One Piece: Path to Power - Chapter 55

[2291 words]

Sub > Dub. ​​

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“Come and give your mother a hug.”

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The eyes, the smile, the warmth, it was way too realistic…

That smile was there for me at my weakest moments and most foolish moments.

The long nights, the cold mornings, the starved evenings, the silent nights, all through that, this woman was able to give me the brightest of smiles and still embrace me in her warmth.

Even after her passing, she protected me, my powers that allowed me to survive, the link to nature, the trees, the voices in the lonely years, everything.

And now she stands before me with that same look.

The lost embrace that I desired on the rainy days through my endless training.

The warmth of a mother that was robbed from me in both my lives!

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“Come. You carry so much weight, my little Damien. Let go and come to your mother.” She whispered as I staggered.

*Step*

*Step*

*Step*

I slowly took steps forwards, I felt a huge weight on my body, it was like a black hole, pulling me to my illusion to let go and devour me whole.

*Step*

*Step*

*Step*

I stand right before her, a few feet from her embrace.

I knew it was a lie but I couldn’t help but continue to look at her face, even if it were a trick from my enemy, it was still a light in the darkness.

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“Come now, return to your mother and let go of your worries.” My mother’s illusion said.

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“Mother…”

“Yes?”

“8 years ago you told me that no matter what I did, you would always support me…”

“Of course, darling. No matter if the entire world is against you, just remember that mom will always love you.”

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‘That’s exactly what she said back then…’ I thought as I took a final look at her.

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As much as I wanted it.

As much as I craved her acceptance.

I knew it was too good to be true.

Too perfect, too wonderful.

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“Then please… die for me.”

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*GRIP*

With that said I grab the illusion by the throat and lift it 3 feet from the ground.

The illusion flails in the air, desperately trying to free itself from my grasp.

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“D-Damien, s-stop! I-I am your m-mother..” It muttered as it punched my chest in sorrow.

The voice was a bit too gentle… too similar to her voice.

Its eyes had started to go red as they started to pop out, its face turned purple due to the lack of oxygen. The entire body was shaking as the last ounce of life drained out, all under my gaze and my grasp.

.

Illusion or not, it was enough for me to grit my teeth in anger. A trickle of blood flows down my right hand as I was clenching it too hard.

Slowly but surely, the struggling body flailed to a halt as empty eyes looked forth without a hint of life, no breath, no nothing.

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“To force me to kill my own mother… apparition or not… Enigma…”

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“YOU CROSSED THE LINE!”

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My eyes wholly start glowing crimson as sparks of red lightning zap around me, the air grows heavy as I feel seething anger.

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[Outside]

(3rd POV)

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“Huhuhuhu, no matter how strong a mind is, no one can escape what they truly desire,” Enigma said as he regained his composure.

“Hmm? Did you do your little mind tricks, Enigma?” Big Mom asked the Overlord.

“Huhuhuhu, that is correct. He is currently seeing the closest person to him while his mind overwhelms with the weight of love. Huhuhu!” He laughed on.

Kaido was looking at the youth beside him, Damien’s eyes were closed yet his fists were clenched hard and his breathing was erratic.

The ogre simply cackled as he heard Enigma’s words.

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“WORORORO! I have fought Damien many times now, if you think some mind dance will stop him then you are truly an idiot!”

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“Huhuhu, little beast, you have no idea how fragile one becomes when they are approached by what they hold most dear,” Enigma commented.

However, at that second, all 3 feel a disturbance in the Force.

*vwooo!*

An eerie wind blows over the broken-down castle.

*VWOOOOO!*

Yet an instant later, the winds start picking up in fury, whistles of rage howl throughout the destroyed Citadel as the ground starts cracking underneath the shorter youth.

*CRACK* *Boom!*

Dark clouds start rolling into the sky as light rain pours around the lands. Thunders echoes through the air as lightning strikes the tall trees nearby, igniting flames.

Big Mom looked around and noticed the changes, something she had seen before.

“Hmm? This is… Haoshoku Haki, but it is…evolving?”

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“How can that be…” Enigma mutters as he subconsciously takes a step back, he grows confused as things are going far off what was calculated.

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“Enigma.”

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A young yet heavy voice rattles the area as the youth opens his eyes, the red shine flashes in the pouring rain.

BOOOM!

A red burst of Haki explodes in triumph as it grows and grows, the weight, the range and the intensity increases as the boy glares at the Overlord.

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“Give me… your life.”

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Damien’s eyes had turned a demonic red all over, pure raging crimson as sparks of haki rattled around his body.

*Step*

*Step*

*Step*

Every step left a small crater in the ground as a menacing smile takes over his young face. One even Xebec would appreciate.

It seems in his anger, Damien had fully accepted the title of the ‘Sin Incarnate’.

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“Why? WHY?! Why can you leave it all aside? How can you kill what you desire most?! It is… unscientific!” The Overlord growled as he too started to radiate in Haki.

.

The creeping red aura was met with the Overlord’s orange bubble, yet somehow the sizes were quite comparable.

The tens of thousands of mindless ones outside could no longer bear the pressure of 2 Supreme Kings, causing them to collapse in unison, their mind control was overwhelmed and cancelled out.

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“‘Evil Spirit’, will you get in my way?” He asked, Damien was angry, very angry, but that does not mean he was foolish enough to fight 2 Low-Tier Yonko level pirates.

Linlin had a mysterious yet scary smile as she looked at the young boy who was releasing great amounts of Haki, enough to alter the weather.

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“Ma-Ma-Mam-MA! I want to see just how far you can go, boy.”

Damien just nodded as he looked at the other giant.

“Kaido, he’s mine.”

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Kaido chuckled as he moved back a few meters, Big Mom did the same.

She came for a deal but seemed to have found something more interesting.

Enigma cared little for Big Mom’s actions, he was a Supreme King in his own right, such things may be out of his calculations but that doesn’t mean he would simply crumble away.

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“You are but an outlier! One that shall be expelled by me!” The Overlord roared.

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At that moment, Damien shot forth, the air along his body groaned in agony as the surrounding ground was crushed to bits.

Enigma released his Mind powers as it generated a thick and stable orange barrier infused with his Haki.

The red glow around Damien’s hand darkened a bit as his Armament Haki, too, showed signs of evolving yet stopping right before the breakthrough point.

BOOOOOOOM!

A dark-red punch collided with endless force upon the orange barrier made by the Overlord.

Sounds of glass being crunched resonated as the punch pushed forth, causing cracks in the barrier but not enough for it to be destroyed.

Black lightning sparks were also thundering in the air as the clash of Supreme Kings ensued.

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“Your mind is powerful but that doesn’t mean your strength has grown as well. Your limits will always shackle you down!” Enigma said.

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He was right, his overall strength was at the bottom of the Yonko level but above Damien nonetheless.

“Limits were meant to be surpassed! I will show you the strength in the improbable!”

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“Field of Kings.”

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A bubble of red exploded out of the youth and destroyed everything within.

Yet at that moment a peculiar thing happened, the bubble changed.

A thicker and far more suppressive domain of red burst out this time, it was mixing in his Conqueror’s Haki!

The pressure released had grown to another level.

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“Realm of Gods!”

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This was the secondary application of the domain. It took into the pulverization and the stagnation of Damien’s fruit power and merged it with his Colour of Supreme Kings to add the far greater effect of domination.

The shield made by the Overlord cracked and cracked as it started to break apart.

*SHATTER*

The orange shards of mind energy clattering onto the ground as the Overlord was pushed back 6 meters.

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“Tell me Enigma, have you ever calculated your own demise?” Damien asked as he stood tall before the Overlord.

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Damien had now changed physically, his fruit power seemed to have reached a new level as it started to go red all over.

His body was currently wholly encased in crimson energy, boundless pulverizing particles emitting out of his pores, causing the entire island to shake in his wake.

The only thing left was a dark red-shaped humanoid that was bursting in energy from all inches of his body, only cold and hollow eyes were shining through as they gazed at the blond Overlord.

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“Your impudence reminds me of that prideful monkey who left me with these scars! I shall end you here!”

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Enigma finally used his last card as he was boiling with orange energy all over.

To see a young pirate first use him to sharpen his Haki, then to beat him in his own game, and then to go beyond his calculations, it had ignited a certain denial within him.

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“Mind Arts – Essence of Athena!”

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Upon his technique, a huge silhouette of a greek goddess appeared, she wore golden armour, a gorgon shield affixed on one arm while wielder a spear in the other. There was even an owl resting upon the woman’s shoulder.

The attack was huge! Nearly 50 meters in height.

[50 meters = AoT walls height]

A red flame-like aura coated around her as it lit the dim battlefield with its holy grace.

‘The Goddess of Wisdom’ had descended.

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[A/N: Minds Arts – Essence of Athena Ability Image]

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“I will crush your attack to pieces then!” Damien said with a solemn tone, the power in Enigma’s final attack was off the charts.

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Damien, who was nothing but a figure made of volatile red energy brought both hands together as a final stretch of his powers.

His body once again exploded with red energy, it was truly his finishing move.

The energy grew larger and larger. It was so incredibly dense in as it started to take shape of a giant creature.

It had large, dark-red wings that spanned over 45 meters in width and height.

Blackish-red body with sharp scales pointing out of the back. And a glowing yet frightening red underbelly filled with his greatest strength.

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“ROOAAAAR!”

[A/N: The creature formed – Image]

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It was a fear-inducing dragon that matched the size of the golden avatar that stood before it.

Unlike Enigma’s attack which lit the battlefield in orange-red, Damien’s attack instead brought a despairing red and black aura, both clashing together.

It was a clash of a Goddess and a Mythical Beast.

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Kaido on the side was growling as his inner fight spirit was being released as he saw the scale of the attacks.

Big Mom was also smiling as she seemed to be thinking quite deeply about something related to the boy who amused her.

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“Let us end this, ‘Sin Incarnate’ Damien!” Enigma roared as he raged forth.

Damien saw the attack and retaliated with full force.

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“Advent of Chaos!”

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The dreadful dragon roared as Damien called its name, every second it existed was another second that the island was subjected to its sheer pulverizing effect, causing the very roots of the landmass to quiver.

Damien bolted forth, the dragon followed him as it flapped its mighty wings and clashed against the spear of the Goddess of Wisdom!

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

BAAAAAAAAM!

Endless energy torrents whirled all over the land as the colours of red and gold collided. The clouds above were blown apart as the weather cleared in their wake, sparks of black lightning followed as the ‘Clash of Kings’ went on.

BOOOOOOOOM!

A final explosion as the energy generated from their duel sent out a 60-meter tall tsunami in all directions of the island, causing many of the ships sailing over to sink as the thousands of unconscious pirates were sent to the bottom of the sea.

—

Boom!

Another mild explosion sounded over the ruined Citadel which is now nothing short of rubble and dust as the bodies of a human crashed onto the ground.

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Damien’s bloodied body stood tall as he was breathing incredibly hard, every breath he drew caused a small vortex to form as his body desperately tried to regain its stability.

Red droplets of blood were also mixed in his exhalations as his body was at the point of breaking down. He had fully released his fruit powers, more than his body could currently hold. Even with his regeneration, it would take at least a few days and a lot of nutrients to heal.

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On the other side of the field was quite the sight to behold.

The well-groomed Overlord that once horrified the seas with his ability to control anyone with a single thought was embedded into the mountain far, far away.

A trail of blood followed his path as the only thing left was a destroyed and messed-up corpse.

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The Overlord, Thaddeus ‘Medulla’ Enigma has fallen!

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[The following is excluded from word count]

Author’s Corner:

This arc was more or less to give MC a proper way to improve his Haki and not like the usual, ‘3 years later mc is op’ treatment. Like Luffy, he grows a lot in battle and has reached a new height.

You’ll see the stats next chapter.

PS. He also released a new ‘form’ of his fruit power there… therefore even his fruit has levelled up.

Thanks for reading!

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Random Trivia:

Would you rather be able to get away with any lie you tell or have the ability to detect any time someone lies to you?

Thanks for Reading!