"I shattered your heart with that last hit."
"The more you regenerate, the faster you will die."
Karl struggled to rise, but every attempt to move only made him cough up more blood.
He finally understood. The Black Dragon before him was operating on a level of power completely beyond his imagination.
"What... kind of monster are you..." he rasped.
"A devourer."
Bullet dropped through the hole and landed beside him.
"One that specializes in swallowing so called strong men like you who think too highly of themselves."
He raised his right hand. Dragonization spread.
A pitch black claw emerged and rested lightly over Karl's chest.
Devour activated.
He went straight for the most valuable things in Karl's body: the life trait gifted by his awakened Ancient Zoan, and the heavy Armament Haki honed through years of battle.
"Aaaargh!"
Karl's scream was so shrill it barely sounded human.
He felt something fundamental inside him being ripped out.
It was not mere stamina or life force. It was aptitude. The capacity to become strong. The potential to grow stronger.
Once gone, it would never return.
[Devour: Ancient Zoan · Earth Giant Bear life trait (fragment)]
[Gain: Slight boost to regeneration, muscle density +0.5%]
[Devour: Armament Haki trait (heavy type)]
[Gain: Armament Haki quality up, defensive properties enhanced, Black Scale Armament hardness +1.2%]
Bullet did not stop.
He needed to test a hypothesis.
What would happen if he completely devoured an ability user, including their Devil Fruit power?
The devouring went deeper.
Karl's screams weakened, his body starting to shrivel.
The stone armor flaked away. Fur fell out. His enormous frame collapsed like a punctured balloon.
The blood red light in his eyes dimmed and finally went out.
When Bullet pulled his hand back, Karl had reverted to human form, lying on his back and barely clinging to life.
He was not dead, but he was finished.
His Fruit power was gone. His Haki was gone. Even his basic physical stats were now worse than an ordinary man's.
And Bullet had gained more than he expected.
[Gain: Life essence (high quality)]
[Gain: Ancient Zoan blood fragment (Earth Giant Bear)]
[Gain: Armament Haki total capacity +8%]
[Physical constitution overall enhancement: +3.1%]
[Scale evolution rate: 0.09% → 0.14%]
More important than the numbers was the sensation of a new warmth flowing through his body.
That was the latent evolutionary potential of the Ancient Zoan blood fragment.
"Good quality," Bullet murmured, as if commenting on a fine dish.
He turned, ready to leave the ship that was moments from sinking.
At that moment, Arohan's voice sounded behind him.
"Devouring everything, without even sparing the source."
"So you really are the heir of Nidhogg."
Bullet paused and slowly turned back.
Arohan stood at the edge of the hole, looking down at him.
The old monk's face was as calm as ever, but there was finally some emotion in his eyes, the relief of someone whose suspicions had been confirmed.
"You know about Nidhogg," Bullet said.
"I know," Arohan nodded.
"The world devouring dragon that gnaws at the roots of the World Tree."
"I have read of it in ancient texts, and seen it on murals in certain ruins."
He stepped forward, walking down through thin air to land ten meters in front of Bullet.
"But I did not expect a creature from myth to appear in this age as a Devil Fruit."
"And even less did I expect its chosen bearer to walk a path of pure devouring evolution."
Bullet narrowed his eyes. This old monk knew far too much.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"Arohan."
"Once an archaeologist. Later an ascetic monk. Now Karl's first mate."
Arohan pressed his palms together.
"Of course, none of that really matters."
"What matters is that I want to know one thing."
He opened his eyes fully. Deep inside those previously tranquil irises, a fanatical light flared to life.
"If I devour Nidhogg's heir..."
"Will I gain the authority to devour?"
The moment the words left his mouth, his aura changed.
He was no longer a calm old monk. He was a waking primordial beast.
The tattered robes around him fluttered without wind. Golden Sanskrit characters surfaced on his exposed skin, each glowing on its own.
More astonishing still, a hazy Buddha image appeared at his back.
It was not a gentle Buddha of compassion, but a wrathful Vajra, three faced and six armed, each hand gripping a different sacred tool.
"This is my ability," Arohan said slowly.
"Paramecia, Faith Fruit."
"I can turn the power of people's faith into tangible strength."
"The Karl Pirates have slaughtered tens of thousands. Their fear, their grudges, their despair..."
"All of that became my food."
He raised his hand, palm up.
A lump of golden energy, like liquid sunlight, gathered in his grasp.
"This is not Haki. It is not Devil Fruit power."
"It is pure divine force."
"It does not obey physical law, nor can it be countered by Haki."
"I want to see whether your devouring..."
"Can swallow faith itself."