Another turbulent day aboard the Saber of Xebec.
"Silver Axe" Fierce and "Golden Lion" Shiki were brawling again, while "Whitebeard" Newgate sought out Rocks to sharpen his strength.
The chubby girl, Charlotte Linlin, had once again been driven off by Fang Huo; she stomped to the kitchen in search of food.
Babel and Sunbell were likewise training their Haki and physical skills; they refused to be left behind.
They aimed to become the strongest warriors of Fish-Man Island.
Inside Fang Huo's exclusive strategy room.
"Streusen..."
The Seven-Star Sword hovered in the air above Fang Huo's hand, his voice curling around Streusen's ears like a devil's whisper.
Streusen was thirty-seven this year, the oldest member on the ship.
Oldest in age, shortest in height, weakest in strength, and lowest in status—on par with Sunbell—that was the chef's current lot.
Streusen, carrying a tray of pastries, froze at the door when that fiendish whisper reached him.
"Live forever and stay young?"
A crimson gleam flashed across Streusen's greedy eyes.
"What must I do, Vice-Captain?"
Torn between fear and greed, Streusen sank deeper under Fang Huo's control.
"Then join the glorious evolution!"
Fang Huo felt no mental burden over a man like Streusen; the eerie green light of the Seven-Star Sword blazed brighter.
He would make Streusen his first test subject, turning the chef into a Vampire Blood Servant.
Soul Fire condensed into vampire bats that swooped down to Streusen's neck and bit hard.
Eyes blazing red, Streusen offered no resistance, letting the bats remake his body.
"Ahhh!!"
Streusen screamed and collapsed; the pastries slipped from his fingers, yet under Fang Huo's Gravity Fruit ability, they floated in mid-air.
Fang Huo casually took a pastry and munched on it while he watched the chef's transformation with interest.
Turning on one's own crew was an unforgivable taboo on most pirate ships.
On the Rocks Pirates' ship, it was nothing.
Besides, Fang Huo hadn't truly killed Streusen—he had merely granted him the power of eternal youth.
As the remolding finished, Streusen's pupils turned blood-red, and a pair of sharp fangs sprouted in his mouth.
"I feel endless vitality!"
Streusen sprang up excitedly, sliced his own arm with a small knife, and watched the wound close at a visible speed.
It was as if he had eaten a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit and gained monstrous regenerative power.
Fang Huo's ability was actually this outrageous?
Did that mean he could mass-produce Vampire Blood Servants no weaker than Zoan users?
"Go adapt to your new power, and pretend nothing happened."
Having finished the pastry and observed for a few minutes, Fang Huo waved the blood servant away.
Now the craftiest little runt on board was completely under his command.
More obedient than Sunbell and the others.
Fang Huo wasn't betraying Rocks—his savior and patron—he was simply eliminating hidden dangers in advance.
Nor did he wish to see the Rocks Pirates fall apart!
At least, Fang Huo wouldn't leave the crew before Imu was dead.
To confront Imu, he definitely needed Rocks's power.
"Yes, Vice-Captain!"
Streusen reveled in his new strength, retracting his vampire fangs and returning to his normal appearance.
Even his pupils reverted; everything seemed unchanged.
After Streusen left, Fang Huo rubbed his chin—the development of his Vampire Fruit had taken another big step.
Yet creating a Vampire Blood Servant consumed vast amounts of the blood energy he had collected.
Unless necessary, Fang Huo had no wish to make more servants.
Not unless he turned fully demonic and slaughtered on a grand scale to gather blood.
Fang Huo suddenly realized he was starting to resemble that old monster, Imu.
He wielded multiple Devil Fruit abilities and could create servants; teleportation might not be impossible in the future.
Wasn't that exactly the dynamic among Imu, the Five Elders, and the Holy Knights?
Tch, am I really going to become the next Imu?
The boy who slays the dragon ends up becoming one?
Fang Huo snorted inwardly, yet felt neither regret nor guilt; he would keep walking this path.
Rocks wanted the world; Fang Huo only wanted longevity and power!
He would break out of this world and explore the vaster, unknown universe beyond!
"Too bad I still haven't awakened Observation Haki; I can't even pull off that cool 'Meteor Strike' flashy move."
Fang Huo continued developing his Gravity and Vampire abilities.
He also discovered that his Moonlight ability seemed to amplify his vampire powers.
This made him focus even more on synergistic combinations.
Mutually reinforcing abilities would let him unleash greater combat strength and find more ways to kill enemies.
Before he possessed the same mighty three types of Haki and raw power as Rocks,
these flashy Devil Fruit abilities were his ultimate trump cards.
Fortunately, the vampire power could replenish stamina; otherwise, cultivating three abilities at once would be a huge burden.
Inside the kitchen of the Saber of Xebec.
"Linlin! The Vice-Captain told you to eat less!"
Streusen, just back in the kitchen, caught Charlotte Linlin wolfing down food.
Hoping to curb her binge-eating, Fang Huo had ordered Streusen to cut back on her sweets.
Yet the moment Streusen looked away, Charlotte Linlin had emptied half the kitchen.
"Your scent's changed..."
"And you can't tell me what to do!"
Charlotte Linlin stuffed her mouth, instantly noticing the change in Streusen.
But she couldn't be bothered with this "traitor"!
Streusen now curried favor with Fang Huo; he was no longer the obedient chef of old.
"..."
"The Vice-Captain strengthened me!"
"Besides, you want him to help find news of Mother Carmel."
"You should talk to him more—he's a good man."
Streusen gazed at the still-overweight Charlotte Linlin; no wonder Fang Huo ignored her.
She really needed to slim down.
"Hmph! You think I didn't ask? Fang Huo rejected me!"
Charlotte Linlin wiped her mouth, puffing her cheeks in irritation.
"Then change yourself!"
Streusen's beady eyes darted as he whispered advice into her ear.
He had always deemed Charlotte Linlin a once-in-a-millennium genius.
But the ship was full of monsters no less freakish than her.
His vision had been too narrow.
No wonder his old crew had been wiped out; this world was crawling with monsters.
Now they had to cling tightly to the legs of Rocks and Fang Huo!
Days later, a colossal flying warship sailed into the airspace of Paradise Island...
"So they've finally come!"
Wang Zhi licked his lips, wondering how he could join the Rocks Pirates with dignity.
"Black Flag" Black, the CP0 spy, wore a confident, everything-under-control smile.
As long as he displayed overwhelming strength, he had a ninety-eight percent chance of joining the Rocks Pirates!