"But thinking about it… Blackbeard really did model himself after Rocks," Mio murmured to himself, his eyes lingering on the page.
If Rocks was the previous user of the Dark-Dark Fruit, as suggested by the illustrated book, then it all made sense. Rocks' maritime headquarters was Beehive Island. After Blackbeard stole Whitebeard's fruit ability, he too made Beehive Island his base of operations. Rocks' full name was Rocks D. Xebec, and Blackbeard's pirate ship was named Xebec's Saber.
Of course, Mio realized he had digressed.
But the reason Rocks considered the Dark-Dark Fruit the strongest might very well be because it could steal the powers of other Devil Fruit users.
As these thoughts settled in his mind, Mio's ship slowly sailed away from the island, growing smaller behind them.
At the same time, a small white boat approached the island from the opposite direction. A lone figure stood atop it, dressed in a flowing white robe. A sheer veil covered her face, concealing her identity, but Mio could tell from her silhouette that she was a woman.
His gaze drifted toward her.
The woman looked back at him.
For a moment, their eyes met.
Mio froze. Her eyes shimmered with ripples—eyes that resembled the legendary Rinnegan from Naruto. Red pupils, eerily still, devoid of emotion, like stagnant water. Just a single glance sent a tingling sensation down Mio's spine.
"Who… is that?" Mio whispered in his heart, an involuntary shiver crawling down his back.
The woman's figure vanished into the island. Mio averted his gaze. He felt a chill, a sense of foreboding. His instinct warned him that pursuing that curiosity would invite danger. So he didn't.
But he wouldn't forget those eyes.
As Mio's ship disappeared beyond the horizon, the island slipped from view. What he didn't know, however, was that panic erupted on the island not long after he left.
Shrieks echoed across the streets. Pirates scrambled toward the port, fleeing in terror.
And then, silence.
The mysterious woman in white reappeared at the shore. She looked in the direction Mio's ship had sailed, tilting her head slightly.
"…Strange feeling," she muttered softly.
Two days later
Daba Sea, North Blue
Mio stood on the deck, sparring with Erica. Their swords clashed, sparks flying in the air. From time to time, blood stained his clothes as Erica's strikes found their mark.
Eventually, the spar ended.
Erica quickly retrieved a medical kit and knelt down to bandage Mio's wounds. White cloth wrapped tightly around his chest, stained with fresh blood.
Mio reached for the rum beside him, took a deep swig, and sighed. "I wonder how long it'll take me to reach your level."
"With your talent, Master, you'll surpass Erica soon," she replied earnestly, her little fists clenched in determination.
"Haha," Mio chuckled, rubbing her head. Though he didn't reply, her words made him smile.
Suddenly, the ship rocked.
A figure burst from the water and landed on the deck—it was Warwick, water streaming from his body.
Right after him, a massive sea creature emerged from the waves, roaring thunderously beside the ship.
It had a lion's head, a giant, ferocious sea beast.
Apparently, Warwick had encountered it underwater, and it had chased him all the way up.
"Hmph! You got lucky in the sea, but Warwick's going to kill you now!" Warwick growled, claws glinting ominously. Judging by his expression, he hadn't enjoyed their underwater encounter.
Before Warwick could pounce, Mio stepped forward with a grin. He drew his sword and said, "Leave this one to me."
In a flash, he vanished from his spot.
A slash of black sword energy tore through the air like a crescent moon.
Schlick!
The massive sea beast didn't even get a chance to react. Mio's blade cut through it cleanly, splitting it in half. Blood dyed the ocean red.
"Congratulations on collecting the [Sea Beast] gene!"
"Not bad. It's not a Sea King, but still a decent harvest," Mio muttered, satisfied.
Sea beasts and Sea Kings were different. Sea Kings, like those who pulled Noah's Ark in the Fish-Man Island arc, were ancient, colossal beings with immense power. They lived long and were usually found in the Calm Belt or deep ocean.
Sea beasts, though large, were common and relatively weaker. Still, not everyone had the ability to hunt one.
"Warwick, chop off some chunks of meat. Sea beast meat is top-notch for grilling," Mio ordered with a grin.
He had bought some before. Tasty, but extremely pricey. Most people were eaten by sea beasts, not the other way around.
"Understood!" Warwick leapt back into the sea, slicing off a massive slab of meat with ease and hauling it back onboard.
There wasn't room for the rest of the corpse on the ship, so it was left behind.
"Erica, dinner's on you," Mio said, smiling.
"Yes, Master!" Erica's eyes lit up with joy as she took the meat and headed for the kitchen.
Warwick retreated to the cabin to fetch some rum.
Mio sat down cross-legged and summoned his system panel with a thought. He scrolled over to the newly obtained gene information.
[Sea Beast Gene: A large aquatic creature native to the seas of the One Piece world. Possesses immense strength. Though formidable, most strong individuals treat them as nothing more than food. Fortunately, sea beasts reproduce quickly—otherwise, they'd probably go extinct from overhunting.]
"Doesn't seem particularly useful…" Mio muttered and shook his head, closing the panel.
Still, it was worth keeping.
He had plans—ambitious ones.
In a world ruled by oceans, cultivating a sea creature with terrifying strength and aquatic mobility could prove extremely useful.
"When we reach the Grand Line, I'll head to the Calm Belt and hunt some Sea Kings," he thought to himself, sipping his rum.
Unbeknownst to him, the destination Doflamingo mentioned was drawing near…