Chaos fell upon the kingdom: cries, screams, and despair. How the kingdom went from celebration to total chaos in a matter of seconds is something only a Devil Fruit and a mind unconcerned about the consequences of its actions can do.
Dante used his Haki to scan the area. Ares had deliberately avoided the area where Trini and the others were clashing with Walt and the CP0.
He was looking at how many people were still alive, including the search for Alfonso, who had fled the scene as soon as Ares had landed the first blow on Dante while the king was still alive.
Dante: "Tell me, tell me, why are you acting now and not before?"
Ares stared at Dante for a moment before beginning to speak.
Ares: "Easy, because you weren't ready yet. You had to unleash your full potential even if it took years. I just waited for the moment when I felt you were at my level so I could bring you back to the sacred land and have you take the position of leader of the Holy Knights." "You have those qualities now, which is why I came now, and at the same time, I want to eliminate everything that ties you to this underworld and prevent you from escaping again."
Dante's concern was on high alert. Quite the opposite of his opponent, who was quite pleased to have a fight with his son, since he and his family had been raised for battle, to be the great knights of the world's nobles, the greatest. Or so his distorted mind was running through his.
Ares extended his arm, aiming for Dante, opened his palm, and his entire hand flew out in Dante's direction. Dante, not being fully focused on the situation, caught him off guard, causing his neck to be grabbed.
Ares's hand was connected by several cables, connecting it to his arm, and these cables brought him back to his position, Dante and all. The moment he reached his destination, Ares punched Dante in the face, but Dante stopped him with his palm.
Dante wasted no time, wrapping his legs around Ares's, causing him to fall with him, and inadvertently leaping toward him. With this, he attempted to punch Ares in the lung but was repelled by Ares's tail as Ares spun around.
Immediately standing up, Ares used his arm, splitting it in two, as if it were two connected tubes. From the one still attached to his body, a generator appeared, rapidly accumulating energy, which Dante immediately knocked back. Dante only defended himself with his arms and Haki.
Once the attack was over, Dante was seen slightly burned, with the clothing on his torso completely destroyed. He immediately took the Fusion Sword in both hands, imbuing it with Armament Haki and supporting Ares's Conqueror's Haki.
The old man responded with Conqueror's Haki in return, surprising Dante in the process.
Ares: "Of the five children I had, only you managed to awaken Conqueror's Haki, proof that one is made for greatness," he said, holding his tail, detaching it from his body, before it transformed into a sword of chaotic red energy. "So don't let me down."
* Elsewhere *
Arthur, Trini, Sulli, and Isis could be seen escaping, dodging attacks from several CP0 members. The worst part was that there wasn't much they could do, as Dante had warned them that if they attacked them, they would be classified as enemies of the World Government. Only Dante could touch them, so the instruction was to stall for time until Dante finished what he was doing and then return. That was Plan A.
One of the agents used Soru and Geppo at the same time, causing the attack to graze Sulli. Only to pull out his surgical blades and block a thrust, causing his weapon to break instantly.
Walt: "Oh," he said, somewhat surprised, "I didn't expect you to react; I see Dante trained his pets well."
Hearing the provocations, Trini looked at Arthur.
Trini: "Tell me I can knock his teeth out with one punch."
Arthur: "You're forgetting that your life isn't just yours right now," he said, making her quickly reconsider.
Walt: "Leave the spearman to me; you guys go get the rest." He said, jumping up and unsheathing another sword and slashing vertically.
Isis created a shield to protect Arthur, but that wasn't enough.
Trini: "Move, Arthur!" she yelled at him.
And Arthur, heeding her, moved in time, watching Walt's sword slice through the windshield and land where he had originally been.
Walt: "A Logia user and an Observation Haki expert will be a nuisance," he said into the air. Walt looked at Isis and spoke in a loud, commanding voice. "Stop everything."
The moment Isis heard that, she felt her body lose its mobility before she could regain control. One of the CP0 used Shigan on her, striking her in the spine.
Isis: "HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!", she gave a heartbreaking scream to the air while tears came out of her eyes, and then she fell to the ground, her legs not working like hers.
Trini: "ISIS," she shouted worriedly, only to notice she already had a CP0 member. And right on cue, Sulli arrived to block the attack aimed at Trini.
But the member grabbed Sulli's arm, allowing another member to attack with a Rankyaku, intending to cut it in two.
Trini grabbed it and moved it to the side, preventing it from being cut in two, but since the other member didn't let go, Sulli ended up with her left arm severed in half at the elbow.
Arthur could only block Walt's irrational attacks by fighting with two different swords, one a saber and the other a foil.
Walt: "Stay," he said to Arthur, causing Arthur to stop moving against his will, but unlike Isis, he quickly got out of control, deflecting the attack aimed at his chest and shoulder.
Walt's Devil Fruit was the Shiji Shiji no Mi, the Command Fruit, with which he could use his voice to program an action to objects, even organic ones. For humans, they can only avoid another's attack if they have a strong enough willpower to keep the voice from reaching them and break it quickly.
Trini, seeing how everyone was doing and especially protecting her from harm, could only do the following.
Trini: "LET'S MOVE TO PLAN B," she shouted so the three of them could hear her.
Isis, who was protecting herself with a windshield on the ground without being able to use her legs, generated a draft, propelling the CP0 members.
Sulli: "It's about time," she said, taking out three balls with liquids inside, which she threw at one of the CP0 members. One of them opened before the agent arrived, generating a huge explosion that hit her due to its proximity, burning much of her body. "Who would have thought those chemistry books would be useful?"
Walt: "I see the dogs are showing their teeth." He said, grinning evilly.
Arthur: "And I'm wary that you'll end up rabid."
This was Plan B: attack them all, killing everyone nearby; that way, they won't be able to link it to them as the ones who did it. This was only on my mind if everyone's life was at stake, and in this situation, I appreciated that.
*Back with Dante*
An almost unstoppable force wrapped in energy could be seen crashing into Dante. Dante, using his main sword and the Hollow Blade, repelled the constant attacks.
Dante already had several cuts on his body, along with other minor wounds, which didn't affect his condition much.
From the right, from the left, from behind, from the front. Several attacks from various directions were aimed at Dante, but he was only able to repel them, as this saved him energy and in the process damaged Ares a little.
In the next attack, Dante jumped, landing above Ares. Using his main sword, he attempted to stab Ares as he passed underneath, but Ares quickly reacted by repelling him with his sword.
Ares quickly moved away from Dante's position, brought both arms together, and several openings appeared around him, from which several guided missiles shot out at Dante.
He just started cursing Vegapunk and his shitty modifications. From what he knew of the scientist, he was a robot fanatic, but turning a dragon into a machine of mass destruction is a whole other level of bad idea.
The entire area where Dante was was completely destroyed, and they were barely able to escape. The problem was the people who were still alive. He couldn't do what Mihawk did, since Ares is much more irrational.
As much as he would like to try to save people, one's life always comes first, especially when Trini and the others are in danger. He couldn't give his life for strangers when his friends were in serious trouble. He had no choice.
With all the pain in the world, Dante would sacrifice the entire world for his loved ones, and now he was going to prove it.
Using all the strength in his legs, he launched himself at Ares. He only watched as Dante disappeared, only to use his Haki and block an attack to his face. Despite the block, he still damaged Ares's armor, including his hand and mask.
Wasting no time, Dante slashed him swiftly, which Ares was barely able to dodge. He regained his balance and responded in kind.
They both moved from one place to another, destroying everything around them. They both slashed at each other, dodged their opponent, and received the occasional cut, both superficial and not so superficial.
But Dante couldn't use his full attention, as he couldn't help but look away from a certain spot on this very island.
At one point, they reached a certain spot, which caught Dante's attention because there was a person he knew there. It was Alfonso, who was lying on the ground bleeding, with a piece of a giant beam crushing everything from his hips down. The problem with all this is that he was still alive, but just barely.
The moment he saw Dante, his eyes lit up. He was about to say something, but Dante signaled him to be quiet, only for Ares to appear. Dante gave him a small gesture; this was to indicate when he was allowed to record or not.
Dante: "Don't you see all the damage you've done, monster?" I said, drawing Ares's attention, getting Alfonso to start recording the situation without him noticing. After all, his only interest right now is fighting with his son; he doesn't care about anything else.
Ares: "I think you're mistaken. I'm not a monster. I'm part of the elite of the World Nobles, something you should be too, and still can be. Leave all those insects that were under our feet."
Dante: "Where you're wrong is that every person should have the same value at birth, that actions dictate how one should be in society, and that it shouldn't be written in stone at birth." "You World Nobles should be the pillar and image of what one should be, what one should aspire to, but instead, you abuse your power and mock others as if they were filth."
Ares: "Stop dreaming, brat. That's not how the world works. I'm giving you a true purpose, something real, instead of staying in this dump for the rest of your life."
Dante: "Then I'd rather live in a garbage dump, since there's a heart there, and people worth protecting. They may be trash, but they have a heart; unlike the World Nobles, they may not be trash, but inside, everything is rotten and ruined."
Ares: "I see. So you're a total disappointment, just like Ramses," he said, mobilizing the energy in his body.
Here, Dante made a mistake by using his Observation Haki to check on the others during their confrontation with Walt and the CP0. He can't use Future Sight since he's mentally and physically dealing with too many things at once. Isis's and Sulli's injuries could be fixed with an extra medic and Arthur's Fruit, but that doesn't mean they aren't worried about them. Thanks to this, he couldn't see Ares's next move.
Ares's armor began to grow at an incredible speed. Dante didn't expect this change, so by the time he wanted to act, it was too late. Ares had already fully transformed into a mechanical dragon about 30 meters tall.
The beast opened its mouth, which had a buildup of energy ready to launch him. Realizing this, Dante launched himself at Alfonso, but he missed in time.
The blast of energy covered almost half the island in a second, and everything it hit exploded in the next moment.
The laser beam coming out of its mouth covered almost the entire island. Arthur and the others, along with their opponents, had to stop to be alert, and that was happening right where they were; luckily, that didn't happen.
Ares stopped the attack to check on the entire island. It was almost completely destroyed, with 10% remaining undestroyed, and by default, only 5% of the people on the island were still alive.
The giant dragon disappeared, leaving Ares in his semi-transformed form again, only to see Dante with his arm bleeding, next to a camera in his hand.
Dante's gaze was somewhat lost as he felt everything that was happening on the island, or rather, what he no longer felt.
Dante: "Tell me, why did you do that?"
Ares: "Why wouldn't I? That's what a world noble does: what he wants, without the scum being able to oppose him."
Dante carefully placed the camera on the ground, only to once again take the two swords in each hand and throw himself at Ares.
*Back with the others*
You could see how Walt was on the ropes against Arthur's consecutive attacks. He thought he could take him on alone, but he overestimated himself more than he should have; after all, not all World Nobles are as super-talented with swords and combat as Dante or Mihawk.
The moment Arthur saw Walt open his mouth, he flinched back, as the second he was able to stop him could kill him in a single, well-placed move. That's why he took a good distance, having realized the disadvantage of his fruit: one command every 30 seconds.
Isis was fighting with Hun's help against four members of CP0, and oddly enough, she was beating them up. Although she couldn't use her legs, she could still fly, which gave her a huge advantage.
Isis and Sulli were fighting with the rest, with Trini using her guns to try to take down the men while Sulli defended her as best she could.
Sulli took out three balls, which she threw at one of the CP0s. The moment they landed beneath the guy, they generated a huge explosion. The guy barely escaped, as the team medic had already seriously injured two of the four members with this tactic. One had his arm immobilized by a well-placed bullet, and the other was somewhat unharmed.
Isis could be seen launching attacks left and right at the guys, with almost nothing they could do. The moment they used Geppo, they were brutally knocked to the ground by a gust of wind.
Walt, seeing that things weren't going as well as he'd hoped, decided to use another tactic.
Walt: "Ignore the fruit user; two of you can help me kill the blonde quickly, and the other two can help me kill this guy quickly."
Isis: "Bastard," she said, realizing she couldn't use her fruit with Trini and Sulli in the way.
Sulli and Trini were already overwhelmed by everything, and now with two more, they were even worse off.
One of the men got into Sulli's guard with a kick, throwing him away, leaving Trini ready for another member to attack.
And with a shigan, he launched himself at Trini's heart with great speed, and she opened her eyes in panic when she saw what was happening.
Isis and Sulli: "TRINI!" they both cried out in despair.
But contrary to what they thought, the one who received the attack wasn't Trini, but Hun. The moment he saw Trini being attacked, he gave the order that Dante, once he found out she was pregnant, should protect Trini with everything he had. And so he did; the moment the attack hit him, Hun died instantly.
The man, seeing that the attack had failed, was about to attack again, but a powerful gust of wind hit him, sending him far away from Trini.
Isis: "Windhammer," she pronounced the attack. Seeing the path clear, Sulli ran to Trini to see Hun but immediately realized that Hun was no longer in the land of the living.
* With Dante *
Dante was about to strike at Ares, but the moment he felt Hun dying, he stopped dead, giving Ares the space to attack, injuring Dante's leg. Fortunately, he reacted immediately, avoiding being cut off, leaving only a scar.
*To the other side*
Trini shed a few tears as she watched Hun sacrifice himself to keep her from harm. Isis was the same; Sulli was devastated; he was a doctor, and being unable to do anything to save her pained him greatly, while Arthur was furious.
Arthur was being attacked by three people at once, only having time to block and dodge. But he realized something, so as he dodged the next attack, he didn't respond with another but instead got into position to charge forward.
Arthur: "King's thrust," he said, and with great speed, he lunged, burying his blade in the CP0 member who was standing in front of Trini, ready to attack her.
Walt: "Attack," he ordered the two CP0 men standing next to him, following his lead.
Arthur, hearing this, grabbed his spear and, with a twist, threw it at the man who had just killed his comrades, but he didn't expect the other two to launch a rankyaku, slicing his comrade in cold blood.
Knowing that if he dodged the attack, it would hit Trini, he decided to tank it with his body, unable to swing his spear properly to block the full attack. The cuts landed on his torso, leaving him somewhat injured.
He saw the two men being attacked by a wind, but the attack didn't reach Walt. Since Walt ran, ignoring Arthur, it went straight for Trini.
Isis and Sulli had their hands full, so they couldn't act to support Trini, not to mention that she already had two CP0 members attacking on either side of her.
By the time Walt was about to attack Trini, Arthur was already behind him, ready to end his life, but Walt just smiled evilly.
Trini: "DODGE IT!" she yelled desperately at Arthur while dodging and shooting at the other CP0 members.
Arthur knew Trini wouldn't say that without reason, but the moment she was about to move, Walt turned to look at him.
Walt: "Stay."
And with that, Arthur couldn't move, only to see Walt spin his body with his sword in a flash and slice him in half.
And so, Arthur was cut in half in a single second. And in the next second, he saw his entire life flash before his eyes; the last thing he could see was his loved ones.
Isis, Sulli, Hun, Trini, Dante, and Doll. The state of these last two people was the most important thing in his life. What his life would have been like with Doll, getting married and having children. I don't think he needed to think so hard about what he wanted to do after this last trip.
Arthur: "What I wanted was a happy life with Doll," was the last thing he said before his torso fell to the ground and the light in his eyes disappeared.
Trini: "NOOOOOOO!!!" I let out a heartbreaking scream as I saw Arthur's lifeless body on the ground.
Walt was about to make another move, but he saw a gust of wind form around his feet, forming a small tornado that sent Walt flying away, missing Trini in the process.
* With Dante *
Dante was about to block a punch from Ares, but upon seeing what happened to the others, his face paled, and he stood completely still.
Ares, seeing this, delivered an uppercut to Dante's stomach, then spun around and kicked him with his heel in the jaw, knocking him off balance.
Ares: "I expected more from you. I think I overestimated myself. In the end, you were a huge disappointment, and useless people are useless, so I'll kill you and all the remaining Sial who remain alive along the way, including your companions." "The only good thing you did was bring more offspring to our family."
At this comment, Dante looked up with a blank, surprised expression.
Dante: "What did you say?" he said, his voice cracking and hesitant.
Ares: "Didn't you think I'd have a record of what you did?" I know how many grandchildren you've given me throughout this journey of yours; some are promising, like that brat with Garp; he'll be a good killing machine. "Also that orange-haired girl from East Blue, she looks like she has good genes; she'll be a great bargaining chip," he said with madness in his voice.
Dante: 'Do you think Nix's daughter is my daughter? But she isn't. Am I going to let my friends continue to die, let my children be used and manipulated by this man, let other people who have nothing to do with us end up involved?' Dante thought.
Processing all this, I just look at the floor and close my eyes.
*Inside Dante*
An empty space could be seen. There stood Dante alone, staring into the void, doing nothing.
???: "Why are you deceiving yourself?" a voice echoed in the space.
Dante: "What do you mean by that?" he said in a dull, empty voice.
???: "You're not like that; you're different."
Dante: "I don't deserve to be a hero. I couldn't prevent Arthur from dying; it was too slow."
???: "And now you're going to let the same thing happen to others." Dante didn't respond. "Maybe that's not what you meant, since from the beginning, you never wanted to be a hero."
Dante was about to speak, but the voice overpowered him.
???: "How do I know? I'm inside you. I can feel what you feel, see what you see, and, by default, I have access to your memories."
Dante: "Why did you do that?"
???: "To see if you're worthy, but what I discovered is that you never wanted to be a hero. Whatever you want, that feeling of freedom, of deciding for yourself, of having a great adventure that was the greatest in this world. Being a hero was a mere excuse, as you should know; heroes didn't become heroes because they wanted to, but people made them heroes."
Dante knew the voice was right; wanting to become a hero was just a lame excuse to be free, to not have his life manipulated, and to be immortalized for doing good in the world, out of sheer selfishness.
???: "But that doesn't mean you've truly become one, or have you forgotten everything you've done?"
Dante opened his eyes. Although his actions at first were mere selfishness and a way of escaping, that doesn't take away everything he's done. He never called himself a hero; it was the people who made him.
???: "Now stop holding back, use all your strength, free yourself, and use everything you have in your hands, including me; now get out of here and kill that bastard."
*Back to real life*
Ares was about to say something else, but Dante used his hands as support and kicked him in the face. He then leaped up, using the strength of his arms, and punched him in the stomach, sending his opponent flying.
Dante quickly stood up and extended his arm, palm open.
Dante: "System," he said to the air.
System: [Yes]
And with that, a Devil Fruit appeared in Dante's hand, which he took a bite of and immediately swallowed, ignoring the foul taste.
Ares had already stopped to watch Dante release the Devil Fruit, only to wonder where he got one at this point.
Dante no longer cared if Ares saw all of this, as the old man only had one destiny right now. Along the way, he received a wealth of information about the fruit's uses.
With that, Dante unleashed a massive burst of Conqueror's Haki, stopping everything in the chair, including Trini, the others, and his opponents. He took a step forward, stomping his foot, destroying everything in a 5-meter circle. Black and red lightning bolts shot out of him in a highly uncontrolled manner, and that's when the transformation began.
Dante's hair grew longer than it had been; its color went from blond to white, his eyes changed from red to blue, and his body darkened into a black so dark it could absorb even the light around it (Vantablack-type), and his mouth and nose disappeared, leaving only his eyes. Afterward, a Gothic-Victorian armor appeared on his body, and finally, a skeletal mask with blue horns.
Ares was shocked to see this transformation, which reminded him of another Devil Fruit that did the same thing.
Ares: "What are you?"
At that moment, Dante heard the voice in his mind.
???: "Use me."
Reaching out, the system realized what Dante was going to ask for, and a sword with a firearm sheath appeared in his hand. And with a click, it vanished, revealing a katana with a dazzling crimson blade. This was Murasama, the sword he bought when he fought Zephyr and couldn't use it. Dante looked at his father.
Dante: "I am your death," he said, and with that, two black wings appeared on his back.
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Character List Update.
The fruit's abilities will be revealed in the next chapter, so if you want to know, don't ask; just wait for the next chapter.
Chapter Deaths: Alfonso, Hun, and Arthur.
(Note: When translated, this disappeared by 300 words. I don't trust that word count much, but I'm warning you anyway in case something wasn't understood or felt a bit empty; it was the translator.)