One Piece: Path to Power

[2600 words]

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[East of the Ports]

"Bwahaha! You'll need to cut faster than that, Rayleigh!" a man yelled out.

His red fists were currently matching in speed with a black sword over the destroyed field. They moved faster than the eye could track. Rayleigh made no mind to Garp's mocking words, just replying with a powerful attack.

.

"The Starry Night!"

.

Garp grinned at the attacks as a red current flooded down his right arm and wrapped around it.

.

"Fist of Pain!"

.

The space-bending punch directly slammed upon the two blade attacks as powerful shockwaves were sent out.

BOOOM!

The already devastated lands were further destroyed while the attacks continued to create large waves in the ocean nearby, even impacting the naval battle nearby.

*Fwooo!*

The air howled as the two men halted in their attacks. Both cancelling the other out. "Hehehe," Garp chuckled, his shirt was cut apart and his knuckles were bruised.

Rayleigh sighed as he saw his own bloodied arm and shaking sword as he gazed at the man beside him. They were about to continue, however, their duel was interrupted.

"Puru," "Puru," "Puru." 

Garp took out his snail, caring little for Rayleigh's objection to pausing their fight and answered the call.

[A/N: Before you ask how these snails don't seem to be destroyed by the fight, think of them as Doflamingo's glasses or Luffy's sandals.]

"Katcha~!"

The snail woke up as a voice spoke out in a great hurry: "Garp-san, it's bad! R-Really bad!"

"Calm down, there's no good or bad news; it's just news," Garp replied while picking his nose. Yet his words didn't calm the informant down at all, if anything, it left him more panicked.

"T-The Golden Lion Fleet is here!"

Garp's smile shook a little as he responded, "Shiki? That is bad news, Bwahahaha!"

His joking voice suddenly became solemn, "Call the Fleet Admiral, this is slipping out of our control now."

"R-Roger!"

The boisterous marine then turned his attention to his foe.

"Garp looks like we will have to continue our fight at a later date," Rayleigh said, sheathing his blade.

Garp simply 'huffed' as he jumped to the nearby battlefield where the trees themselves seemed to have flooded out. He had felt the shaking from afar alongside the explosion that went off.

It was where his homey Sengoku was located.

"Oye! Sengoku! Where're you at, Sengoku!"

He was calling the name out as if he was searching for a lost child. It wasn't that he couldn't sense him, rather, he didn't want to put the effort into spanning his Haki.

…

Eventually, he reached the center of the giant crater. Or at least, the center of one of the few giant craters.

*Munch* *Munch*

Garp was currently dining on a rice cracker bag that he seemed to have summoned out of thin air.

Walking through the ravaged and broken lands, he eventually saw quite a sight, one surprising enough to make him drop his snack.

"S-Sengoku, what happened, pffff!" Garp had to stifle a laugh as he saw the state of his colleague.

He didn't care for Sengoku's fuming response, rather his eyes were glued to the Admiral's hair and body.

The once mighty afro had been reduced to a minefield with random rips and tears alongside random botches and cuts all over. His proud marine attire had been left to shreds, leaving his chest bare.

Garp's eyes turned sharp as he saw the broken ribs.

Eventually, he returned his gaze to the man's hair. "Sengoku, my friend, I don't think the bird's nest hairstyle is for you," Garp said in a serious tone.

One would think he was giving friendly advice.

Sengoku glanced at the Vice Admiral with heavy eyes, "They were tougher than expected…"

The tall marine gestured at the ruined earth where three bodies lay.

Damien, Kaido, and Silver Axe were all unconscious. Sprawled within a small area.

Garp wasn't surprised by the outcome but there was something else that piqued his curiosity. "Those trees?"

Sengoku sighed while spitting a wad of blood. He subconsciously touched his upper chest, feeling the dull pain from his broken ribs.

"Sin Incarnate Damien seems to have a power far more dangerous than we imagined."

Garp slowly nodded.

"Why did you come here? Did you deal with Rayleigh?"

The words evoked a memory from the other marine.

"Oh yeah, I forgot, that flying turkey Shiki is here with his little pack of puppies."

Sengoku froze, "You took this long to tell me!? We need to go back to the fleet!"

Garp hummed, "Right, right… What about these three?"

The words were enough to wake Sengoku from his haste.

"... Their potential, especially the two monster rookies, is absurdly high," he said slowly. "They'll become huge threats if they are allowed to grow up..."

The air around the Admiral grew harsh and tense, further amplified by the cold breeze that happened to pass by.

"..."

*Thwack!* Garp walked over and slapped his friend's shoulder, eliciting a painful groan.

"Sengoku, when did Basara-san's philosophy drain into your head? These kids are around the age as my own brat, don't worry, I'll personally capture them both if they get out of hand."

Sengoku narrowed his eyes at his friend Garp and sighed. He then gazed at Damien, muttering, "Give up this lifestyle today, otherwise only a cold cell in Impel Down awaits you."

Perhaps it was a feeling but Sengoku just knew the young pirate could hear his words.

"Let's go, Garp."

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[At the Same Time as Damien's Collapse]

Rocks and Roger were now standing face to face, the area nearby had already been reduced to dust with nothing but rubble left.

"Roger… You are also of the D. Family!"

"I will rule this world and destroy those Dragons! Join me, Roger!" Rocks yelled out with a crazy smile.

The jolly swordsman simply grinned and then shook his head. "Sorry, but I have no interest in such a dream!" Roger laughed.

Xebec squinted his eyes as he had a menacing smirk plastered to his face.

"So you have chosen death?"

The words left Gol D. Roger solemn, he could hold down the evil pirate, but defeating him as of now was beyond his capabilities.

Roger never cared for how others saw him, he was once just a weak kid who had an impossible dream, many tried to talk him out of it, yet he just laughed them off. His dream was his own and that's all that matters.

Thud!

The nearby ground shook as a man with golden-blond hair landed.

He was Rayleigh, Roger's First Mate.

"We need to leave. The Golden Lion Fleet is here alongside their leader, if we stay any longer, the other Overlords might make a move too," he warned.

Both Rocks and Roger's eyebrows went up.

"Shiki is here too? Wahaha, you're right, Rocks, I'm sure we'll cross paths soon," Roger said.

Rocks didn't respond. He instead walked elsewhere, as if looking for something.

…

Now only Roger and Rayleigh remained.

"Roger…, that man, with his ambition, the seas will be very chaotic soon," Rayleigh said with a solemn tone.

His captain just grinned in response, "You're right, partner! But that is a problem for the future, we'll deal with it then. let's go and have a banquet with the others!"

…

[Nearby]

Rocks had made his way to the ruins of Mora Island.

A giant human with glorious blond hair sat on top of a broken pillar that had collapsed with a gourd of saké in hand.

His right fist was bleeding and his chest had many wounds and injuries driven into it. On the side across from him was a corpse, a rather large and muscular man lying on the ground without a wisp of life.

He was one of the Three Overlords of the Seas, Esso Borealis.

.

"Xahaha! Looks like you did what you came to do, Newgate," the insane man said.

Whitebeard glanced at his captain and nodded. "What now?"

"Let's go find the kids, Shakuyaku already brought the Titanic," Xebec said. "I got what I came for…" 

He then cast his gaze to the far right of the broken-down building as he narrowed his eyes upon a certain item lying on the ground.

*Thump* *Thump* *Thump*

Xebec walked over and picked up the item… it was a weapon. One of the 12 Supreme Swords – Mokushiroku!

"What a powerful blade...," he cackled. Xebec traced his hands on the guard as he clenched it and pulled out the blade.

Shing!

The wind howled in pain as the surrounding air shook in the sword's wake.

"XAHAHAHA! Very good!"

Xebec's left arm that held the blade was now popping with red veins as if the sword fought to control its wielder.

"Don't act up, you're just a little piece of metal," Xebec snorted as his grip deepened. "Just bow down to me."

BOOOM!

A powerful pulse of black Conqueror's Haki burst out of the man, wholly concentrated upon the sword in his hand, sending cracks into the earth below.

*Vvoooo!*

Twenty seconds passed as the chaotic aura calmed down, evoking a grin on the man.

"Very good... Now, let's leave, Newgate." With that said, the man sheathed the blade and clicked it onto his waist.

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[Aboard the Titanic]

"Welcome back, Captain," Shakky said.

The evil pirate hummed in response as he strolled onto the Titanic. He glared at the horizon, seeing the marine fleet far away. Some dozen ships chasing close behind, the Golden Lion Fleet!

Rocks then saw the three corpse-like specimens lying on the main deck.

"Those two lived after taking on Sengoku, not bad."

Naturally, the identity of Silver Axe was seen and thrown to the back of his mind.

"Shakuyaku, set sail back to Hachinosu. Make sure to recruit more fodder, I need more pawns for what's to come."

Shakky nodded while puffing on her cigar.

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[Seven Hours Later]

A new day had come. 

The bright sun shone into Damien's waking eyes.

"Looks like I'm still alive…"

He was feeling his body's condition. It wasn't bad, just some blunt trauma enough to kill a few dozen people. 

Most of his broken bones have been mended but left him sore. It was mainly Sengoku's shockwaves that broke down his body to pieces from within. "Should be all healed up by tonight," he said. 

Damien then tried to remember what happened at the very end of last night. 

...

It was when Sengoku unleashed his "Big Buddha Impact."

The three had countered it with every ounce of strength they could muster, powering through the pain to deliver their last stand. 

At that instance, Damien had heard some voices at the very last second before the Admiral fired his move.

It was a whisper from the trees. 

Mora Island was 80% forest. The nature nearby had sensed his dilemma and gathered together to surprise-attack the opponent. 

Damien still wasn't confident in taking Sengoku with just that…

.

"Looks like your plan worked," a calm voice resounded, bringing the Sin Incarnate out of the flashback.

Damien looked to the side and found the once-broken Silver Axe with new gear. 

"You counted on us to force Sengoku to use 'Iron Body' thus immobilizing himself, giving us the chance to land all those blows, colour me impressed."

Damien returned a helpless smile. 

"Even with all that, we all fell to a single attack right there and then." 

Silver Axe didn't seem surprised. "Breaking an Admiral's ribs is already an accomplishment not many can claim to have accomplished."

The armoured man sighed, giving away a piece of information: "Sengoku seemed to have exercised an advanced form of Conqueror's Haki, as expected from an Admiral." 

Damien hummed, though not ecstatically, "Infusion, is it? It really dissolves your conscience away..."

.

"It looks like you joined the Rocks Pirates, Silver Axe."

The armoured man nodded. "I want to see how far a man with the ability to conquer such a blade can go."

The pirate soon went elsewhere, leaving Damien to ponder. 

He needed a shower, but there was something else on his mind. 

Damien felt a calling.

It was his body, telling him that it was ready to evolve! It has been a long time since he felt this, and it brought a smile to his face. 

"All that beating from Sengoku was worth it!"

Alas, the celebration had to wait as Damien felt something afoot. 

His left hand was aching. Damien glanced at it and saw a mess. Almost as if a dog had mauled it. The bones weren't just broken but shattered to pieces. 

His body was doing its best to bring them all back together but it would take a while. 

"Damn Sengoku, just wait till I drop a nuke in your face!"

Damien used his free hand to crack his limbs together, the pain was excruciating. 

'Sibyl, bring up Sengoku's stats."

[You still remember me? Very well.]

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

[Sengoku]

[Age: 37 years, 6 months, 20 days]

[Height: 9' 1"] (2.78 m)

[Status: Slightly Injured]

[Devil Fruit: Human-Human Fruit: Mythical Model Buddha (???)] 

[Fruit Rating: 6.5 Stars]

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

[Strength: Within Yonko Stage] 

(A/N: "Mastery of ___" meaning reaching and stopping right before the Advanced Mastery stage. Otherwise, it's a stat that can still evolve.)

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

"So I wasn't wrong on his Observation, though it's considered mastered, it's not in the levels of Future Sight, but just Observation in general," Damien concluded.

Advanced Observation would be such a level. Damien had sharpened quite a lot of his strength over the past day. 

"Show me my stats now."

[Coming right up.]

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

[Einar D. Damien]

[Age: 16 years, 9 months, 14 days]

[Height: 10' 6"] (3.2 m)

[Status: Injured; Hungry]

[Devil Fruit: Pulverize-Pulverize Fruit (Intermediate Mastery)]

[Fruit Rating: 6.5 Stars]

[Seastone Resistance: 82.4% ↑]

[Skills: Lightning Recovery (+), Mighty Vitality (+), Evolable Anatomy, Voice of All Living Things, Will of D., Rokushiki]

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

[Strength: Top Tier Yonko Commander ↑] 

[NOTE: The strength level to attain Skill: {Underwater Breathing} has been reached!]

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

His Observation had practically reached Sengoku's level. However, in Damien's case, he could take it a step further.

His strength had accumulated enough to reach the Top Tier Yonko Commander. Such a level was home to the likes of the future Donquixote Doflamingo! Though in the grand scheme of things, it wasn't worth mentioning.

And it seems it came with another surprise.

"Sibyl, that last note there…"

[Yes, you have reached the strength to get the first of two skills left behind by the original System user.]

Damien leaked a smile.

"How do I get it?"

[You can claim it now, though I suggest waiting until you upgrade your recovery and vitality. Both of these should be done once your body is in its healthiest state.]

Damien nodded, it seemed he had to wait a few days to fully take in his feats, a wait worth waiting for.

.

"Hmm?" His mind then went elsewhere. He naturally noticed the empty upper part of the ship.

All the fodder pirates were either in their quarters below or in the nearby ships. It seems a VIP was onboard as Damien could sense a powerful presence.

Damien then kicked a giant ogre asleep on the other side of the deck. Kaido grumbled awake, slowly standing up. "Oh? Is it morning already?"

"It seems they're all seated in the main hall," Damien said, walking in. "Let's say hello to the Golden Lion."

To Be Continued…

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Author's Corner.

Damien breaking Sengoku's ribs is like Zoro leaving a scar on Kaido; enough to hurt and leave an impression, but that's about it.

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