BANG!
On the Red Line, Mislanda slammed Motley's head into the ground with a heavy thud.
Blood splattered across the crimson soil.
But that wasn't the end of it. From Mislanda's palm, thick black smoke poured forth, snaking into Motley's body.
"Ahh—! Stop! What are you doing to me?!"
"Relax," Mislanda replied casually. "I'm only taking your ability. I'm not going to kill you."
Pinned by Mislanda's overwhelming strength, Motley struggled with everything he had, but it was useless. The darkness wormed deeper into his body, seeping through his skin like a living thing.
"AHHHH—!"
His screams echoed across the desolate wasteland. His body convulsed violently as if his very soul were being torn apart.
The Dark-Dark Fruit possessed a unique suction force—capable of drawing out the essence of Devil Fruits that resided within a person's body.
But the process of extracting such a power… was unimaginably painful.
Motley's veins bulged, his face twisted in agony.
Then—
"AAAAH!"
With a final, bloodcurdling scream, rays of light burst from his eyes and mouth, converging in the air above into a single glowing orb.
Motley went limp, collapsing unconscious at Mislanda's feet.
Mislanda reached out and grasped the orb, then retrieved a plain apple from his Dark Space.
He pressed the glowing sphere into it.
In an instant, the apple began to shimmer, twisting and warping into a familiar pattern—the swirling markings of a Devil Fruit.
Mislanda's lips curled into a smile. "Thanks. I like this gift."
He then summoned a rack from the darkness beside him.
Upon it sat several Devil Fruits, each one glistening with strange patterns.
Among them was the Gold-Gold Fruit he had taken from the prison earlier.
Over the past three years of wandering, Mislanda had collected these fruits one by one, using the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit to harvest them from defeated enemies.
Now, he had four:
Gold-Gold Fruit, Explosive Fruit, Weapon Fruit, and Cat-Cat Fruit, Tiger Model.
The Explosive Fruit had once belonged to one of Crocodile's Baroque Works agents—a numbered operative who specialized in blowing things up. Mislanda had killed him in the West Blue and taken his fruit.
The Weapon Fruit was formerly used by a maid serving under Donquixote Doflamingo. He'd obtained it by sheer chance during a trip to the North Blue.
After confirming his collection, Mislanda stored all four fruits safely away.
Then, without hesitation, he grabbed Motley's limp body by the neck and tossed him off the edge of the Red Line.
From ten thousand meters high, with his consciousness gone—
there was no surviving that fall.
Satisfied, Mislanda turned and disappeared into the shadows of the night.
A short while later, a second squad of World Government agents arrived at the scene.
But they were too late.
All they found were flattened corpses, the ruins of the prison, and the thick scent of blood hanging in the air.
"Report this to the higher-ups immediately!" one of them barked.
Not long after Mislanda reached the open sea, a familiar voice echoed in his mind.
[Ding! Mission complete – Slave Prison of the Celestial Dragons destroyed!]
[Would you like to claim your reward?]
"Not yet," Mislanda said. "Let me find a better place first."
The sea stretched endlessly around him; he needed a quiet island to see what the system had in store.
The first mission had rewarded him with the Dark-Dark Fruit,
the second with Dragon Essence,
both of which had been immensely powerful.
Now, he was genuinely curious to see what the third reward would be.
Before long, Mislanda spotted an uninhabited island.
A lush forest surrounded a sparkling lake at its center—it was the perfect hideout.
He landed and opened a black vortex beside him, releasing the three sisters from inside.
"Prince," Hancock asked, looking around curiously, "where are we?"
Mislanda pointed toward the lake and took out three sets of clothing.
"I've got something to take care of. You three should wash up for now. I'll be right outside the forest."
He handed them the clothes.
"They're mine—brand new. Make do with them for now."
Then, without another word, he turned and walked away.
Hancock watched him go, her gaze lingering for a long time before her younger sister nudged her.
"Big Sister…?"
"Ah—!" Hancock's face turned crimson.
"Right… Let's do as the prince says. We should wash up first."
Their clothes were filthy from the prison; a proper bath was long overdue.
Outside the forest, Mislanda sat cross-legged on a massive boulder.
"System," he said, "claim the reward."
[Ding! Dispensing reward…]
[Congratulations, host! You have received—six Imperial Arms from the world of Akame ga Kill!]
Mislanda blinked.
"Akame ga Kill? You mean that heartwarming romance anime with no violence at all?" he muttered sarcastically.
He remembered the story well.
No magic—but countless mysterious weapons known as Teigu, or Imperial Arms.
There were forty-eight in total, forged by the kingdom's craftsmen using a long-lost method.
Each possessed unique, incredible powers.
Essentially, they weren't all that different from Devil Fruits—
just another kind of supernatural ability.
"Six Imperial Arms out of forty-eight… can I choose which ones?"
If his memory was correct, there was one supreme Teigu—
the Shikoutazer, the Imperial Arm of the Empire, a colossal mecha with world-ending power.
It was basically the ancient weapon of the Akame world.
If he could get that… he could walk sideways through the seas of the New World!
[Ding! Selection not available. The six Imperial Arms will be chosen randomly. Good or bad—depends entirely on luck.]
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Mislanda rolled his eyes.
"Fine. Out of forty-eight, I get six—that's an eighth of them. I'll take those odds."
"System, start the draw!"
[Ding! Drawing now…]
A spinning sound echoed in his mind as the unseen wheel turned.
Moments later—
[Ding! Congratulations, host! You have obtained the Imperial Arm: Pumpkin – Romantic Battery Cannon!]
[Pumpkin – a firearm-type Teigu. Converts the user's emotional energy into destructive blasts. The greater the danger the user faces, the stronger its power.]
A long, sleek sniper rifle appeared before him, glinting coldly under the moonlight.
Mislanda sighed, rubbing his temples.
"Well… that's… mildly useful, I guess."
"It's strong, but not that strong. And I'd have to be in mortal danger for it to reach full power…"
"Chicken ribs—tasteless to eat, a pity to throw away."
With his current strength, there weren't many people in the world who could truly endanger him.
So for him, this was little more than a fancy gun.
He sighed again. "Not the best start."
"System, second draw!"
[Ding! Drawing…]
A few seconds passed.
[Ding! Congratulations, host! You have obtained the Imperial Arm: Mastema – Wings of Freedom!]
[Mastema – a Teigu in the form of wings, granting the user the power of flight and limited offensive capabilities.]
~~--------------------------
Patreon Advanced Chapters:
patreon.com/FrostWarden