Drake set down his flask and frowned slightly as he looked at Lucien.
This was a six or seven year old boy. Yet the voice from the Den Den Mushi had addressed him as master. That alone made Drake wary. Even more unsettling was the fact that the boy was openly asking about him.
Lucien calmly put away the Den Den Mushi. He ignored the surrounding pirates who were deliberately making fierce expressions to intimidate him and walked straight toward Drake.
In the records, Drake was a Devil Fruit user of the Ancient Zoan type, the Allosaurus model. In the future, he would submit to Kaido and become one of the Tobi Roppo. His true identity, however, was that of a Marine spy embedded deep within pirate ranks.
Drake possessed a hooked nose, an eye patch, a swordsman's hat, and carried a four bladed axe in his right hand and a sword in his left. A black mask covered part of his face, with distinct X shaped scars marked on his chin and chest. Towering at nearly 233 centimeters, he had a solid and intimidating build.
"Kid, this isn't a place for you," one pirate sneered when he saw Lucien approaching without fear.
"We specialize in killing and eating children."
"Hahaha."
The tavern erupted in laughter as several pirates eagerly waited for the child's terrified reaction.
It never came.
Lucien's gaze never left Drake.
At some unknown moment, a kukri appeared in his hand.
In the next instant, time itself seemed to slow.
Lucien transformed into a bolt of golden lightning and appeared directly in front of Drake.
Golden light reflected in Drake's eyes as his entire body felt as if it had been plunged into an ice cellar. Every hair on his body stood on end as a sense of absolute death wrapped around his soul.
I must dodge.
If I don't, I'll die.
This child is not harmless.
Pfft.
Blood sprayed into the air.
Drake reacted at his absolute limit, barely avoiding instant death. Even so, half of his neck was severed. For an Ancient Zoan user, it was a severe injury, but not a fatal one.
Given time, he could heal.
That was only if Lucien allowed it.
Whoosh, whoosh.
Eight black red thorns erupted outward, weaving into an inescapable net that pierced straight into Drake's body. He was lifted off the ground, completely restrained, unable to struggle.
As the thorns tightened, the sound of cracking bones echoed through the tavern. The stench of scorched flesh filled the air as Drake screamed in agony.
These thorns were not only powerful, they burned with terrifying heat.
"Captain!"
The surrounding pirates barely saw what happened. A violent gust overturned tables and chairs. By the time they regained their senses, Drake was already suspended in midair.
The eight black red thorns radiated intense heat. Even from a distance, the pirates could feel it scorching their skin. The source of it all was the child's tailbone.
"Kill each other," Lucien said calmly.
Law Following Speech activated.
The pirates at the front suddenly lost control of their bodies and turned on their own comrades, weapons flashing as chaos erupted inside the tavern.
The black thorns retracted slightly, leaving Drake hanging just half a foot above the ground in front of Lucien.
"Who are you?" Drake demanded, his face pale.
He could feel the strength in his body draining away rapidly. The child before him was a monster.
Lucien said nothing.
A surge of Soul power gathered behind him, forming a massive and terrifying evil apparition. Its eyes were pitch black, devoid of whites, filled with venomous malice, like a demon crawling out of hell itself.
This was a Soul Spell.
Lucien intended to seize Drake's lifespan and soul.
"Stay or Life."
Drake's pupils shrank.
The monstrous figure behind Lucien crushed down on his spirit. His soul felt as though it was falling endlessly into an abyss. Fear, even if only a trace, surfaced deep within him.
That was enough.
White soul mist began pouring out of Drake's body.
Lucien reached out and seized it.
In the next instant, Drake's eyes rolled back, and his body went limp as if something fundamental had been torn away.
Even a mosquito was still meat.
Lucien did not intend to waste either the soul or the body.
The eight black thorns tightened completely.
Within two or three breaths, Drake's body turned into ashes and scattered into the air.
The struggling white mist in Lucien's hand was Drake's soul.
He could inject it into a corpse or an animal and create a Hoz. The stronger the soul, the stronger the Hoz would be.
Unfortunately, souls and lifespan could not be injected into himself, but they could be stored.
When needed, he could take them out.
Drake's soul dissolved into Lucien's body, successfully stored.
Lucien could also slowly absorb stored souls to strengthen his own. Just as consuming powerful bodies strengthened his physical cells, souls nourished his spirit.
This realization thrilled him.
Before, he never wasted a physical body. Now, he would not even waste a soul.
These were all supreme tonics.
Not only could Lucien grow stronger, but the Hoz he created could also be strengthened through soul feeding. Prometheus, Zeus, and Napoleon were prime examples.
Their strength came not only from being born of his soul, but also from the countless souls they had devoured.
Whoosh, whoosh.
The eight black thorns pierced through the pirates who were slaughtering each other. After absorbing them swiftly, Lucien vanished.
Within an hour, news of Drake's complete annihilation spread across Sabaody Archipelago and continued reaching nearby islands.
A member of the Worst Generation, killed by a six or seven year old child.
No one believed it.
"That's impossible. You expect me to believe a six year old wiped out Drake's crew? Why don't you just say you like men."
"What a joke. That's a Supernova with a bounty of 222,000,000 Berries."
"Do you think I'm stupid?"
"This is insulting my intelligence."
Arguments broke out everywhere. Tempers flared. Fights erupted.
None of it mattered to Lucien anymore.
He had already returned to the hotel rooftop, reclining comfortably as he enjoyed his afternoon tea.
News about Drake appeared on the light screen.
Minor villain eliminated.
Reward: one Dice roll.
Exactly as expected.
Including the seven standard Dice rolls from the Re: Zero world, Lucien now possessed eight in total. Two more, and he could merge them into a Lucky Dice roll.
As for the Soul Fruit's abilities, there was a clear prerequisite.
To strip an enemy of their lifespan and soul, the target must feel fear, even the slightest trace.
Soul Spell: Life.
It was a judgment technique. Ask the question, and if fear appeared, the soul would be taken instantly.
The terrifying evil figure behind Lucien was nothing more than his own soul, deliberately shaped into something horrifying to induce fear and shock. Its inspiration came from horror films he had once seen.
At present, it served only to terrify.
The Soul Fruit abilities Lucien was developing were still imitations. Once he fully mastered them, he would begin true innovation.
Marineford.
At the highest floor of Marine Headquarters, inside the Fleet Admiral's office.
Sengoku stared at the intelligence report in his hand before slamming it onto the desk, veins bulging on his forehead.
Drake was his undercover agent.
He had died on Sabaody Archipelago.
Even worse, the report claimed he was killed by a six or seven year old child. Sengoku felt that at least two or three numbers, maybe even four or five, should have been added before that age.
"Someone," Sengoku barked.
"Fleet Admiral," a Marine Lieutenant responded as he entered, standing at attention.
"Have the Marines stationed on Sabaody Archipelago conduct a thorough investigation into the death of Supernova X Drake," Sengoku ordered grimly.
"Yes, sir."
The Lieutenant left immediately.
Sengoku frowned deeply. After a moment, he tossed the intelligence report onto the floor.
A small goat with a bell around its neck waddled over, picked up the paper like grass, and chewed it into scraps, erasing all traces.
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