Throne Of Supreme

Chapter 253: One move

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Leig wanted to say something, but Aoki had no intention of giving him the chance.

With a subtle motion, an invisible force materialized in Aoki's hand.

"Devour!"

Leig's expression contorted in pain as his body began to tremble uncontrollably. His face grew increasingly pale, and his skin turned dry and lifeless.

Moments later, a single drop of blood emerged from Leig's body, floating into Aoki's palm before being absorbed instantly.

Aoki cast Leig aside like discarded debris.

"You… what did you do to me?" Leig wailed, his voice filled with panic and helplessness. The despair in his eyes suggested that the loss he felt went far beyond losing both his arms.

Aoki, meanwhile, was attuned to the changes in his own body. After a brief pause, he raised his fingers.

Crackle.

A blue arc of electricity danced between them.

"Your Thunder Fruit had remarkable power," Aoki said with a faint smile. "Now, it's mine."

The Float-Float Fruit's abilities were largely functional, and Aoki had already "devoured" four slots, leaving only one available for offensive capabilities.

From his earlier experience with the lion form of the Cat-Cat Fruit, Aoki realized that the compatibility between "devouring" and Zoan-type devil fruits was quite low.

Even the "Infinite Dragon Beast," a composite of countless super-dangerous species, seemed unwilling to accept Zoan-type abilities.

He suspected this resistance stemmed from the Zoan-type fruits' requirement for form transformation, which clashed with the original bloodline of the Infinite Dragon Beast.

As for concerns about whether this would prevent him from consuming devil fruits, Aoki wasn't worried.

"Devouring" was merely an ability of the Infinite Dragon Beast, while consuming devil fruits and unlocking new professions were tied to the system's power.

Since the system had fully integrated the Infinite Dragon Beast, there was no possibility of rebellion.

While Mythical Zoan fruits, part of the Zoan category, were also excluded, the remaining options lay between Logia and Paramecia types.

Among the abilities he considered, the Thunder Fruit was a top contender. Now that fate had brought it to him, there was no way he would let it slip through his fingers.

Fortunately, his compatibility with the Thunder Fruit was exceptional.

"How is this possible?"

Leig's eyes widened in disbelief and despair as he stared at the electricity sparking from Aoki's fingertips.

He had never heard of anyone being able to steal another's devil fruit ability.

If Aoki could hear Leig's thoughts, he would have smirked and said, You're just ignorant.

After all, in the future, there would be individuals who could not only steal abilities but also grant them to others.

"Any last words?" Aoki asked coolly.

"No, no, I can't die!" Leig roared, his face twisted with desperation.

Armless and weakened, he tried to crawl away from Aoki, his voice filled with hysteria.

"I finally found the treasure! How can I die here?"

Without the Thunder Fruit's powers, the suppressive effects of the seastone on Leig had disappeared. However, the blood Aoki had extracted left him frail and powerless.

"Predictable," Aoki muttered, watching Leig's futile struggle. "Few can face death with dignity."

With a wave of his hand, Aoki removed the seastone restraints from Leig's body.

Crack!

Another bolt of blue lightning struck, and Leig's movements froze mid-crawl. His head slumped forward, and his body fell lifeless to the ground.

[You have killed one person. Gain 1200 experience points and receive a revenge treasure chest (four stars).]

[Congratulations! You have leveled up.]

"The experience reward has been significantly reduced," Aoki remarked with a sigh.

But his attention quickly shifted.

The Infinite Dragon Beast differed from the White Walkers. For him, the experience gained from defeating enemies was secondary; mission rewards were the true prize.

Though monster experience had diminished, mission experience remained unaffected, so Aoki wasn't concerned.

His gaze lingered on the latter part of the system's notification.

"A four-star treasure chest," he murmured, a rare hint of excitement in his tone. "Finally, a four-star treasure chest! This trip to Etania was a massive success."

Without the trip to Etania, Aoki would not have reached level 28, nor would he have been able to learn both level 4 "Spirit of Vengeance" and level 2 "Devouring" simultaneously. If forced to face the Golden Lion without this progress, he would have had to choose between the two abilities—a decision that would have resulted in a significant disadvantage either way.

Thankfully, that dilemma had been avoided.

However, Aoki wasn't in a rush to open the newly acquired treasure chest; there was still unfinished business to handle.

He turned his gaze to the massive ship nearby.

It was the Lightning, the flagship of the Thunderbolt Pirates. Judging by its design, it appeared to be an electrically powered, new-energy vessel—a cutting-edge marvel.

This ship had undoubtedly played a crucial role in the Thunderbolt Pirates' ability to traverse the treacherous waves and reach this location. With his own ship destroyed by lightning earlier, Aoki could certainly use a replacement. Now that he possessed the power of the Thunder Fruit, the Lightning seemed like a perfect fit.

But it was not to be.

The mission required the destruction of the Lightning.

No matter how valuable the ship was, it couldn't outweigh the importance of completing the mission.

Aoki spread his arms wide, and arcs of lightning began to converge between his hands, coalescing into a massive thunderball.

Electric currents crackled and danced through the air, and the thunderball's power surged rapidly, radiating an overwhelming, destructive energy.

Just as he was about to unleash the attack, a voice called out.

"Wait a moment!"

To his surprise, several corpses on the deck suddenly sat up.

"So, you're done pretending?" Aoki said, his tone calm and unsurprised.

He hadn't been fooled for a moment. The mission "Competitors Must Die" was still active, which meant at least three leaders of the Thunderbolt Pirates were alive. Someone had clearly been faking their death.

One of the pirates, his face pale and trembling, spoke up first.

"I didn't expect Thunder to be so ruthless… Thank you, Lord Dragon King, for saving us!"

The others quickly chimed in.

"That's right! We're grateful, Lord Dragon King!"

"Lord Dragon King is truly a legend. He even dared to kill the Celestial Dragons!"

"Lord Dragon King, I'm actually your biggest fan!"

Aoki's expression turned slightly amused.

"You're my fan?"

The pirate, not noticing Aoki's tone or the glint in his eyes, nodded eagerly.

"Yes! I've always admired you, Lord Dragon King. Please, let me follow you!"

The others echoed the sentiment.

"I want to follow Lord Dragon King too!"

"Please accept us, Lord Dragon King!"

Their words were dripping with insincerity. While their worship was clearly feigned, their desire to follow Aoki was genuine. After all, the Dragon King was one of the most notorious and influential figures on the seas.

Aoki smiled faintly.

"That's really… unfortunate."

Before they could react, Aoki lowered his arm, and the thunderball—now at its peak intensity—launched with a deafening roar.

The pirates froze in shock, their expressions shifting from confusion to horror.

"Dragon King?!"

"What are you doing?!"

"Wait, no—"

Boom!

The massive thunderball struck the Lightning, unleashing countless arcs of lightning that engulfed the ship in a devastating storm.

The air turned electric, blue light illuminating the surroundings like a hellish thunder prison.

The pirates tried to flee, but their movements were pitifully slow compared to the speed of lightning. One by one, they were struck down, their bodies reduced to charred remains before they even made it off the ship.

[You have killed a human. Gain 80 experience points and a revenge treasure chest (one star).]

[Kill…]

The system notifications echoed in Aoki's mind, but he paid them no attention.

The relentless blue lightning continued to ravage the ship, its destructive force growing ever stronger.

Finally, with a thunderous explosion, the Lightning collapsed, its remains sinking into the sea.

[Mission "Competitors Must Die" completed. Rewards have been issued.]

[Congratulations! You have leveled up.]

As the Lightning vanished beneath the waves, Aoki's aura surged with newfound power.

…