"Completely absorbed Roger's soul? Could it be because Miss Rouge has finally settled down in Fusha Village?" Mira asked, the thought slipping out subconsciously.
Rain nodded slightly. "Now that I think about it… yes, that must be it."
"So your strength has leveled up again?" Mira tilted her head, eyes narrowing in curiosity as she studied him.
"When I use Roger's power now, it flows smoothly. It doesn't feel borrowed anymore... it feels like my own."
Rain clenched his fists, feeling the raw energy coursing through him.
"Want to find an island and test it out?" Mira asked with a grin, her tone playful.
"Alright."
Rain nodded without hesitation. Truthfully, he was looking forward to it as well.
Who was stronger now him, inheritor of Roger's incomplete Power, or Mira, with her demonic power?
Even with the strength he had now, Rain knew Mira's Take Over ability wasn't something to be underestimated.
But... he didn't feel that he would lose.
Following their chart, Rain steered the boat toward the nearest uninhabited island.
On a Deserted Island
"Heh heh… that idiot Shanks wants to be a pirate? There's no one dumber than him."
The red-nosed clown, Buggy, sneered as he unfolded a tattered treasure map.
"We already graduated from being Roger's apprentices! And now he wants to keep being a pirate? Ridiculous."
"A pirate's life is nothing but misery. No treasure, no riches, just endless suffering. What kind of fool would choose that?"
Buggy had had enough of that wretched lifestyle. From now on, he would strike out on his own, gather a crew, and claim all the treasures in the world.
"According to the map, it should be around here…"
He scanned the surroundings but found nothing unusual. No markers, no sign of treasure just sand, rock, and silence.
"Tch… as if something like this could stop me! The Great Buggy, the treasure-hunting expert!"
Planting his hands on his hips, Buggy puffed out his chest with pride. Then, pulling a shovel from his pack, he began to dig furiously.
And, incredibly, his blind luck paid off.
With a loud crack, the ground gave way, revealing a hidden passage sloping down into darkness.
"Jackpot!" Buggy's eyes gleamed as he stared at the entrance to what looked like an underground palace.
Without a second thought, he rushed inside.
On the shore, Rain carefully steered the boat and dropped anchor.
Before he could even stretch his legs, Mira, impatient as always, grabbed him by the hand and dragged him onto the island.
"Take Over!" ×2
With twin shouts, the clash began instantly.
"Divine Departure!"
"Darkness Rages!"
BOOM! BOOM!
The deserted island shook violently under the sheer power of their blows. Waves rippled against the coast, trees toppled, and the very ground split apart.
Neither Rain nor Mira spared the destruction a second thought. It was just an uninhabited island. If it broke apart, so what?
For them, it was pure exhilaration. For someone else, however… it was a nightmare.
Underground Palace
"W-What the hell?!"
Buggy the Clown, crouched deep underground, clutched a gleaming pile of treasure he had just unearthed.
"An earthquake?! Right when I find the treasure?! Are you kidding me?!"
His face turned pale. As much as he loved gold, the thought of being buried alive terrified him far more.
With a pitiful sob, he stuffed what he could into a single chest. "Damn it… I can't take it all… but I refuse to leave empty-handed!"
He dashed for the exit, hugging the box of jewels like his own child.
Bursting back to the surface, Buggy stopped dead in his tracks.
It wasn't an earthquake.
It was a battle.
Two figures were tearing the island apart, their clash echoing like thunder.
"Wh-What the…?! In the East Blue of all places?!"
Buggy's jaw dropped. The sheer scale of power reminded him of his old days aboard the Oro Jackson. That level of strength wasn't something ordinary pirates could reach.
In fact, even among Roger's crew, this was close to the strength of a real officer. Definitely leagues above "errand boys" like him and Shanks had once been.
"Soul Exterminator!"
"Divine Departure!"
Rain swung his blade again, his slash obliterating Mira's dark magic head-on.
Buggy's eyes went wide.
"That move… that's the Captain's technique! And that sword!?"
The red-nosed clown froze, mind racing.
"Who the hell is this guy? Why does he have the Captain's weapon? How can he use the Captain's attacks?!"
His thoughts spiraled, paranoia gnawing at him.
"Could it be… the Captain's child? No, that doesn't make sense! We'd have known if Roger had a kid. Unless… unless they hid it from us?! But that's not Roger's style…"
Buggy clenched his teeth. He never remembered Roger's lover... everyone in the crew had not known about her either.
So marriage? A secret child? None of them had ever heard such a thing.
"Then… who is he? A student? An heir?!"
The clown's mind spun with wild theories, none of which gave him comfort.
After a long string of frantic thoughts, Buggy suddenly shrugged it all off.
"Bah! Forget it! What's any of that got to do with me, the great treasure hunter Buggy?!"
Waving his hand as if dismissing fate itself, he spun around and marched back toward the underground palace.
"Better to focus on what really matters hauling out the rest of my treasure!"
That was Buggy's philosophy in a nutshell: when in doubt, just make your heart big enough to ignore the problem. And somehow, it always worked.
On the surface, Rain and Mira continued their duel.
Both of them had already sensed Buggy's presence underground through their haki.
But to them, his aura was so pathetically weak it wasn't even worth acknowledging.
Without a second glance, they carried on clashing at full force.
Rain lunged in, blade glowing with power, ready to unleash another strike
But before he could, Mira shot upward, black wings spreading wide as she soared into the sky.
"Fufufu~ Rain, did you forget? I can fly!"
Hovering above, Mira smirked down at him, her expression full of triumph.
"…"
Rain's face went blank. Somehow, he really had forgotten about that.
"How about we call this one a tie?" Mira grinned slyly, folding her arms.
"…Fine. A tie," Rain replied after a pause, shaking his head with a faint smile.
Of course, Mira knew the truth. In terms of sheer power, she was still behind him.
This "tie" was nothing more than her cheeky advantage... exploiting her ability to fly and turning it into a playful stalemate.
And Rain, doting as always, let her have it.
If he had gone all-out… the outcome would have been obvious.
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