The newsroom was in complete disarray. Newspapers flew in every direction, stacking up in piles, some even toppling over as the massive figure of "Big News" Morgans thrashed around in excitement.
"KUWAHAHAHAHA!!" Morgans cackled, his legs kicking wildly in the air as he lay sprawled on the floor. Tears streamed down his face, overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the story he had just heard.
The News Coo perched on his desk remained unphased despite the madness, watching as its boss rolled around like a child.
"Wait! Say it again! Tell me again! DRACO KILLED KONG?!? KUWAHAHAHAHA!! THIS IS THE BEST NEWS I'VE EVER HEARD!!!" Morgans howled, grabbing the nearest newspaper stack and flinging it into the air.
The papers rained down around the room as Morgans jumped to his feet, his massive wings flapping slightly as he stomped toward his desk.
"I KNEW IT! DRACO! THE HUMAN GOD!!! KUWAHAHAHA!!!" Morgans bellowed, slamming his hand onto the desk so hard that it shook. The News Coo merely ruffled its feathers and waited.
"Release it!" Morgans commanded, his eyes wild with excitement. "Release the newspaper NOW!! Let the whole world know! A NEW MONSTER WALKS AMONG MEN!!!"
[Water 7]
As the Roger Pirates made their final preparations to leave the island. The festivities had ended, but the energy of victory still lingered in the air.
"Oi! Pack another set of booze!" one crewmate called out.
"Got it!" another responded, lugging a heavy barrel onto the ship.
Inside the medical bay, Roger lay in bed, hooked up to various tubes and bandages covering his wounds. Yet, despite the damage he had taken, his laughter filled the room.
"Garp really got a good one on me in that fight! Hahahaha! I didn't know he'd gotten so strong!" Roger chuckled, shaking his head in admiration.
WACK!
Crocus slammed a fresh healing patch onto Roger's chest, causing him to wince.
"Roger… YOU HAVE TO BE MORE CAREFUL!" Crocus scolded, his voice filled with frustration. "How many times must I tell you?! You can't just take every attack head-on!"
The room erupted into laughter at the sight of their captain getting lectured like a misbehaving child. Even Draco chuckled from the side before deciding to step outside for some fresh air.
His version of "fresh air" was, of course, drinking more booze.
[On the main deck]
Draco leaned against the railing, watching the crew go about their business. With a grin, he reached into his inventory and pulled out a large barrel of booze. With a satisfying pop, he yanked out the plug and began chugging.
"Glug… Glug… Glug…"
He didn't stop until the barrel was half empty. Sighing in satisfaction, he wiped his mouth and was about to take another gulp when-
"Captain."
Draco turned his head slightly to see Enel standing next to him.
"Huh?" Draco grunted, raising an eyebrow.
Enel didn't respond. Instead, he simply pointed toward the center of the deck.
Draco followed his gaze and smirked.
Standing there was Void, the former Vice Admiral, standing at full attention, his hands behind his back like a disciplined soldier. Behind him, tied up to the mast, was the captured Taylor, still unconscious.
Void stepped forward, his expression unreadable, and then spoke.
"Sir, let me join your crew!"
Draco tilted his head slightly before letting out a chuckle. "Alright, but you'll need to pass two tests first."
Void's eyes remained firm. "Sir, yes sir!"
Draco shook his head. "Just call me Draco."
"Yes, Captain Draco!" Void corrected himself immediately.
Draco sighed but nodded in approval before placing his barrel of booze down. Then, as he took a step forward-
The atmosphere shifted
A suffocating bloodlust filled the air.
The air grew thick and heavy, and the world itself seemed to turn black and red. Each step Draco took radiated a growing, overwhelming aura, one that could make even top fighters drop to their knees in fear.
Void's breath hitched as sweat began to form on his brow. His body trembled slightly as he met Draco's red-ringed gaze.
'This… sensation… what is this?!' Void thought, struggling to keep himself standing. He clenched his teeth, resisting the crushing pressure of Draco's Bloodlust.
Then-
A voice emerged from the depths of his mind.
"Pathetic."
Void's eyes widened slightly.
The voice was his, but darker, colder, dripping with ominous disdain.
"You're weak. You always have been."
Inside his head, a shadowed figure loomed over him, its glowing white pupils piercing through the void-like darkness.
"You're letting someone push you around? Letting them test you like a common soldier?" the voice sneered.
Void's hands shook, but he gritted his teeth, trying to suppress it.
"Give me control."
The voice grew deeper, more demanding.
"Let me take over. I'll eliminate this threat. I'll show him... show them all... that no one treats us like this."
Void's vision flickered.
For a brief moment, his pupils turned white, and his sclera darkened into an abyssal black.
Draco, watching from a few steps away, narrowed his eyes slightly at the change.
'Huh…?' he mused but ultimately shrugged. He couldn't have cared less.
Void's internal struggle continued.
"Without me, you're nothing."
"No…!" Void mentally screamed back.
His hands curled into fists, his knuckles turning white, veins visibly showing.
"I don't need you!"
The dark voice growled, but before it could say more-
The bloodlust vanished.
Like a switch being flipped, the overwhelming pressure dissipated into nothingness.
Void's vision snapped back to normal. His pupils returned, and his breathing evened out.
When his blurred vision returned to normal, Draco was already in front of him, calmly tapping his fist against his stomach.
"Good," Draco said, smirking. "You passed the first part."
Void exhaled sharply, his body relaxing slightly. He quickly returned to his neutral stance, though the lingering effect of Draco's bloodlust still clung to his mind.
Draco turned his gaze toward an empty section of the docks.
'Damn… I'm still short compared to these idiots,' Draco thought to himself, glancing between Void and Enel, who was casually picking his nose.
Draco sighed. "Alright, for your second test… You're going to spar with Enel."
Void tilted his head slightly. "Understood."
"While blindfolded."
Void's eyes widened slightly, though he quickly masked his surprise.
'He figured out my weakness with Observation Haki already…?' Void thought, shocked.
"Huh?" Enel blinked, flicking the booger off his finger. "I gotta fight this guy?"
"Yep," Draco said, pointing toward the empty field near the docks. "You two, go over there and fight."
Enel shrugged before vanishing in a flash of lightning.
Void, without hesitation, sliced open a void portal, stepping through and appearing in the field.
Draco raised an eyebrow, a small smirk forming on his lips.
'Interesting devil fruit…' he thought.
Then, in an instant, Draco himself vanished, using Soru to teleport to the battlefield.
As the fight was about to unfolded, the other crewmates grew more interested. From the watchtower, Scopper Gaban observed with a smirk, rubbing his chin.
"Hmm… That guy... he's new, but he's got something in him," Scopper muttered, his keen eyes analyzing every move.
On the deck of the Oro Jackson, Buggy, Shanks, and Oden had just left Roger's medical room when they caught sight of Draco and them on the field
"Why, I outa—huh? Is that Draco and Enel?" Buggy said, cutting his own sentence short as he pointed toward the field. "And… that marine dude? What was his name again?"
"A fight?" Shanks perked up, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
Without a second thought, he leaped over the railing of the ship, landing gracefully near the empty field.
"Tch! Wait for me, red-hair!" Buggy whined before jumping after him.
Oden, intrigued by the unfolding battle, smirked before following suit, his swords resting against his shoulders.
Back at the battlefield, Enel stretched his arms lazily while grinning, the air around him crackling with anticipation.
Void, in contrast, remained composed. He drove his katana into the ground, taking the blindfold tossed to him by Draco.
"Shit… I can barely sense anything," Void muttered under his breath, securing the cloth tightly over his eyes.
He retrieved his katana, resting it on his shoulder before turning to face Enel, relying solely on instinct.
Enel smirked. A few seconds ago, Draco had briefed him:
"Void is strong, yes. His Armament Haki leagues above yours. But his Observation Haki?"
"It's leagues below yours."
The words rang in Enel's head as he cracked his knuckles.
"It seems we're complete opposites!" Enel shouted, laughing as lightning sparked along his fingertips.
Void clenched his grip on his sword, focusing intently.
Draco, seeing they were ready, grabbed a wooden stick from the ground.
"Whoever calls quits first loses!" he called out, his grin widening.
With one swift motion, Draco swung the stick down.
BOOM!
A powerful gust of wind exploded outward, signaling the start of the fight.
Enel wasted no time.
ZAP!
His body flickered and phased into the ground, instantly reappearing above Void, an eel-like grin stretched across his face.
{Lightning Palms!}
His hands surged with electricity as he reached for Void, who was still attempting to pinpoint Enel's exact position.
But-
SHIIING!
Void's instincts kicked in. In a split second, he twisted his body and swung his katana in a deadly arc toward Enel.
"SHIT!"
Enel barely managed to zap away, feeling the wind pressure of the slash graze his cheek.
Landing a few meters away, Enel wiped a trickle of sweat from his brow.
"Jeez… that was close."
Void didn't waste a second, hearing where Enel was.
Using Soru, he darted toward Enel, swinging his katana at full force.
{Void Conquest}
The moment Void unleashed his attack,
A wave of void matter exploded outward in a 360-degree radius, consuming everything in its path.
The lush, green grass instantly evaporated upon contact, leaving behind a desolate, blackened crater.
"Tch!"
Enel leaped back, eyes widening.
"Damn! I need to take this seriously!"
Electricity violently surged through his body as he gritted his teeth.
{UNAGI!}
A massive lightning eel spiraled around Enel's arm before launching toward Void at blinding speed.
Void, unable to sense the attack in time, took the full force of the strike.
ZZZZZZT!!
Electricity coursed through his body, his muscles locking up from the voltage.
A trickle of blood ran down from the corner of his mouth as his knees nearly buckled.
But then,
His eyes changed.
His pupils turned white while his sclera darkened into an abyssal black.
His body went eerily still.
Then, in a cold, robotic tone, Void spoke:
"I see it's you again, kid."
Enel's confident smirk faltered.
"…Huh?"
His eyebrow twitched in confusion and wariness.
This was not the same Void he had been fighting just seconds ago.