One Piece: Path to Power

[The Following Day]

It was barely five in the morning when Damien woke up, leaving Toki to sleep some more. Simply put, she was a little tired after their nightly 'exercise'.

He did a morning routine, rethinking everything he had gained over the past seven months.

'Sibyl, bring up my stats.'

[Here you go…]

>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=<

[Einar D. Damien]

[Age: 18 years, 5 months, 19 days]

[Height: 11' 6"] (3.51 m)

[Status: Thriving]

[Devil Fruit: Pulverize Pulverize Fruit (Advanced Mastery)]

[Fruit Rating: 6.5 Stars]

[Weapon: Ryūshi of the Supreme Grade Series]

[Ryūshi Combat Arts Comprehension: 37% ↑]

[Notable Characteristics: Black Bones (III), Fishman-Hybrid*, Seastone Resistance]

[Skills: Titanic Recovery, Titanic Vitality, Evolvable Anatomy, Voice of All Things, Will of D., Rokushiki, Life Return (Advanced Mastery) ↑, Deprivation, Equal Exchange]

[Haki: Observation Haki (Nigh-Grandmastery) ↑, Armament Haki (Advanced Mastery) ↑, Conqueror's Haki (Nigh-Advanced Mastery) ↑]

[Strength: Bottom Tier Yonko]

(*Note: {Underwater Breathing} and {Underwater Maneuverability} have combined into the Fishman-Hybrid bodily characteristic.)

>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=<

Before even diving into any specifics, it was obvious to Damien that his height was finally coming to an end of its growth; he had only grown three inches in the past seven months!

Surely, he would probably hit another inch or two before plateauing in that department.

"Though much like my height, my strength doesn't seem to have grown much at face value," Damien chuckled to himself.

In truth, the only thing he upped was his Armament Haki, though progressing to the tippy-top of the other two, it was not enough to boost his strength.

.

"Bottom Tier Yonko can be considered the level of Fujitora and Ryokugyu, perhaps even Oden at the time of his death," Damien calculated.

The truth of the matter was that Damien was not the protagonist. 

Where Luffy could reach an unimaginable leap in strength, going from being a fodder to fighting against Emperors in two and a half years, Damien needed considerably more time.

After all, if you could beat the protagonist of a Shonen Series, then obviously the author was simply writing a wish-fulfillment novel.

.

Though Damien's expression soon turned pleased as he saw a certain skill.

He looked down at his arm as exercised said skill.

*Krrr* At his command, the very pores of his skin let loose bursts of tiny pockets of air as the skin warped and squirmed.

It moved as if it had a mind of its own, moulding about at Damien's will.

Soon it diverted and opened up the flesh below.

The vessels halted momentarily as no blood flowed out as the very veins, arteries and capillaries obeyed Damien's thoughts.

His gaze had fallen upon something that could be considered an anatomical anomaly.

"So that's how my bones look," he muttered.

The pristine black bones shined a purple gleam. The Haki had seeped in almost entirely, reaching the cusp of the marrow itself.

"With this level of Life Return, perhaps once my Devil Fruit catches up, I can bring the theory of cellular manipulation to light."

The skin squirmed once more as each layer of flesh reappeared, covering the treasured bones once more and bringing them back to their original appearance.

*Grumble* Damien felt a pang of hunger.

One look at the sun revealed that it was nearing six in the morning. He went back to the bed and examined the sleeping Toki.

>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=<

[Amatsuki Toki]

[Age: 18 years, 1 month, 8 days (~791 years old by date)]

[Height: 9' 1"] (2.77 m)

[Status: Healthy, Sore]

[Devil Fruit: Time-Time Fruit (Advanced Mastery) ↑]

[Fruit Rating: 7 Stars (Ultimate-Class)]

[Skills: Paper Body (Kami-e)]

[Haki: Observation Haki (Intermediate Mastery) ↑, Armament Haki (Initial Mastery) ↑]

[Strength: Pseudo-Yonko Commander ↑]

>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=<

Damien was quite pleased with Toki's progress. Though her strength was practically completely dependent on her devil fruit, it was not exactly her fault. Ultimate-Class Fruits require a lot of mastery and it would be foolish not to put most of her training into it.

'Once Aurora is done with the Seastone Pendant, I'll have Toki use it next,' he decided.

.

Though at that moment, perhaps by Damien's examing gaze, the girl woke up.

She wiped her eyes while giving a light yawn. She smiled at Damien who was watching her and responded, "Good morning, Damien-san."

Her bright face slightly frowned as she felt sore in some places.

She traced her hand near the area under her belly button and peaked at Damien. "At this rate, I will be pregnant soon," she whispered.

"No, you won't," Damien casually said, "I used my powers to deprive the sperm cells of their potency."

He realized his bluntness the moment he finished his words.

*Fwooo* The pirate appeared at Toki's side, running a hand through her green hair.

"I know you want to bring back the Amatsuki name and I do want you to have my children, but right now is not the time to bring them into this world," he gently told her.

Toki returned a thin smile and raised her chin, asking for something to complete the apology. Damien acquiesced and gave her a passionate kiss.

…

[Later]

Damien and Toki went through the Flower Capital for one last time, enjoying the festivities that were put into place by the people upon hearing of their departure.

A celebration befell the nation's capital as people of all ages came out to play along.

It was a bountiful event. Until it wasn't.

.

"Gun Modoki!"

.

An X-shaped stream of energy soon scurried across the streets, shredding its way to the tall pirate that stood in its way.

Damien sighed, a wave of irritation plagued his face as he saw Oden rush at him with Ryuo-enhanced swords.

The people fell into a panic as they felt the ground-shaking explosion follow suit.

The unstoppable stream of energy was abruptly halted as the Samurai at its helm was caught with a single hand.

*Purrup*

Said hand was bubbling with familiar red Haki, though more dense and powerful than that of the attacker.

Damien, who withstood the attack, narrowed his eyes at the opponent before him.

>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=<

[Kozuki Oden]

[Age: 19 years, 5 months, 12 days]

[Height: 12' 6"] (3.82 m)

[Devil Fruit: None]

[Haki: Observation Haki (Intermediate Mastery), Armament Haki (Advanced Mastery), Conqueror's Haki (Initial Mastery)]

[Strength: Middle Tier Yonko Commander]

>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=<

While Damien was easily holding off Oden, his trusty retainers arrived.

"""Oden-sama!"""

Damien knew that Oden had taken over Kuri a few years earlier in his canon version, but it seemed that the future Akazaya Nine, or technically Eight, would still reach him somehow.

As of now, three of them had gathered, arriving at the area where Damien and Oden were. They stopped a few dozen meters away, too weak to go further.

Toki, who was watching nearby, was a little surprised as she saw the newest addition to Oden's retainers.

"That is…" she muttered while looking at the samurai who was big in all three dimensions. A figure they had met over half a year ago.

"It's you, woman!"

The massive Ashura Doji roared out as he pointed his weapon at Toki, "I'll regain my lost dignity now!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

His massive weight drummed on the earth, loud enough to make animals falsely believe an earthquake was imminent.

"Ashura, no!" 

Kin'emon tried to stop him, but the former gang boss did not stop, charging at Toki who looked petite compared to his size.

"Take this!"

He slashed down a Ryuo-flooded blade, roaring his heart out.

Toki was not fazed by the size difference, instead, she exercised her powers in a brilliant flash of green.

.

"Clockworks: Chronostasis."

.

Ashura, who resembled a furious bull laying waste to the earth below him, abruptly paused in mid-air.

A dull boom went off as the built-up momentum and inertia from his massive frame exploded around him.

"Whhhaaaattttt thhheeeee hellllll!?"

Every word came out at incredibly slow speeds, even his pupils moved at snail's speed, his very mind unable to process what was going on.

All he saw was a huge, archaic clock swarming with mystical green energy that stood behind the young woman. Its arm was ticking on, barely having crossed the first five minutes.

Oden, who was still trying to use brute force to make Damien move, failed to do so.

His face popped with veins as he put every ounce of strength into another push. Unfortunately, his large frame was soon sent flying into a row of buildings, taking them all down with him.

Damien seemed bored as he gazed into the dusty pile of debris that hid the body of the new Daimyo of Kuri.

He did not have to wait for long before a declaration resounded.

"No matter what, I'll make you at least take a step back before you go!"

The young Samurai shot out from the fallen mess, blood dribbled out from his mouth which he cared little for.

However this time, Oden did not go right at Damien, instead he jumped into the air, trying to gather as much momentum as possible.

"I'll put everything into this one!"

Oden's arms popped till they looked as if they belonged to a wild beast, his eyes sharpened to that of a predator and his body surged with vigorous Haki, flowing out uncontrollably.

He gave out a thundering roar as his prized swords were soon clad in the potent Emission Haki. A chaotic wind surrounded the warrior, showcasing the concentration of Haki and brute strength.

.

Damien couldn't help but give Oden some points for his insanity. To applaud his efforts, he went on the offense.

"Hmm," The pirate narrowed his eyes and dug his feet into the ground, forcing cracks to form. 

The light crouch of his knees generated enough potential energy to send dull tremors through the earth below.

A deep grumble resounded as the Sin Incarnate's body suddenly shot to the skies, leaving a black trail from his coat behind and the wails of the air.

.

Kin'emon and Denjiro gulped as they saw the pirate soar upwards, fearing the outcome, "Kin-san, Oden-sama will still be alive after this, right?"

The blond man next to him did not respond but rather watched apprehensively.

In the two seconds it took Damien to reach the sky, Oden was ready—he gave out a final war cry as he shuttled forward, his blades held before him.

.

"Oden Two-Sword Style: Paradise Totsuka!"

.

It was the same attack he used to inflict Kaido with his only scar for decades.

Though it lacked the edge from the future, the attack was certainly reaching a level far above what the current Oden should be able to exhibit.

*Vvooo!* The air howled as the ruby-like ring on Damien's middle finger warped into a current of crimson energy, forming into Ryushi.

Immediately, both Damien and his weapon exploded in pulverizing energy. 

The volatile strands of energy were so thick and dense that they began to transform the very particles in the air into awkward compounds and impossible molecules, shaking up their chemical makeup.

Utilizing Moonwalk, Damien rushed toward the coming Oden, his body flooding with the familiar reddish energy belonging to Wano's Ryuo.

*Vvoosh!*

The people below thought it to be an act of miracles as they saw the red trail that seemed to cut through the very clouds. It was bright enough to momentarily dim the afternoon sun; dulling the brightness with a blood-red hue.

Explosions went off in the form of sonic booms, leaving Oden to feel a threat to his life.

.

"Ryushi Combat Arts: Crimson Comet!"

.

Boom!

The spectators could not help but look away from the bright light originating from the collision.

Beyond that, their very bodies were flung into the air from the torrents that had appeared.

*Rumble* Black lightning rained from the sky as the howling winds carried on from the exchange.

However, it did not last long.

"Ughh! Not again!"

Oden's burst of Haki was swept away like a blade of grass in a hurricane; his body lost control from the Emission Haki and Pulverizing Energy drilling into his body.

His conscience disappeared as the Samurai was shot like a shooting star, blasting off again into the distant horizon.

.

Damien casually landed on the shaken-up earth below with a thud, watching as Oden's body disappeared away, blasting off again.

"Damien-san, will he still live…? He is a Daimyo now," Toki's soft voice arrived in his ears.

The pirate cupped his chin in thought, "Well, I got a little carried away."

Which was followed by a shrug, "But he'll live, maybe a handful of dozen broken bones, one or two collapsed lungs, nothing some ice couldn't fix."

Toki absently nodded, her current medical experience gave a rather different diagnosis but she went with Damien's words.

.

""Oden-sama!""

Kin'emon and Denjiro ran behind the distant star, hoping to find a living Oden.

Meanwhile, Damien tapped Toki's shoulder while gesturing at the frozen Ashura Doji.

"Oh, right."

Toki let the overgrown samurai loose and he fell to the ground with a loud bang.

"Ugh," Ashura Doji groaned, shaking his head. 

He looked at the distant two retainers and chose to retreat, "I'll deal with you two later!"

.

Damien, who enjoyed the change of pace, felt some eyes nearby.

"Hyorgoro, thanks for keeping the people safe."

At the drop of his words, a giant shadow fell from a building nearby, it was Hyogoro the Flower.

"No problem, I'm sure the Daimyo of Kuri will come forward to pay for the damages in full," the gang boss responded.

"I will also take this time to bid you both farewell."

Damien nodded to him while Toki returned some kind words.

.

All in all, it was a fun day for Damien as they officially left for the edge of the country. It took some hours, but they reached it.

"Is that the ore you talked about?" Toki asked as she saw the giant pile of metal.

Damien nodded while waiting for the person hiding about to arrive.

*Whizz!*

At that moment, a black shadow fell in front of the pirates, bowing to them both.

"Lord Damien, you may recall me, I am Kaka Shi, the captain of the Shogun's Oniwabanshu," the silver-haired man introduced himself. 

"The Shogun sent me to ensure you pick up the seastone. I apologize for the delay, I was held up by a black cat that had stopped in front of me."

Toki giggled at the masked Ninja who stood before them.

"No worries," Damien said, though his mind seemed to remember a hazy image of a certain character.

"Would you like me to slice it into a more manageable size?" the ninja offered.

Damien shook his head, gesturing to the Ninja to move aside.

Instead, the pirate raised a hand in the ore's direction.

*Fwooo*

A dull wind whistled as the uneven pieces of ore disappeared for a moment, and perfectly cut and equally sized bars of metal appeared.

They were neatly arranged in perfect rows and columns, much to Damien's satisfaction.

Kaka Shi's jaw hidden in the mask seemed to drop as he saw the sorcery that had just happened.

"Damien-san is a bit of a perfectionist," Toki whispered to the Head Ninja.

*Fwooo*

Another burst of wind went off as the ore was soon taken into Damien's inventory, storing it away.

The usage of the Balancing Fruit did well to please Damien's slight OCD, exchanging an uneven pile of things for a neater one.

.

"Let the Shogun know that I'll soon call him on the snail I left to talk more about the Seastone trade."

The Ninja bowed his head as he saw the two jump on a small boat that had magically appeared. 

All the while some Koi fish attached themselves to said boat, drifting the pirates back down the way they came.

Damien's trip to Wano had finally come to an end!

To Be Continued…

----------------------------------------------

Author's Corner.

That draws the curtains on Wano, at least for now. Who knows when Damien will return (apart from myself).

Images are available on Discord alongside other niche details: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q