Chapter 4 I am the embodiment of darkness
The world of one piece is about to be in chaos right now, but for the last few days, Bane has been staying at home and hasn't gone outside.
The night he got the Dark-Dark Fruit, Bane thought it over and decided to eat the devil fruit without hesitation.
There's no need for explanations; he only had one reason. He wants to become stronger.
Whether it's the strange portal in his body or the unstable situation in the world today, Bane knows he needs more power to gain better benefits and live a good life.
It turned out the rumor that devil fruit tastes terrible was wrong. Before eating the Dark-Dark Fruit, Bane prepared himself. He reminded himself many times that those who achieve great things overlook small matters and that God gives great responsibilities.
So when he finally bit into it, he was surprised by the nice taste. His mouth was filled with flavor, softness, and juiciness. It was unexpectedly good.
He thought he would just take a bite and suffer through it, but since it tasted so good, Bane ended up eating the whole watermelon-sized dark fruit.
Afterward, just as he expected, even after leaving the one piece world, the Dark-Dark Fruit still had its magical powers. It seemed that the world he lived in was very compatible and could accept powers from different worlds.
After eating the Dark-Dark Fruit, Bane felt surrounded by the power of darkness. An endless flow of dark elements surged violently within him.
I am the embodiment of darkness!
But this was actually an illusion from suddenly gaining great strength. The Dark-Dark Fruit was indeed strong, and the energy of the dark elements it held seemed endless. However, in the last few days, as he calmed down from the excitement, Bane realized something important. Although the dark elements in his body felt endless, using that power required his own physical strength.
It's like the Dark-Dark Fruit is a reservoir. There is a lot of water in the reservoir, but how much can be used depends on how much can flow from the faucet, and his body is that faucet. The stronger he is, the more powerful the fruit becomes.
"No wonder some people say it's not the fruit that makes the person, but the person that makes the fruit. Just like the three admirals, who are logia users. Even without devil fruits, they would still be top tier on the sea," Bane reflected.
The devil fruit gives people a chance. It is up to them to take that chance and keep moving forward.
In the end, people must depend on themselves.
Right now, Bane was sitting on the sofa in his living room. The dark elements flowed between his fingers like water, dripping onto the floor and turning the already dirty surface completely black.
When the floor was soaked, the coffee table began to sink into the darkness, disappearing as it was swallowed up.
As the coffee table vanished, Bane suddenly tightened his fists. With his movement, the dark water on the floor quickly formed into an energy ball that glowed with a strong dark aura, hovering in the living room.
After a moment, Bane slowly opened his hand, and the dark energy ball faded away. Lots of broken wood and coffee table pieces fell to the ground from the darkness.
"I've been indoors for a few days and finally grasped the Dark-Dark Fruit," Bane said with a smile as he stood up.
Looking around, he saw his house was a mess, like a hurricane had hit it. It was even worse than the billiard hall his men had destroyed a few days ago.
This was because in the first two days after eating the Dark-Dark Fruit, Bane couldn't control the power at all. It felt like a tail had grown on him. It was part of him, but since he had no experience, he stumbled around without control.
He ate the Dark-Dark Fruit the night before and the next morning, he accidentally released black smoke filled with dark elements that broke his bed.
So, Bane stayed indoors these days, worried that he might lose control, cause a scene outside, and hurt someone.
But today, he finally got used to his power and could control the Dark-Dark Fruit, so he wanted to go out for a walk, see what was happening, and think about starting his new life.
His original plan might now be outdated. Now that he could open a portal, there were many more possibilities. If the situation was bad here, he could even stay in the one piece world and cause some chaos.
In short, he finally felt confident after crossing over into this world. Walking down the street and looking at New Dal City, it seems like nothing has changed from the last few days. The empire's westward expansion has not affected things yet.
After buying a newspaper, Bane walked to Sphinx Street. He met many thugs along the way, and they greeted him politely, calling him "Boss "
Bane focused on reading the newspaper and ignored the thugs.
He turned a corner and entered a fighting gym. Bane casually slapped the newspaper on the bar table, his face showed he was unimpressed. It was clear that he found no interesting news in the last few days.
"Hey, Bane, why haven't I seen you here for a few days? Did you get your head blown off again? " A strong man, who was 2.5 meters tall, smiled and greeted him from the training platform.
Bane took out a cigar, cut it, lit it, and put it in his mouth. He smiled back and replied jokingly, " How about I blow your head off right now? "
"Hahahaha, you look really energetic," the strong man laughed loudly, then asked excitedly, "Do you want to fight? "
"No, where's Frant? " Bane waved his hand to decline.
"I'm here. " Hearing the voice, Bane turned to see Frant entering through the door behind the bar. A thin man, he carried an elegant password briefcase and sat down across from Bane.
Before Bane could speak, Frant raised his eyebrows and said, "I have something new for you. Do you want to see it? "
"What's new? " Bane asked with some curiosity.
Frant is a black market dealer in New Dal City who always has strange items. Bane has helped him with a few minor issues, so they have a good relationship. As a dealer, he is well-informed, so Bane sometimes visits him for "various gossips and rumors" to stay updated.
"Look, let me show you something interesting. " Frant arrogantly lifted his chin and quickly opened the coded briefcase.
Inside the suitcase, there was nothing big, just something that looked like a biological agent injection tube. The tube was clear and contained a blood-like liquid.
"Blood? " Bane guessed.
"Well, this is a special medicine that can make people's physical fitness stronger. But to be precise, this is called RC cells," Frant said pretentiously.
Bane thought the name sounded familiar, but that was all.
"Is this something from another world? " Bane asked.
"Of course. Aren't you someone who can strengthen your body? I thought this would be perfect for you, so I bought it on the black market and planned to give it to you," Frant said with a smile.
"You must have bad intentions. Why are you giving it to me? " Bane said disdainfully. "Tell me, what are the side effects? "
Even though he had helped Frant with several problems, he knew people involved in illegal activities were not trustworthy. If they were loyal, Frant wouldn't be thriving in the black market or be alive today.
Bane's suspicion didn't bother Frant. He smiled and said, "If you want to gain power, how can you not pay a price? "
"Don't beat around the bush," Bane said, tapping the table and exhaling a puff of smoke.
Frant looked around and leaned closer to Bane, lowering his voice. "Didn't a portal open in Vandir City half a year ago? "
"I remember that. The newspaper talked about it not long ago. They said there's a twisted serial killer there who likes to eat people," Bane paused as he processed the information.
RC Cells! ?
Frant didn't notice the change in Bane's expression and continued speaking in a low voice. "At that time, the official report said the gate was out of control, but actually, it was broken into. The Osaria family, who controlled Vandir City, hid the truth and wanted to take all the benefits. They got the power from the gate, the RC cells, which are rumored to have come from some ghoul or demon race. "
"So the side effect is cannibalism? " Bane rolled his eyes at Frant.
"That's the first generation version. After more than six months of research, the Osaria family improved it. The one I have has removed those side effects. It won't make you eat people, but it will make you very hungry. "