One Piece: Path to Power

Chapter 54: [54] Amethyst Kingdom Crisis (IV)

[2520 words]

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"Empyrean Release!"

The crooked smile, the distorted voice, the halo above the demonic figure; it was truly a sight. Ironically enough, the devilish figure had the gall to name itself after the heavens.

Zephyr gazed at the new version of Damien that had grown noticeably taller.

"Such eruptive energy contained under Armament Haki, it's suicidal!" the Vice Admiral exclaimed.

Damien gave out a twisted laugh, "Rahahaha! My powers have always been to rip things to shreds. Trying to tame it is like putting a leash on a wild beast."

He then pointed his finger out, the cracked energy still leaking out slowly with a sizzle. 

"Let's finish this, Black Arm Zephyr!"

*Whizz!* Before Zephyr could react, Damien had already appeared in front of him. A molten fist shot ahead and slammed into the Vice Admiral's face.

Bam!

Zephyr's body was sent across the field.

He bounced a few times on the ground, though eventually flipped to land on his feet.

Damien rushed on ahead and threw a barrage of powerful fists.

Bam! Boom! Bam!

The continuous assault was met passively as Zephyr tanked them with his body. His arms were blackened as before, trying to hold on.

Each punch came with a bone-rattling charge of energy that shook the Vice Admiral's very bones; the pulverizing energy spazzed through his body and tore it from within. 

"Ugh!" Zephyr was shot back once more with Damien following dangerously close.

The Sin Incarnate was moments before landing a powerful kick, though, in the last minute, Zephyr regained his footing and held his arms across his chest, boasting his battle instincts. 

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"Six King Bellowing Gun!"

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*Fwooo!* A huge stream of energy exploded out like a canon. 

"Ugh!" Damien's body was mid-air and took the brunt of the sudden attack. The concentrated torrent of wind dug into his armoured body, even leaving visible tears and scratches on the plating. 

*Hisss!* The crimson energy leaked out at faster speeds, cracking the air and following Damien who had been shot into the sky. 

Zephyr slashed his legs with multiple slashes, seeing his enemy's stunned state. 

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"Tempest Kick: Onslaught!"

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The tens of slashes rocketed through the skies and onto Damien.

The armoured figure did not even block it, rather he turned his back towards it!

The slashes exploded from the volatile energy with a powerful boom, spawning a chain of explosions at the pirate's back.

Damien felt the pain but also the boost; he used the momentum of the attacks to reach the ground fast.

Meanwhile, Zephyr tried to take advantage of the Sin Incarnate's momentary upheaval but was met with a brick wall. 

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"Cataclysmic Current!"

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The distorted voice broke out as a giant stream of pulverizing energy was unleashed from his hand.

*Vvoooo!* The energy was wide enough to envelop a giant in its range, though now fully concentrated at Zephyr. 

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"Black Arm Suppression!"

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Boom!

The Black Arm groaned as he felt his already cut-up fist get railed and drilled on with the eruptive energy. 

"Haah!" he roared out as the Haki fuelled his anger, slowly but surely overwhelming the current.

Though he had no time to rest.

"!!!" The man froze as his entire body was covered with a shadow.

Zephyr looked up to see the eyes of a mythical beast with a body as large as fifty meters!

Damien was currently fuelling the beast by raising his hands to the sky. He then swung his arm down to signify the assault.

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"Advent of Chaos!"

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The winged monstrosity roared out in fury. 

Its cry was mixed with the pulverizing energy that turned the surrounding area into a shrieking symphony!

The beast spread its wings and flew across the sky and onto the Vice Admiral, dwarfing him with its frightening brilliance.

BOOOM!

An island-shaking explosion went off as a chain reaction continued with deep rumblings. An earthquake graced the island and even the residents living on the far side felt the collision.

The crimson energy exploded with waves of energy that could level a mountain. The same move that took down the Overlord!

Another explosion went off as the dragon used up the last bit of its energy, leaving behind a broken path of disorganized terrain bubbling with molten rock.

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Yet under such a fearsome sight was the display of true Haki. 

"Rahaha! He's much stronger than Enigma for sure!" Damien's broken voice broke out at the sight of the marine's silhouette.

"Haah, huuuh," Zephyr's desperate breathing resounded. "Don't think you can take me down that easily, brat!"

The man roared out as his body quaked with power.

*Fwwm!* A strong coat of Haki spread across his entire being, covering every inch of his body, much like Damien's.

His arms were extra solid, brimming with power.

The blood that dripped out from his tattered arm was also forcefully stopped, allowing the man to continue the fight—a technique of Life Return!

*Woosh!* Zephyr soon launched ahead to try and regain the momentum.

His pristine black body whizzed through the air, utilizing his mastery over the Six Powers.

The Vice Admiral's eyes were whitened out in fury. Unleashing what seemed to be a basic punch, yet one with enough power to break a mountain.

*Purrup* Damien's eyes widened in anticipation as he saw the Vice Admiral's arm glow in a red bubble that encased the limb.

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"Black Arm Oppression!"

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Damien laughed from the turn of events, this time, taking a defensive approach.

"Show me what to expect from Emission Haki!"

He then materialized a sizable sum of his energy to create a thick barrier made from the very personification of pulverization.

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"Void Space!"

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The barrier, unlike its predecessor, did not simply devour the space before it, instead, it ripped it apart into void.

"..." No sound was released under the shield that spanned nearly fifty meters!

Zephyr paid no mind and slammed his fist onto the shield.

BOOM!

The ground below was left terraformed as it was obliterated into countless pieces.

The approaching night sky that had overtaken the battlefield was once again lit up with the crimson spectacle and explosive Haki.

*Crack* Damien grinned as he saw his barrier creak and threaten to break. That is what he wanted to see, the power to destroy things from within!

The void was able to eat away enough of Zephyr's Haki to stop him, unfortunately, it came at the cost of its structural stability.

With a flash, it fell apart into crimson shards resembling glass.

The two men took dozens of steps back as their bodies were pushed away from the reactive forces.

But it only delayed the coming battle by a mere moment.

...

The two sides traded blows endlessly, sending shivers down the roots of the Amethyst Kingdom. Its residents all hid away in their basements, hoping the island wouldn't sink from the repeated abuse that had continued for hours now.

From an early night to midnight and getting closer and closer to dawn, they continued their duel, sending turbulence into the nearby seas.

However, Damien was slowly losing his breath.

The eruption of such power came with the draining of his energy and Haki was difficult to maintain for long.

"You're not giving up now, are you, Zephyr?"

The Vice Admiral heard the distorted voice and humphed loudly.

"Don't get too ahead of yourself, pirate. If I don't take you down now, it'll damn the future peace of our seas!"

Damien smirked, though his expression looked frightening from his molten appearance. He then dug his feet into the ground and gave out a thunderous roar.

*Bzzzz!*

His entire body shined through the cracks. More and more of said cracks spread out as Damien utilized every final ounce of the power.

The energy began to accumulate into a cloud of pulverizing energy, bubbling into the air in its way. Suffice to say, if Damien lost his concentration now, this entire region would be reduced to dust from the explosion.

*Crack* The armour began trembling, threatening to lose control as more and more energy flooded out.

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Zephyr saw the attack and understood the end was coming. They had already been fighting for half a day now.

The entire black body of the Vice Admiral soon lost its luster, all but his right arm; Zephyr consciously moved every last bit of his overwhelming Haki into his prized right arm, swarming it with untold power.

*Purrup*

Alongside the energy was a visible bubble. It was red and soon wrapped around the man's arm. The advanced Haki energy flowed freely and gently; utilized masterfully.

The esteemed Marine exhaled a heavy breath and jumped straight ahead to meet his young adversary.

No matter what, this collision would decide the winner!

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"Black Arm Expulsion!"

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The arm flooded with Haki rushed ahead like a meteorite. 

It left a trail of broken air, alongside the masterful use of Rokushiki, Zephyr was able to even break the sound barrier with his speed!

Damien, who saw the attack coming, could not clench his fists in expectation. He raised a single finger into the sky as the red mass of energy had fully formed.

*Fwooo*

A whirlwind broke out as the crimson torrents of air amalgamated into a sphere. 

The ball was around twenty meters in radius (~66ft), far, far larger than Damien's current 4-meter tall stature.

It churned in pulverizing energy that had become so dense that it became a fluid! The howling energy illuminated the island with its ominous crimson appearance. The sight alone resembled that of a miniature sun!

[Attack Image (in Discord)]

Damien then left the ball of energy as it could only fall with the embrace of gravity.

It wholly encased the Sin Incarnate in its destructive might, turning the once-armoured figure into nothing but a volatile bomb.

"!!!" His entire body coursed with power beyond what it could hold, exercising every ounce of destruction that pure pulverization could bring. It was a move that gave up defense for offense.

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"Red Sun!"

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Damien rushed on ahead, his body overwhelmed with the eruptive power that left cracks in the air. Alas, he met the Vice Admiral's fist with his own, sending out an untold amount of shockwaves.

*Crackle* Black lightning rained down from the skies, shaking up every resident on the island, and forcing them into unconsciousness. 

"Ha!" Zephyr roared out in fury as his arm popped with an enormous amount of muscles.

The blood vessels underneath dilated to their maximum capacity, sourcing as much energy there as possible.

Boom!

Waves upon waves of shock spread out in all directions. Whatever was left of G-4 was reduced to ruins. 

Huge tsunamis were born as ships far from the island were swept away.

The night turned into day as the clash continued, bringing a crimson dawn which signified the grave situation taking place at the wealthy island.

Zephyr groaned as he lost the feeling in his arm, though still desperately pushing on. Damien mirrored a roar as he felt the Emission Haki tearing him from within.

Bones cracked, arms broke and blood splattered.

The clash came to an end with an explosive finale that shook the island with its terrifying might. Regardless of the outcome, the battle was over!

"…"

Time passed as the voluminous cloud of dust and ash settled across what was the ruins of G-4. 

The very roots of the stronghold were obliterated, not even a lick of the foundation remained. If someone ventured here, they wouldn't even know that a mighty Marine Base once stood here!

[Ruins of G-4 Image (in Discord)]

*Cough* *Cough*

*Ptui* a wad of blood splattered on the ground under a chain of rattling coughs. "Haah, huuuh," deep breathings echoed over the quiet ruins.

The deafening silence was even more unsettling than the bone-rattling tremors from earlier.

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Damien slowly moved his body up and out of the huge crater.

He waddled around, stretching his body while soaking in the sun's rays: dawn had arrived!

"It's been, what, thirteen hours now? Anime time really goes faster and slower when it wants," Damien murmured.

"Ugh," he silently groaned. His left arm had been dangling like an over-filled spaghetti bowl; dried blood was all that remained, naturally, it had cauterized already.

"All three of the bones in my left arm are broken," he examined himself. "If not for Black Bones, things would've been far worse."

Damien then glanced at the mess near the center of the crater where his defeated enemy remained and muttered under his breath, "Though Zephyr may have paid a greater price..."

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He no longer gave any attention to the defeated, rather focussing on something else.

"Cheh, what a waste, a Marine Base practically untouched by pirates reduced the dust, I couldn't even rob it first!" he complained.

"Hmm?" Though his annoyed expression froze as he heard a voice: "Don't worry about that, Damien. I snuck in and acquired them from their underground vault while you two fought."

The Sin Incarnate traced his vision to Aurora who popped out from a distant shadow. She wore fresh clothes and had cleaned herself up.

She then waved her hand as four giant sacks of goodies appeared before them, falling out of the shadow of the young girl's arm with a resounding thud.

"Oh! I wasn't wrong about you," Damien smiled through his bloody teeth. "You really do have a pirate's heart!" 

Aurora was not sure if that was a compliment so she could only tilt her head to think.

"Hmm, well, let's look over them later, for now, why don't you take me there…" Damien instructed, "Take me to the Poneglyph!"

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[An Hour Later]

A battalion of marines slowly made their way to the crater.

They came prepared for war, while also bringing along with medical equipment, ready to scour the place.

"Zephyr-san, where are you!?"

"Please be alive, Vice Admiral!"

"That damn Sin Incarnate, he reduced G-4 to the ground!"

The Marines were truly worried, it seemed Zephyr's reputation was truly impressive. Thankfully for the hundreds that arrived, it was not all that bad of news.

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"I'm here, don't yell so much…" a tired voice broke out.

The marines' eyes brightened as they rushed to the origin of the words and rejoiced. "Zephyr-sama sounds lively, looks like he won!" 

"!!!" Though all the marines stopped in their steps, their jaws touched the floor.

They saw Zephyr in his current state, peacefully sitting at the edge of the island, his legs hanging off. 

The man watched the sun as it graced the ocean with its brilliance. However, the man's serenity was not shared by the spectators.

"Zephyr-sama…!"

The Vice Admiral's voice was a little sour from the noise. "I told you to stop screaming, it's hurting my ears."

The younger marine, however, couldn't hold in his voice: "But Zephyr-sama, your… your arm!"

All the marines looked at the Admiral Candidate with deep shock, some even tearing up at the sight.

The man in question traced his left hand down his right shoulder, abruptly stopping a few inches down as there was nothing left.

Yet his voice remained plain and without conflict: "What about it? It's just an arm."

To Be Continued…

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Author's Corner.

The major fights of Damien thus far have been against Sengoku, Enigma and now Zephyr. Which was the best?

Images are available on Discord alongside other niche details: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q