"How is that possible?"
Stussy stared at Lucien's forehead, now completely restored, her expression dark and wary.
"A Devil Fruit user."
There was no other explanation. For something like this to happen, the man before her had to be a Devil Fruit user. The only uncertainty was the exact nature of his ability. Still, the regeneration alone reminded her of Marco the Phoenix, a power that granted terrifying recovery speed.
"That actually hurt a bit," Lucien said casually. "Good thing I know that move too."
He flicked his finger.
The air ripped apart with a sharp sonic boom.
A chill ran down Stussy's spine. She twisted her body at the last second, barely avoiding the attack. Behind her, buildings were pierced through one after another, thumb sized holes appearing cleanly in their walls.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
Lucien flicked his finger repeatedly. Finger Pistols shot out like invisible bullets, tearing through the air in rapid succession. Using Observation Haki, Stussy activated Soru continuously, leaving behind afterimages as she narrowly avoided every strike.
"Unexpectedly strong."
The whisper came from right beside her.
Every hair on Stussy's body stood on end.
Lucien had appeared without warning, a cigarette between his lips, both hands tucked into his pockets. He stood balanced on one leg, the other transformed into black red crystal wrapped in steaming heat. He swept it horizontally.
Stussy coated both arms with Armament Haki and raised them to block.
The impact felt like a meteor crashing into her.
Her guard shattered instantly. The force slammed into her chest, and with a sharp crack, blood spilled from her red lips. Her body shot backward like a beam of light, smashing through multiple buildings before crashing into the street below. A crater nearly ten meters wide formed on impact, cracks spreading outward like spiderwebs.
"What is happening?"
"Someone's fighting."
Dust rolled through the street as startled civilians shouted in panic.
Lucien left an afterimage behind and appeared within the cloud of dust. He kicked his left foot, releasing a crescent shaped Rankyaku that tore through the air, violently dispersing the dust.
Stussy was already retreating.
She fled down the street without hesitation.
"Crack."
Golden lightning erupted, violent currents dancing through the air.
Lucien had vanished again.
A surge of danger erupted behind her. Stussy turned, her expression grim, and fired Finger Pistols one after another, attempting to intercept the incoming golden lightning.
It was useless.
The golden lightning tore through everything with overwhelming force. Stussy blocked instinctively, but the sound of bones cracking rang out as she cried out in pain and was sent flying once more.
Before she could land, the lightning appeared behind her again.
She was kicked back in the opposite direction before she could even see the attack.
Crack. Boom. Boom. Boom.
For a brief moment, the entire street was consumed by flashes of golden light. At the center of it all, Stussy was kicked back and forth like a ball, her body completely overwhelmed.
Before anyone nearby could fully process what they were seeing, the golden lightning shot skyward and vanished.
Stussy disappeared with it.
Only the shattered street and scattered bloodstains remained as proof that a battle had taken place, and that it had ended almost as soon as it began.
At the same time, on the hotel rooftop, Lucien casually tossed Stussy's broken body onto the ground.
She was in a miserable state. Her clothes were torn, and large patches of pale skin were bruised and discolored.
Lilith stared at Stussy's condition, a chill running straight down her spine. Fear filled her eyes.
A black thorn extended from Lucien's tailbone, coiling around Stussy like a living serpent before lifting her into the air. Its tip pierced directly into her heart, and a large amount of fresh blood surged into her body.
Stussy's dying form convulsed violently. Her limbs stiffened and trembled as if she were enduring unbearable pain.
Thud.
Her body dropped back to the ground, curled tightly in on itself.
Her tolerance was roughly comparable to Perospero's. She could not compare to fighters like Cracker or Oven, let alone Katakuri.
To this day, only Katakuri had received the greatest amount of demon blood.
He was also the demon closest to Lucien.
About a minute later, Stussy completed her transformation and slowly stood up.
All her injuries had vanished without a trace.
Rose patterns bloomed along her long pale legs, climbing toward her thighs and disappearing beneath her clothing, faintly visible and alluring. However, her eyes did not turn into amethyst diamonds.
Clearly, her level as a demon was extremely high.
The black thorn did not retract.
Instead, it shot out again, piercing into Lilith's body beside Lucien. Shortly after, Lilith also completed her transformation, though her presence was clearly far inferior to Stussy's.
"Come sit," Lucien said calmly. "Let's have afternoon tea again."
He sat back down, crossing his legs as he gazed toward the distant street.
Stussy obediently took a seat beside him. Her life and death were now entirely in this man's hands.
At the same time, she possessed a body that was nearly immortal.
Lilith moved quickly to prepare the tea.
"Tell me about the current forces in the Pirate World," Lucien said.
"Yes," Stussy replied without hesitation.
For the next ten days, Lucien remained on Sabaody Archipelago.
He did not seek out Silvers Rayleigh. Instead, he wandered through the various groves by day. At night, he indulged in pleasures. Though the so called old grass had aged, her appearance showed no sign of it, and the experience itself was far more intoxicating.
So far, Stussy's presence had been extremely satisfying.
She understood how to create exactly the atmosphere he desired.
Aside from these indulgences, Lucien continued developing his Soul Fruit and cultivating steadily.
Then, Sabaody grew increasingly lively.
"Hey, did you hear? X Drake of the Red Flag, one of the Supernovas, has landed on the island."
"What? You mean X Drake of the Worst Generation, with a bounty of 222,000,000 Berries?"
"That's him. I heard he arrived last night. He should be in the lawless zone between Grove 1 and Grove 29."
At Grove 42, Lucien lounged beneath the afternoon sun at an open air tea shop. The nearby conversations fed him useful information.
The first Supernova had arrived.
The rest would follow within days.
Were Supernovas considered important or merely supporting figures?
From the perspective of the Son of Destiny, Supernovas, the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the Four Emperors, the Underworld, the Marines, and the World Government were all antagonists.
He only hoped they were all important ones.
Even without a luck value, three Dice rolls still offered plenty of opportunity. Ten rolls could be combined into a single luck bonus.
Even a mosquito was still meat.
He would clean up these supporting characters right here on Sabaody.
Too weak, and not worth turning into demons.
A gentle breeze swept through the area, lifting a newspaper from the table.
When it settled, the figure sitting there was gone.
Grove 1 to Grove 29 was the lawless zone of Sabaody Archipelago. Human trafficking shops, slave auctions, and black market dealings flourished openly.
There was no order here.
Only fists.
Whoever had the strongest fist defined the rules.
In truth, the entire Pirate World followed the same principle.
Inside a tavern in Grove 16, Drake's pirate crew was drinking heavily.
Their ship was currently undergoing coating. In a few days, they would pass through Fish Man Island and enter the New World. From there, they would challenge the Four Emperors, seize their thrones, find Gol D Roger's treasure, and become the Pirate King who ruled the seas.
It was the dream shared by nearly every pirate.
"Master, Supernova X Drake of the Red Flag is currently drinking at a tavern in Grove 16," Stussy's charming voice reported through the Den Den Mushi.
"Yes," Lucien replied calmly. "I see him."
A slightly childish voice echoed through the tavern.
The pirates turned their heads.
Lucien stood at the entrance.
"Captain," one of the crew said with a grin, "this kid looks like he's here for you."
The pirates laughed.
To keep a low profile, Lucien currently appeared to be a six or seven year old boy, not even a meter tall.
____
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