Charlotte Linlin had long regarded Ethan as a key figure in her future plans, one she intended to keep at her side for many years as a prime candidate to bear her children.
But she never expected that the Marines would come for him so soon.
"Did Ethan really die just like that…?" Sengoku stared at the calm sea surface, struggling to believe it.
Anyone capable of killing three Vice Admirals with ease couldn't possibly be weak. At the very least, Ethan was on par with a Vice Admiral, possibly even approaching Admiral level.
With strength like that, there was no way he would die from a single attack.
But the truth was undeniable. Since Ethan had fallen into the sea, he had never resurfaced.
"According to the intelligence, this kid ate a Devil Fruit back at God Valley. He's already a Devil Fruit user."
Sengoku calculated silently.
"By now, he's been underwater for ten minutes. A normal human might survive that long, but a Devil Fruit user definitely wouldn't."
He was almost certain that Ethan had drowned, his corpse likely already devoured by the fish below.
Although the cost was the lives of three Vice Admirals, eliminating such a dangerous hidden threat might still have been worth it. Sengoku wasn't sure whether this was a loss or a victory.
As he brooded, he suddenly sensed a venomous glare locking onto him.
Before he could react, Big Mom's furious roar thundered in his ears.
"Sengoku! You killed my most beloved lover today, you will pay the price!"
The moment her words dropped, the two clashed, their battle shaking the surrounding seas for hundreds of miles.
Seawater surged into the skies, the heavens darkened, and only two dark, lightning-like figures could be faintly seen colliding again and again.
Sengoku and Big Mom fought relentlessly for three days and three nights, yet neither could gain the upper hand.
Meanwhile.
The moment Ethan plunged into the sea, Underwater Breathing activated, instantly dispelling the suffocating pressure of the deep.
After quickly binding his wounds, he didn't hesitate for a second. He darted away at full speed.
"Underwater Breathing only lasts thirty seconds, I need to put as much distance between myself, Big Mom, and Sengoku as possible." Ethan's mind raced.
Even though he hadn't learned specialized movement techniques, his current strength made him exceptionally fast. In just twenty seconds, he had fled more than 3,000 nautical miles.
[Underwater Breathing remaining time: 10, 9, 8, 7…]
As the countdown neared zero, Ethan frowned. Then he suddenly remembered he could upgrade his entries.
With a single thought, a prompt appeared before him.
[Use three white blank entries to upgrade 'Underwater Breathing'?]
"Yes." Ethan confirmed.
The countdown immediately ceased, and a new entry appeared before his eyes.
[Child of the Sea (Green): You can now remain underwater for an extended period without being affected by Sea Kings. However, your combat effectiveness will be diminished while submerged.]
Ethan quickly estimated he could now survive underwater for half an hour, sixty times longer than before.
"Green entries are truly leagues beyond white entries."
With a quiet sigh of appreciation, Ethan chose a random direction and continued fleeing at high speed while reviewing his current entries.
Having experienced the power of higher-tier entries, he resolved to strengthen his existing ones.
He currently held thirty white blank entries and ten green blank entries more than enough to upgrade both Sword Genius and Indomitable Vitality to the next tier.
Without hesitation, he initiated the upgrades.
A few moments later, two brand-new purple entries appeared in front of him.
[Unyielding Vitality (Purple): The host's stamina remains perpetually at peak levels. Your combat strength will not decline with age.]
[Innate Sword Bones (Purple): Your swordsmanship comprehension rivals that of a Great Swordsman. You can create numerous top-tier sword techniques, and your sword techniques will have their power amplified by fifty percent.]
"Perpetual peak combat strength…?"
Ethan stared at the description of Unyielding Vitality, stunned. Then a look of disbelief and joy spread across his face.
In the world of pirates, strength was closely tied to youth.
As one aged, even the strongest warriors would gradually decline.
"If Whitebeard hadn't grown old and suffered so many chronic injuries, he would never have been so outmatched during the Marineford War let alone be finished off by Blackbeard."
Ethan sighed quietly.
Though he had lived in the same era as Whitebeard, with Unyielding Vitality in hand, he was confident he would never share Whitebeard's fate.
Aside from that, the Innate Sword Bones entry was equally impressive. Not only had his swordsmanship comprehension skyrocketed, but the power of his sword techniques would also receive a permanent boost.
"Having only Ikoku Sovereignty as my signature sword technique is too limiting. It's easy to develop a counter strategy. When I have time, I need to create more techniques to cover my weaknesses."
With Innate Sword Bones enhancing his mind, countless new sword techniques began forming in his imagination.
But crafting and perfecting them would take time and right now, he was still on the run. There was no time to spare.
"Boom!"
Hearing the intensifying sounds of battle echoing in the distance, Ethan hastened his pace, quickly racing toward the nearby islands.
Several Days Later.
Ethan sat at the counter of a tavern, quietly gathering information. Just as he settled in, he overheard a group of rowdy pirates chatting nearby.
"Hey, did you hear? Admiral Sengoku and Big Mom from the remnants of the Rocks Pirates clashed they fought for three straight days and nights!"
"Who won?"
"No idea. But I heard there was this guy named Ethan who caused quite a stir he killed three Vice Admirals in a row!"
"Ethan? I don't remember anyone by that name in the Rocks Pirates!"
"Heh, that's where you're out of the loop."
"Ethan was Big Mom's newest boy toy she was absolutely crazy about him. Word is, she risked her life at God Valley just to snatch him a Devil Fruit."
"Ah, a Devil Fruit! No wonder he was able to kill three Vice Admirals he must've relied on its power."
"But here's the weird part with all that chaos, why isn't there a bounty posted for him?"
"Such a shame. Talented people don't always live long. Ethan took down three Vice Admirals but was gravely wounded, then took Sengoku's full-powered blow. He was blasted into the sea and completely vanished."
"A Devil Fruit user sinking into the sea? Yeah, he's definitely dead. Probably already fish food by now."
A wave of regret swept over the crowd.
If Ethan had survived, his bounty would have skyrocketed. With him gravely injured, bounty hunters might have been able to swoop in and claim the reward.
But that dream was gone. Ethan wasn't just dead his body had sunk to the bottom of the sea, likely long since devoured by the ocean's predators.
Sitting silently at the bar, Ethan's expression remained impassive, as if unaffected.
"Let them think I'm dead. Without the Marines hunting me down, I can finally lay low for a while, master my Devil Fruit powers, and further refine my Haki."
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Oh, you like the story? Wow, who knew. Go ahead, drop a review and throw some power stones maybe I'll be motivated to keep going