In the captain's cabin, Creed sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, quietly meditating.
Now that the whole mess with Shiki had been settled, it was finally time to tally his harvest.
This time, what he'd taken from Shiki was ridiculously generous. Even without counting the purple-gold treasure chest, just the Sharp Gold sword intent, the killing intent, and the Yontō-ryu (Four-Sword Style) swordsmanship alone were enough to leave Creed delighted.
On top of that, after this fierce battle, both his Kyokuaku Ittō (Extreme Evil Slash) and Shizen Ittō (Supreme Good Slash) had reached 100% completion, fully perfected. As a result, his ultimate technique Musō Rinne (Supreme Rinne) was pushed all the way up to 39%!
What surprised him most, though, was that a brand-new entry had appeared in his ability panel out of nowhere: Rinne sword intent. It hadn't been there before.
"So an ultimate-grade sword intent is really that strict, huh…?"
Right now, Rinne sword intent was sitting at the same SSSS- rank as his Night sword intent, Ice sword intent, and Sharp Gold sword intent. But its growth potential was huge—once it hit 100%, chances were high it could evolve even further.
At the moment, Creed already possessed four SSSS-rank sword intents:
Rinne sword intent, Night sword intent, Ice sword intent, and Sharp Gold sword intent.
That was enough to meet the basic requirement to fuse them into a full SSSS-rank sword intent… but the fusion problem was staring him in the face.
Among these, Night sword intent and Rinne sword intent were the highest in grade—both belonged to the ultimate tier, with enormous growth potential. Creed definitely wasn't going to fuse those lightly.
As for Sharp Gold sword intent, it could use his killing intent as an amplifier, allowing its power to climb infinitely close to true SSSS rank. If he fused it and lost that killing-intent amplification, that would feel like a huge loss.
"Forget it. I'll put the sword intents aside for now and open the purple-gold treasure chest first."
After thinking it over, Creed decided to start with that special purple-gold treasure chest.
"Ding. Opening purple-gold treasure chest…"
"Ding. Congratulations to the host for obtaining: one SSSS-rank Ability Upgrade Card, one Devil Fruit Awakening Card, one vial of Stamina Recovery Elixir, one Exotic Beast Upgrade Card, and World Coordinate (1/3)…"
The moment the chest opened, the dazzling pile of rewards almost blinded Creed.
The Ability Upgrade Card and Devil Fruit Awakening Card weren't anything new to him. But the three items that followed made his curiosity spike, and he hurriedly looked over their descriptions:
Stamina Recovery Elixir: ten drops in total. Two drops can fully restore all stamina.
Exotic Beast Upgrade Card: can be used to stimulate a pet's potential and raise its overall power tier.
World Coordinate: essential for traveling across myriad worlds. Without a World Coordinate, accurate spatial travel is impossible and extremely dangerous.
"They're all good stuff! As expected of a purple-gold chest. I just wonder whose head the next one is sitting on."
Creed sighed in satisfaction, then immediately began planning how to use these things to further boost his strength.
"Which ability should I upgrade…?"
He fell into deep thought.
If he used it on Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) or Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki), the increase to his offensive power would be the most straightforward and obvious.
If he used it on a sword intent, he could directly obtain a SSSS-rank sword intent—that was something he was very eager for as well.
On the other hand, boosting his Super Regeneration or Super Vitality didn't sound bad either. If he used it on Super Regeneration, he'd be closing in on Kaido's level of undying resilience.
But if he used it on his killing intent, he could, in turn, push the amplification on Sharp Gold sword intent up to SSSS rank—or even higher. One move, two gains!
"If only I had two more Ability Upgrade Cards…"
In the end, Creed chose to use this precious card on his killing intent!
When it came to Haki, he still had the Extraction System. As long as he could find the right targets, he could keep extracting. For example, he could continue to draw SSSS-rank Busoshoku Haki from Kaido.
Sword intent could be upgraded using the Fusion System. There was no need to waste this rare upgrade card on it.
He was choosing killing intent because Creed had discovered a hidden secret in that ability: it didn't just boost Sharp Gold sword intent. It also amplified Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki) and Shizen Ittō (Supreme Good Slash), producing a terrifying spiritual offensive power.
It was an extremely profound ability.
"Ding. Using Ability Upgrade Card. Upgrading killing intent. Please wait… Congratulations, host. Killing intent has been upgraded to SSSS- rank!"
Along with the system prompt, Creed could faintly sense his aura changing. Without realizing it, a sharp, chilling murderous air had begun to cling to him.
"Ding. Detected that Sharp Gold sword intent and another sword intent can both perfectly fuse with killing intent and be promoted to SSSS-rank abilities. Proceed with fusion?"
The next system prompt made Creed pause for a moment—then he decisively chose to refuse.
His killing intent could amplify Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki) and Shizen Ittō (Supreme Good Slash), unleashing a fearsome mental attack. For him, that was a unique trump card, something to keep at the bottom of his toolbox. There was no way he'd casually fuse it away.
"…Hm? Big Mom's here?"
Just then, his Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) picked up the situation outside, interrupting his closed-door cultivation.
"Sigh… Even Shiki lost to Creed. His power is already at Captain Rocks' level. Forget it, I'll just keep my promise. As long as I can protect Totto Land, swallowing my pride a little is nothing…"
At the same time, he "heard" the voice in her heart.
Suddenly—
Vmm!
A soft hum exploded in his mind. His consciousness slipped into a mysterious, profound state, and then he began to "see" a series of scenes play out, making the corners of his mouth curl up in a smile.
Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki): Future Sight!
"So she's here to surrender. That's good."
He had not only heard Big Mom's inner thoughts, he'd also seen everything that was about to happen.
Big Mom wouldn't just personally lead her forces over for a grand reception. She would also publicly announce her decision in front of everyone.
Redfield and the others, seeing Big Mom appear, would all tense up, fully prepared for another massive battle. But instead, Big Mom would directly address Creed as "Captain" and perform the salute of a subordinate, leaving them all staring, wide-eyed and speechless.
In just a short span of time, a legendary great pirate and a sea emperor whose name shook the world had both bowed their heads to their captain.
"Even the sea overlord Rocks back then was only just like this. No… Captain Creed surpasses Rocks!"
Redfield muttered in the depths of his heart.
Shiki and Big Mom were, without a doubt, the absolute top-tier combat power of the New World—much stronger than Kaido and Big Mom had been in their youth.
Even Rocks, back in his prime, had only ever had one such peak combatant at his side. Compared to that, the Creed Pirates now had two.
No—that was wrong.
It should be three.
Redfield quietly included himself in that count.
He could faintly sense that his Bat-Bat Fruit wouldn't take long to reach awakening again. All he needed was the right trigger, and he could step into an even higher realm.
At that time, he would be able to compete head-on with Shiki. He might even edge him out by half a step.
"The only problem is how I'm supposed to grasp that trigger. I don't have the slightest clue for now… Maybe I can find it from the captain, or from Shiki and Big Mom."
Redfield's gaze shifted toward Creed.
There was no doubt in his mind—Creed and those two were already standing firmly in that realm.
And Creed, who had defeated both Shiki and Big Mom, was clearly a step higher than even them in terms of cultivation and realm.
(End of Chapter)
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