"Shaki, go ahead." Kevin pushed the excited Shaki.
Shaki was not polite.
She picked up the Mythical Zoan Vampire form Devil Fruit.
She brought it to her mouth and took a gentle bite.
Everyone stared with wide eyes, watching intently.
The entire Devil Fruit was eaten by Shaki.
Kevin suddenly felt something was off.
An experienced pirate like Shaki should know that a Devil Fruit only needs one bite to grant its power; there's no need to eat the whole thing.
As long as one isn't foolish,
no one would willingly eat the entire foul-smelling Devil Fruit.
Indeed, as Kevin felt a headache coming on,
Shaki, who had eaten the entire Devil Fruit, said charmingly, "The fruit the Captain gave me was really delicious."
Kevin was utterly speechless.
He felt even more wronged than before.
Don't slander me; I didn't even touch the Mythical Zoan Vampire form Devil Fruit. You're trying to frame me.
"Shaki, how is it?" Gion quickly spoke up, breaking the atmosphere. You two can go ahead and tease Kevin, but I'm the one who gets hurt in the end.
Shaki wiped the juice from the corner of her mouth.
She felt her body's condition.
Kevin also noticed the changes in Shaki's combat power on the panel.
Previously, Shaki's combat power was around 60,000.
With her own combat power reaching 60,000, she was considered a strong individual in the New World.
Many high-ranking Emperor Crew cadres,
even with the enhancement of a Devil Fruit, couldn't reach 60,000 combat power.
A combat power of 60,000 also placed her in the higher echelons among the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Now, Shaki's combat power,
in Kevin's eyes, instantly skyrocketed.
It surged by over 30,000.
Total combat power reached: 93,861.
"Only an increase of around 30,000 in combat power?" Kevin frowned slightly.
It was a bit less than expected.
Previously, when Stussy obtained the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, her combat power increased by nearly 70,000. This was understandable since it was a top-tier Logia, strongest in its initial stage.
However, Gion also obtained a Mythical Zoan.
It was the same type of Zoan Type Mythical Zoan as the Vampire Form Shaki now had.
Gion's combat power increased by over 50,000 in one go.
This was nearly 20,000 more than Shaki's increase in combat power.
It was a significant difference.
"They are both Mythical Zoan, so is the Vampire Form that much weaker than the Phoenix Form?" Kevin didn't think so. Even if there was a difference, it shouldn't be so obvious in the initial stage.
So why?
"My physique and other aspects have strengthened somewhat, but..." Shaki felt the changes in her physique.
It had greatly strengthened.
However, it was still far from reversing her aging and completely solving the reduction in her combat power due to age.
It also didn't meet Shaki's expectations.
If the age-related issue couldn't be resolved,
her combat power would still continuously weaken. Even the physical improvements from the Zoan Type couldn't change the decay of time.
"The Vampire Form requires absorbing others' blood and life force to revert to one's youthful appearance, and even one's abilities can recover to their youthful state. Shaki, you haven't truly utilized the Vampire Form's ability yet."
Kevin realized.
The reason should be here.
"I understand."
Shaki looked towards the city on the other side of the island.
Kevin said, "Every city has its dark corners; you don't need to feel any burden."
"Captain, I am a pirate, and I once belonged to the most vicious Pirate Crew in the sea. I'm not a good person, you know." Shaki's hands transformed into bat wings.
She flew towards the city.
After about ten minutes, she returned.
Shaki still had a bit of blood on the corner of her mouth.
Everyone looked at Shaki with surprise.
Her appearance hadn't changed much.
Although Shaki was quite old, her appearance had always been well-maintained, not at all like the monsters of Whitebeard's generation.
But in her brows, traces of time could still be seen.
Now, many details in Shaki's brows showed no signs of time; her skin was as smooth as a young girl's.
She had recovered her youth from the inside out.
"Shaki, you're even younger than us now," Gion and Stussy said, looking at Shaki with envy.
"Really?"
Shaki was overjoyed.
Her own feelings were the most profound.
"Captain, thank you."
"When you grow stronger, the entire Pirate Crew benefits; there's no need to thank me," Kevin said, waving his hand casually.
It was nothing.
In Shaki's heart, she couldn't be as composed as Kevin.
The moment she ate the Devil Fruit, Shaki's inner shock wasn't that deep, but when she truly felt herself return to her youth, Shaki stayed alone in the city for at least five minutes before she came back to her senses.
Returning to youth.
She experienced it herself.
The ability that Rocks had always yearned for was so easily obtained by her.
Kevin watched as Shaki's combat power changed again.
From over 90,000, it increased to around 120,000.
Another nearly 30,000 combat power increase.
In one day, Shaki's combat power surged by a hundred percent, from 60,000 to 120,000.
The boost from the Mythical Zoan Vampire form alone couldn't achieve this level.
A part of it came from Shaki's own foundation.
"Shaki's combat power at her peak should have been 70,000 to 80,000…" The remaining 60,000 combat power was due to her retirement for nearly thirty years, making it less than her peak.
70,000 to 80,000 combat power was already very close to that of an Emperor Crew First Mate, placing her around the fifth or sixth most important person in an Emperor Crew.
She was once a high-ranking officer of the Rocks Pirates.
70,000 to 80,000 combat power was quite consistent with Shaki's former status.
From regaining freedom, plus the enhancement of the Mythical Zoan.
By absorbing others' blood, she returned to youth.
Today, Shaki received two major boosts.
With a total combat power of 120,000 and still rapidly increasing, Shaki now possessed the combat power of an Emperor Crew First Mate level expert, adding another strong individual to the Sun and Moon Pirates.
Kevin looked at the panel.
The combat power status of all crew members was clear at a glance.
Captain: Kevin.
First Mate: Gion [Zoan-type Mythical Creature Bird-Bird Fruit, Phoenix Form, Bounty: 1.2 billion Berries, Combat Power: 271,563.]
It had been almost a year since she obtained the Mythical Zoan-Phoenix Form.
Gion's abilities in all aspects had improved very quickly.
Her combat power was close to Kevin's during his fight with Red-Haired Shanks.
She was also one of the few closest to Admiral/Emperor-level.
"Gion's current combat power can already contend with an Admiral," Kevin was very confident in Gion.
In terms of offensive power and explosive force, Gion was still weaker than Admiral/Emperor-level experts.
But Gion's Phoenix Form possessed several special abilities.
Fire and wind control had long been used.
The most important ability was absorption.
Kevin initially thought the Phoenix Form had the super-regeneration recovery power of an Immortal Bird form.
It wasn't.
The most core ability of the Phoenix Form was absorption; in combat, it could absorb the enemy's stamina and the force from clashes to enhance its own combat power.
Plus the inherent characteristics of the Zoan Type.
Gion was the most skilled at prolonged battles on the high seas.
As long as Gion couldn't be defeated quickly, she would become stronger the longer the fight went on.
When the absorbed stamina reached a threshold, even if Gion was defeated, she would have a chance at rebirth from the ashes.
It was a very abnormal ability.
Therefore, the Gorosei, upon learning that the Phoenix Form had been taken and lost, couldn't eat for days.
If combined with the one-time-a-month resurrection ability that every member of the Sun and Moon Pirates possessed, in a one-on-one death match with an Admiral, Gion would initially be at a disadvantage.
But the final outcome is uncertain.
The probability of an Admiral dying is higher than Gion's.
Gion's bounty is also the highest in the Pirate Crew, being the first to reach 1.2 billion.
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