Isaac's expression darkened completely as the last traces of Souta Kiryuu's blood vanished before his eyes.
His carefully crafted plan—meticulous, precise, designed to exploit Souta's guard—had failed spectacularly.
He had come alone to Dressrosa, walking straight into the jaws of Souta's pirate crew, precisely to make his opponent drop his vigilance. Once that happened, he would have the perfect opportunity to collect Souta's blood and extract the genetic code of the "Perfect Hybrid."
And everything had been going according to plan—until this.
Who could have predicted that Souta Kiryuu had developed such a countermeasure?
Blood that self-destructed the moment it left his body.
That one ability completely destroyed Isaac's goal. Without that blood, there would be no bloodline sample, no genetic replication, no path to perfection.
Without it, he could never become like Souta—the flawless, fully compatible being born of every superior race.
Souta narrowed his eyes, studying Isaac with open curiosity. "Come on then," he said coolly. "Let's see what other bloodline powers you've got hidden inside you."
His interest was growing. Isaac was no ordinary hybrid—he could perfectly synchronize the powers of multiple rare bloodlines and unleash them to their full potential.
Isaac met his gaze with an unreadable calm. "No wonder the World Government and the Five Elders suffered such humiliating losses at your hands," he said evenly. "I'll admit—I underestimated you."
Flames suddenly erupted around his body. His chest wound, the one Souta had inflicted moments ago, began to heal rapidly—just like Souta's own regeneration.
Souta's eyes widened. "You have Lunarian blood too?!"
That was a genuine shock. Even Vegapunk had only ever preserved fragments of Lunarian DNA, yet Isaac had it coursing through his veins as if it were natural.
"It seems," Isaac said calmly, "if I want your bloodline, I'll have to capture you alive… or kill you outright."
He fell silent for a moment, then flicked his cape and turned his back, walking away as if Souta's presence no longer mattered.
Souta's expression chilled. "You think you can just come and go as you please?"
How could he let a walking treasure chest of secrets simply leave?
"Catch me if you can," Isaac said with a sly grin over his shoulder—and in the next instant, his body blurred as he shot toward the port at blinding speed.
"You think you can just waltz out of here?!"
"Petrification Arrows!"
The Pirate Empress's voice rang out as she drew her bow, firing a rain of pink, heart-shaped arrows that whistled through the air toward Isaac.
"Air Pressure Cannon!"
Bartholomew Kuma said nothing—he simply swung both palms, launching compressed air blasts that rippled like invisible bombs.
"Two Hundred Million Volts — Divine Punishment!"
Enel, furious and crackling with lightning, unleashed a thunderous strike. "You think you can pick a fight with the Kiryuu Pirates and just walk away? No way!"
"Kill him!" Souta roared.
He and Barrett charged after Isaac, determined to stop the man with the mysterious energy.
Isaac merely sneered. "You're not qualified. One day, I'll throw every last one of you into my Prison Island."
An overwhelming surge of energy burst from his body, dissolving every incoming Devil Fruit attack into nothing.
In the blink of an eye, he was back aboard his prison warship.
The guards onboard were trembling, some wetting themselves outright, but Isaac's cold gaze swept across them like a blade.
To prevent the location of Prison Island from being exposed, none of these men could be allowed to live.
"Take these—Origin Berserk Pills," he ordered, tossing a vial into their midst.
The soldiers hesitated only for a second before swallowing the pills. The capsules contained a trace of origin energy, unlocking their full bloodline potential for one final burst of strength.
Those with no bloodline traits at all would mutate grotesquely.
But this particular formula was even crueler—it forced them into berserk overdrive, burning out every last cell in their bodies before killing them.
Isaac's eyes flicked toward the distant crimson dragon streaking across the sky. Souta Kiryuu.
A hint of obsession sparked within him.
He still had a chance to win.
His greatest advantage had always been the power of the Fishmen and Merfolk bloodlines.
That was why the Five Elders hadn't dared move against him yet.
He was the strongest combatant on the sea itself.
No Devil Fruit user could rival him over open water.
If Souta dared to pursue him into the ocean, even with his flight abilities, Isaac could drag him into the depths—where the sea itself would become his ally.
He had no weakness to seawater.
That was why he had never eaten a Devil Fruit.
With his Origin Power and array of bloodline abilities, Isaac considered himself the true king of naval warfare.
Not even the Three Admirals, the Four Emperors, or the Five Elders could defeat him at sea.
The only exception was Red-Haired Shanks—another man without a Devil Fruit.
But even then, Isaac thought mockingly, so what if his Conqueror's Haki is stronger?
"My Origin Power isn't for show."
BOOM!
A torrent of blazing dragon fire shot across the sky toward the prison ship.
"Keep sailing," Isaac commanded coldly, leaping high into the air to intercept the incoming breath. The explosion lit the sea ablaze, waves rising like walls of flame.
"This isn't a good place to fight," he muttered, forcing the ship farther from shore. "Out at sea… they won't be able to escape."
From above, Souta's laughter echoed.
"Eha-ha-ha-ha! Isaac! I know you've got Fishman blood in you—you're trying to lure us out to sea, aren't you? So that's where your confidence comes from!"
Souta understood now. Isaac's Fishman heritage was the source of his arrogance.
On land, he was already one of the most dangerous men alive.
But in the ocean, he was the unquestioned king.
Even Jinbe, the Whale Shark Fishman known as "Knight of the Sea," probably couldn't match him underwater.
Isaac smiled faintly. "You're clever, I'll give you that. But are you really going to let me leave without a fight?"
His tone was deliberately taunting, baiting them—if he couldn't draw Souta himself, he might still catch a few of his reckless officers.
If he could capture even one of Souta's top men, he could threaten Kiryuu into giving up blood that couldn't self-destruct.
"You think we'd just let you run?!"
"Thunder God's Wrath!" Enel bellowed, bolts of lightning raining down on Isaac's ship.
Isaac sneered. "You're a troublesome bunch, I'll give you that… but today, I'm the only one walking away."
Souta's frown deepened. He could already tell it would be difficult to capture Isaac now.
Only someone like Aokiji Kuzan, with his ice powers, could counter Isaac's sea-based dominance.
"Damn…" Souta muttered.
"Hmm?" Isaac opened his mouth to respond—
—but before he could finish, the ocean itself shuddered.
A deep rumble echoed from the depths, followed by a massive tsunami rising beneath his ship.
"The Tremor-Tremor Fruit…? Vegapunk's Seraphim?"
Isaac's face darkened. Even with his bloodline abilities and Origin Power, he couldn't stop something of this scale.
"The Kiryuu Pirates… really are monsters."
Ignoring the terrified guards around him, Isaac looked straight at Souta one last time.
"Souta Kiryuu! Next time we meet, I'll bring the full might of the World Government to hunt you down!"
And then the tsunami crashed over the prison ship.
The sea roared, swallowing everything—Isaac, the ship, the screaming guards—all gone beneath the waves.
"Just like that, he escaped?!" Barrett shouted, fury burning in his voice.
Enel slammed his fists together, lightning sparking violently. "That damn arrogant Navy freak—I wanted to fry him myself!"
Souta's gaze turned cold. "What did you expect? You plan to chase him into the ocean?"
Everyone fell silent.
Isaac's strength and cunning were terrifying—perhaps even more dangerous than the Five Elders themselves.
His versatility, his mix of powers, and his strategic restraint made him a nightmare opponent.
Truly, the sea was crawling with monsters—and Souta Kiryuu had just met another one.
He narrowed his eyes, determination flashing behind them.
Isaac would return—and when he did, Souta would be ready.
But for now… he needed a way to counter the Fishman bloodline.
...
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