Chapter 96: Studying Akainu's Body and Creating Pupil Black Flame, An Eternal Flame
"I'm not feeling well recently; let's try another day," Akainu muttered, attempting to leave the research room. Sengoku stopped him with a stern look.
"Akainu, you lost the bet. I suggest you accompany Chiba into the lab," Sengoku said coldly.
Sakazuki was furious but had no choice. The eyes of everyone around him left him no room to escape. Reluctantly, he agreed, "Fine, I'll go through with your research."
Chiba, in his research lab, wasn't gentle with Sakazuki. He cut a significant piece of flesh and bone from him, and Sakazuki's screams echoed through the lab daily.
Chiba didn't offer any mercy or healing for Sakazuki. In fact, he hoped Sakazuki might not survive the ordeal, but he refrained from delivering a lethal blow, knowing it would force him out of the Marines.
Time flew by, and ten days passed quickly.
[You have conducted slice research on Sakazuki's body. With a deep understanding of the Lava-Lava Fruit and your past life experiences, you have created the eternal black flame of the pupil technique.]
[Pupil Art: The Eternal Black Flame: Focus true energy in the eyes to summon an unending black flame from hell, burning all within your gaze.]
A torrent of information surged into Chiba's mind. Mysterious power coursed through his body, settling in his right eye. Numerous small meridians opened, allowing true energy to flow continuously.
With each practice session, Chiba's right eye grew stronger, ultimately capable of summoning the terrifying, never-extinguishing black flame.
Chiba was thrilled. This black flame could consume even other flames, and water couldn't extinguish it. With this power, he could easily overpower Akainu in future confrontations.
He continued to study Sakazuki for five more days, but found no new insights. Meanwhile, Lucci remained at Marineford, primarily to thank Chiba and acquire more resources for practice.
Chiba had a good impression of Lucci, who brought valuable Devil Fruit information and rare herbs. Chiba reciprocated by providing Lucci with significant cultivation resources, made especially for him.
At the port, Lucci bid farewell to Chiba. "Without your medicine and elixirs, I wouldn't have become the CPO leader so swiftly."
Chiba replied, "Without your information, I wouldn't have gained so many Devil Fruit materials and resources."
"Our collaboration could deepen," Lucci suggested, whispering, "I suspect you've developed water-related techniques allowing Devil Fruit users to swim."
Chiba's eyes narrowed, sensing Lucci's intentions. He knew Lucci had a plan but didn't acknowledge it. "You jest, Lucci. Devil Fruit users can't swim."
Lucci laughed, "I see, but others might figure it out too. Be prepared, especially since Akainu might catch on."
"With the new era of piracy, Marine needs strong leadership. You or Akainu will be the next Marine Marshal."
Chiba understood Lucci's favor but didn't admit to anything. "Thanks for the warning, Lucci. I'll handle Akainu."
Lucci nodded, "I'm interested in your water technique. Next time, I'll bring something irresistible to trade."
Chiba smiled, "We'll see. Farewell, Lucci."
As Lucci left, Chiba considered sharing his Black Water technique if Lucci brought something valuable enough.
Despite preferring Sengoku to remain Marshal, the damage from Whitebeard's assault meant Sengoku had to step down. Chiba was nominated as Marine headquarters' candidate by Sengoku, Aokiji, Tsuru, Hina, and Peacock. Kizaru stayed neutral, unsure who would prevail between Chiba and Akainu.
In Akainu's office, he cursed his realization of Chiba's water technique. Chiba's collapse technique obscured who ate the Shock Fruit—be it Chiba, Koby, Helmeppo, or someone else.
"This b*****d," Akainu grumbled, but saw opportunity with Sengoku stepping down. Determined to become Marine Marshal, he aimed to bring justice and peace, unlike Chiba.
The Commander-in-Chief backed Akainu, urging him to hone his skills. Akainu sought to awaken his Lava-Lava Fruit and enhance his Haki, confident he'd surpass Chiba.
Sakazuki ordered his men, "Prepare a warship to the volcano I found."
On a nearby island, Hancock, Hina, and Peacock relaxed in bikinis. Koby and Helmeppo sparred, while Apu played music. Chiba practiced the eternal black flame, channeling true energy through his right eye's meridians.
Chiba's right eye grew stronger, extending his vision and imbuing it with mystical power. As he focused, black flames appeared, burning the sea surface. The flames, even turning steam into blue flames, demonstrated their potency.
An unfortunate Sea King fled from the heat, but Chiba's gaze followed, the black flame consuming it underwater.
Hancock noticed and asked, "Chiba, what is that black flame?"
Chiba smiled, "It's hellfire, impervious to ordinary water."
Chiba knew only the true Black Water technique could extinguish the flame, a technique he shared only with a select few.
The phone rang, and Sengoku's voice came through.
"Chiba, the commander-in-chief announced the next marshal will be you or Akainu. Marines need strong leadership, so whoever wins commands."
Chiba sighed, "Troublesome. Maybe you should show your strength, Sengoku. I bet they'd re-elect you."
"Enough jokes. We've recommended you. Aokiji, Tsuru, Hina, Peacock, and I believe in you. Don't let us down."
"I'll do my best," Chiba assured.
"You must defeat Akainu and become marshal. Only you can lead Marines against pirates and bring peace."
"That's a heavy crown, but I'm confident against Akainu."
"Don't underestimate him. He trained in a volcano, awakening his Lava-Lava Fruit and enhancing his Haki. Are you sure?"
"Even so, I'm certain of victory."
"Great, I'll await your success," Sengoku chuckled, ending the call.
Tsuru Vice Admiral voiced concern, "Chiba's confidence worries me. Akainu's strength is formidable."
Sengoku chuckled, "I trust Chiba. He has what it takes."
After the call, Chiba took pills to enhance his Divine Elephant Suppressing Prison Strength, feeling a breakthrough. With spiritual particles evolving, his power surged anew.
[•———•——•———•]
𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮. 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚!
𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼:
⭐ • 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗺 𝗡𝗴𝗼 [𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀 𝗼𝗻 $𝟭𝟬 𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗿]
⭐ • 𝙅𝙘𝟭𝟮𝟬𝟮 [𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀 𝗼𝗻 $𝟱 𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗿]
⭐ • 𝘼𝙝𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙟𝙖𝙝 [𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀 𝗼𝗻 $𝟱 𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗿]
⭐ • 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗼𝗯 𝗠𝗼𝗲𝗲 [𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀 𝗼𝗻 $𝟱 𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗿]
𝗔𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸:
✨ • 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟭𝟴𝟱+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.
✨ • 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁-𝗢𝘂𝘁: 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩!
𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝘂𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝗺𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗲𝘁, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀!
👉 𝙅𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙣𝙤𝙬: 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣.𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧
💬 𝘼𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝘼𝙫𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚: 𝙈𝙮 𝘼𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙩! 𝙐𝙣𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙧 $30—𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 10% 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩! 𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙙𝙚: 𝗚𝗢𝗗𝗢𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗥.
𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙂𝙋𝙏 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙗𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙮 𝘼𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙩, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙀𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣-𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙮, 𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙣𝙪𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙡. 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙦𝙪𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙨, 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙣𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚!
👉 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗽: 𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣.𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧/𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙥