Lucien stared at the two blood soaked mountains of flesh inside the Sea Prism Stone container. Eight black thorns slowly extended from his tailbone, one of them piercing deep into the remains and beginning the process of devouring.
The scene was revolting.
Even so, Lucien had no choice.
He needed what Big Mom had left behind.
Cell memories.
Only by absorbing them could he gain deeper insight into the development of the Soul Soul Fruit, the growth and application of the three types of Haki, and countless combat instincts accumulated over decades.
These memories were invaluable.
They would allow Lucien to master the Soul Soul Fruit far more quickly, and potentially help him awaken and refine all three forms of Haki.
Armament Haki, in particular, was indispensable.
Without it, fighting Logia users would always be a gamble.
If he failed to master Armament Haki, facing Fire Fist Ace or Enel, both of whom could very well be fellow transmigrators, would be extremely dangerous.
As Big Mom's remaining cells were absorbed, the main hall was swiftly cleaned by the ghosts. At the same time, Lucien's body began to undergo visible changes.
His form expanded.
Bones shifted.
Flesh swelled.
In moments, Lucien had transformed into Big Mom herself.
The bloated body and grotesque facial features were unpleasant to look at, even for him.
But this disguise was necessary.
Lucien's objective had never been limited to stealing the Soul Soul Fruit alone. He wanted to take control of the entire Big Mom Pirates.
Not only that, he intended to manipulate the balance of the world itself.
The Yonko, the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the underworld brokers, the Revolutionary Army, the Marines, the World Government, the more powerful figures there were, the better.
Only by gathering enough strength could he overwhelm those fellow transmigrators hiding in the shadows.
For now, however, the most urgent priority was learning to use the Soul Soul Fruit with precision and confidence.
For three full days, Lucien remained secluded, continuously absorbing Big Mom's cell memories and refining his control over the fruit at the fastest possible speed.
During this time, every Homie throughout Totto Land remained frozen.
Several of Big Mom's children came to investigate, alarmed by the abnormal situation, but each of them was driven away by Lucien, who deliberately acted irritable and impatient.
He even took the opportunity to conduct experiments.
Lucien extracted ten years of lifespan from one of Big Mom's sons, then injected that lifespan into a plant.
The result was immediate.
The plant became personified.
However, it possessed no intelligence and only a ten year lifespan. Once those ten years ended, it would wither and die.
This clarified an important distinction.
Lifespan was lifespan.
Soul was soul.
Injecting lifespan alone could create personification, but not intelligence.
Only a soul could grant true awareness.
The ability to freely manipulate souls and lifespans was undeniably terrifying.
There were, however, restrictions.
Only those who feared Lucien could have their souls or lifespans easily taken. If he encountered someone fearless or reckless, he would first need to cripple them completely before extracting anything.
Even so, Lucien no longer had any glaring weaknesses.
His body was strong.
His soul was protected.
The only thing that truly frustrated him was the limitation placed upon himself.
He could not inject extracted lifespan or souls into his own body.
At first, Lucien had planned to gather massive amounts of lifespan and grant himself near immortality. Reality quickly shattered that dream.
He could inject lifespan into objects, animals, or intelligent beings to extend their lives.
Just not himself.
At that realization, Lucien very nearly cursed out loud.
Another disappointment followed.
There were no clear cell memories related to the awakening or mastery of the three types of Haki.
Lucien could not help but wonder if the fifty percent luck boost had finally expired, leaving him with ordinary fortune once more.
Night fell.
Cake Island remained brightly illuminated, lively as ever.
No one knew that the mighty Yonko, Big Mom, had already been replaced.
All of it had happened in complete silence.
Inside Big Mom's room, Lucien looked down at three figures resting on the floor.
Prometheus.
Zeus.
Napoleon.
They were frozen, their consciousness dormant.
These three Homies were fundamentally different from the rest. Each of them possessed terrifying power and exceptional combat potential.
They were invaluable assets.
Lucien intended to modify them.
He picked up Prometheus with his left hand. The blazing sun Homie was no larger than a basketball. Closing his eyes, Lucien began to invade Prometheus's soul directly.
Prometheus had originally been created by Mother Carmel.
Later, after Big Mom obtained the Soul Soul Fruit, she added fragments of her own soul, shaping Prometheus into its current form.
Although Prometheus carried Big Mom's soul, it had long since developed an independent personality. Aside from being unable to disobey Big Mom's will, it was no different from a living being with its own thoughts and emotions.
Lucien's goal was simple.
Replace Big Mom's authority.
He injected his own soul while devouring Big Mom's remaining soul fragment. The fusion would not erase Prometheus's core personality. Instead, it would strengthen it.
The process was similar to what happened when Luffy absorbed countless shadows during his battle with Gecko Moria. Luffy's personality remained intact, but his power skyrocketed.
As Lucien's soul entered Prometheus, he encountered another identical Prometheus within.
That was Prometheus's true soul.
It was dormant.
When Lucien awakened it, the Homie reacted with confusion, then hostility.
Big Mom's death had freed Prometheus.
Instinctively, it wanted to devour Lucien.
Unfortunately for it, Lucien was its natural counter.
Their clash was brief but intense.
In the end, Prometheus was beaten badly, its flames dimmed, its small eyes squeezed shut in fear as it looked at Lucien.
Holding Prometheus's soul steady, Lucien injected roughly one tenth of his own soul into it.
There was no pain.
No tearing sensation.
Not even discomfort.
However, resistance appeared.
Big Mom's lingering will, along with remnants of Mother Carmel's influence, rose up in opposition.
Lucien responded with absolute dominance.
He devoured both remnants without hesitation, crushing them and seizing full control.
Time seemed distorted.
It felt like an instant, yet also like an hour.
When Lucien opened his eyes, Prometheus had awakened completely.
The fiery Homie floated affectionately near him, its loyalty unmistakable.
Prometheus was still Prometheus.
Its memories remained.
Its personality remained.
The only difference was its creator.
Lucien had replaced Big Mom.
In a sense, Prometheus had become a soul clone of Lucien, yet it retained full independence.
After resolving Prometheus, Lucien moved on to Zeus and Napoleon.
The process repeated smoothly.
Each received one tenth of Lucien's soul.
Three tenths in total.
Lucien felt no adverse effects.
This was nothing like the soul splitting agony described in cultivation novels.
The Soul Soul Fruit was simply that powerful.
Manipulating souls and lifespans was basic functionality.
Once everything was complete, Lucien reverted to his original form. The oversized pink dress hung loosely on his frame, but none of the three Homies showed shock.
From the moment his soul had been injected, they already understood everything.
Lucien then found his thoughts drifting.
Should he inject souls into his ghost mask Harley motorcycle, the Red Wolf's frying pan, or even his own clothing
If personified, could they eat Devil Fruits
If that was possible, could the motorcycle gain the Glint Glint Fruit, the Door Door Fruit, or the Weapon Weapon Fruit
Could the frying pan gain the Hobby Hobby Fruit
What about his T shirt, beach shorts, and flip flops
After careful consideration, Lucien dismissed the idea.
These Homies were created through the Soul Soul Fruit itself. They were already imbued with its influence.
Feeding them Devil Fruits might be equivalent to consuming two Devil Fruits, which could be catastrophic and might even backfire on him.
If Homies could eat Devil Fruits safely, Big Mom would have done it long ago.
Yet none of her countless Homies had ever consumed one.
That alone answered the question.
Perhaps objects not personified by the Soul Soul Fruit could eat Devil Fruits instead.
For example, the ghost mask Harley motorcycle could consume a Zoan type fruit without soul injection and still gain a form of life.
Regardless, Lucien intended to test these theories personally.
If even one succeeded, the potential was limitless.
An entire body equipped with Devil Fruit abilities.
Just imagining it made his amethyst eyes gleam with excitement.
_____
👉 Patreon.com/Zphyr