Kaidou strode heavily toward the crystal platform, his signature low laughter echoing through the empty space. "Worororo... Finally found it."
He stood before the crystal platform, looking down at the Devil Fruit emitting an eerie glow on it, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Big Brother Kaidou, is this our target? Zoan Type, Mythical Creature, Bat Fruit, Vampire Form?" King flapped his black wings and landed lightly beside Kaidou. His voice carried a mix of anticipation and curiosity.
At that moment, Bullet, Queen, Sebastian, and the others gradually approached.
"Correct," Kaidou replied briefly, extending his thick arm to grab the Devil Fruit. He toyed with it casually a few times before unhesitatingly tossing it to King.
King deftly caught the flying fruit, the black glove contrasting sharply with the purple fruit.
"King, eat it," Kaidou turned around and said in an unquestionable tone. "This fruit suits you well." His gaze revealed trust and expectation for his subordinate.
King lowered his head to stare at the Devil Fruit in his hand, its purple skin gleaming eerily in the dim light.
He could feel the intense gazes from his companions around him: Queen smoking a cigar while watching him, Bullet standing by with his arms crossed, a playful smile on his lips.
Sebastian looked at him and the Devil Fruit with envy. After this period of sailing at sea, Sebastian had come to understand the gap between his own potential and that of Bullet, King, and Queen. Although he was constantly growing stronger, his rate of improvement was far inferior to that of Bullet and the others.
Because of this, Sebastian could only hope that in the future, after making contributions to Captain Kaidou, he might be rewarded with a Devil Fruit. He knew that there were still two Ancient Zoan Devil Fruits on the ship. As for Mythical Zoan Devil Fruits, Sebastian didn't even dare to think about them, as they were said to be even rarer than Logia Types.
"Vampire Form..." King murmured softly, his fingertips gently tracing the uneven patterns on the fruit's surface. He recalled the information about Mythical Zoans he had seen in the laboratory years ago—these legendary creatures possessed the ability to manipulate darkness and blood.
"Worororo... What? Afraid to eat it?" Kaidou's towering figure looked at King, his laughter echoing in the empty space with a hint of teasing.
"Don't joke around," King snorted coldly and unhesitatingly brought the fruit to his mouth. The moment his teeth pierced the skin, an indescribable foul stench exploded in his mouth, and his brows instinctively furrowed. But soon, a strange power began surging through his body. His black wings uncontrollably spread out, each feather glowing with a dark red aura.
Queen's eyes flickered with data streams: "Oya oya, it seems the effect is immediate." He pulled out the notebook he carried with him and quickly recorded the observed changes.
King felt his vision suddenly become exceptionally clear, even able to discern the fine cracks on the distant stone walls. More remarkably, he seemed capable of perceiving the sound of blood flowing through every person present. When he looked toward Sebastian, this usually taciturn Executive instinctively took half a step back.
"How does it feel?" Kaidou turned around, his golden vertical pupils reflecting King's transformed figure.
King flexed his fingers, sensing the surge of new power within him. Suddenly, his figure dissolved into a cloud of black mist, instantly reappearing on the other side of the crystal platform with dizzying speed.
"Impressive speed," Bullet commented, a flicker of fighting spirit in his eyes. "It seems I'll need to be more careful during training sessions from now on."
"This power... truly suits me well." Before the words fully faded, King transformed into countless bats swirling around before reforming into his human shape.
Kaidou nodded with satisfaction: "Urororo... Now this is more like it. King, this fruit at its most basic already grants you the ability to absorb enemies' blood to restore yourself. Combined with your innate racial talents, you now stand a fighting chance against all but the most elite fighters."
Queen adjusted his glasses, the lenses reflecting an eerie light: "It appears we'll need to reassess the combat rankings among the Executives~"
Feeling the torrent of new energy coursing through him, King's lips curled upward unconsciously. He opened his palm, where a mass of crimson energy coalesced, distorting the surrounding air. "Truly fascinating power..." he murmured to himself.
Kaidou watched this scene contentedly, swinging his thick arm: "Let's go, time to leave this damned place." He turned and strode forward, the ground trembling slightly with each step. Queen hurried to keep up, still constantly recording data in his notebook: "Hey hey, King, you must let me properly study your new abilities later~"
Bullet rotated his shoulders, producing bone-cracking sounds: "It seems I'll need to get serious during our next sparring session." His gaze toward King carried eager fighting spirit.
Sebastian walked silently at the rear, his eyes occasionally glancing toward the red-glowing wings on King's back with a mixture of envy and reverence.
When they emerged from the underground space, the sky outside had already been painted with twilight hues. King looked up toward the gradually darkening horizon, suddenly feeling an unusual impulse. His pupils glowed faintly in the darkness, as if capable of piercing through the night to see everything. "This feeling..." he unconsciously licked his lips.
"What? Having trouble adjusting?" Queen approached, asking around his cigar. King shook his head: "No, quite the opposite. It feels like the night has become my domain." As he spoke, his figure suddenly dissolved into black mist and vanished, reappearing the next instant on a tree branch a hundred meters away.
Kaidou roared with laughter: "Urororo... It seems this fruit has indeed found its rightful owner!" His laughter shook the surrounding leaves into rustling motion.
After returning to the ship, King stood alone at the stern, quietly feeling the sea breeze brushing against his cheeks. His skin appeared unusually pale under the moonlight, yet within him surged unprecedented power.
Queen appeared behind him at some point: "Hey, want to test out your new abilities?" He waved the small knife in his hand, "Just need a tiny blood sample..."
Without even turning his head, King waved his hand, and a dark red energy barrier instantly repelled Queen: "Don't bother me." His voice was deeper than usual, carrying a dangerous rhythm.
Queen staggered back a few steps, his glasses askew: "Wow, someone's getting testy~" Instead of being annoyed, he grew even more excited, pulling out a notebook to record his observations.
Just then, Kaidou's voice came from the other end of the deck: "Everyone, listen up! New training regimen starts tomorrow!" His gaze swept over each Executive before finally settling on King, "Especially you, King. I want to see how far a Mythical Zoan can truly go."
Bullet grinned widely: "Now things are getting interesting." He clenched his fist, knuckles cracking like firecrackers. Sebastian stood in the shadows, silently tightening his grip on the weapon at his waist.
Late at night, King stood alone at the top of the mast, his black cloak flapping loudly in the wind. He could feel the power flowing through his body, and... that thirst for blood. "Seems it'll take some time to adjust..." he murmured to himself, a flash of red light passing through his eyes.
Early the next morning, as the first rays of sunlight fell upon the deck, King was already standing at the center of the training ground. His face was paler than usual, but his eyes were unusually sharp. Kaidou approached, carrying his Spiked Club over his shoulder: "Ready? Show me the power of a vampire!"
With a tremendous crash, the training began. King's figure alternately dissolved into countless bats and reformed into human shape under the sunlight, moving so fast it was hard to follow. Bullet and Queen watched from the sidelines, the former's eyes gleaming with fighting spirit while the latter frantically recorded data.
"Looks like the Beasts Pirates are gaining another monster," Queen adjusted his glasses, the lenses reflecting the intense battle on the training field.