Lucien slowly opened his eyes.
His amethyst pupils, patterned like fractured gemstones, were impossibly deep, resembling translucent purple stars on the verge of shattering. A quiet, oppressive aura lingered around him, subtle yet unmistakable.
In just over two days, he had completely digested Ace's soul.
Lucien could clearly feel it now, his soul had grown stronger, denser, and more refined than before. The difference was undeniable.
Just as he had expected, Ace truly was a Transmigrator.
Not only that, they were from the same province in their previous world. Ace had transmigrated roughly a month after Lucien leapt from the rooftop. Like Wang Xu, Ace was a pure Transmigrator, not a Reincarnator.
His so-called golden finger was neither a system nor a chat group.
It was talent.
An absurdly enhanced talent brought about by transmigration, allowing him to master Three Color Haki, the Six Powers, Life Return, the Voice of All Things, and more within a single year.
After absorbing Ace's soul, Lucien's soul had only been strengthened slightly. He did not strip away abilities such as Three Color Haki or Devil Fruit powers.
Perhaps the Soul Fruit could accomplish such feats with deeper development, but Lucien was well aware that he had not reached that stage yet.
Even so, merely strengthening his soul was already an invaluable reward.
Lucien summoned the light screen before him. A new message had already appeared.
"Successfully hunted Transmigrator Gabriel (Portgas D. Ace).
Reward: 4 Dice Rolls.
VIP Luck +1."
Lucien's lips curled upward uncontrollably.
The guaranteed rewards from the Dice Rolls carried a strange, addictive charm. Once experienced, it was difficult to resist wanting more.
The Dice spun and bounced across the board. A model airplane advanced four squares. With the activation of VIP Luck, a brilliant burst of light erupted, momentarily illuminating the entire room.
"Wish Contract Scroll."
"Description: Allows the user to select any target and sign a voluntary agreement. Upon fulfilling the target's specified wish, the user may choose one of the target's initial abilities to obtain, including Devil Fruit abilities. The acquired ability will be in its initial state and must be trained by the user."
As the light faded, Lucien stared at the reward in stunned silence.
Then, slowly, his facial muscles began to twitch.
Every cell in his body screamed with joy.
"VIP… glorious VIP."
Lucien burst into laughter, unable to suppress it any longer. His amethyst eyes shone with unrestrained excitement.
Three Color Haki. Devil Fruits.
According to the description, as long as he signed a contract with someone like Whitebeard and fulfilled their wish, he could choose one of their abilities.
Haoshoku Haki? The Tremor Tremor Fruit?
That meant he could potentially become a dual Devil Fruit user.
The Glint Glint Fruit, Rumble Rumble Fruit, Ice Ice Fruit, Paw Paw Fruit, Door Door Fruit.
Paramecia, Logia, even Mythical Zoan types.
As long as Lucien planned carefully, all of them were within reach.
The only drawback was that any acquired ability would start at its most basic state. Just like Finger Pistol and Soru, he would need to train and develop it himself.
Even so, Lucien was more than satisfied.
This VIP reward did not disappoint.
Once the excitement settled, a trace of hesitation appeared in his eyes.
Who should he sign the contract with?
Haoshoku Haki? Or a Devil Fruit?
Ten minutes later, Lucien made his decision.
Charlotte Katakuri.
From a long-term perspective, Observation Haki's Future Sight offered the greatest strategic value. Compared to that, Haoshoku Haki was less appealing to him, especially since he already possessed Law Following Speech.
As for Devil Fruits, Blackbeard existed as a living research subject. If anyone could uncover a different method of wielding multiple Devil Fruits, it would be him.
Future Sight was different.
This ability could be terrifying, or it could be overwhelming.
But one thing was certain, it was an ability that defied common sense.
With Future Sight, Lucien would no longer need to tread so cautiously when facing other cheats in the future.
He stored the remaining three Dice Rolls. Combined with the five Dice Rolls left from killing the Supernova, he would soon have enough to synthesize another standard Luck Dice.
"Phew…"
Lucien exhaled slowly.
"Master."
When Lucien arrived at the castle hall, every member of the Donquixote Family was present.
Gladius, Baby-5, Violet, those who once operated outside Dressrosa, as well as Monet, Caesar, and others who had previously been stationed at Punk Hazard.
All of them had been recalled by Doflamingo over the past two days.
Now, every single one of them had become Demons.
This was no different from Lucien completely stealing Doflamingo's entire power base, including Doflamingo himself.
Seated upon the throne, Lucien watched as Baby-5, dressed in a maid outfit, and the alluring Monet poured him red wine and lit his cigarette with practiced elegance.
Lucien accepted their service calmly, indulging in the decadence without a trace of guilt.
"What's the situation outside?"
He exhaled a thin stream of smoke as Violet gently massaged his shoulders from behind.
"The Marines will publicly execute Fire Fist Ace in ten days," Doflamingo reported.
Monet handed the newspaper to Lucien as she spoke.
"Excellent."
Lucien's eyes gleamed as he read.
Ace's execution meant the Straw Hat Pirates would certainly appear. The Whitebeard Pirates would follow. The Revolutionary Army might even be drawn in, along with remnants of the former Pirate King's allies.
The stage would be magnificent.
Because of him, this Marineford War would likely become even bloodier and more brutal than in the original timeline.
The Furious One, the Rose Queen, and the Silver Dragon, his fellow Transmigrators, were undoubtedly caught within this storm.
All he needed to do was wait.
Fishing in troubled waters had always been his specialty.
Lucien laughed softly, unabashedly pleased with himself.
"The fire still isn't big enough," he murmured. "I should add more fuel."
Holding his cigarette, smoke curling from his nostrils, Lucien's eyes grew cold and calculating.
"Doflamingo, use your influence. Expose the true identities of Fire Fist Ace and Monkey D. Luffy."
"Yes," Doflamingo replied without hesitation.
The very next day, the world was plunged into chaos once more.
"Extra, extra. Fire Fist Portgas D. Ace is confirmed to be the bloodline of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger."
"Fire Fist Ace has two brothers. One is Supernova Straw Hat Monkey D. Luffy, son of Revolutionary Army leader Monkey D. Dragon and grandson of Marine Hero Monkey D. Garp."
"The other brother is Revolutionary Army Chief of Staff, Sabo."
"This execution may draw not only the Whitebeard Pirates, but also the Revolutionary Army."
"Marine Hero Garp personally raised Fire Fist Ace."
"The Marines are chasing fame. A Marine Hero secretly raised the most dangerous bloodline in the world."
"The Monkey family's lineage is terrifying. The grandfather is a Marine Hero, the father leads the Revolutionary Army, the grandson is a Supernova, and the adopted grandson is the Pirate King's bloodline."
"Straw Hat Monkey D. Luffy is the chosen successor of the Four Emperors, Red Hair Shanks."
The seas erupted.
Every faction, every individual, was left reeling.
"Is it real? Fire Fist is the Pirate King's son?"
"He was raised by Marine Hero Garp?"
"These backgrounds are absurd."
"The Whitebeard Pirates, the Revolutionary Army, the Marines, even the Red Hair Pirates are all involved."
"This is insane."
"I thought I understood this world, but I can't keep up anymore."
"What a joke. The forces surrounding Fire Fist Ace and Straw Hat are monstrous."
"Hahaha, I really want to see the Marines' faces now. A Marine Hero raised the Pirate King's son, the Revolutionary leader's child, and the world's most infamous Supernova."
"And that Marine Hero is still alive."
On this day, the identities and backgrounds of Fire Fist Ace and Monkey D. Luffy were laid bare before the entire world.