Boom!
As the power of the earthquake force erupted, the ground beneath the ghoul instantly cracked apart.
If even the ground became like this, then there was no need to mention the ghoul's flesh-and-blood body.
Although ghouls possessed physical strength far superior to that of ordinary humans, just like how Kaneki Ken, when he had just received kakuhou transplants and became an artificial half-ghoul, couldn't even cut himself with a small knife..
Ordinary weapons simply could not damage a ghoul's flesh. This was also why the quinque was so important to ghoul investigators.
But even so, it still could not withstand the destructive power of the earthquake ability.
If the earthquake force of the Gura Gura no Mi were developed to its fullest, it could directly trigger man-made large-scale earthquakes. That was why this ability was commonly referred to as the power of "earthquake."
[Ding! The host has defeated a B-rated ghoul and received reward: System Points: 1!]
As Ihei Byakuya completely finished off that ghoul, the system notification echoed in his mind again.
Immediately after, he disposed of the other two injured ghouls one after another.
[Ding! The host has defeated a B-rated ghoul and received reward: System Points: 1!]
[Ding! The host has defeated a B-rated ghoul and received reward: System Points: 1!]
Hearing the same system notification repeatedly, Ihei Byakuya still had no idea what these system points were supposed to be.
Right now he only felt a wave of fatigue. It was probably because he had repeatedly used the power of the Gura Gura no Mi just now.
Even though the Gura Gura no Mi didn't have any obvious side effects, even when Whitebeard in his later years was so weakened he needed IV drips all over his body, there was no proof that the Gura Gura no Mi was responsible.
A reasonable explanation was simply the accumulation of injuries over the years.
But the Gura Gura no Mi definitely demanded high physical strength.
A simple logic: even professional fighters could be panting and exhausted after going all-out for five minutes in the octagon.
Not to mention that Ihei Byakuya had been adding the Gura Gura no Mi's power onto his fists the whole time. The consumption of stamina and energy was undoubtedly immense.
Both known users of the Gura Gura no Mi, Whitebeard and Blackbeard, possessed physiques far beyond ordinary humans.
So from the very beginning, Ihei Byakuya had planned not only to develop the fruit's ability but also to continuously enhance his physical strength.
At that moment, a system panel suddenly appeared before Byakuya's eyes.
[Host: Ihei Byakuya]
[Age: 16]
[Identity: CCG Third-Class Investigator, Ihei Family (Washuu Branch Family) Half-Human]
[Strength: 23 (Average adult value: 10)]
[Speed: 30 (Average adult value: 10)]
[Endurance: 22 (Average adult value: 10)]
[Ability: Gura Gura no Mi Lv0 (2/100)]
[Weapon: None]
[System Points: 3]
Through this sudden system panel, Ihei Byakuya received a massive amount of information.
First was his identity, the Ihei Family (Washuu Branch Family) Half-Human.
Half-humans were hybrids born from the union of humans and ghouls. The most representative figure was the one known as the White Reaper, the undefeated ghoul investigator Arima Kishou, the strongest Special Class Investigator of the CCG.
The Arima, Ihei, and Souzu families were branch families of the Washuu Clan.
Because half-humans were hybrids, their physical ability far surpassed that of ordinary humans. That was why Ihei Byakuya's physical stats were two or three times higher than those of a normal adult.
"No wonder my body feels so different compared to before..."
Byakuya immediately thought to himself.
His body was undoubtedly still his original body, only now enhanced by the system to match what a half-human should naturally possess.
If he still had the ordinary physical condition he'd had before transmigrating, then even with the Gura Gura no Mi in his hand, he probably wouldn't have been able to defeat those B-rated ghouls earlier...
Thinking this, Ihei Byakuya prepared to leave.
He had already realized that he was in the 24th Ward.
In the world of Tokyo Ghoul, "Tokyo" was the stage of the entire story, divided into twenty-four wards.
Among them, the most dangerous and chaotic place was the 24th Ward, because it was the nest of ghouls, and the CCG had no branch established here. Simply put, even if one died here, no one would ever know.
And behind him was the most dangerous one of all, the One-Eyed Owl, rated SSS-class, Yoshimura Eto...
Since he had no clear idea of Yoshimura Eto's current strength, Ihei Byakuya just wanted to stay far away from her.
The 24th Ward was essentially an underground labyrinth. Leaving and finding an exit was no simple matter. Byakuya could only pick a direction and slowly feel his way forward.
But he hadn't walked far before he noticed someone following him.
Turning around, sure enough, it was Yoshimura Eto.
Clothed in tattered grayish-white fabric, she looked pitiful at a glance. But Byakuya knew very well just how brutal and dangerous this girl actually was...
"Why are you following me?"
Ihei Byakuya directly asked.
Yoshimura Eto's small body trembled slightly, as if startled by his tone, and she stopped walking.
Seeing that she didn't respond, Ihei Byakuya continued on.
But after a while, he noticed that she was following him again.
"You're still following me?"
Ihei Byakuya frowned slightly.
He hadn't expected it at all, but it seemed like Yoshimura Eto had attached herself to him, and that gave him a headache.
Based on his impression of Yoshimura Eto, though she looked small and adorable, she was someone with twisted tastes and extreme cruelty. And most importantly, her strength was terrifying.
While most of her actions ultimately pushed forward a plan that was, in the end, somewhat righteous, she also acted sometimes purely out of twisted amusement, or revenge.
He feared that his display of the Gura Gura no Mi earlier had triggered Yoshimura Eto's twisted curiosity, and if so, he was in trouble...
"You saved me, and I can only follow you..."
At that moment, Yoshimura Eto finally spoke in a soft and weak tone.
"Wrong. It's not that I wanted to save you. Those guys were trying to attack me."
Ihei Byakuya corrected her.
But Yoshimura Eto didn't reply again. It was as if she had completely decided to cling to Byakuya.
"..."
Ihei Byakuya was helpless.
He couldn't do anything to Yoshimura Eto. If she refused to listen, it wasn't like he could just attack her.
If he really did attack, who knew, Yoshimura Eto might activate her kakuja in the very next instant.
If the Yoshimura Eto in front of him already had the SSS-class strength she possessed at age fourteen, then with his current condition he absolutely wouldn't be able to defeat her...
And so, Yoshimura Eto followed behind Ihei Byakuya in small steps.
From time to time she lifted her eyes to look at Byakuya's back, her thoughts unknown to him, no one could tell what she was thinking...