At first, Kid did not feel true fear.
But as the black thorns continued to devour his life force, the reality of death finally caught up to him. His mind shattered in an instant.
No one could remain calm when staring death in the face.
The moment fear took root, the outcome was already decided.
White soul mist seeped from Kid's body. Lucien reached out and seized it, forcefully ripping his soul free. In the very next second, Kid's eyes turned hollow, his breathing ceased, and his heart stopped completely.
Killed instantly.
Eustass Kid never even had the chance to use his Devil Fruit ability.
Two years later, this man would have awakened Haoshoku Haki, the innate quality of a king. That alone spoke volumes about his talent. Haoshoku was not something one could train for, it was proof of a born ruler.
With enough time, Kid would have become a terrifying powerhouse.
Unfortunately, he had been crushed in the cradle by Lucien.
As Kid's struggling soul twisted in his grasp, the black thorns continued absorbing the remains of Kid's body. In the past, Lucien only devoured flesh. Now, even the soul was not spared.
Lucien had already confirmed through research that absorbing the bodies of Devil Fruit users did not grant him their abilities. Many pirates speculated that consuming a Devil Fruit user might transfer the power, but reality proved otherwise.
From his experiments on Whole Cake Island, Lucien discovered that once a soul was removed from the body, it became muddled and unstable. Even when infused into objects to create Homies, those souls became new existences, sometimes retaining fragments of memories or habits, but never Devil Fruit abilities.
For swordsmen, some muscle memory and techniques could remain.
But Devil Fruit powers never did.
Lucien's final conclusion was simple. The moment a Devil Fruit user stopped breathing or their soul left their body, the Devil Fruit would be reborn somewhere in the sea.
With Kid dealt with, Lucien vanished without lingering.
---
Elsewhere, Trafalgar Law was locked in combat with Killer, the Slaughter Samurai.
The Room expanded to a radius of twenty meters.
In an instant, Killer's body was sliced cleanly into four pieces, collapsing onto the ground. Beneath his mask, his exposed eyes were filled with disbelief as he stared at Law's neck.
Moments ago, Killer's scythe had nearly severed Law's head.
Yet before his very eyes, an injury that would have killed even a seasoned veteran regenerated and healed completely.
Even powerful fighters would have died from such a wound.
Law had exchanged injury for victory, ending the fight in a single decisive strike.
If Killer had known about Law's cellular regeneration beforehand, he would never have fought so recklessly. He had already lost the moment the battle began.
This was the power of becoming a demon.
Cell regeneration alone rivaled the Mythical Zoan Phoenix Fruit.
Although it did not yet match Marco's regeneration speed, it would only grow stronger as Law continued to develop. Over time, recovery would become faster and more efficient.
Lucien himself could now regenerate a severed arm within just a second.
He could even explode his body and divide himself into countless fragments, similar to Kibutsuji Muzan. As long as even a single cell survived, he could recover completely through his overwhelming regeneration.
The price, however, was immense consumption.
After such recovery, he would be weakened for a period of time.
Still, it made Lucien extraordinarily difficult to kill.
Unless he was completely erased, leaving not a single trace behind.
Lucien appeared beside the dismantled Room, gazing at Killer's severed remains. A black thorn emerged from his tailbone and wrapped around Killer's head.
Law released the Room.
"Life," Lucien said calmly.
The Soul Curse activated.
White soul mist poured from Killer's body. Lucien seized it and pulled it free. Though it was far inferior to Kid's soul, it was far stronger than that of an ordinary man.
Soul absorption was a gradual process.
Unlike flesh, it could not be completed in moments. It required time, accumulation, and patience.
After eliminating the remaining Kid Pirates, Lucien and Law disappeared once more, moving toward their next destination.
Lucien did not bother absorbing the weaker pirates. They were not worth the effort.
Only the bodies and souls of strong individuals held true value.
---
At the same time, inside a tavern in Mangrove Area 24, another group of pirates was drinking.
At their center sat a tall man with flowing golden hair. Six vertical markings lined his forehead, his eyebrows stood upright, and he wore black pants paired with an open-front white shirt.
Basil Hawkins, the Magician.
One of the Supernovas, with a bounty of 249 million Berries.
A Paramecia-type Straw-Straw Fruit user.
At this moment, Hawkins' expression was unusually grim. His gaze remained locked on the tarot cards in his hands.
One hundred percent mortality rate.
He had only performed a casual divination.
Yet the result was absolute death.
A sudden, unavoidable crisis had pushed his survival chance to zero.
Who would he face?
An Admiral?
Or someone far worse?
Hawkins could not help recalling the Mad Monk Urouge, Red Flag X Drake, and the other fallen Supernovas. Was someone truly hunting them?
"Captain, what's wrong?" one of his subordinates asked.
"Leave immediately," Hawkins said without hesitation.
Even if there was only a one-in-a-thousand chance of survival, he would take it.
"Huh? We just got here."
His subordinates were stunned. Their drinks were barely half finished.
Hawkins ignored them and stood, heading straight for the exit. Seeing his resolve, his men could only follow.
Just outside the tavern, Hawkins froze.
Two figures were walking toward him.
"Trafalgar Law."
Thanks to his Straw-Straw Fruit and divination abilities, Hawkins' danger sense was far sharper than most.
He instinctively dodged to the left.
In the next instant, golden lightning flashed.
A sweeping kick tore through the space he had just occupied. The air screamed as a violent shockwave erupted. Hawkins' subordinates were sent flying, and the tavern behind them was obliterated.
When the dust settled, only ruins remained.
The power behind a single kick was terrifying.
Lucien stood on one leg, hands in his pockets, turning his head slightly to glance at the stunned Hawkins. There was a trace of surprise in his eyes.
He had not expected Hawkins to dodge, especially since that kick had been thrown casually.
Golden lightning flickered again.
This time, Hawkins had no chance to evade.
Lucien's foot slammed into his abdomen, bending him forward violently. Pain twisted Hawkins' face as the force nearly crushed the air from his lungs.
With a deafening crash, Hawkins was launched like a missile, tearing through buildings before collapsing into rubble.
Moments later, a damaged straw doll fell from his arm.
One of his subordinates lying in the ruins died instantly.
Hawkins stood back up as if nothing had happened.
He had transferred the damage.
"Go kill them," Lucien said indifferently, glancing at Hawkins' subordinates.
His figure flickered repeatedly across the ruins.
At the same time, Law charged straight toward Hawkins' remaining crew.
---