2 chapters will be uploaded on daily basis i.e. 14 Chapters will be uploaded every week apart from the bonus chapters.
1 Bonus Chapter will be uploaded for every 50 Power Stones or 1000 Collections.
All interested readers can read advanced chapters on:
[email protected]/Heroicverse
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An aura shield of spiritual energy unfolded from the back of Auguro's hand, blocking Mr. 5's foot.
Boom!
Mr. 5's foot struck the energy shield, and the violent explosion blasted a large crater in the ground. However, Auguro stood firmly in the center of the pit, completely unscathed—not even a single corner of his clothing was damaged.
Auguro swung his right hand, and his Zanpakutō transformed into a silver flash, slashing toward Mr. 5's head.
Mr. 5 kicked off the ground. With a loud rumble, he used the recoil of the explosion to swiftly dodge Auguro's blade.
"Not bad. Quick reaction speed!" Auguro praised with a smile.
This condescending attitude immediately infuriated Mr. 5. I'm a Senior Officer of Baroque Works, a top-tier agent! Where does a rookie from the Grand Line get the nerve to look down on me!
"You bastard! Taste this technique!"
Mr. 5 took a deep breath, using his Devil Fruit ability to convert all the air into high-energy explosive bombs.
"Air Blast!"
A large, air-shaped cluster of bombs flew toward Auguro. If it hit him, everything within a hundred meters would be razed to the ground!
"All of you, GO TO HELL!" Mr. 5 laughed triumphantly.
This attack wouldn't kill Auguro with his current strength, but Vivi and Igaram, who were within the blast radius, would certainly be annihilated!
Once I get the information about the City of Gold, I'll figure out a way to punish you properly! Mr. 5 thought malevolently.
Auguro saw through Mr. 5's sinister intention. If he wanted to save Vivi, he would have to endure the full force of this explosion! A normal person would surely be severely wounded!
However...
Auguro gave him a cold glance, saying with disdain, "You... are you perhaps underestimating me?"
Raising his Zanpakutō, Auguro quietly chanted, "Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!"
The metallic blade instantly turned pure white. Auguro pointed the tip of the sword at Mr. 5, and the spiritual pressure (Reiatsu) within his body surged like a torrent.
"Tsugi no Mai: Hakuren (Next Dance: White Ripple)!"
A brilliant white stream of cold air erupted, covering everything in its path with a layer of frost. In the next second, Mr. 5's Air Blast was completely engulfed by the chilling air, trapping it within a thick layer of solid ice.
Thump!
With a muffled sound, a massive explosion occurred inside the ice, but it only managed to shatter half of the icy containment. Forget killing Vivi, the remaining shockwave didn't even ruffle her hair!
"This guy... is actually this powerful?"
Earlier, seeing Auguro's group fall so easily into the Whiskey Peak trap, Mr. 5 had assumed they were just pretenders. He thought the 100-million-Berry bounty must have been achieved through some underhanded means.
But judging from the current situation, they had simply been so strong that they never took the trap seriously! That 100-million-Berry bounty was no joke!
"Ah!"
Just then, a scream came from the air. Mr. 5 quickly looked up.
Miss Valentine had a dozen crisscrossing wounds on her body and was plummeting straight down from the sky. As a user of the Kilo-Kilo Fruit, Miss Valentine was one of the few power users capable of flight, which usually gave her a massive advantage in battle.
But facing Matsumoto Rangiku's Zanpakutō, Haineko (Ash Cat), that advantage became a joke. Haineko, which could turn into swirling ash, could attack anywhere, whether in the sky or on the ground!
Miss Valentine had self-assuredly flown into the air, intending to use her signature move, 10,000 Kilogram Press, against Rangiku. Instead, she was defeated with one strike after Rangiku released her Zanpakutō's Shikai.
"Damn it! These guys are far stronger than expected! I need to retreat immediately!" Mr. 5 decisively abandoned his partner and turned to run.
"Trying to run now, isn't that a little late?"
However, the moment Mr. 5 turned around, he saw Auguro blocking his path, staring at him with a half-smile.
"You bastard! Don't underestimate a Senior Officer! Explosion Punch!" Mr. 5 knew this was a fight to the death and recklessly threw a punch at Auguro.
"Too slow!"
Auguro scoffed, lightly drawing a circle with the tip of his blade.
"Some no Mai: Tsukishiro (First Dance: Tsukishiro)!"
A white circle of light appeared beneath Mr. 5's feet. Before he could react, the ground instantly froze, and ice rapidly climbed up his body, freezing him into an ice sculpture in the blink of an eye!
The Baroque Works Senior Officers had suffered their first casualties!
"Ding! Two powerful, ownerless souls detected. Absorb?"
Auguro knew this was referring to the Devil Fruits of Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine. He nodded without hesitation.
"Absorb!"
The system quickly absorbed the two Devil Fruit souls and provided the exchange options.
"Can be exchanged for two Rare-tier lottery tickets. Proceed with the exchange?"
The reward wasn't surprising, as these weren't particularly powerful Devil Fruits. However, Auguro wasn't interested in Rare-tier lottery tickets anymore. He asked casually, "Can this be exchanged for a different reward?"
The system quickly offered an alternative: "Can slightly reinforce one of the host's abilities!"
Auguro's eyes lit up. I can actually enhance my own ability!
This is a rare reward! After all, the cost of replicating abilities using Achievement Points was outrageously expensive!
"System, I want to reinforce my Spiritual Pressure (Reiatsu)!"
As the foundation of his Shinigami power, if he possessed Captain-level Reiatsu, even if his other abilities were lacking, his overall strength would be undeniable!
The next instant, Auguro felt a surge of cool energy rush into his head. His Reiatsu began to gradually grow stronger.
Buzz!
As the last bit of energy was expended, Auguro's Reiatsu suddenly surged, successfully promoting him to the Elite Tier!
"Haha! This is a pleasant surprise!"
In the original timeline, these two would have been defeated by Luffy's crew at Little Garden and later settled down there, lucky to keep their lives. But unfortunately, Auguro was not one to show mercy. Since they came with the intent to kill, they had to be prepared to be killed in return!
Seeing that even their Senior Officers had died, the ordinary Baroque Works members fled, desperately running toward the dock to escape the island.
Auguro didn't bother with the small fry. He walked straight up to Vivi and Igaram. Igaram's injuries had been stabilized by Yamada Hanatarou and were no longer life-threatening.
Seeing this, Vivi breathed a sigh of relief, then her expression turned deeply dejected. She had finally uncovered a clue to Crocodile's treason, only to have her identity exposed. Without irrefutable proof, she had no way to stop Crocodile, who was hailed as a hero in Alabasta!
"Are you trying to fight Crocodile?" Auguro asked, getting straight to the point.
Vivi was uneasy about the "enemy" who had just saved her.
"Why did you help us?"
Auguro's face was cold. "You should have heard it just now. Crocodile made the first move!"
"If someone attacks you, you must return the favor! Since he has an important operation that concerns you two, I simply cannot allow him to succeed!"