[A/N] - Support & Read Up to 15 Advanced Chapters on Patreon!
[A/N] - Unlock the Next Level of this Story with your [Power Stones]!
...
"Damn you! You've angered me!" Charlotte Linlin roared, bursting from the shattered remnants of the ruined island. She thrust her right hand towards the sky. "Napoleon! Prometheus! Zeus!"
"Yes, Mama!"
In that instant, Big Mom unleashed the full potential of her Soru Soru no Mi. A cruel, savage grin twisted her lips as she glared at Ian.
The thundercloud Zeus and the sun Prometheus swelled dramatically. Zeus positioned itself beneath her feet, while Prometheus engulfed her head, transforming into a fiery mane. Her bicorne hat morphed into a hilt, becoming the colossal blade Napoleon, completing her demonic transformation.
Yet, Ian remained unmoved by her frightening aura. In the distance, Tashigi, Katakuri, and the others watched in stunned silence, a mixture of awe and concern for Ian swirling within them.
"Die, you little brat!"
In the next moment, a wave of terror washed over Tashigi, the Big Mom Pirates, and the Homies inhabiting the surrounding islands. A strange, viscous, ethereal substance began to rise from their bodies. "Wh-What is this?!"
Tashigi could see the substance leaving her own body. While she didn't understand what it was, a primal instinct screamed danger. Big Mom, her face a mask of icy fury, swept her hand across Totto Land, and the eerie substance detached from its hosts, converging towards her.
Her power intensified.
"Maama, no!"
Those familiar with Big Mom's abilities cried out in terror as they witnessed the strange substance flowing towards her. They knew what it represented: lifespan, the very essence of their souls.
Big Mom possessed the power to extract lifespan. Those who felt fear in her presence had their years stolen, the amount determined solely by her whim. Katakuri and the stronger members of her crew could resist her power through sheer willpower, but the Homies knew their fate was sealed.
Having gained sentience, they clung to life with a desperate fervor. While they knew they would eventually be reborn, their souls would be recycled, their identities erased. They would cease to exist as they were.
Tashigi instinctively tried to hold onto the strange substance, a chilling premonition gripping her heart. She felt that if this essence left her body, she would… die.
But no matter how hard she struggled, she couldn't stop it. Just as the substance was about to fully detach, Ian, who had been standing motionless, suddenly reached out and grasped it in his hand.
"It's useless. You can't stop it!"
"Mama's power can extract lifespan from anyone! No one can interfere!"
Katakuri and the others watched Ian's actions with cold indifference, convinced of his futility.
However, as Ian's hand closed around the ethereal substance, it didn't pass through. To their astonishment, he held it firmly in his grasp. A look of understanding dawned on Ian's face. "So that's how it works."
This lifespan essence seemed to be a component of the soul, a manifestation of the world's fundamental laws.
Big Mom's Soru Soru no Mi allowed her to manipulate these laws. Those who felt fear in her presence had their lifespan, a fragment of their soul, extracted. In the original story, in a fit of rage, Big Mom had even used this power to kill one of her own sons. Yet, the soul wasn't destroyed.
It was simply transferred into a Homie. That's why they didn't perceive any loss, unlike Ian, who devoured souls completely. Big Mom, on the other hand, seemed to store them within her own spirit, which explained her soul power.
However, this also meant that when she fell into the sea, she lost access to these stored souls and memories, appearing significantly weaker.
Understanding this, Ian's expression calmed. He gently pushed the essence back into Tashigi's body. The chilling premonition that had gripped her heart faded, replaced by a sense of peace and relief.
This seemingly insignificant act sent shockwaves through the onlookers.
The surviving pirates, even the ministers, stared in disbelief, their eyes wide with astonishment. Even Big Mom was momentarily stunned. Her power… had been interrupted.
Ian's lack of fear and immunity to her power was one thing. After all, he was the infamous Black Winged Devil, Defeated several Warlords, Shiki, and even Kaido. But Tashigi had clearly felt fear, her lifespan had been extracted, and she was on the verge of death. Yet, Ian had forcibly reversed the process.
If it were simply lifespan, Ian wouldn't have been able to interfere. He would have needed the help of someone with a time-manipulating Devil Fruit, like Foxy's Slow-Slow Fruit or Ain's Modo Modo no Mi. Both slowing and reversing time were formidable abilities.
But this essence contained a fragment of the soul. lifespan couldn't grant sentience to Homies, unlike Moria's zombies. While Ian possessed an extended lifespan, he couldn't manipulate time yet. However, souls were his domain.
Souls were invisible to ordinary eyes.
"Th-Thank you… Ian!"
While Tashigi didn't fully understand what had transpired, the reactions of those around her, and the sense of relief washing over her, confirmed that Ian had saved her life. She looked at him with gratitude and a newfound awe.
She was even more wary of Big Mom's power. The Emperors of the Sea were scary figures.
"You're welcome," Ian replied with a gentle smile. "You followed me on this pirate adventure. I won't let you die, Besides, who would take care of me then?"
His words brought a blush to Tashigi's cheeks. Was this a declaration of ownership?
He turned his attention back to Big Mom. Panic gripped the surrounding pirates, some even having their souls ripped from their bodies and extinguished, their lifeless forms collapsing to the ground.
Yet, when Big Mom had attempted to use her power on Ian, it had felt like a mayfly trying to shake a mountain. She couldn't even grasp his soul, let alone extract his lifespan. This startled her, and she unleashed the full force of her Soru Soru no Mi.
Something did happen to Ian, but it wasn't his soul being extracted. The edges of his white Arrancar uniform simply fluttered in the wind, stirred by the force of her power.
Big Mom's all-out attack had failed, and a wave of intimidating power washed over her, filling her with dread.
"The Soru Soru no Mi's ability to manipulate souls is strong, but… I'm a Hollow who devours souls. Perhaps you're more familiar with the term 'Shinigami'?" Ian's eyes glinted with mockery as he looked at the terrified Big Mom.
"Perhaps you don't understand what the word 'Shinigami' means. Allow me to enlighten you." As he spoke, a cold conceit filled his eyes, and his spiritual pressure erupted.
BOOM!
When Big Mom had attempted to grasp Ian's soul, it had felt like mountain, immovable and impenetrable. She hadn't sensed anything else. But now, as Ian's spiritual pressure crashed down upon her, there was only one word to describe the feeling…
Overwhelming.
Like an ant facing a collapsing mountain, she felt utterly powerless to resist.
"No way..." Big Mom couldn't believe what was happening. Never before had she encountered such horrifying power. Even all the souls she had ever extracted combined couldn't match the force emanating from Ian.
This was a clash of souls, a battle fought on a spiritual plane. Ian's overwhelming spiritual pressure crushed her, shattering her attempt to use her Devil Fruit power and even causing it to backfire. Her own fragmented soul was thrown into disarray.
Big Mom's soul was powerful, among the strongest in the world. Her Soru Soru no Mi had elevated her to the position of a Yonko.
But this level of soul power was child's play compared to a Shinigami or a Hollow. The difference was astronomical.
"Nothing is impossible. Even you, standing at the pinnacle of this sea, Is Living in a bubble, unaware of how big the world."
Ian stood tall and proud. Even a Yonko couldn't comprehend the power of a Shinigami. Big Mom felt the countless souls she had gathered being drawn towards Ian, his Soul Absorption far exceeding her own in speed and scope. It was like comparing a kitchen faucet to the floodgates of a dam.
She could influence a few islands, while Ian's reach encompassed the entire Totto Land, with her and Whole Cake Island at its center.
...
"It's time to end this. You're about to witness a form that even Kaido hasn't seen. Consider yourself fortunate."
"Time's up." Ian declared.
"Nanii?" Big Mom questioned, though shaken by Ian's spiritual pressure and the realization that he might actually defeat her. She could still escape if she chose to.
Ian knew this, which was why he decided to utilize a power he had yet to unleash: his Resurrección, Segunda Etapa.
"It's your time to die." A sinister smile spread across Ian's lips. As Big Mom watched in stunned silence, he uttered the words, "Resurrección, Segunda Etapa!"
The half-horned, white skull helmet on his head transformed, two full horns curving menacingly upwards. His fingernails extended into sharp claws, his hair seemed to lengthen, and the tear marks beneath his eyes deepened and darkened.
Massive, black wings unfurled behind him, blotting out the sun. Black raindrops began to fall from the sky. Big Mom felt an immense pressure, as if an ocean were pressing down on her. "This frightening power… Damn it…"
Almost everyone stared at Ian in stunned silence, the ground beneath his feet radiating an even more intimidating, dark green spiritual pressure. His body continued to transform.
As users of Mythical Zoan Devil Fruits, they naturally assumed Ian possessed a similar hybrid form, like Kaido's dragon form. But something felt wrong. His power wasn't plateauing. It continued to surge, like a volcano erupting.
The upper half of his uniform disintegrated, black liquid flowing from his eyes, extending the tear marks downwards. His sclera turned green, and black feathers covered his torso, legs, arms, and back. The lower half of his hakama split into two tails.
His wings fully extended, revealing sharp, bat-like claws. The horns on his helmet grew longer, sharper, and more menacing. A long, prehensile tail emerged, tipped with a blade-like bone structure. His lower body, resembling plumage, was partially covered in feathers.
His final release, the Tercera Etapa, would resemble a fallen angel, his entire body covered in feathers.
Everyone stared in awe and terror at Ian's transformed state, the sheer power emanating from him silencing any thoughts of resistance. They had only heard rumors of his first release, but this form… it was beyond their comprehension. If before, it felt like an ocean suspended above them…
With a few droplets of rain falling, now it felt like the entire ocean was about to crash down upon them. Every instinct screamed danger, urging them to flee, to put as much distance as possible between themselves and this monster. Katakuri and the others were stunned, even Tashigi, who had accompanied Ian on his journey, was unaware of this hidden power.
Big Mom's face paled. She could sense Ian's power surging, far surpassing his previous level, which had already rivaled her own.
In the Bleach universe, Shinigami Bankai and Arrancar Resurrección were distinct transformations. Bankai represented the evolution of a Zanpakuto's power, while Resurrección was the release of a Hollow's sealed power, a return to their true form.
That's why Ulquiorra had declared his second release to be his true form.
Now, Ian had inherited the true power of Ulquiorra Cifer, reaching the level of a Captain-Commander or a Vasto Lorde. But why was his mastery only at 70%, not 100%?
Because beyond this… there was more.
...
Support and Read 15 Advanced Chapters. Ahead of the Rest!
https://p@treon.com/dragonnx
[ Replace '@' with 'a' to Access Patreon Normally ]
There is 6 more exciting Fanfics already available on my Patreon page!