One Piece: Path to Power

[2045 words]

PS: He hasn't watched 7 Deadly Sins as he was busy making bombs and only had time for One Piece and some other shows. ​​

----------------------------------------------

"At the correct time of the day, he can most certainly rival even someone like Xebec!"

.

My eyes widened at her words as I exclaimed,

"Rival the captain?! I know these guys are strong but the captain-"

Then I realized something.

"Wait, you said at the correct time of the day?" I asked with some confusion.

She smiled,

"Mhm. His fruit, the Sun-Sun Fruit. It is a Logia fruit that absorbs the rays of the Sun to achieve intangibility. He can become solar energy itself, though he does not gain the speed of light, but rather, the heat and supremacy of it."

"This may sound worse than other Logia but that is not the case. Not only does it grant intangibility but also makes him stronger in all ways."

"His body absorbs the power of the sun to fuel himself, so the one time you should never fight him is..."

"High noon." I finished her words.

She nodded.

"So how strong is he at other times?" I asked.

"His base strength is probably under Newgate-kun but after dawn and before dusk he can increase around 1.5x his strength. Though when the sun is at its highest, his strength significantly increases to the point where he can even go toe to toe with Xebec." She explained.

I squinted my eyes at her words,

"So, what about at night time?"

She smirked.

"It's hard to say."

"As I said, he uses the power of the sun. Therefore he should be weaker once it sets. Though, somehow, he shows no real change in strength overnight." She said. "On the other hand, around 12 years ago he fought some pirates who managed to survive and escape, they reported that when night came, Escanor became a 'twig' of a man."

She then shook her head, "This has never been proven but there are sources that claim that this happened before the man got his hands on his weapon which seems to work great with his powers."

.

"It is one of the 12 Supreme Grade Swords - Divine Axe Rhitta."

.

She continued,

"Many believe that he can store solar energy within this weapon and use it at night as a substitute to the Sun, masking his true weakness."

.

Shakky then got up and went back to smoking as I thought over her words.

.

'This guy sounds quite strong. His strength is also his weakness yet he was able to turn that around, quite impressive.' I concluded in my head.

----------------------------------------------

"WORORORO!"

A booming laugh echoed through the giant ship as I heard our friendly neighborhood ogre roar out loud.

I went over, out of the navigational cabin and to the deck of the ship.

.

"What is it, brat?" Xebec asked as he sat under the mast with an intrigued expression.

.

"It's the news... one of the Overlords is auctioning one of the 12 Supreme Swords at Mora Island!" He explained.

.

Xebec however had a change in expression.

"Supreme Grade eh? My Death powers are still stuck after 6 months. I tried using the pressure of 10000 meters to help me fully grasp the power of death but it requires more..."

He then smiled at Kaido, "Read on, brat."

...

...

...

"Ah! Taichou, I can't read it... the words are so small!" Kaido complained.

Kaido looked rather comical, his hands were too big to hold the newspaper so he had to literally pinch it with the tips of his fingers by the corner of the page to read its contents.

...

"Damn ogre, pass it here," I gestured to him.

He threw the paper as it floated into my grasp.

.

"Speak boy! Tell me more about this sword!" he demanded.

"Hmm, let's see..."

.

"The blade is named, "Mokushiroku" also known as the 'Inferno Blade'. It's the only 'molten blade' of the 12 Swords, it is also cursed and brings ruin upon the unworthy!" I explained.

.

'Cursed blade like the one Zoro's Nidai Kitestu. But a 'molten blade'?'

I looked further down to the finer details,

"Molten Blade. It has the properties of a Black Blade and a further curse. The molten aspect will forever burn away whoever it touches!"

My eyes blasted open at these words, 'A single touch and you will burn forever?'

"Due to these horrible curses, no swordsman has ever been able to tame this blade as none were able to swing it for more than 3 days!"

Though these words would bring dismay to most, it wasn't the case for Xebec.

.

"XAHAHAHA!"

"Good! Very good! If I can mix my death powers into this blade then perhaps I can finally unlock the mysteries of my powers!"

He then jumped off his seat and yelled.

.

"SHAKUYAKU! TAKE US TO MORA ISLAND!"

.

[A/N: In one of the flashbacks, Xebec was indeed seen with a sword at his side.]

He then cackled to himself as he disappeared away.

I looked at Whitebeard and asked.

"Newgate-Ossan. The man auctioning this sword, it's the Overlord, Esso Borealis. Have you ever fought him?"

He squinted his eyes and flashed a scary grin.

.

"Gurara. That Borealis. We are from the same Island. Sphinx Island!"

.

"That fool. I have a bone to pick with him." he declared with haki radiating off him.

My mind was blown at his words, so far I have never seen this man get angry.

"WORORO? Someone actually pissed you off and lived?"

Kaido too was brimming with curiosity.

"What happened?" I asked the giant.

*Gurrug*

He took a huge gulp of saké as he heard my words.

"Well if you want to know then let me tell you a story, brats."

"Sphinx Island. Both of us were born here. It's a small island in these seas. The World Government abandoned it as my people were too poor to afford the 'Heavenly Tribute'."

*Gurrug*

"It was chaos everywhere. No order, completely lawless. I was just a little brat when Borealis, the man who had the power to support us, too, abandoned his people!"

*Shatter*

The gourd in his hand exploded into many pieces as Whitebeard released a dangerous aura.

.

"He breathed the same air as us.

He drank the same dirty water as us.

He ate the same spoiled food as us.

But he left it behind without a second thought!"

.

"That bastard Borealis! Not even Xebec can get in my way when I kill him!"

.

Whitebeard grit his teeth as his eyes darkened in fury.

Both I and Kaido were caught off guard as we thought the same thing.

.

'This Borealis guy is dead.'

.

I looked at the angry giant as he was releasing his Haki all over the ship.

'Looks like our first goal is to dethrone an Overlord! I'm excited to see what these guys have to offer... RAHAHA!'

[A/N: WB is from Sphinx Island. It was indeed in the conditions mentioned above. It is said that Whitebeard greatly cared for his island and helped the people with his earnings as a pirate and put the territory under his flag.]

----------------------------------------------

(Damien POV)

Mora Island. It's one of the few islands under the control of the Borealis Pirates.

We have an Eternal Pose as this Island is frequently used by the Overlord to sell rare goods and issue grand parties. It's a merchant-themed island with its government, all under Borealis' control.

Even if he was forgotten due to Roger's future adventure, he is bound to have great strength.

I had asked the seagulls to bring older news articles regarding the man.

---

He is around 60 years old.

Logia fruit.

Awakened Stage.

His crew main crew has only around 40 pirates. Though a decent fleet of fodders below it.

The main problems are the 4 top pirates under him.

They are his version of Calamities of Kaido and Big Mom's Sweet Commanders.

'The 4 Cardinal Directions!'

'North, East, West & South.'

These are their actual names...

Well, they are said to have decent powers but I would guess their strength to be around mine and Kaido's.

Borealis himself, according to reports, should have the strength of a Mid-Tier Yonko.

---

"But this is not our only enemy. It is an open auction. Many eyes will be drawn in. I wonder which other pirates we will encounter, after all, the Supreme Grade Swords are very rare." I said out loud as I gazed into the horizon.

The auction will be held in 1 month.

The New World is large and full of terrors.

It will take 20 days or so to get there.

'I'll focus on training for now.' I resolved myself as we set a course to take down one of the 3 Overlords!

----------------------------------------------

(3rd POV)

The News Agency had naturally delivered this news all over the seas!

Many people, both pirates and marines were getting word of one of the Legendary Blades being sold to the highest bidder!

----------------------------------------------

[At Yozura Island in Paradise]

A young boy, around 2 years of age was seen.

He sat at the edge of the open railing that overlooked the dark lands below.

He had jet black hair and piercing yellow eyes.

Dracule Mihawk, the future Greatest Swordsman of the Seas, was currently reading a piece of paper that flew down a while ago.

.

"Supreme Grade Sword - Mokushiroku..." he recited in a soft voice.

.

He then turned his attention to the hedge maze below.

Mihawk eyed the black sword still engraved within the black pedestal at the core of the maze.

*Hummmm*

The wind was constantly cut as it produced a nice, sharp sound.

.

"Black Blade Yoru..."

"One day, I too shall be worthy to wield you!"

.

He then clenched his little hands with a resolute gaze.

.

"The seas will know your might soon enough!" He declared.

.

*HUMMM*

The sword seemed to understand the boy's word as the wind around it was blasted into pieces.

He then looked far off to the seas, his eyes piercing through the eternal forest.

.

"Nii-san, wait for me!"

.

----------------------------------------------

[Marineford]

The Fleet Admiral sat at the desk within the newly reconstructed office.

The mountain that was once there had been removed.

.

"Auctioning a Supreme Grade Sword? These pirates intend to group up... it is the best time to sweep in and remove them altogether!"

.

Kong then picked up a transponder snail and dialed a number.

.

"Get Garp and Sengoku now!" He ordered with an authoritative tone.

.

----------------------------------------------

[An Island of Great Forests in the New World]

A large man sat at the center of a forest.

He was wearing rather distinct armour all over his body as the mellow moonlight reflected off the shiny silver metal.

There was a small shield affixed to his right arm.

The overall design of his full-body armour was silver with golden stripes across his waist and shield.

He was currently sharpening his equally large ax as his eyes traced the daily newspaper.

.

"Hmm? Supreme Grade Sword is it?"

.

" My ax has cut down even Great Grade Swords before. I wonder how tough these superior swords are..."

.

His deep voice sounded out through his armour as it carried beyond the deadly forest.

Though the only thing nearby were thousands upon thousands of bodies of large monsters, basking in their blood.

----------------------------------------------

[At an Island of Snow in the New World]

"Captain!"

"Look at this, that Borealis is auctioning off a Supreme Sword!" A pirate reported.

A large and well-built man stood at the bow of a ship.

The ship wasn't overly large but looked quite durable.

The sails were red.

The frame had gold plating.

The jolly roger was proudly printed upon the foresail.

.

The man who the pirate was calling had a curved black mustache, a fierce grin, and intense eyes as he gazed at the informant with a surprised face.

.

"WAHAHAHA!"

"That Borealis is selling off one of his treasures?"

"WAHAHAHA!"

.

Another man near at the side then said,

.

"I have always wondered the strength between these Supreme Blades, I'd say we finally go test it out." He offered.

.

The man talking had slicked back golden hair and a distinct scar upon his left eye.

He also had 3 stripes of facial hair running down his chin with simple glasses kept upon his nose.

.

"WAHAHAHA! You're right!"

.

"MEN! SET SAIL FOR MORA ISLAND!" The captain declared with great vigour.

.

----------------------------------------------

[The following is excluded from word count]

Author's Corner:

So yeah I didn't want to waste chapters on some filler arc right now and I don't see Xebec being 'restained' and not go for an Overlord right away, so yeah.

Hope you liked the little Mihawk snippet.

As for the other 2 little snippets... I'm sure you can guess who they are.

----------------------------------------------

Random Trivia:

Would you rather experience life in slow motion or fast forward?

Thanks for Reading!