At first, Kid did not feel true fear.
But as the black thorns continued to devour his life force, the reality of death finally caught up to him. His mind shattered in an instant.
No one could remain calm when staring death in the face.
The mont fear took root, the outco was already decided.
White soul mist seeped from Kid's body. Lucien reached out and seized it, forcefully ripping his soul free. In the very next second, Kid's eyes turned hollow, his breathing ceased, and his heart stopped completely.
Killed instantly.
Eustass Kid never even had the chance to use his Devil Fruit ability.
Two years later, this man would have awakened Haoshoku Haki, the innate quality of a king. That alone spoke volus about his talent. Haoshoku was not sothing one could train for, it was proof of a born ruler.
With enough ti, Kid would have beco a terrifying powerhouse.
Unfortunately, he had been crushed in the cradle by Lucien.
As Kid's struggling soul twisted in his grasp, the black thorns continued absorbing the remains of Kid's body. In the past, Lucien only devoured flesh. Now, even the soul was not spared.
Lucien had already confird through research that absorbing the bodies of Devil Fruit users did not grant him their abilities. Many pirates speculated that consuming a Devil Fruit user might transfer the power, but reality proved otherwise.
From his experints on Whole Cake Island, Lucien discovered that once a soul was removed from the body, it beca muddled and unstable. Even when infused into objects to create Homies, those souls beca new existences, sotis retaining fragnts of mories or habits, but never Devil Fruit abilities.
For swordsn, so muscle mory and techniques could remain.
But Devil Fruit powers never did.
Lucien's final conclusion was simple. The mont a Devil Fruit user stopped breathing or their soul left their body, the Devil Fruit would be reborn sowhere in the sea.
With Kid dealt with, Lucien vanished without lingering.
---
Elsewhere, Trafalgar Law was locked in combat with Killer, the Slaughter Samurai.
The Room expanded to a radius of twenty ters.
In an instant, Killer's body was sliced cleanly into four pieces, collapsing onto the ground. Beneath his mask, his exposed eyes were filled with disbelief as he stared at Law's neck.
Monts ago, Killer's scythe had nearly severed Law's head.
Yet before his very eyes, an injury that would have killed even a seasoned veteran regenerated and healed completely.
Even powerful fighters would have died from such a wound.
Law had exchanged injury for victory, ending the fight in a single decisive strike.
If Killer had known about Law's cellular regeneration beforehand, he would never have fought so recklessly. He had already lost the mont the battle began.
This was the power of becoming a demon.
Cell regeneration alone rivaled the Mythical Zoan Phoenix Fruit.
Although it did not yet match Marco's regeneration speed, it would only grow stronger as Law continued to develop. Over ti, recovery would beco faster and more efficient.
Lucien himself could now regenerate a severed arm within just a second.
He could even explode his body and divide himself into countless fragnts, similar to Kibutsuji Muzan. As long as even a single cell survived, he could recover completely through his overwhelming regeneration.
The price, however, was imnse consumption.
After such recovery, he would be weakened for a period of ti.
Still, it made Lucien extraordinarily difficult to kill.
Unless he was completely erased, leaving not a single trace behind.
Lucien appeared beside the dismantled Room, gazing at Killer's severed remains. A black thorn erged from his tailbone and wrapped around Killer's head.
Law released the Room.
"Life," Lucien said calmly.
The Soul Curse activated.
White soul mist poured from Killer's body. Lucien seized it and pulled it free. Though it was far inferior to Kid's soul, it was far stronger than that of an ordinary man.
Soul absorption was a gradual process.
Unlike flesh, it could not be completed in monts. It required ti, accumulation, and patience.
After eliminating the remaining Kid Pirates, Lucien and Law disappeared once more, moving toward their next destination.
Lucien did not bother absorbing the weaker pirates. They were not worth the effort.
Only the bodies and souls of strong individuals held true value.
---
At the sa ti, inside a tavern in Mangrove Area 24, another group of pirates was drinking.
At their center sat a tall man with flowing golden hair. Six vertical markings lined his forehead, his eyebrows stood upright, and he wore black pants paired with an open-front white shirt.
Basil Hawkins, the Magician.
One of the Supernovas, with a bounty of 249 million Berries.
A Paracia-type Straw-Straw Fruit user.
At this mont, Hawkins' expression was unusually grim. His gaze remained locked on the tarot cards in his hands.
One hundred percent mortality rate.
He had only perford a casual divination.
Yet the result was absolute death.
A sudden, unavoidable crisis had pushed his survival chance to zero.
Who would he face?
An Admiral?
Or soone far worse?
Hawkins could not help recalling the Mad Monk Urouge, Red Flag X Drake, and the other fallen Supernovas. Was soone truly hunting them?
"Captain, what's wrong?" one of his subordinates asked.
"Leave imdiately," Hawkins said without hesitation.
Even if there was only a one-in-a-thousand chance of survival, he would take it.
"Huh? We just got here."
His subordinates were stunned. Their drinks were barely half finished.
Hawkins ignored them and stood, heading straight for the exit. Seeing his resolve, his n could only follow.
Just outside the tavern, Hawkins froze.
Two figures were walking toward him.
"Trafalgar Law."
Thanks to his Straw-Straw Fruit and divination abilities, Hawkins' danger sense was far sharper than most.
He instinctively dodged to the left.
In the next instant, golden lightning flashed.
A sweeping kick tore through the space he had just occupied. The air scread as a violent shockwave erupted. Hawkins' subordinates were sent flying, and the tavern behind them was obliterated.
When the dust settled, only ruins remained.
The power behind a single kick was terrifying.
Lucien stood on one leg, hands in his pockets, turning his head slightly to glance at the stunned Hawkins. There was a trace of surprise in his eyes.
He had not expected Hawkins to dodge, especially since that kick had been thrown casually.
Golden lightning flickered again.
This ti, Hawkins had no chance to evade.
Lucien's foot slamd into his abdon, bending him forward violently. Pain twisted Hawkins' face as the force nearly crushed the air from his lungs.
With a deafening crash, Hawkins was launched like a missile, tearing through buildings before collapsing into rubble.
Monts later, a damaged straw doll fell from his arm.
One of his subordinates lying in the ruins died instantly.
Hawkins stood back up as if nothing had happened.
He had transferred the damage.
"Go kill them," Lucien said indifferently, glancing at Hawkins' subordinates.
His figure flickered repeatedly across the ruins.
At the sa ti, Law charged straight toward Hawkins' remaining crew.
---
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