News that Rocks was about to have a child left Kaido reeling.
"You know her. Which woman."
"I do not. He mentioned it once while drinking here, about half a year ago." Shakky shook her head, though most of her attention lingered on Dimon. "How does my bar's liquor compare to yours."
Dimon tasted the margarita Shakky had mixed. It was one of his pre crossing favorites.
"Not bad."
Kaido could not abide such lukewarm praise. "It is not a drop compared to the elixir of immortality."
Where is your tact, Kaizi.
Dimon wondered if this beast ever had such a thing.
Shakky only laughed softly. "Is that so. If your drink is truly that good, I want to try it even more."
"Bring me a Devil Fruit and I will pour you a cup anytime," Dimon said with a smile.
"Devil Fruits are not easy to find," Shakky sighed. "I am not a captain anymore. I have to keep this place running."
Dimon offered a simple fix. "Most pirates on this island are your fans. Ask someone to hunt one for you."
Shakky's eyes brightened. "Good idea. Thank you, Dimon."
Gloriosa muttered, "Whatever. Your charm does not work on him, right, Dimon."
Dimon did not answer. He was not interested in men, but liking women and being a pushover were two different things.
Linger in Shakky's bar long enough and the three women's chatter turns into a living archive of Rocks Pirates lore.
Whitebeard and Golden Lion were among the earliest recruits.
Kaido was brought in by Whitebeard, which explained their easy rapport.
As for Charlotte Linlin, Gloriosa loved to say she had children like popping corn and already had quite a few. By now her future Commander of the Sweet, Charlotte Katakuri, was eight years old, the same age as Jin.
Night.
Back at the Eternal Life Bar, Dimon turned to Jin. "You are safe now. Go where you want."
"Lord Dimon, I want to follow you," Jin said, fists tight. "I want to be as strong as you."
Dimon arched a brow. If he was honest, he was near the bottom of the pecking order in Rocks' core. In raw physical force he now edged Kaido, but in Haki he lagged far behind. Devouring Sea Kings had bolstered his body, not his Haki. Still, his demon points were healthy. If he spent them to devour Haki tier pirates, reaching Kaido's class was not impossible.
"Then train hard."
A tall shadow filled the doorway.
A man with a broad jaw marked by an X shaped scar and a black tattoo over the left front of his torso stepped inside.
"Kuma."
Dimon recognized him from the Skull Grand Hotel banquet. Now those bloodstained hands drew his eye.
"Late call. What do you need."
"It is just past eight. Not late."
Kuma's face was expressionless. Blood slicked his right hand. He was carrying a small chest.
"We agreed. One Devil Fruit for one cup of elixir."
Dimon's smile spread. He took the chest and opened it. A Devil Fruit lay within.
"What fruit is this."
"I do not know."
Man of few words. It did not matter. A Devil Fruit was a Devil Fruit.
"Wait a moment. I will get your drink."
He passed the chest to Jin for safekeeping, stepped behind the counter, and, under its cover, spent 100 demon points to conjure a fresh bottle of the elixir.
[Demon Points]: 400 → 300
"Here."
Dimon poured a full cup and handed it over. Kuma said nothing, raised the glass, and drained it. For a heartbeat his eyes flickered in surprise at the taste.
"Good wine," Kuma said mildly. "Thanks. Goodbye."
He came fast and left faster, doing everything with clean finality.
Jin returned the chest. "Lord Dimon, is he also one of the Rocks Pirates."
"Yes. One of the core," Dimon said, waving toward the stairs. "There are empty rooms on the second floor. Pick one and clean it."
"Yes."
Once Jin was gone, Dimon sat, lifted the fruit from the chest, and devoured it without hesitation.
[Devoured one Devil Fruit. Gained 800 demon points.]
[Demon Points]: 300 → 1100
"Eight hundred."
His eyes widened. Eight times a common Zoan. What was this fruit.
The number on his panel answered a different itch.
"One thousand to unlock a second skill."
He did not hesitate.
[Demon Points]: 1100 → 100
[You have unlocked Demon Skill Two.]
Demon Skill One: Brew the elixir of immortality
Demon Skill Two: Demon Form
Demon Skill Three: Locked
Demon Skill Four: Locked
There had been no fourth slot before. Opening the second made the tree sprout another branch.
Dimon closed his eyes. A torrent of occult knowledge poured into his mind. Moments later he understood the gist.
Demon Form. Manifest the figure of the fiend.
Simple to say. Built to grow.
"Jin, I am stepping out," he called upstairs, then slipped into the night.
He crossed to the island's north shore, where the docks gave way to scrub and the world was wide and empty. The south roared with life. The north kept its secrets.
Dimon clenched his fists. Black lightning crawled over his skin and hissed.
With a crack, a pair of ebon wings unfurled from his back.
He beat them once and rose into the air.
"I can fly too. Perfect."
He skimmed out over the sea, moonlight silvering the skin of the water. His reflection looked back. The wings were not all. In Demon Form his very bearing had shifted.
Grave and regal. Mysterious.
"In this form I can inscribe pentagram arrays like Imu. So Imu really is a demon, then."
He lifted his right hand and traced with his forefinger. Lines of night stitched the air. A five pointed star burned faintly in the void.
"A teleportation sigil."
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