A chilling aura pierced his skin, enveloping his entire body. The light dissipated, and Dragon vanished into thin air.
Silence. An absolute, profound silence descended upon the room, a stark contrast to the preceding intensity.
Loki, single-handedly wielding his Zanpakutō, stood facing Zeno, his Nen aura even more terrifying than before, surging like a restless sea, generating gusts of wind that rippled outwards. A formidable aura of Nen surrounded him. The Zanpakutō's Shikai had further amplified his Nen, making it even more potent.
'He shattered Dragon in an instant…' Silva's eyes narrowed, fixated on the Zanpakutō in Loki's hand. 'A Conjuration-type ability?!' 'No… this power is strange…'
The distance of over ten meters was easily covered by Shinsō's speed and unpredictable nature. Even Zeno wouldn't have reacted in time. With prior knowledge of Shinsō's ability, Zeno could have evaded, but the initial attack's effectiveness was unexpected.
Zeno stood motionless, his expression grave.
'He's already awakened his Hatsu! I was completely deceived by this kid!' Zeno couldn't accept defeat but his carelessness; he'd been tricked by a child. His feigned attempts at close-range combat, his seemingly forced imitation of Dragon, and the production of an incredibly sharp short sword—all were a ruse to make Zeno believe the sword was the reason for his close-range attacks, lulling Zeno into a false sense of security at a distance. No one anticipated that the sword was a conjured object capable of extending its blade.
'A conjured sword, so sharp… restriction and oath?!' When Shinsō cleaved Dragon, Zeno felt a 70% chance it was a real object, not a conjured one, because such sharpness was difficult to achieve through Conjuration. Even if conjured, a real sword would be better. But the ability to extend the blade was different.
The chill emanating from Shinsō caused Zeno to frown.
'He shattered Dragon instantly. Only an Enhancement type could achieve such power with Nen. This kid is likely a Specialization type with Enhancement and Conjuration abilities.'
Even Loki didn't know that after Shinsō's Shikai, his Enhancement-type Nen power had inexplicably increased.
Zeno let out a breath, his expression regaining its composure.
"I yield," he stated.
Loki sheathed Shinsō. Zeno understood; this was to make it seem like a real sword, not a conjured one, to avoid scrutiny.
'A cunning kid!'
"An impressive battle. Father was careless," Silva commented.
Zeno glared at him. "Careless or not, I lost. I'm not one to shy away from defeat! It's just a waste of time; I didn't get Netero's money."
Impatient, Zeno waved his hand. "Silva, take him out."
He seemed to want Loki gone. He'd lost Netero's money and wasted time. He wondered if Netero knew Loki would win and used the money as bait, giving his disciple free sparring. It was possible. But he couldn't fight Netero.
"Hmph! Next time, I'll get my revenge!"
Leaving Zeno's room, Loki thought about the money. He understood; Netero had tried to buy him a lesson, but failed.
The battle was over, the mission complete. Silva didn't keep guests at Kukuroo Mountain. Loki left. He wanted to get down the mountain quickly. Silva and Zeno spoke again.
"He's a lucky disciple, Netero!"
"Father, do you think the Chairman…"
"Possibly. Sixty to seventy percent chance. It depends on how far this kid grows."
At the foot of Kukuroo Mountain, Loki was eager. The system's prompt sounded.
'Mission complete. Defeated Zeno Zoldyck. Reward: One A-rank lottery.'
'Congratulations, host. You have obtained…'
Ding!
'Congratulations, host. You have obtained the Mera Mera no Mi, the Flame-Flame Fruit, from the One Piece world, belonging to Portgas D. Ace.'
Loki immediately opened his inventory. A new slot contained the Mera Mera no Mi.
Running down the mountain, Loki stopped and took out the fruit. He bit into it.
"Ugh…" He vomited. He threw the rest away.
"This tastes like shit!!!"
His face was pale. Even intense battles hadn't left him this weak.
Ten minutes later, Loki looked at the fruit… He sighed, ate it quickly, and vomited for half an hour.
He sat on a rock, drenched in sweat, barely able to lift his eyelids. He felt like he'd vomited everything.
After fifteen minutes, he felt better and smiled.
"I got the Mera Mera no Mi… This is…"
He was overjoyed. This was the best lottery since the first one. The Mera Mera no Mi's ability was fire. He wanted to try his idea. Without it, his idea wouldn't work.
He raised his hand. A flame flickered on his fingertip. The light illuminated his face. He stood, the flame still burning. He closed his eyes.
Boom boom!
The flames erupted, engulfing him. He felt no warmth, but the ground cracked from the heat.
"Fire! This is the power of fire!"
The flames consumed him, and his Nen was depleted.
'Like a Zanpakutō, the Mera Mera no Mi consumes Nen.'
He clenched his hand; the flames vanished.
He wanted to test its power, but they were too close to Kukuroo Mountain.
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