Chapter 179: The Eclipse, and the Second Batch of Reincarnators Arrives
After Kaito Shirogane activated Setsuna, his speed became nearly impossible for the normal eye to track. A blurry black shadow flashed past, and by the time anyone tried to look closely, it was gone.
Kaito exited the golden passage, stamped hard on the ground, and leaped dozens of meters into the air. He then used his Rakshasa-like abilities to glide swiftly away. Behind him, lightning exploded in the sky.
But Enel did not pursue, allowing Kaito to successfully blend into the town and conceal his presence once more.
Returning to the white district, Kaito saw a small figure digging a hole with a hoe at the junction where the district met the forbidden mountain.
Clearly, the little girl named Cindy truly intended to bury the bodies of the three Marines all by herself.
"Is that really so important?"
"You could just push the bodies off the cliff over there, into the sea. The Priests wouldn't be able to do anything to them then."
Cindy turned her head, her face covered in tiny beads of sweat, and saw that the elusive tall man had returned. Hearing Kaito's words, she frowned, not quite understanding.
"Uncle Leo and the others came here to save us. If they're just thrown into the sea after dying... isn't that too pitiful...?"
She turned back and continued digging.
"I want them to find peace beneath the earth, undisturbed."
Kaito noticed that the ground behind the white district showed signs of having been worked in many places. This probably wasn't the first time the little girl had done this.
Kaito said nothing. His values were completely different from Cindy's. To him, she was, after all, just an "NPC" in a derivative world. Preaching to such an existence was utterly meaningless.
Therefore, Kaito went straight back to the house. He looked at the food on the table—half of which she had intentionally left for him—but did not eat.
Instead, he once again took out that greatsword.
[Unidentified Ominous Greatsword]
The origin of this massive sword, which seemed so out of place in the world of One Piece, was becoming clear in Kaito's eyes.
It was the [Dragonslayer] from the world of Berserk, wielded by the protagonist, [Guts]!
The only thing that still seemed strange was that when Kaito held the sword, it had indeed started to absorb his Haki or life force. This trait didn't seem like the [Dragonslayer]'s... it was more like a [Black Blade] from the One Piece world.
And...
How did the protagonist of Berserk end up in the world of One Piece? This was different from the Jujutsu Kaisen world having characters from the Tokyo Ravens timeline.
The One Piece world was a classic, independent fictional universe. It had no parallel to the real world, so there was no shared historical timeline to connect them.
If, say, characters from Toriko or even Dragon Ball appeared on certain islands due to some crossover special, Kaito could still try to interpret it using those unique worldviews.
But Berserk and One Piece... no matter how he looked at it, they didn't seem to have any connection.
Kaito gently tapped the table. After ruling out various possibilities, only one explanation remained—Guts had become a Reincarnator!
Only Reincarnators could freely enter and exit unrelated worlds. Only Reincarnators would wantonly alter other worlds.
Once he accepted the premise that this "Guts" was a Reincarnator, many of the world's mysteries could be explained.
Two years ago, a batch of Reincarnators entered this world. One of them might have been carrying a [Behelit]—whether it was the crimson [Egg of the King] was uncertain—but eventually, that Reincarnator successfully initiated [The Eclipse] in the desert kingdom of Alabasta, sacrificing something unknown but most important, along with the entire populace of Alabasta.
And Guts, who was also in this world at the time, likely had some connection to that Reincarnator. It was even possible Guts had been chasing that person, or the [Behelit] they held.
A terrible battle ensued. The outcome was unknown.
In the eyes of this world's native characters, everyone in Alabasta simply vanished, without explanation.
For some reason, that battle eventually reached Skypiea, and its intensity escalated to an unprecedented level, far exceeding the limits of the [Strong-tier].
During the fierce battle between several monsters of at least [Cataclysm-tier], Skypiea shattered, and El Dorado fell. The "demon" left behind was imprisoned by Enel in the current golden pyramid for unknown reasons.
Kaito recalled the dark-eyed Skypiean. That man actually had no real offensive power; the only ability he displayed was a form of "corrosion" through self-harm, yet he was constantly trying to bait Kaito into attacking him.
It was highly likely that the man's main body, or the true demon—perhaps even an Apostle—was sealed inside that pyramid.
Enel's peculiar fondness for gold wasn't because he loved it as wealth. Rather, Enel was obsessed with gold's conductivity. It allowed him to conveniently shape it using his Rumble-Rumble Fruit, and its excellent conductivity was also the reason he was building his ark.
At this point, all the events began to link together in Kaito's mind.
Enel, Guts, the unknown [Behelit] holder, and... that "King" of unknown identity.
Kaito put away the greatsword. After his body's vitality recovered, he took the arm out of his inventory.
The arm was extremely withered, like a mummy's, making it impossible to tell from appearance if it had belonged to Guts.
[The King's Left Arm]
[Type: Special Creation (Material, Biological Prosthetic)]
[Quality: Red (Worldly Treasure)]
[Description: A King's remnant in the world, the left hand of an unfulfilled promise.]
[Prosthetic Requirement: Humanoid, Constitution & Will checks passed]
[Effect: Unidentified]
"A King's remnant in the world, the left hand of an unfulfilled promise." This description seemed to hint at the owner's identity.
Guts didn't really have any connection to the "King of the World." If it were Griffith, perhaps, but...
The King of the World... could it really be Joyboy?!
As Kaito was thinking, the little girl Cindy ran back, dragging her hoe.
"Gave up?"
Kaito could tell from the sound that there was no way the little girl could have dug such a large pit in such a short time.
The little girl shook her head, her red pigtails swinging.
"Cindy is tired. I'll go back and dig tomorrow."
"Aren't you worried that some animal will eat those three guys' bodies tonight? This place is so close to the mountain; there must be wild animals."
Kaito was like a villain completely devoid of empathy, constantly picking at the morals of a kind person.
But the little girl didn't get angry. She just shook her head again, blinking her eyes.
"It's okay, mister. I left some food on the cliff's edge. If there are any animals, they'll probably eat that meat, right? Besides..."
"Uncle Leo and the others won't blame me. I know they'll understand that Cindy is weak!"
After speaking, the little girl went off to rest on her own. Kaito glanced back and saw, on the street not far from the window, that Orkins, the man who was over three meters tall, was tiptoeing toward the place where the girl planned to bury the bodies. He was clearly planning to secretly do the job for her.
Kaito felt an even stronger sense of disconnect between himself and those two.
Do they really believe in an afterlife?
Otherwise, what's the point of doing this?
Kaito, who needed to replan his next steps now that he knew the truth of the world, didn't actually care about the story of Guts and the unknown Apostle Reincarnator. He only needed to know one thing: a powerful weapon was hidden in El Dorado. That was enough.
At the right moment, he would destroy that pyramid and release the monster that caused mass "corrosion"—whether it was a demon, an Apostle, or one of the God Hand, he didn't care.
Every power has its proper use. Released at the right time, it would become his asset.
Whether it was Enel or the second batch of Reincarnators about to enter this world, the enemies here were formidable. This fact made Kaito's mind race, and he felt rather excited.
He didn't need to sleep at night. His high Spirit attribute meant he only needed a short rest to replenish his mental energy, and his physical stamina consumption was negligible.
Thus, Kaito, finding himself with rare free time, actually had the inclination to approach Orkins.
This big man's physique was far superior to that of a normal person. Just using his bare hands, he had quickly dug a pit over a meter deep.
"You should know, right? The little girl doing this... it's a form of self-satisfaction."
"After completing this meaningless task, she gains spiritual joy. Therefore, by kindly doing it for her, you are actually robbing her of that joy."
Orkins froze. He turned his head and, by the moonlight, saw Kaito's handsome face clearly.
The man had a face that would be extremely attractive to any gender on any island or kingdom, yet the words coming from his mouth were utterly devoid of warmth.
Like a beast wearing a beautiful human skin.
"Has... has no one ever told you that you're mentally ill?"
Orkins ducked his head and continued digging. His words made Kaito smile, his hands dropping naturally to his sides. Orkins, as if sensing no hostility, kept his back to Kaito. While digging, he continued:
"What makes humans human... is that we have empathy for one another."
"The little girl insists on burying these fools because... she's afraid!"
Orkins turned his head to look at Kaito, clearly seeing Kaito's hands hanging by his sides, ready to take his life at any moment.
"Can't you see it? Her fear."
"She used to be like this... slowly burying the mangled, half-eaten corpses of her parents... that's why she left some bread and grain on the cliff, thinking all corpse-eating scavengers are just sea birds, ha..."
"She's living in her best friend's house. That friend's body... was also buried by this little girl."
"She took in a lot of people, but we're the only ones who survived. The ones who died... I helped her bury them."
"The little girl is afraid that when she dies, she won't find peace either, that she'll be eaten by sea birds. So she frantically tries to bury every corpse properly, naively believing that if she does this, someone will bury her the same way when she dies..."
"You... can't you feel any of this...?"
"Heh, you really... you really don't understand anything, do you."
Orkins kept his back to Kaito, not noticing that the smile on Kaito's face had completely vanished.
"A very powerful person once told me that compared to a tempered body or honed skills, a heart that can feel the world is the true source of strength. You... even if you kill me, you'll probably never understand that."
Kaito frowned. He was trying to determine if Orkins was saying this just to stay alive, or if some powerful character in this world had actually expressed such an idea.
In many worldviews, the concept of "Mind, Body, and Technique" existed. And in the One Piece world, with a concept like [Conqueror's Haki], it was possible something similar had developed.
Orkins, feeling the gaze on his back, felt a twinge of regret. But he just couldn't stand the way this powerful, heartless man was so dismissive of the little girl's efforts.
After he finished burying the three bodies, he turned around, only to find the man had vanished at some point.
Kaito watched the white mist reappear over the sea, knowing those ghosts were back. He had no time to debate logic and perception with Orkins and quickly ascended the mountain.
He watched the white mist and the spirits swarm the mountain, all moving toward the golden pyramid. This further confirmed his suspicion that the pyramid was the cause of Coby's death.
He suddenly reached out and grabbed Coby from the swarm of ghosts.
After obtaining the [Spirit-Touched] Milestone, Kaito could now directly interact with [Spirits].
Coby, pulled from the white mist, finally noticed Kaito.
"It's you. The human who can see me."
Kaito nodded.
"Commander Coby, I have already contacted reinforcements from Marine HQ. Four Vice Admirals and an Admiral candidate are currently on the outer seas. Do you have any other information about this island?"
Hearing Kaito's words, Coby first smiled, but then he frowned, clutching his head.
"No, stop... They can't come near this island..."
"Everyone must leave! And then... this island must be sealed... completely..."
"There's a demon... there's a demon on this island..."
His memory was clearly damaged, and his information was fragmented, but it confirmed Kaito's guess. He patted the ghost's shoulder.
"Rest easy, Commander Coby. A batch of fearless grunts will be here soon to take care of this trouble for us. Heh... no need to worry about them."
But Coby grabbed Kaito's arm in return. A chilling sensation entered Kaito's arm, causing Kaito to feel a certain power in his blood stir rapidly.
"Take Cindy and go! Get Cindy and the others off this island first! And Leo... Barnaby... Captain Roshio..."
A cold liquid began to flow under Kaito's skin, quickly making contact with Coby's ghostly hand.
[Bloodline Trait: Spirit Infusion is activatable. Do you wish to accommodate the spirit?]
Kaito looked up at the spirit, who was still worrying about others even after becoming a ghost. He suddenly wanted to feel what this man, who was still thinking of others in death, was feeling.
"Yes."
Coby's body suddenly tilted. His hand sank into Kaito's arm, followed by his shoulder, and soon half his body was inside Kaito. He looked at Kaito in confusion, but the temptation of a living body was too strong. He shook his head, trying to stay rational.
"You... run..."
Kaito placed his other hand on Coby's shoulder and, in an instant, absorbed the man completely into his body.
[Spirit Infusion activated. You have accommodated the Spirit: Coby. Performing Sanity Check...]
[Sanity Check... Passed.]
[You have entered the Spirit Infusion state. Personal abilities have been enhanced.]
Kaito suddenly felt a new will appear inside his body. He clenched his right fist, and it slowly turned black.
"This is... Armament Haki?!"
So this was the ability gained from accommodating Coby...
Kaito suddenly realized that the [Spirit Infusion] rare trait was far more powerful than he had imagined. He originally thought it was just a "gacha pull" from within himself, with an extremely low chance of pulling [Gojo Satoru].
But now, it seemed he could actively accommodate spirits he touched. In certain worlds, this would be an extremely powerful trait. In worlds like Shaman King or Bleach, it might be even stronger than [Death-Taint of the Myriad Gods].
Kaito turned, took one last look at the mist-shrouded El Dorado, and departed.
[Second batch of Reincarnators deploying...]
Under the sunlight, white streams of information descended from the azure sky, like auroras cast down from heaven.
This was the first time Kaito had witnessed the deployment of Reincarnators into a world from an observer's perspective.
He stood at the summit of the mountain, taking in the location of every single Reincarnator's entry.
Because this was a team-battle world, the Nexus was unlikely to deploy them too far apart. The One Piece world was vast; if Reincarnators were too scattered, they might not be able to engage in battle quickly, which would contradict the Nexus's goal of raising them like fighting fish.
The furthest beam of light landed outside Skuld Island. Kaito could only see a vague ribbon of light, which he guessed was near Mock Town.
The closest one landed directly in the town.
Two landed on the outer beaches of Skuld Island.
Four landed in the sea surrounding Skuld Island.
Kaito guessed these last two groups were teams.
He finished logging the team compositions and turned, preparing to check on the one in the town first.
But the next moment...
BOOM!
A giant firework pattern exploded in the sky, revealing the insignia of a flame dragon.
Kaito recognized it as [Flame Fiend]'s mark. And soon, another firework shot up from the town and exploded.
Clearly, the one in the town and the ones in the sea were together.
A smirk pulled at Kaito's lips. Flame Fiend was as flashy and idiotic as ever.
His figure quickly began to glide from the mountain down toward the town.
Although the native characters couldn't see the Reincarnators' firework sigils, they wouldn't ignore the other explosions.
As he soared through the air, he saw a man wearing a black top hat moving from the town toward the outer sea. Kaito raised his right hand, and a powerful ki condensed instantly.
Dodon Ray!
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Guys We cross the 300 power stone goal and as promise here the bonus chapter
Next goal 400 power stone,come on guys you'll can do it, good luck.
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