Almost on instinct, Kid flung his arm forward, magnetic force flaring.
Shards of metal shot out like bullets, slicing through the dust—
ting ting ting—
Crisp impacts rang out, but the silhouette inside didn't slow in the slightest.
It staggered, it wavered, but it kept coming, like a wounded beast crawling out of hell.
As the dust finally thinned, Kid caught a clear look—
and his pupils tightened.
Davy's clothes were in tatters, no longer anything like the clean, composed youth from before.
His entire body was covered in fine, overlapping cuts; he looked more like a humanoid blood-stain, leaving splashes of red with every step.
But the eyes.
Those bright, gleaming eyes—
They held no exhaustion.
Only exhilaration.
Excitement.
Predatory focus.
Locked onto Kid.
For a split second, Kid felt like he was the prey—
that it was not the blood-soaked man before him who was cornered,
but himself, untouched and uninjured until moments ago.
An involuntary shiver ran through him.
The wind suddenly felt much colder.
"…I almost died back there."
Davy grinned, showing blood-tinted teeth—feral, unhinged.
It was his first time brushing so close to death.
Close enough to feel its breath on his neck.
"Man… I really overestimated myself.
Hoarding all that soul power like I'm gonna take it with me into the coffin?
If I'd just stopped being stingy earlier, would I have ended up this miserable?"
He laughed—
a broken, rasping laugh that triggered more coughing, blood spilling down his chin.
Kid's scalp went numb.
"Maniac."
He fired again, reflexively.
Metal screamed through the air—but this time, an invisible barrier deflected everything.
"Tch. So impatient."
Davy rolled his shoulders, eyes blazing brighter.
"In that case, the sooner we finish this, the better."
And then—
Figures appeared behind him.
Some sharp and clear, some blurred and half-transparent.
One after another, they stepped forward—
and dissolved into green flame,
flowing into Davy's body.
Davy clenched his fists as a surge of overwhelming, boiling power flooded through him.
His grin widened.
It had been a long time since he allowed any soul besides the Devil Fruit puppets to possess him.
He had absorbed all the combat experience he needed.
He had his own style now—
no need for weaker spirits to guide his hand.
Ever since he gained the strength to survive, he had considered using soul puppets to boost his power a luxury.
Soul was better saved for training.
For growing.
Even he didn't know what his current limit was.
"You forced me to burn through my entire stockpile.
So now you can pay the price."
The green flame around him suddenly roared upward—
and he vanished.
Reappearing right in front of Kid.
Kid barely had time to widen his eyes.
He snapped a metal shield into place.
BOOM!!
The improvised wall flew backward like paper struck by a hurricane, crashing into Kid and launching him across the ruins.
"Guh…!"
He dragged himself upright from the crater, horror creeping up his spine.
That speed—
That force—
He's faster than me—even with my Fruit active?!
The worst part wasn't the power-up.
It was—
"You done lying down yet?"
Davy's voice came from right above him.
Kid jerked away with a desperate burst of magnetism.
A massive explosion erupted where he had been.
That's Conqueror's Haki…!
He had felt it earlier but dismissed the possibility.
Now he was certain—
Davy was using Conqueror's Haki.
But what was he doing with it?
Conqueror's Haki wasn't supposed to work on someone who also possessed it.
It was worthless in a clash between equals.
Then why—
"Die!"
Davy charged again.
His entire body was bleeding, cracked, shaking—
but his aura surged higher and higher, the green flame howling behind him.
Every second he stayed in this state, his soul burned away.
If it ran out, he would die.
So he had to finish this now.
Kid clenched his teeth and conjured metal arms to guard, but—
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!
It was like two metal titans were mauling each other.
The deafening blows echoed across the broken town.
Kid felt as though his insides were turning to paste.
Bones cracked.
Every breath stabbed him with agony.
But the most terrifying thing was—
The more injuries Davy took, the more violently he attacked.
He was fighting like a berserker, burning his life away.
"Freak…!"
Kid wanted to fight back blow for blow.
But he couldn't.
Davy still had the Barrier puppet.
Still had the Slide puppet.
He could nullify fatal hits at any moment.
Kid, on the other hand, had nothing to fall back on.
Every attack he took was a real injury.
So Kid fought more and more defensively—
more and more desperately—
until most of his time was spent evading.
And then—
A flicker of black-red lightning danced across Davy's fist.
Kid froze for a heartbeat—
and that tiny pause cost him.
BOOM!!!
A monstrous impact crushed into his chest.
Kid flew backward like a broken doll,
crashing into the rubble, his spine arching unnaturally.
"Pff—!"
A mouthful of blood erupted from his lips.
His vision blackened; consciousness nearly slipped away.
On the other side, Davy stared down at his own fist, surprised.
"…What was that?"
Kid's voice trembled.
"What did you do…?!
I moved—I know I moved!
You didn't touch me!
So how—
HOW did you do that much damage?!"
Because that wasn't Armament Haki.
Not normal Armament.
That was—
the early awakening of Conqueror's Haki coating—
a hit that injures without touching.
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/TwilightStudios7