The air inside the tavern was practically frozen.
Everyone was waiting for the final participant's tally.
Marine Admiral Akainu, Sakazuki.
Bounties held no meaning for him; he was the literal embodiment of the Marines' highest military might. At this moment, the iron-blooded Admiral sat impeccably straight. His coat, emblazoned with the word "Justice," had been shredded into rags. His normally imposing dark-red suit was stained with dried, purple blood—the lingering traces left by the Emperor of the Universe, Frieza.
Blake took a sip of his juice, his fingertips tapping rhythmically on the table as he reviewed the system's in-depth evaluation.
Akainu's performance in the dungeon was truly beyond reproach. He didn't have Kaido's Demon Dragon Body, nor did he possess Doflamingo's cowardly agility. But he had an absolute money-burner of a blade named "Ryujin Jakka," and a ruthless determination that refused to retreat.
During the final decisive battle on Namek, it was Akainu who used the residual might of Ryujin Jakka to support Son Goku and establish their ultimate momentum. Even when Frieza launched his dying counterattack, Akainu was the first to step forward, ready to fight to the bitter end.
Blake looked up, his gaze locking onto Akainu.
In those eyes that always carried a murderous aura, there was a rare glimmer of urgency. Nobody could remain calm in the face of an opportunity to achieve a cross-dimensional leap in power.
"Sakazuki, you really know how to put your life on the line," Blake said, breaking the dead silence.
"During the final phase of the mission, you provided cover fire right through Frieza's Death Beam. And before Namek's crust collapsed, you maintained your maximum combat stance the entire time."
"The system's comprehensive contribution rating for you is: S."
A collective, stifled gasp echoed through the tavern. Sengoku abruptly grabbed his beard, the wrinkles on his face smoothing out in sheer shock. Whitebeard narrowed his eyes, his grip tightening around Murakumogiri.
Thus far, excluding those freakish old-timers, this was the highest rating anyone had received in this round.
Kaido let out an indignant snort. He felt the Admiral's broken sword was the only thing padding his score. Doflamingo covered his mouth, letting out a string of meaningful chuckles.
Akainu said nothing; he merely waited steadily for what came next.
Blake extended his right hand, palm facing up. A deep crimson energy sphere, looking for all the world like burning blood, slowly materialized. The air around the energy sphere warped and distorted. A profoundly oppressive, violent, and powerful rhythm pulsed outward through the tavern.
"Your reward is rather unique. It's not a physique," Blake explained.
"It's a forbidden martial technique, along with the total capacity of 'Ki' required to match it."
With a flick of Blake's finger, the crimson light shot forward like a meteor, slamming dead-center into Akainu's chest.
Akainu grunted, his body jolting as if struck by a heavy hammer. Copious amounts of red steam suddenly seeped from the surface of his skin. This steam wasn't the heat of magma, but the byproduct of his life force being ignited at extreme speeds.
A single resounding name reverberated in his mind like a tolling bell: [Kaio-ken].
It was a secret art capable of forcefully multiplying physical stamina, speed, defense, and attack power for a short duration. Although the side effects were immense, placing a massive burden on the body, for a man with an Admiral's physique, it was an absolute god-tier technique for desperate battles.
Coupled with the "Ki" the system gifted him to maintain the Kaio-ken's operation, Akainu's aura was now faintly detaching from the baseline of a One Piece native.
He slowly stood up, feeling the explosive thrust inside him.
Akainu tested it, murmuring softly, "Kaio-ken Times Two."
A layer of red aura suddenly cloaked his body. The wooden floorboards beneath his feet let out an agonizing crackle—not from physical weight, but because the Ki was so incredibly dense it was warping the space itself.
He raised his hand. Magma churned in his palm, interwoven with this crimson energy.
This fusion of Haki, Devil Fruit power, and Kaio-ken caused the distant Aokiji Kuzan's expression to shift drastically. If they were to fight again right now, Aokiji felt his ice wouldn't last a single second.
"This power... is too violent."
Akainu dispersed the aura. Since it was his first time using it, his muscles were still trembling slightly. His cells were both cheering and wailing.
But he didn't care. As the executor of absolute justice, as long as he could eradicate evil, what did physical strain matter?
"Thank you, Store Manager." Akainu bowed slightly to Blake, a gesture of heartfelt respect.
Blake waved his hand, signaling him to sit down quickly. "Alright, that officially closes the book on Namek."
Now it's time for me to take my cut.
Blake issued a command to the system in his mind. This was the fundamental purpose of opening the dungeon in the first place. As the middleman, he always took the lion's share. And his rewards stacked based on the highest rating achieved by all participants.
[System Prompt: As the guide, the host has received the ultimate achievement reward for the Namek Campaign.][System Prompt: Congratulations to the host for obtaining: [Super Saiyan Physique (Perfect Version)].][System Prompt: This physique includes the potential for all transformation tiers, and the host can freely develop it without any bloodline rejection or risk of losing consciousness.]
BOOM.
Blake felt a force as warm as water rush from the soles of his feet straight up to his crown. His bones emitted a series of soft pops. His already well-proportioned figure didn't grow exaggerated, but every inch of muscle was flooded with an indescribable explosive power.
This was unlike Kaido's externally projected Demon Dragon physique. This was a dimensional leap in life itself.
Blake remained seated, drinking his juice, looking completely unchanged to an outsider. But to the top-tier powerhouses, Blake had vanished.
Yes, within the perception of their Observation Haki, the space Blake occupied had become an absolute void. It was as if he had leaped beyond the restrictive rules of this world entirely. Only by looking with the naked eye could they confirm that the silver-haired youth was still sitting there.
Blake leaned back in his chair, his eyes closed. He carefully felt the brand-new power coursing through his very veins.
The Saiyan physique had completely rewritten his cellular structure. Every heartbeat felt like a miniature nuclear reactor pumping energy. This wasn't merely an upgrade in strength and speed; it was an elevation of his biological dimension.
He ran a quick mental simulation in his mindscape. The first stage of Super Saiyan presented absolutely no bottleneck for him—it was as easy as breathing. Furthermore, the lightning-wreathed state of the second stage could be achieved with a mere thought.
He could clearly sense that, if he wanted to, he could forcefully break the boundary right now—growing waist-length golden hair and erupting into the planet-trembling Super Saiyan 3. That was the pinnacle form of single-target destructive power.
An ordinary Saiyan would have to endure countless life-and-death trials and emotional explosions to even touch its borders, but relying on the system's "Perfect Version" reward, he skipped those tedious steps entirely.
But that wasn't what truly held Blake's attention.
Deep within his body, he felt a sliver of something else. It was a Ki so calm it bordered on dead silence, yet it was boundlessly vast. It was no longer projected and violent like ordinary "Ki."
It was introverted to the absolute extreme.
Super Saiyan God.
----
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