2 chapters will be uploaded on daily basis i.e. 14 Chapters will be uploaded every week apart from the bonus chapters.
1 Bonus Chapter will be uploaded for every 50 Power Stones or 1000 Collections.
All interested readers can read advanced chapters on:
[email protected]/Heroicverse
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"S-surrender!"
To everyone's surprise, Krieg immediately shouted that he surrendered!
This maneuver nearly left Auguro dumbfounded. But on second thought, it made sense. How could a man who relied entirely on heavy armor and various gadgets to fight have the courage to fight to the death?
Auguro sneered contemptuously and said chillingly, "What makes you think I would accept the surrender of scum like you?"
Do you think this is a war between armies where I grant clemency to prisoners?
You are pirates, damn it!
Seeing Auguro's blade about to descend, Krieg frantically yelled, "I have information! About a Devil Fruit! I'll exchange it for my life!"
The blade stopped just shy of Krieg's skin. The chilling cold emanating from the sword made Krieg's scalp tingle, but thankfully, his life was temporarily saved!
"A Devil Fruit?"
Auguro was surprised, but mostly skeptical. Krieg was not a Devil Fruit user in the original story, and he didn't believe Krieg would give such a valuable item to anyone else!
"What, do you want to become a Devil Fruit user?" Auguro asked coldly.
Krieg shook his head repeatedly.
"No, no, no! No one knows what power a Devil Fruit grants! I intended to sell it!"
"That's a treasure worth 100 million Berries! It's enough for me to properly refit my ship and venture into the Grand Line!"
Auguro understood. This man was cautious. He was faced with a Devil Fruit, which could make someone instantly powerful, but he chose to forgo it due to the inherent risk! If he hadn't had the bad luck of running into Hawk-Eyes, he might actually have carved out a reputation for himself in the Grand Line!
"Tell me the location!" Auguro commanded.
With his System, Auguro would naturally never consider eating a Devil Fruit with such an obvious weakness. But he was very curious about what Devil Fruits actually were and why they contained such strange power! He could hand it over to the Twelfth Division for research later!
"Then you agree to spare my life?" Krieg confirmed cautiously.
Auguro gave him a cold look.
"If you say another unnecessary word, I'll kill you right now!"
Krieg's legs trembled. He didn't dare utter another sound, quickly pulling a map from inside his armor, on which the location of the Devil Fruit was marked. He handed the map to Auguro with a pained expression. That was a Devil Fruit worth 100 million Berries! But life was more important than money!
Auguro took the map and used Flash Step to return to his cargo ship.
Nami rushed over, her face full of reverence.
"Lord Auguro, you are truly incredible!"
Nami knew Auguro and his crew were strong because of Arlong's death, but she hadn't expected them to be this strong!
Freezing an entire ocean and crushing a fleet!
These were things Nami had never even imagined in her wildest dreams. She felt once again that her decision, and Cocoyasi Village's, to pledge allegiance to Auguro was extremely wise!
Auguro smiled faintly and handed the map over.
"Nami, check this map to see if there are any issues!"
Professional matters should be left to professionals! With Nami, the expert navigator, on board, he didn't have to worry about Krieg tampering with the map.
"Oh? Is this a treasure map?"
Nami, true to her Gold (Legendary) potential, quickly analyzed the map.
"No problem! This treasure location is not far from us. We should be able to get there in about a day!" Nami said confidently.
Auguro nodded.
"Good! Then let's head to this small island first!"
Rukia Kuchiki immediately melted the ice to create a channel, and the cargo ship sailed brazenly away from the Krieg Pirates.
Just as Krieg thought he had escaped, Auguro spoke to Rangiku Matsumoto.
"Rangiku, destroy all the pirate ships!"
"Yes!"
Rangiku Matsumoto immediately executed the order. The tornado formed by the condensed ash once again swept forth, devastatingly crushing all the pirate ships!
Watching the tornado of ash sweep toward his Dreadnought Battleship Saber, Krieg jumped off his pirate ship on one good leg, roaring in fury toward Auguro's direction, "You bastard! You lied to me!"
Auguro smiled coldly.
He hadn't lied!
As the Soul King, he was a man of his word! He said he would spare Krieg's life, and he did!
But!
He never promised to leave the pirate ships intact!
"You want to keep these ships and continue to plunder commoners? You wish!"
Without his pirate ships, there was little chance that Krieg's remaining forces would survive on the open sea. If he somehow managed to live through that, Auguro would accept it!
A day later, Auguro landed on the small island marked on the map.
According to Krieg's confession, the island was the hiding spot of an old pirate's treasure. The Devil Fruit was also hidden there, meant to be sold later for a comfortable retirement. Auguro ended up getting it for free!
Since it was a hiding spot, the island was uninhabited, a pure, primitive jungle. The Devil Fruit was hidden in a cave deep within the jungle. The area was guarded by fierce wild beasts, which were perfect protectors.
Unfortunately, against two Vice-Captains—Rukia Kuchiki and Rangiku Matsumoto—these terrifying beasts were mere paper tigers.
Soon, the group arrived at the cave marked on the map. But, to their surprise, the inside of the cave was a mess. Gold and silver treasure were scattered everywhere, but the Devil Fruit was nowhere to be seen!
"So much treasure!"
Only the money-loving Nami's eyes lit up, and she immediately pounced on the gold and silver.
"Did… did someone get here first?"
Auguro's face darkened. He had finally found a Devil Fruit, and it was gone!
"Lord Soul King, it doesn't seem to have been a human," Rukia Kuchiki said after a careful inspection, reaching a different conclusion.
"There are claw marks here. It seems a wild beast came and destroyed everything!"
A wild beast?
Auguro paused, then immediately thought of a possibility. Could a wild beast have eaten the Devil Fruit? There were several animals in the original story that had eaten Devil Fruits, some of which had even gained extremely powerful abilities!
"Sigh! A trip for nothing. Let's leave!"
Realizing the Devil Fruit was gone, Auguro instantly lost interest. He was merely curious about the Devil Fruit itself, not the power of a random user.
But just then, Rukia Kuchiki and Rangiku Matsumoto suddenly turned, stating grimly, "Lord Soul King, something is approaching!"
"A wild beast?"
"No! It's at least ten times stronger than the beasts we just encountered!"
Before the words finished, a massive figure appeared at the mouth of the cave, almost completely blocking the entrance! Auguro turned, looking shocked.
"Is that a lion?"
At the entrance stood a gigantic lion, nearly five meters tall, its eyes blazing as it glared at Auguro and the others. Even with Auguro's amateur perception, he could sense an incredibly potent vitality radiating from the huge lion.
"Did this giant lion eat the Devil Fruit?" Auguro muttered to himself.
Seeing its lair invaded by a few small "bugs," the giant lion let out a furious roar. Since it wasn't full yet, it might as well add these small bugs to its meal!