the ground.

Kitaro had experienced heightened perception before, but never to this degree. It felt as if time itself had been frozen.

Testing this newfound ability, Kitaro moved freely, though his actions felt slightly sluggish against the frozen world around him. In reality, he was moving in real-time while the world lagged behind. Gradually, he eased the output of his pupil power, and the world returned to normal speed.

"Incredible," Kitaro murmured, excitement building within him. This new evolution of his Mangekyō Sharingan was a game-changer. To perceive an opponent's every move as if they were standing still—this would make combat infinitely easier.

"I think I'll call this ability… Infinite Vision." His gaze sharpened. "If the Mangekyō Sharingan can do this… I can only imagine what the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan might unlock."

...