[2885 words]

The final chapter of the volume so I made it a bit wordy. You're welcome. ​​

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"Hey, captain..." I addressed the man who was busy drinking.

"What is, brat?" He said as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

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"I plan on leaving the crew for a while," I said.

Xebec raised an eyebrow with curiosity.

"Oh? And what will you *Gurrug*, do?" He asked with a smirk.

"I want to train my Haki and my fruit... and also take care of a few other personal things."

"...Alright brat."

He took another big gulp of saké.

...

"Why not train your Haki here, kid?" Whitebeard asked as he sat down nearby, no sweat at all from the earlier clash.

I shook my head with a sigh.

"When I fought Enigma, and now that I have seen your battle, I realized that I only beat the Overlord because of my luck in evolving my Haki at the perfect time," I said.

I then sat down and squinted my eyes and looked into the distance.

"I have great talent in the Colour of Observation and the Supreme King but my Colour of Arms requires more than that. Without 'flowing Haki' I can never reach the next level."

Whitebeard nodded as he heard my words.

"I learned it from fighting powerful Mythical Zoan fruit user who had very thick skin. Gurara! We fought for 4 days, my earthquakes weren't enough but once I learned to make my Haki flow, I won almost instantly." Newgate said.

"XAHAHAHA! We don't have any powerful Zoans... unlike Kaido who has good talent in the Colour of Arms, you would need a stronger push to reach the next level, hmmm. Where will you go, brat?" He asked with an inquisitive gleam.

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"I intend to sail to The Country of Wano."

"The home of the 'Sword God', I wish to learn under their techniques of Armament," I said with a smirk.

Unlike Luffy who was lucky to always conveniently gain a certain power-up as he journies, I instead have to take the initiative myself. Naturally, Wano is not the only option but I feel like I could also get some other things I need from there so it would quite convenient.

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"Wano Kuni, GURARARA! Good choice, but you should know that that place is not good with outsiders." He warned.

I smiled at his words, "Hehe, I have my ways to get around, you needn't worry, Newgate-Ossan."

He simply nodded and trusted my words.

.

Xebec squinted with a dangerous light as he seemed to think of some schemes.

"Alright kid, you can go. You're lucky that you asked at a perfect time. I also need to go under the radar soon." He said.

His words brought curiosity into my eyes as I asked, "A crazy captain like you wants to go under the radar? Is it your Death powers?"

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"XAHAHAHA! That's right, brat! While you were playing with that mind guy, I had Shakky looking for an island for me. Now go away and let me drink." He shooed me off as he disappeared.

"Ufufufu, I'm sad you are leaving again, Damien-chan," Shakky said as she brought some snacks.

I nodded in gratitude and then asked,

"What island did you find for him?"

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"Hmm, Taichou asked me to find a terrible island and I found one. It's called 'Death Valley' found in the 'Weeping Waters of the Dead.'"

"It was thought to be a myth like the 'Florian Triangle' and the 'Azkaban Sea.'"

"They say the spirits of the dead gather on the island of 'Death Valley' and wallow in everlasting despair, how poetic." She said with a smile as she puffed some smoke.

"It's also one of the 'Trinity of Valleys'.

Isle of Deities: God Valley.

Isle of Spirits: Death Valley.

Isle of Disasters: Extinction Valley."

---

"But after a few searches and some greedy fools sent out, I finally found it in the New World. It is within a forever-spinning hurricane far East from here, that is where we are headed."

*PUFF*

She continued to smoke as Whitebeard spoke up.

"Shiki will send the ship to the clouds, the rest will scatter around doing whatever. Xebec alone will go to that island to Awaken his fruit. Which is why your little vacation is quite perfect."

'A surprise to be sure but a welcome one.' I nodded.

"That's perfect, but how long will he be there for?" I asked them.

"Jihahahaha! Knowing that man he could be gone a few months or a few years." Shiki said as he finished sharpening his 2 swords and took out his cigarette.

I furrowed my brows and thought for a second.

"Well, I will be gone for 18-20 months, maybe a bit less... how long is the journey to the island?"

Shakky thought for a second, "The hurricane is difficult to navigate to as it is always moving, it should take around 3 weeks to get there."

'It's currently the 11th month of 1483, if I leave once the crew splits, I will be back around mid-1485 which should be fine.' I calculated.

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[5 Days Later]

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"I still don't get why you chose my division," I commented as I saw the kid sitting before me.

"Mama doesn't have anyone who has great Observation... I feel like I can reach a higher level but I need guidance," the boy said.

Katakuri came knocking on my door a few days ago, instead of Big Mom's Third Division, he wanted to come under me instead.

I sighed, "Kid, it's not that I don't like you, but I only keep the sharpest swords under my division. I only have 9 men right now."

I had sent out Indra to seek some other pirates who were still 'decent' and had a strong will, there weren't many but I did get some.

"The 7 days I trained you for were for the food your mother gave me. So what do I gain from wasting my time on you?" I asked him, wondering how he would answer.

He was taken aback a bit, I don't know why, after all, I am a pirate.

.

"Umm... when I get stronger, I will... owe you a favour!" He said with a bright light in his eyes.

I raised an eyebrow and gazed at him. He had a flurry of emotions, nervousness, excitement, hopefulness, optimism.

It was a bit ridiculous for a 7-year old to go around offering favours but I actually knew his future strength so it was worth a thought.

Katakuri was waiting patiently, perhaps thinking I would reject him as his optimism flared down a bit.

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"RAHAHAHA! You're just a little kid right now and here you are offering favours like they're worth anything... what will I do if you end up weak or pathetic in a few years? How will you pay your debt then?" I asked him.

He took a gulp and responded, "Then you can take my life for it! The second-born of some like like Mama is worth a lot in the black market!"

.

"RAHAHAHA! Very well, kid. I will teach you... but only in the Colour of Observation."

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[5 Days Later]

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A bruised and beaten-up Katakuri sat in the center of the platform. I had some of my new division-mates trains the boy.

Pascal, a 35-year old man who likes wearing white was currently training Katakuri.

"You can barely even see and you want the Commander to teach you!? Pasasasa, how bold of you." Pascal said as he shot some rounds in the young boy's direction.

Katakuri was blindfolded, trying his best to dodge while getting hit with the occasional attack.

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[5 Days Later]

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15 days have passed since we set sail to Dead Valley. Another 6 or so days till we reach our destination and when I set off to my own devices.

What was I doing right now?

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"Beat him up, Commander!"

"Put the Ogre to sleep, boss!"

"Give him a fast right!"

"Crush him!"

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BOOOOM!

A black club collided with a dark crimson fist as pulses of shock were sent out. The spectators were holding roaring in excitement as they saw the display before them.

Kaido and I were having our duel after a long time.

"WORORORO!"

"RAHAHAHA!"

Kaido was swinging his club at a very fast pace as I countered with simple punches, every little clash lasted half a second as another followed. Sparks lit off as metal hit metal, lighting the air in the process. We were warming up.

"Hehe, you've fallen behind, Kaido!"

.

I uncoat my fist as I then aim to piss him off.

A red field pops in my mind as I see 'beyond'.

My Futuresight had increased a lot, I could now see 4 seconds into the future, more than enough.

Kaido was still swinging yet every attack seemed to miss by a bit while I danced through his movements.

"CHEH!"

He gritted his teeth as he went on with his hits.

"Increasing strength won't do you any good if you can't actually hit me," I smirked.

I saw concentrated my vision to the max and saw his movements, the gaps, the openings, the flaws and capitalized.

His next move was a diagonal smash for which I side-stepped and flashed near his abdomen weaving through all future actions and obstructions.

I clench my fist as it shines a polished black and drove it forth.

BAM!

"Puah!"

A quick and powerful liver jab, yet it looked as if it was damaging him from the inside as he groaned in pain as he spat large volumes of air out.

It wasn't Emission, it was mimicking Emission instead.

I used my Pulverizing Energy as a substitute to Ryuo as it flowed out of my fist and into his body, breaking it from the inside.

Kaido took 2 steps back as he covered his stomach and grit his teeth in frustration.

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"Face it, Kaido! You are no longer my match!" I rub it in as I continue my attack.

"Don't play with me!" He roared as a black aura burst out of him and sparked around his club. He was throwing his Conquerors without care, the people around us struggling to stay on.

.

'Is this enlightenment through anger?' I thought as I felt his Haki increase in control.

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"RAIMEI HAKKE!"

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"Devoured Space."

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His club carried sparks of thunder as it slammed onto my diamond-shaped shield, a loud explosion following suit.

BOOOOOOOM!

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"Assail"

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The defensive barrier shuddered as I willed it to shoot forward, pushing the giant youth with it.

"Ahh!"

He groaned, his skin was touching the barrier as it was eating away at his endurance, yet failing to break through, leaving red marks all over.

Seeing his loss of balance, I shoot ahead.

My fist was clad in Haki as I collected some crushing energy into my knuckles to act as Emission.

Boom!

BAM!

BOP!

Chest, lung, gut, liver, pancreas, kneecaps.

Tens of small explosions as I rain down punches onto his body, causing him to blow up from within.

"AHHHH!"

He yelled as his chest was now littered with reddish-purple bruises, signifying internal bleeding.

He coughed out some blood as he tried to stay standing, shaking as the waves of pain echoed throughout.

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"This will end it!"

I zoomed across the field and shot up into the sky at his eye level, Kaido was still stunned from the constant hits, his body was weakening.

I clench my left fist as it is wrapped with a black shine as a red glow emerges near the top of it.

BAAAM!

I clock him straight on his face, a ripple of force pulsed around my hit as his face warped in stress, sending in a huge mist of pulverizing energy that diffused into his cheek and flooded his brain.

His face popped to the side from the impact as he was sent flying across the platform into a flurry of rolls as he boomed to a stop.

*Thud*

A final thud as his club landed on the other side as a bruised Kaido spat out blood, his face was now purple.

"Ahhh, that hurts..." He groaned as he sat up holding his face in pain, his eyes were half-open and his mind was half-awake.

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"RAHAHA! How did that punch taste?" I asked as I shot him a smug grin as I blew on my fist and wiped it clean.

"Cheh... I'll beat you... soon." He said as he waddled onto his feet in annoyance and breathed deeply.

''If it's one-on-one, Kaido will win.' Well, that isn't a fact yet as I just gave him one of his 7 losses!'

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[4 Days Later]

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It's been a few days since I beat the future 'King of Beasts', though it didn't mean much as he didn't eat his fruit yet and hasn't learned Emission nor Infusion, it was still satisfying to punch him like a ragdoll.

Another thing that happened was that I challenged Shiki and Big Mom.

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Yeah, I knew I would lose.

But it was worth a shot. They didn't exactly hold back either.

.

Shiki used one sword as he could literally fly around and easily predict my moves. One tap is all it took for him to defeat me as he gained control over my movements. A High-Tier Yonko was too much.

I realized that I would need more fruit mastery to destroy his telekinetic control over me as he is Awakened. Only then can I stand up to him.

[A/N: Just like Oden got one-shotted by Roger, Damien had the same result against Shiki]

.

Big Mom.

She used her Homie - Napolean to clash with my fists.

It was a long fight as she didn't really go all out till the end.

Every slash was heavy and carried powerful Haki as it left my fists shaking.

I could hold back most of her hits, she also used her fire and thunder Homie, Prometheus and Zeus yet I could stand tall against them.

The only problem was... that I could not damage her at all.

Her skin was so damn hard!

My punches left white marks, my Pulerverizing Emission technique was not enough as it would bounce off her Haki.

It was a useless struggle.

She was peak Low-Tier Yonko which was only 1 sub-level above me, but more than enough to defeat me with multiple usages of 'Heavenly Fire' and 'Thunderbolt' attacks.

It was an eye-opener but I knew I could reach her level by my return, which helped me understand more of what was ahead.

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[2 Days Later]

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Katakuri had reached near-constant Observation which was Mid-Basic. His 'sight' was around 8 meters in all directions but his body was too slow to even keep up with his Observation.

That aside, I still gained a favour from the man who could reach Yonko-Level in the future for just 3 weeks of guidance, not bad.

I left him a bonus body training manual so that he doesn't focus too much on his fruit and neglect the foundation of his power.

-----

"Indra, Pascal, Bozo, Juni, Thane, Bazoon, Heath, Obazoba, Pablo." I addressed the 9 men.

"Newgate-Ossan will lead you while I'm out of commission. He's a nice guy, just don't piss him off." I informed them.

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"Very well."

"We look forward to your return, Commander!"

"Hai, Hai."

"Roger."

"Whateva' ya say, boss."

"Okay."

"Hn."

"Oui, oui."

"Sí, patrón."

...

A mix of replies as they all had their own quirks.

They were cold-hearted killers but had their own lines they would not cross, a nice bunch, for the most part.

---

A little summary of what happened over the 3 weeks,

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- Kicked Kaido's ass.

- Fought Shiki, lost badly.

- Fought Big Mom, held for a while but lost due to limited Haki.

- Killed 20 or so nuisances who got in my way when they were drunk, fed some of them to some carnivorous piranha-like fish.

- Another 140 died from little quarrels that escalated a bit too much.

- Got used to the new Fruit Mastery and Haki Mastery.

- Thought of a new form of fruit release that requires more experimenting.

- Found News World Agency HQ.

.

That was about it but that last point was huge!

After nearly 15 months of scowering over the World, a bird finally alerted me of the discovery of the HQ!

It seems like it was a well-hidden base mounted in a giant mountain while constantly under wraps by a Cipher Pol unit within Paradise.

The birds found it and the Sea Kings confirmed it.

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

['Operation Nexus' has been updated.]

[ Find the World News Agency Main Base - ✔ ]

[ Find Replacement President - ✔ ]

[ Bring the replacement under your control - ❌ ]

[ Have the Agency exit the World Government's Grasp - ❌ ]

[Time Limit - 1486]

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

With the first 2 complete, I could start the next parts, which were my goals during my little vacation.

That aside, it was time to leave.

"See you soon, everyone." I bid farewell to Shakky, Whitebeard, Andor, Kaido, and the rest as I jumped into the water below.

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*SPLASH*

A little bop in the sea as I stood on the boat.

It was something I swiped from the {Store} for 700 SP, it was without any power to move it but I only wanted a comfy seat.

So I had a few Sea Kings pull it under the water to move at quick speeds while looking cool.

[A/N: The boat Image]

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"Jimmy, take me to Paradise Sea!"

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[The following is excluded from word count]

Author's Corner:

The end of the volume, the next is entirely his own journey which will eventually tie back to the crew.

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Random Trivia:

Would you rather be born as a Fishman or a Skypiean?

Thanks for Reading!