Chapter 17: Absorbing Devil Fruits!
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"How did you find me?" Absalom, more concerned with unraveling the mystery of his detection than his own demise, questioned Ian. His invisibility and lion-like strength were the cornerstones of his position within Thriller Bark.
"That's for me to know," Ian replied, unwilling to waste words on the lecherous monstrosity. He couldn't help but feel a tinge of disappointment.
The Suke Suke no Mi (Clear-Clear Fruit), while granting invisibility, was not without its weaknesses. Besides Observation Haki, individuals with keen senses of sight or hearing could potentially detect the user's movements or faint sounds.
If it were paired with the Nagi Nagi no Mi (Calm-Calm Fruit), consumed by Donquixote Rosinante, Corazon, it would be a deadly combination for stealth attacks. The Calm-Calm Fruit could silence all sounds within a certain radius, including the user's own movements.
Unfortunately, he didn't know Corazon, and consuming two Devil Fruits was impossible for most individuals. While Ian's ability to absorb Devil Fruit souls and manifest their powers offered a potential workaround, he saw no need for such tactics. With overwhelming strength, there was no need for subterfuge. A direct confrontation was far more satisfying.
Devil Fruits could be broadly categorized into three types: Zoan, Paramecia, and Logia. Within these categories, certain fruits exhibited synergistic effects when used in combination, while others were natural counters or possessed hierarchical relationships.
For example, the Hie Hie no Mi (Ice-Ice Fruit) and the Magu Magu no Mi (Mag-Mag Fruit) were natural counters, representing ice and magma, respectively. The Doa Doa no Mi (Door-Door Fruit) and the Shiro Shiro no Mi (Castle-Castle Fruit) offered control over portals and fortifications, acting as both counters and complementary abilities. Similarly, the Bari Bari no Mi (Barrier-Barrier Fruit) and various cutting-based Devil Fruits, like the Hana Hana no Mi (Flower-Flower Fruit), were natural counters, representing defense and offense. The Pika Pika no Mi (Glint-Glint Fruit) and the Yami Yami no Mi (Dark-Dark Fruit) were both powerful and counteracting forces, representing light and darkness. The Noro Noro no Mi (Slow-Slow Fruit) could slow down even the fastest individuals, including light itself.
The Bara Bara no Mi (Chop-Chop Fruit) and the Ope Ope no Mi (Op-Op Room), which granted control over fragmentation and surgical manipulation, respectively, exhibited a hierarchical relationship, with the latter possessing greater control and versatility. Similarly, cutting, piercing, and restraining Devil Fruits, like the Ito Ito no Mi (String-String Fruit), the Toge Toge no Mi (Spike-Spike Fruit), the Bane Bane no Mi (Spring-Spring Fruit), and the Ami Ami no Mi (Net-Net Fruit), were considered subordinate to the Buki Buki no Mi (Arms-Arms Fruit), which could transform any part of the user's body into weapons. The Beta Beta no Mi (Sticky-Sticky Fruit), the Awa Awa no Mi (Bubble-Bubble Fruit), the Mochi Mochi no Mi, and various other Devil Fruits related to substances were also considered subordinate to the Kuchi Kuchi no Mi (Mouth-Mouth Fruit), which granted the ability to create and manipulate any substance consumed by the user.
Brook's Yomi Yomi no Mi (Revive-Revive Fruit) and Perona's Horo Horo no Mi (Hollow-Hollow Fruit), both related to souls and spirits, were considered subordinate to Big Mom's Soru Soru no Mi (Soul-Soul Fruit), which could manipulate souls and lifespan, including the ability to extract souls and create sentient beings.
Logia Devil Fruits, which granted control over natural elements, were considered on par with the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi (Float-Float Fruit), which allowed the user to manipulate gravity and levitate objects, like Shiki's ability.
While they exhibited a hierarchical relationship in terms of control, their overall power levels were comparable. Explosive, cutting, and absorbing abilities could be considered both subordinate and equal to Logia powers, as exemplified by the Mera Mera no Mi (Flame-Flame Fruit) and the Yami Yami no Mi, which could create and manipulate fire and darkness, respectively.
Synergistic combinations of Devil Fruits could produce unexpected and potent results. For example, the Noro Noro no Mi and the Pika Pika no Mi, used in conjunction, could create devastating slowing and blinding attacks. The Buki Buki no Mi and the Jiki Jiki no Mi (Magnet-Magnet Fruit) could create powerful magnetic weapons and enhance their destructive potential. Such combinations could rival even the most powerful Devil Fruits individually.
However, consuming two Devil Fruits was generally considered impossible. The reason behind Blackbeard's ability to wield multiple Devil Fruit powers remained a mystery, although Ian suspected he had a method for achieving this, as did Ian himself.
"Kid! Do you have any idea who I am? I'm Absalom, one of the Mysterious Four, a subordinate of Gecko Moria, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea! I command an army of four hundred zombie soldiers, and I possess the Suke Suke no Mi!"
"Behold! This is my modified body, crafted by the genius surgeon Hogback, another member of the Mysterious Four and the creator of our zombie army. I have the jaws of a lion, capable of crushing anything, the skin of an elephant, granting me immense durability, and the strength and ferocity of a gorilla and a bear, with three hundred pounds of pure muscle!"
He ripped off his shirt, revealing his grotesque, stitched-together body. Ian, unimpressed, retorted, "If you had dedicated yourself to training, you wouldn't need all those modifications. You're wasting your potential."
The physical abilities of individuals in the One Piece world were peculiar. With dedicated training, even pure physical strength could reach monstrous levels, as exemplified by Garp and Luffy. However, there were also cases like Kuina, Zoro's childhood friend and the daughter of Koushirou.
A simple fall down a flight of stairs had ended her life.
Within Thriller Bark, the Mysterious Four had distinct roles. Hogback was responsible for acquiring corpses through grave robbing, stitching them together, and preparing them for Moria's shadow implantation to create zombies. Absalom commanded the zombie army, while Perona instilled fear in their enemies.
They were similar to Orochimaru and Kabuto in the Naruto universe, who also robbed graves and resurrected the dead using the Edo Tensei technique. However, Edo Tensei zombies retained most of their original strength and possessed regenerative abilities, while Moria's zombies were mere shadows of their former selves, their physical abilities significantly inferior.
Both techniques required a human sacrifice and forced the resurrected individuals to obey their summoner's commands. However, Edo Tensei could turn the tide of battles, while Moria's zombies were mostly cannon fodder without powerful corpses.
Ryuma's corpse, acquired by Moria over twenty years ago during his clash with Kaido in Wano Country, was a prime example. After suffering a crushing defeat and witnessing the deaths of his crewmates, Moria had stolen Ryuma's body and fled to the Florian Triangle, biding his time and amassing an army of zombies. But he had squandered the potential of his powerful Devil Fruit, failing to develop it fully.
The Kage Kage no Mi (Shadow-Shadow Fruit), like Buggy's Bara Bara no Mi, could become a nightmare upon awakening.
"Enough talk! Prepare to be crushed!" Absalom roared, his body vanishing as he activated his invisibility. Perhaps that was the purpose behind his modifications, combining brute force with stealth.
Later, Blackbeard would bestow the Suke Suke no Mi upon Shiryu, a master swordsman, who, unlike the incompetent Absalom, could effectively conceal his presence, making him a deadly assassin, capable of launching surprise attacks with his flying sword slashes.
"Mr. Ian, be careful…" Brook warned, having experienced Absalom's treachery firsthand. However, Ian could easily track him.
Within his soul-sensing perception, Absalom's presence was glaringly obvious. He drew Shusui and unleashed a devastating flying sword slash in Absalom's direction, not holding back this time.
As the energy wave dissipated, Absalom's body, like Ryuma's, was cleaved in two, blood gushing from the wound. Despite his zombie-like appearance and animalistic modifications, he was still human, not a Mink.
Ian couldn't help but admire Absalom's resilience, his ability to endure the pain of such extensive bodily modifications. Why hadn't he channeled that willpower into training? With such determination, he could have become a formidable force.
"Trying to escape?" After dispatching Absalom, Ian swiftly activated his Soul Absorption, capturing a transparent soul attempting to flee.
It was the "Devil" within the Suke Suke no Mi, invisible to ordinary individuals. While he didn't particularly need the power of invisibility, allowing a Devil Fruit to roam free and potentially fall into the wrong hands would be troublesome.
In this regard, his goal aligned with the Marines'. However, he possessed the ability to absorb and manifest Devil Fruit powers, while the Marines could only imprison Devil Fruit users in Impel Down or, in rare cases, attempt to recruit them.
Within his mental landscape, the green sapling representing the Devil Fruit tree grew slightly larger, a translucent, almost ethereal, fruit with wavy patterns appearing among its branches. The Suke Suke no Mi.
He chose to preserve the Devil Fruit instead of absorbing its soul for a fusion boost. Such a useful ability shouldn't be lost. Perhaps he could utilize it himself or bestow it upon a worthy individual.
"Mr. Ian, you're truly incredible!" Brook exclaimed, astounded by Ian's effortless victories over Ryuma and Absalom. It seemed his claim of challenging Gecko Moria was no empty boast.
The Grand Line was vast and full of powerful individuals. Even he, Brook, had been a renowned pirate captain in the West Blue fifty years ago. But compared to Ian, he was a mere novice.
And this young man claimed to be a newcomer. Brook longed to explore the deeper reaches of the Grand Line once more, but his heart yearned for Laboon, his whale companion waiting for him at Reverse Mountain.
Ian simply chuckled…
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Word Count [1683]
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To Be Continued..
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