Demon Subduer
Huh, why had the green light around Kaya turned red?
Oh, she had been stared at for a whole minute, and her face had gradually turned red.
"It changed! It changed!"
Usopp had been staring wide-eyed at Ruidio. When he saw his white hair turn black again and the blue light fade from his eyes, he immediately pointed at him and shouted in shock.
He knew he hadn't seen wrong last night. This man really was a freak! And his severed left hand could grow back, just like a gecko's tail. That was disgusting!
Ruidio smiled. "Usopp, right? I heard from the people in your village that you've dreamed of being a pirate since you were little, and you brag about becoming a brave warrior of the sea?"
"How is that bragging?" Usopp perked up at once. He rubbed his nose and raised his head proudly. "My dad is a brave pirate! I'm definitely going to be just like him someday!"
How many stars of difficulty would helping Usopp achieve that dream be?
However many stars it was, Ruidio wasn't interested.
A task like "I'm the man who's going to become the Pirate King" was more worth the trip.
Ruidio looked east and smiled. Goa Kingdom wasn't all that far from Shimotsuki Village anyway. On his way back, he could stop by and get that task out of Luffy.
If Luffy became a client, then even without Ruidio's help, as long as Luffy eventually achieved his dream, the system would deem the task complete and automatically credit the reward.
Becoming the Pirate King, huh? The difficulty probably wasn't low, was it?
On this voyage, besides wanting to catch Kuro for some experience and complete a few tasks along the way, Ruidio planned to find Luffy and get rid of the golden exclamation mark over the boy's head.
It was a free reward. He might as well take it.
Chapter 42: Demon Subduer
For the next three days, Ruidio led a fairly simple life.
He practiced his punches on the shore, trained in Soru, swung his Three-Section Staff for a while, and wielded his Great Grade Sword for a while. Occasionally, he boarded the enormous Former Black Cat Pirates Ship nearby and helped Merry and Kaya urge the cats to catch rats...
Of course, he didn't waste his daily Satoru Gojo transformation either. Ruidio gradually found a more efficient way to use it: after a full day of training, when his body was both stimulated and exhausted, he entered Satoru Gojo mode.
He activated Reverse Cursed Technique, instantly wiping away his muscle soreness and restoring his stamina.
Moreover, in Satoru Gojo mode, Ruidio suddenly felt that everything he had spent the day exercising and training his muscles to do—various moves, Three-Section Staff techniques, and Shimotsuki Swordsmanship—was so simple.
Satoru Gojo's combat experience and control over his body, combined with Ruidio's physique, which far surpassed that of an Earthling from Jujutsu Kaisen, immediately produced astonishing results.
Six Powers? Soru?
With his hair white, Ruidio tried the steps twice, and within thirty seconds, system notifications popped up one after another:
[Mastered: Six Powers—Soru (Proficient)] [Mastered: Six Powers—Soru (Expert)]
Unfortunately, after he exited Satoru Gojo mode, that feeling of being able to do anything faded from his mind. His proficiency in Soru, which had just had him gliding around the courtyard like he was performing the Lingbo Weibu, dropped back down.
But Ruidio could clearly feel that, although his Soru proficiency had fallen back to beginner level, his footwork had still improved compared with before he used Satoru Gojo mode.
How was the genius Satoru Gojo a combat cheat? He was clearly a cultivation speed-up cheat!
Ruidio suddenly understood.
Besides that, since he had plenty of free time anyway, Ruidio would teleport an immense distance to the little church in the South Blue whenever he had a moment and treat Bonney to a feast.
The Ohara task had rewarded him with over 260,000 Essence. Ruidio felt filthy rich, so every meal was a nine-Essence super feast with deliciousness maxed out, and there was absolutely no limit on portions. Bonney, a born big eater, ate until she fainted from happiness and satisfaction.
After three days of eating like that...
[Remaining Essence: 275801]
This damn Essence—how come I can't seem to spend it all?
This innately evil system doesn't even have a shop! I just want to go on a shopping spree. Is that a crime?
But since I have so much Essence...
Ruidio promptly took out the Great Grade Sword Malevolent Shrine and made a copy with the Three-in-One function.
Malevolent Shrine's total price of 6,699 Essence had once seemed so out of reach, but now it felt like, "That's it?" He was still left wanting more.
Smiling, Ruidio tossed the copy of Malevolent Shrine into [Slot 1], took a few pieces from his stock of Seastone, and tossed them into [Slot 2] and [Slot 3]. Then he promptly combined them.
The first combination turned out terribly: a huge lump of Seastone ended up embedded in the tip of the blade.
What is this, a sword in the stone? Can I even use it?
Throw it back in and combine it again!
Ruidio kept using Three-in-One like this until he had completely ruined the copy of Malevolent Shrine. It was crooked and misshapen, with Seastone embedded in it at uneven densities, and barely resembled the Great Grade Sword it had once been.
Money's no object!
Ruidio made another copy of the original Malevolent Shrine. It was only just under seven thousand Essence. Who did it think it was looking down on?
Ruidio tossed Malevolent Shrine copy number two into [Slot 1], the ruined Seastone Malevolent Shrine into [Slot 2], and a little more Seastone into [Slot 3].
After many attempts in this round, Ruidio was finally spared from making a third copy of Malevolent Shrine.
In the end, he produced a finished sword he was very satisfied with.
It had a black hilt, the opposite of Malevolent Shrine's, and a dull gray blade made of a material that looked like both iron and stone.
Ruidio flicked the blade with a finger and could still hear a faint, clear note belonging to a Great Grade Sword.
In terms of sharpness, this Seastone Great Grade Sword was a little inferior to the original Malevolent Shrine.
But in terms of hardness, it surpassed Malevolent Shrine.
And as a blade mixed with Seastone, even if its purity might not be the highest, it still had the property of countering all Devil Fruit Users!
He tossed it into Three-in-One for an appraisal. The total value of this freshly made Seastone Great Grade Sword was a whopping 9,966 Essence!
Ruidio held the new sword and smiled.
Goodbye, Playful Cloud.
It's not that I couldn't get used to you, but for someone like me who's spent time in Shimotsuki Village, this Seastone Great Grade Sword gives me much more room to show what I can do.
"I'll call you Demon Subduer!"
Ruidio slid the new sword into its black-lacquered scabbard with white patterns and casually sent it into the system inventory.
[Remaining Essence: 262369] [System inventory (3/4): Playful Cloud x1; Demon Subduer x1; Malevolent Shrine x1; (empty)]
As for the pile of Seastone, he had taken it out and put it on the ship. The Seastone Handcuffs weren't worth much Essence, so Ruidio made a whole pile of copies and tossed them in with the Seastone stock.
Ruidio boarded the Cleaned Former Black Cat Pirates Ship. On the shore, Kaya and her parents, along with four or five butlers including Merry, had come to see him off.
"Maybe we'll meet again someday." Ruidio weighed anchor and bid them farewell with an easy air.
"Goodbye! Ruidio, goodbye!"
Kaya smiled and raised her arm high, waving until the ship sailed away to the east and suddenly vanished.
"Goodbye... Huh?!"
Kaya, her parents, and the butlers including Merry all suddenly realized what had happened and stared wide-eyed. How had the ship suddenly disappeared from the sea?!
Kaya thought she understood. Realization dawned on her, and she smiled. "So that's it. No wonder I couldn't find him anywhere several times over the past few days."
"Our benefactor... he appears and disappears like a ghost!" Kaya's mother exclaimed.
"What an incredible young man," Merry said with a smile.
The incredible young man didn't really know how to sail such a large ship.
"Damn it, I saw Nami do it like this before, didn't I?"
Ruidio fiddled with all sorts of things in the helm room, then went out to adjust the great sails on several masts, then took out a simple map of the East Blue to adjust his heading... He wasn't skilled, but he was busy and looked quite professional.
"This is too much of a headache. I'll have some fun first."
Ruidio shook his head and stamped his foot, putting the large Black Cat ship into the system inventory.
He himself instantly entered Satoru Gojo mode.
White hair, blue eyes, and a protective barrier made by Limitless covering his entire body.
Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue!
With a thought, a dark blue sphere of attraction appeared a short distance in front of him.
Its tremendous attraction pulled him along, allowing him to fly through the air above the sea.
He controlled the sphere ahead of him, moving it farther and farther forward and letting it drag him faster and faster—whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Ruidio sped eastward over the sea, accelerating constantly and producing shock waves from one sonic boom after another. In just a few seconds, he flew dozens of kilometers, the astonishing pressure leaving a continuous wake of waves across the sea.
"Haha!"
It was Ruidio's first time flying at full speed like this. The experience he had inherited from Satoru Gojo told him that anyone with hands could do it, so what was there to be excited about? But his own heart was leaping for joy. Who hadn't fantasized about flying freely?
Too bad I don't have a somersault cloud. I'd look even cooler...
Huh, was that a bang just now?
Did I hit something?
Ruidio came to an abrupt stop above the sea, pressing the water beneath his feet into a swirling vortex.
He looked back into the distance. Several kilometers behind him, three large pirate ships had been sailing side by side, but for some reason, the largest flagship in the middle had been reduced to a pile of debris. He could faintly hear a noisy chorus of curses...
Are they cursing at me?
Ruidio estimated the time. He should have about twenty seconds left.
One second later, he flew back to the pirate ship he had accidentally smashed apart and glanced at the pirate flags flying on the two ships flanking it... Oh, wasn't this the fleet of Krieg, overlord of the East Blue?
Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue.
A dark blue sphere of attraction formed at Ruidio's fingertip.
Cursed Technique Reversal: Red.
A dark red sphere of repulsion came into being right after it.
Ruidio formed a hand sign and aimed at the wreckage of the shattered flagship, where Krieg had been pulled from the water by a subordinate who appeared to be Gin. The pirates who had fallen into the water like dumplings into a pot, as well as those on the decks of the two flanking ships, were either staring dumbfounded at him as he hovered in the air or glaring at him and hurling foul abuse.
The sphere of attraction and the sphere of repulsion drew closer, touched, and erupted with astonishing energy—
Ruidio flicked the terrifying energy out with his fingers.
Hollow Technique: Purple!
"Boom..."