Chapter 8: Choku Tomoe of Rinne-Sharingan

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, Chika, who was activating his ability, stopped absorbing with the Preta Path because he realized that it didn't achieve the effect he expected.

Indeed, Chika anticipated that the Preta Path of the Rinne Sharingan could absorb chakra, which is essentially energy in the world of Naruto. In the One Piece world, it would be Haki and the energy within the body.

However, Chika wasn't satisfied with just that. He believed that Devil Fruit abilities also required the support of physical stamina. So why didn't he feel this special power when he absorbed just now?

Could it be that the source of Devil Fruit abilities isn't actually within the body?

But where else could it be, aside from the body?

"I got it!" A flash of inspiration struck Chika's mind.

"Could it be the soul? Yes, besides the physical body, a person only has the soul left!"

Thinking of it, the ability that targets the soul is naturally the Human Path ability of the Rinne Sharingan. Chika held Brand, who had already lost the ability to resist, and his other hand slapped Brand's head, as if grabbing something.

With only his eyes able to move, Brand looked in horror as a humanoid purple spiritual body was pulled out from his head by Chika. His body trembled instinctively.

Sure enough, through the Rinne Sharingan, Chika saw a wriggling black energy in the heart area of Brand's spiritual body.

Directly activating the ability of the Preta Path, that struggling black mass seemed to want to escape, but it was clearly powerless against the strong suction force of the Preta Path. It was directly sucked into Chika's body.

As the ability merged with his body, Chika immediately felt the presence of a peculiar energy within him. This energy quickly flowed into Chika's eye after entering his body and eventually formed a black Tomoe in the pattern of his right eye.

Feeling something unusual with his eye, Chika created a small water screen in the air using Water Release, allowing him to see the extra jade in his right eye.

"Isn't this Sasuke's Mangekyou Sharingan? Although it's just one Tomoe." Chika was overjoyed. He didn't expect that by absorbing the power of Devil Fruits, his Rinne Sharingan could evolve once again, and so easily!

"Based on Sasuke's eyes as a reference, one Mangekyou Sharingan can hold six Tomoe. So, with a pair of Mangekyou Sharingan, I can hold twelve Tomoe, meaning I can absorb twelve Devil Fruits!" Chika was genuinely delighted this time because he found a method for the evolution of the Rinne Sharingan, which meant he was one step closer to the level of the Six Paths Sage.

With a casual wave in front of him, a door appeared before Chika.

Satisfied with the spatial door in front of him, Chika thought, "I didn't expect things to go so smoothly. With this, I can do what Blackbeard did and even do it better!"

This battle yielded quite a harvest, and Chika didn't dwell on it any further. He came back to his senses and looked at Brand in his hand.

With the extraction of his soul, Brand's eyes had turned white, signifying the loss of his life. He was dead beyond death.

Casually tossing Brand's body aside like throwing away garbage, Brand followed in the footsteps of the small fry from before.

Snap! Another fresh human-shaped meat patty appeared on the ground. As for why it didn't turn into minced meat, jokingly speaking, Brand was a pirate captain who returned from the Grand Line. Would it be a problem if his body was a bit tougher?

From Brand's attack to becoming a human-shaped meat patty, it had taken less than five minutes. The pirates on the ground hadn't even recovered their senses, and their captain had already transformed into what they saw before them.

Silence.

Slowly, some pirates among them started trembling and speaking out.

"Run... run away!"

"He's a devil! He's a devil!"

"Why can he use the captain's abilities?"

"Why bother with all that? If you want revenge, go ahead. I'm getting out of here first!"

The pirates completely panicked and scattered like a group of headless flies.

"Tsk tsk, how ugly." Looking at the chaotic mob below, Chika felt that it was truly affecting his mood. He wondered what ability he should use to clean up the mess.

"Well, let's use this move."

Chika's eyes lit up as he thought of a move.

With hands clasped together and index finger raised, Chika took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled.

["Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"]

A burst of flames spewed forth from Chika's lips, instantly transforming into a sea of fire that covered the entire pirate crew, engulfing the fleeing pirates. It swallowed the entire pirate crew in an instant.

"It's fire! It's fire!"

"Save me, it's so hot!"

"Am I dreaming? Can someone please wake me up quickly?!"

"I beg you, spare me, and I'll be your most loyal subordinate, no! The most loyal dog! Please spare my life!!"

"We're finished! We managed to escape the Grand Line, but we're wiped out in the weakest East Blue. Hahaha!"

Desperate pleas for mercy, agonizing screams, and maniacal laughter intermittently echoed within the sea of fire.

Chika furrowed his brow, feeling that he had been too lenient earlier, so he increased his intensity. Soon, the air became quiet.

As the flames dissipated, only piles of charcoal-shaped figures remained on the ground.

"I have to take these with me. They're all achievements," Chika thought it necessary to clean up the scene.

With a light grip of his hand, the charcoal on the ground gathered together, continuously compressed, forming a black sphere. Chika also separated Brand's body, which still had a recognizable appearance.

Satisfied with his masterpiece, Chika opened his own door-like space and threw these "spoils" inside.

Casually tearing down the pirate flag of the Brand Pirates, Chika set their pirate ship ablaze with a torch.

"Now everything is ready. I wonder if these things will attract the attention of the headquarters," Chika pondered.

"Whatever, I'll find out when I get there." Chika made up his mind and left the island where he had rested for less than a day.