One Piece: Path to Power
Chapter 32: [32] Trials of Leadership

Chapter 32: [32] Trials of Leadership

[2200 words]

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[Five Days Later]

The Titanic had returned to Hachinosu.

Damien had come to his little area on the island and was met with an unsettling sight.

Around half a thousand pirates were sitting around. Some hung from the structures like monkeys, and some lay around like loiterers. Hell, a few were already dead.

"She said a hundred or so," Damien muttered.

He let out a sigh and inspected them. Most of them were picked up fresh from the wave of pirates after Mora Island.

The bad name of the Rocks was a beacon for these guys. However, practically all of them were useless. The disappointment and boredom on Damien's face were obvious as he was not trying to hide it, naturally, rubbing some egos the wrong way.

"Oye, Oye, you may have done some big things by scratching an Admiral and gaining the Big Boss' favour, but we aren't all here to curry yours!"

Another voice joined in, "Based on the crew rules… anyone who kills a Division Commander can replace them…"

These words alone brought around twenty or so sights to grave changes; Damien didn't need Haki to smell the greed in the air.

The newly crowned Commander just smiled in return and gestured to the main loudmouth in the group: "You want my spot?"

The pirate thought it was his golden chance and walked right in front of Damien's face.

"That's right."

Damien was around ten and a half feet tall, eclipsing the 8-footer before him. "Your face looks awfully similar to your other friend making so much noise."

The other man squared up as well, "He's my brother, we're close like that."

"So why don't you give us the Commander role and we'll make sure you're the second in charge."

Damien felt the gazes around him.

It seemed everyone had woken up, their complete attention on him as he wanted. 

Damien reached out with a palm.

*Tap* He gave the brave pirate a pat on the shoulder, a rather friendly venture.

The man smirked, thinking it was Damien's way of giving him the torch.

"..." Yet his face soon warped. His hand reached for his head while his entire psyche began to shake.

"W-What's going on…?"

Damien took a step back as if he was moving out of the way.

The pirate's eyes reddened as his entire body ballooned up as if to blow up.

"What's up, big bro?"

*Pop* Like a grape, the pirate simply exploded into a gooey mess, unleashing a red mist everywhere.

"B-Big bro!!"

Damien hummed and patted the shoulder of the dead pirate's brother, "Your brother made a mess of my lawn. Why don't you clean this up, I'm not a fan of seeing such brutality in front of my balcony."

"…"

The bright and honest young Damien walked ahead, leaving the quivering folk alone.

"I'll tell you what, I'm not interested in your numbers, unlike Shiki, I prefer quality over quantity," the Sin Incarnate loudly announced. He then looked around as if supporting his point, "There's around five hundred of you here, only one of you can make it in my Division."

A pirate by the side felt confused, "You want us to select one?"

Damien just returned a half-smile, "You can 'select' one however you want, just know the quota is set."

The young Commander then walked onto his balcony to enjoy the view of the coming carnage.

"..."

An ominous silence as hundreds of pairs of eyes glanced at one another; the atmosphere grew tense, very much so.

A bloody feeling bubbled in the pirates' hearts, sending shivers down the backs of many.

Some walked away, trying their luck in the other Divisions. Eventually leaving behind three hundred or so men. 

Some wanted to either bet on Damien's talent or take his spot via a challenge. And soon, a free-for-all all began.

…

Damien brought out some refreshments, drinking a fresh glass of lemonade to aid him in the evening sun.

Meanwhile, the air had already grown rosy with the excess blood. 

Loud clangs and bombs went off below, echoing through the streets of Hachinosu. A river of red flowed out under the noon sun.

"Die!"

"The spot is mine!"

"Yotototo! I'll take you all down!"

…

The Sin Incarnate sat for around ten minutes.

The battle royale had eliminated all the weaker ones who rushed in, leaving behind a hundred or so tough eggs. 

Yet the new Division Commander wasn't impressed. Not until he saw a sharp light reflect the afternoon sun.

Damien's eyes darted to the side as he saw a shadowy figure shoot out from the side, whizzing through the crowd.

He had a sharp sword in hand, cleaving pirates left, right and center.

*Shing*

*Slash*

*Splatter*

Every cut left limbs in the air or blood on the floor. The red seeped into the earth below.

"Ahh!"

"My arm!"

"My balls!"

"Aughh!"

Damien nodded at the quick attacks, narrowing his eyes: each kill was efficient, cold, and fast; no excess movements and the usage of some decent enough Haki was present.

The pirate numbers dwindled into single digits soon enough.

"W-Wait, I quit the match, y-you can let me go now!"

"Yeah, we won't stand in your way!"

The assailant didn't blink.

Two heads flew into the sky and their lifeless bodies fell into a puddle of blood.

*Shing* 

The blade cut the air as the man wiped the blood into one of his victim's robes.

*Click*

The sword was sheathed, leaving the sole survivor at attention before the Sin Incarnate.

Damien put down his drink with a soft tap.

*Clap* *Clap* *Clap* He inspected the sole pirate while giving him hearty applause.

The man seemed to be in his early twenties, standing a little under nine feet tall (2.74 m). He had dark skin and an athletic stature hidden under a black vest.

He also had tribal tattoos all over his body, especially his arms. All the while sporting a scar that ran along the left side of his neck and across his face. The long black hair in tandem with the long sideburns gave him a wolf-like appearance which was further underlined by his sharp eyes.

[Image (in Discord)]

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"You're different from the other scum that replaces their way to this hellish island," Damien said while cupping his chin. 

"What's your name?"

The pirate looked straight into Damien's eyes and answered.

"Zenora Indra."

Hearing the firm tone of voice earned a nod from Damien.

*Fwoo*

It was a quick movement of air. Indra took a deep breath as he saw Damien already standing in front of him; faster than he could track.

The notorious pirate was a foot and a half taller, eclipsing the swordsman. 

"Welcome to the Fourth Division of the Rocks Pirates, Zenora Indra," Damien declared. "You seem to have a story. I look forward to hearing it one day."

Indra returned a deep nod, conveying his thoughts with concise movements.

.

Damien then felt a powerful existence coming, directing his attention to the giant figure of a certain pirate.

"Newgate-san, what brings you to my humble little corner?"

Naturally, anyone considered 'giant' by Damien was indeed quite larger than life. 

"Gurarara, I thought I smelled a lot of blood, looks like you got some cleaning to do." Whitebeard walked around relaxedly, his weapon always at hand on this island. 

Damien shrugged, "Don't worry, I'm sure I can 'encourage' some pirates to clean it up."

The words earned a chuckle from Whitebeard who found himself inspecting Indra. "Hmm, I heard Rocks gave you a Division, looks like you found a rough gem."

Damien nodded in agreement.

"Well you're a guest here and my mother raised me to treat my guests with hospitality, you want tea or saké?" he asked. 

Naturally, Damien knew the answer as he threw some premium alcohol at the man. 

Whitebeard sat on a broken piece of concrete. 

*Gurrup* Moments passed as Newgate exhaled a refreshed sigh. "This stuff is pretty good."

Damien also sat nearby, sipping his drink. 

Indra was effectively a guard, opting for silence by the side. 

"So, Newgate-san, I take it Sphinx Island is doing well?"

The large pirate firmly nodded, "I send a decent sum of gold there every month, the hardest part is replaceing someone trustworthy enough to deliver it."

Damien wasn't surprised. "With Borealis now dead, I take it the Captain wants the other Overlords?"

"That's right, he's gonna wait a while to restock on some fodders," Whitebeard informed his younger colleague. "If anything, he'll probably send you for some big mission soon; be ready."

The words raised an eyebrow for sure. 

Although the majority of the pirates were partaking in a banquet with music, laughter and sex, the two pirates just drank in silence, enjoying the warm sun of a peaceful day. 

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[Later]

Damien had forced some pirates to clean up his yard, paying a fair wage of 10 berries per year of manual labour. 

Indra had been sent to the dueling square of Hachinosu to practice his skills for the day. Mostly the Haki that needed sharpening. 

"Now then, it's about time to take in my goodies," Damien muttered as he sat alone in his yard. 

"First, to evolve…"

The pirate began to control his breathing, calming his heart rate down to around ten beats per minute.

The blood flowing through his veins began to bubble and churn, getting thicker and more potent. The muscle linings tightened and grew stronger. Cracks echoed out from the young pirate's body as they creaked into a stronger material.

Damien gave out a deep breath as his body reached a new level, a catharsis of relief.

[{Lightning Recovery} has evolved into {Titanic Recovery}]

[{Mighty Vitality} has evolved into {Titanic Vitality}] 

A wave of heat passed through the young man's body and his eyes sharpened with his newfound power.

[{Titanic Recovery} – 3 times the speed of {Lightening Recovery}]

[{Titanic Vitality} – 3 times the durability of {Mighty Vitality}]

Damien couldn't help but smile at the feeling of practically being reborn. By instinct, he felt that even if he cut off his own arm, as long as he held it near the stump, it would be able to reconnect!

"..." 

Yet he was soon assaulted by the familiar feeling of something missing.

"What the hell?" Damien muttered, inspecting his body and subconsciously placing a palm over his heart.

He now felt an opening in his entire structure. It felt as if he could fill his very skeleton with energy.

[Damien, it seems your body unlocked a new anatomy to achieve something called 'Black Bones',] Sibyl explained.

[{Black Bones} – Allows for the acceptance of Armament Haki to further harden one's bones to the point of turning black.]

Damien blinked.

It sounded awfully like a Black Blade used by the likes of the future Mihawk or the past Ryuma.

"Seeping Haki into my skeletal system will take quite a long time and probably won't be a single-stage thing…" he surmised.

And the details on the anatomy supported his thoughts.

Bones had four main layers:

Periosteum – The soft outer covering over the bone's surface.

Cortical Bone – The hard and thick layer.

Cancellous Bone – The inner spongy layer.

Bone Marrow – The very core of the bone where all blood cells are made.

These divided Damien's new anatomy into four main stages: Black Bones (I) through (IV).

"I guess the best way to seep the Haki in would be to get beaten up a lot, or perhaps jump off a few Sky Islands." The pirate scratched his chin in thought, pondering on the possibilities. "Either way, it won't be a quick process but each level should drastically improve my overall structural integrity."

"Evolution out of the way, there's one last thing on the menu," he muttered.

Damien then took another deep breath, calming his excited heart. "Sibyl, assimilate the Underwater Breathing."

[Alright, the new ability will fuse into your DNA now.]

Damien closed his eyes, not sure what to expect.

"..."

Thirty seconds passed.

"Anytime now…"

[It's already done.]

Damien paused.

"Really? I don't feel anything?"

Sibyl explained immediately, [It's part of your being now, completely natural. Just try to imagine being underwater and breathing freely.]

Damien did so.

He felt his mind submerge under the dangerous waters of the ocean, the kryptonite of all devil fruit users.

And then they emerged!

Thin gills opened up around his throat. Slits of skin separating, opening gaps within.

Damien opened his eyes, walking toward a mirror: "Quite the peculiar sight."

He had officially taken in the {Underwater Breathing} skill and was now halfway to reaching the point of being immune to the Curse of the Sea!

Returning his psyche to land, his gills closing automatically, disappearing away. It was now a natural sense.

Damien stood up, stretching his body, feeling excess strength coursing through his veins leading to a familiar desire.

*Grumble*

"I'm hungry."

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[Later that Day]

*Burp*

Damien finished a hearty meal at the main eatery.

Hundreds of pirates were here and another one had arrived in front of him.

"What is it, Amber?"

The petite shadow lowered her head. 

"The Captain and Shakky-sama are awaiting your presence," she said in a sharp voice. 

Damien narrowed his eyes in thought. "Alright." The Sin Incarnate left for Skull Rock right away while muttering to himself, "No rest for the wicked…"

To Be Continued…

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Author's Corner.

As written in the Rework-Notes over a year ago, Indra's appearance was changed. In the original story, he was meant to be more of a side character but turned out to become something more so I had to devise some plot for him.

Now I wonder what Rocks has got for Damien to do...

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