One Piece: Path to Power

Shiki proceeded to tap some debris from fallen buildings and applied his powers.

With a wave of his hand, they floated and fit perfectly into the ravines and scars left over the streets. As destructive as the Golden Lion's power was, it was just as constructive, allowing him to be an artist with the world as his canvas.

Then came the Condemned, the low-level foot soldiers, who had to bust their balls to clean up all the mess. Their sole responsibility was currently to bring the ruined streets back to their original appearance.

As gruelling as it was, none of them voiced their complaints. Not because they did not want to complain, but because they did not want to die. 

The Rocks Pirates strictly followed the idea that strength dictated all—anyone who wanted to voice opinions would need to either earn his way to the top via merits or kill the ones in the chain of command and take their place.

…

[Titanic Food Hall]

Damien made his way to eat in an empty hall; a day-and-a-half of nonstop fighting had left him hollow. 

Although he did not take much damage, it did consume a lot of energy to hold back the likes of Linlin who had decades of experience already.

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

[Charlotte Linlin]

[Age: 28 years, 11 months, 26 days]

[Height: 28' 10.5"] (8.8 m)

[Status: Tired; Slightly Injured]

[Devil Fruit: Soul-Soul Fruit (Grandmastery (I))]

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

[Skills: Steel Balloon Anatomy, Divine Uterus, Overwhelming Strength, Destructive Hunger Pangs]

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

[Strength: Middle Tier Yonko] 

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

The potential of Linlin's Observation and Armament had already been reached, leaving all but Conqueror's Haki to further upgrade.

'She'll probably be Top Tier near or after God Valley. As expected of a future Emperor,' Damien thought while gorging on trays of food. 

Having gone over the woman's stats, the pirate then turned to the other person in the deserted hall.

"Yo, Katakuri, looks like you're still gulping down your donuts."

The magenta-haired boy was just as invested in his sweets as Damien was in his meal. "You knocked away Mama," he said, inhaling another donut.

Damien shrugged.

"I've never seen someone dive straight into her attacks like that," the boy voiced out his thoughts.

"My body is just a little tougher than the others," the Sin Incarnate answered with a smirk.

Katakuri hummed, returning to his donuts.

…

"Ara~! The Rocks' superstar is finally back," came a seductive voice.

Damien smiled at the direction of the voice, "Shakky-nee, you look as laid-back as always."

The black-haired woman beamed a smile, taking the seat in front of the Sin Incarnate. She didn't continue speaking, rather she simply gazed into the pirate before her, straight into his eyes.

"..."

Damien felt a little odd, conveying his confusion, "What is it?"

Shakky hummed a tune, all the while taking a puff on her cigar. "Hmm~ I don't know, you seem a little different ever since you've returned, Damien-chan."

"Don't you think so too?" Shakky asked the sweet-craving boy.

Katakuri didn't extricate himself from his snack, although he did glance at Damien's 'different' demeanour. A small nod is all that was returned.

"See, even Donut-chan agrees."

Damien gave a wry smile at her nicknaming tendency.

Meanwhile, Shakky leaned in, her eyes narrowing deeper and examined every minute motion of the Sin Incarnate, "I got it! Damien-chan picked up a flower during his little vacation!"

The young man paused, meeting the curious eyes of the Black Death, "What makes you say that?"

*Puff* Another cloud of white smoke exhaled from her mouth as Shakky put on a thin smile. "A woman can tell," she casually replied. "And you may have picked more than just one flower…"

Damien coughed a dry laugh, "Well, it's just two of them."

Shakky smiled, looking at the new Titan with some emotion. "It's nice," she muttered, "I didn't think someone could find so much sunshine on this dark and decrepit island."

She leaned back into her seat, her eyes filled with melancholy.

.

Damien looked at Katakuri, gesturing to him for something.

*Skrr* The chair creaked as the ten-year-old sauntered off, leaving Damien and Shakky in the room.

"This life is draining you away, Shakky-nee. It's not worth the trouble for you to stay any longer," he calmly stated.

The woman looked up, blinking at the words. "Ufufufu, are you giving me life advice?" 

"Well, you're not wrong, I did fill my quota for Captain Rocks, Amazon Lily can fly his flag while the crew stands mighty."

She took a breath of the cigarette, drowning in her thoughts.

"You know, Damien-chan, I found this great place at Sabaody, far from the public yet with a good location," she giggled. "I sat by the edge of a cliff at Grove 13 and it felt quite nice. It made me think that the time to bid farewell to this life had finally come."

Damien nodded at her words, agreeing with them, "I can help you get out of here, Shakky-nee."

She returned a smile, more than enough to convey her appreciation for the words.

"What's your plan after leaving the Rocks Pirates?"

The woman tapped her chin, and brainstormed, "Hmm, perhaps make a bar or a restaurant at the spot on Grove 13, it would be a nice, calm place to enjoy my time."

Damien laughed at the words. Grove 13 was in the part of Sabaody plagued with lawlessness, a gathering of evil. Although it paled in comparison to the hell of Hachinosu.

"Hehe~ maybe you can bring your girls there one day."

The younger pirate smiled, "You make yourself sound so old. You're not even 25, Shakky-nee, maybe you should find someone too?"

"Ufufufu, falling in love never ends well for us…" some turbulence flashed by her eyes, originating from some buried memories. 

Naturally, Damien wasn't ignorant of the lovesickness which plagued Amazon Lily. "You don't have to go out of your way to seek it… just be open-minded when it finds its way to you."

The former Empress leaked a smile at the advice. "Ara~! When did you grow up so much from that spicy lad I ran into at Severa Island years ago?"

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

[Five Days Later]

"Puru," "Puru," "Puru."

"Katcha~!" "This is Damien," the pirate answered in his modest residence at the Fourth Division's HQ.

The snail took the form of a green-haired girl as a soft voice responded in greeting, "Damien-san!"

A smile came to the pirate's face. "Toki, how are you?"

"Everything is great!" came an enthusiastic reply. "I read your attack on G-2… you didn't get injured, did you? My powers can heal most things…"

Damien smiled, almost picturing the green-haired girl's current look, one plagued with worry. 

"I'm fine, Toki. Thank you."

"Mhm," the snail bobbed its head.

"Did you call just to see how I was doing?"

"…"

The snail suddenly started giggling, "Damien-san, did you forget what day it was? It's your birthday!"

The excited voice left the pirate blinking to himself. "Oh, you're right. I guess I'm nineteen now…" Damien mumbled, recalling that it was February 15. 

[A/N: Coincidentally, both Damien and Big Mom share the same birthday. So I guess she is 29 as Damien turned 19.]

.

"Kuzan-kun is asleep after a gruelling training session, but he sends his wishes too—Happy birthday, Damien-san!" 

The Sin Incarnate smiled at the soft but emotional voice. 

In just a few weeks Hachinosu was hellish. 

With Damien's power Haki, he could not only hear the incessant screams and cries of pain from all the scummy activity that took place on the island, but he could also read the putrid emotions of the pirates like a book.

Plagued with the stench of death of evil would leave most people to vomit their daily meals, Toki's voice was a breath of fresh air. 

"Thank you, Toki."

The snail mimicked her expressions well, reflecting the bright smile. "How are things on the island?"

Damien sighed, recalling a piece of news. "There's a huge wave coming. It's Sol, the last remaining Overlord. He's finally playing his hand and it's gonna bring quite the stir in the seas."

The female doctor knew the importance of the matter at hand, choosing not to speak on something she didn't know much about. 

"Stay safe, Damien-san," she simply said. "I love you."

Damien glanced at the unblinking eyes that were clearly expecting a certain reply in return. 

"I know."

"…" The snail warped into a different appearance, one wearing an eye mask, "Hehe! That was a cool reply, Damien-san, I'll save it for later!"

"Kuzan-kun, you can't treat someone's heartfelt feelings as a joke!"

"Ehh, I'd rather be a bachelor then…"

"That's not good either!"

The transponder snail kept shifting between the two faces, echoing their debate, leaving Damien to chuckle.

.

"!!!" Damien's smile froze while a cold wind washed over his shoulder. The young pirate couldn't help but pause in his train of thought—it felt like he was standing in a dark fog blocking his senses.

The once vast future that was ever-clear abruptly went dark.

"What's wrong, Damien-san?"

"...I don't know, my Haki was just blocked," Damien muttered in solemnity, "Kuzan, Toki, I'll talk to you later."

""Stay safe!"" "Katcha~!"

Damien jolted from his seat, walking out of his residence.

*Fwooo* A gentle wind blew about as a figure appeared by Damien's side. "You too, Commander? Even at your level of Observation?"

Damien nodded at Indra, both taking a more serious stance.

"It would need a significant mastery over Conqueror's Haki to kill my Observation, an ability only a select few have…"

Damien felt an ominous air, all before his senses were assaulted with the air of death; before either of them knew, a shadow had appeared behind them.

The Sin Incarnate didn't need to turn around to know who it was. "Captain Rocks, you're back," he calmly stated.

"Xahahaha! Looks like you've grown a lot stronger, brat!"

Alas, the two met the eyes of the Supreme Leader of the Rocks Pirates—Rocks D. Xebec.

Damien felt the crazed glance of his humble captain; predatory, monstrous, fierce, feral—all fitting words to describe him.

Wild black hair, scarred appearance, a savage smile and eyes filled with pure evil. No matter how you looked at him, it was as if the herald of death had come knocking at your door.

.

"Rahahaha, I'd say the sea is in for some turbulence with that look in your eyes."

Rocks grinned with a manic chuckle, the eyes of a lunatic who'd stop at nothing to acquire what he wanted.

He reached out to the sun above, clenching at it, almost as if holding it captive. "The seas have been calm for a while now, it's time to bring about a new era, my era!"

The declaration resounded on the island, almost as if provoking the skies to birth a strong gust of air. It was beyond blasphemous.

*Thump* *Thump* *Thump* Rocks began to walk to Skull Rock, his dark attire floating in the sudden wind, carrying a dull echo of the Captain's cackle.

"..."

Rocks, The Abyssal Sin, slowly walked across the cobblestone streets, his shadow seemingly creeping out of his body and leaving behind corrosive footsteps.

Hundreds of the cheery pirates stopped what they were doing, scrambling to the side to clear a very wide path. Their eyes were glued to the ground, their bodies shivering with fright under the cold presence of Xebec.

Some even fainted from the sheer presence, even though Rocks did not attempt to unleash his Haki. It was like a curtain wrapped around him, a curtain of despair.

Damien followed behind the frightening figure, feeling the ghastly chill. 'His body is reeking with pure despair, flooding those nearby with nothing but dread,' he thought.

His mind went to a voice in his mind.

[Yes, Damien. Just like how you acquired the ability of {Destiny Perception} and {Empathy} when getting a Grandmastery over Observation Haki, it seems your captain got something for Conqueror's Haki, one that makes others sink into utter despair,] Sibyl gave a concise reply.

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

[Rocks D. Xebec]

[Age: 40-50 years]

[Height: 14' 11"] (4.55 m)

[Devil Fruit: Death-Death Fruit (Grandmastery (II))] 

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

[Weapon: Mokushiroku of the Supreme Grade Series]

[Skills: Unholy Talent in all Colours of Haki, Overwhelming Strength, Overwhelming Presence, Shadow of Despair, Will of D, Screams of All Things]

[Haki: (Grandmastery (II)) of Observation Haki, Grandmastery (I) of Armament Haki, Complete Grandmastery of Conqueror's Haki]

[Strength: Beyond Yonko]

(A/N: Complete Grandmastery is Grandmastery (III) and those with it have already maxed out the corresponding stat.)

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

'That puts him as the first man I've seen at the Beyond Yonko strength rating,' Damien sighed to himself. 'No wonder the hell he wrought for the world.'

Xebec was at his peak and more than capable of challenging the status quo of the world.

Hachinosu, the den of scum, had quieted down, flooded with the cold chill of death. Rocks, accompanied by Damien and Indra, made their way to Skull Rock.

…

"Looks like you're all here," Rocks' rough and grizzly voice echoed through the dull halls.

The top members of the Rocks Pirates were present. 

The Four Titans: Edward Newgate, Shiki, Charlotte Linlin and Einar D. Damien.

The Five Tragedies: Shakuyaku, Captain John, Silver Axe, Indra and Kaido.

Their collective bounties were over 18 billion berries. Including the plethora of fodder under the Rocks Pirates' flag would surely leave behind a grand total of over 20 billion!

.

Rocks took his seat at the head of the table, all under the eyes of the nine others. A chuckle leaked from the corner of his scarred mouth, revelling from the tension in the room.

"Shakuyaku, go over the intelligence."

And so the Black Death took a stand with a cigarette in tow.

Smoke came with every word she uttered, "The Overlord: Pryde D. Sol. I'm sure you've heard of his recent movements. He has been up to something grand for quite some time now, chasing a single objective…"

Shakky allowed her words to settle, playing on the dramatic pause, "...to become the sole ruler of the New World and liberate the suffering of the people!"

She heard a few scoffs from the titanic presences in the room, shrugging at their disdain, "That's what he calls it."

"Anyways, the Overlord has invited every powerful crew in the New World openly to his lands. It has already reached the Outer Seas that all the significant crews will gather in his little game in around three months."

The Black Death's following words left everyone aware of the impending mayhem, "Sol will host the Pirate Festival at his home ground of Superbia to challenge the last remaining pirates of this great sea!"

To Be Continued…

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Author's Corner. 

A mellow beginning to the chapter leads into something spicier.

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