I Am the Embodiment of Darkness!

The Pirate World is on the verge of turmoil, yet for the past few days, Bane has kept himself locked away at home, not stepping out once.

As early as the night he obtained the Dark-Dark Fruit, after some careful deliberation, Bane had resolutely chosen to consume this Devil Fruit.

There is no need to elaborate on the reason; there was only one motive: he wanted to become stronger.

Whether it was the inexplicable World-Crossing Gate within his body or the increasingly volatile situation of the world today, if he wanted to reap greater benefits and live a better life, he had to possess more formidable strength!

Facts proved that the rumor claiming Devil Fruit tastes like dog shit was false information. Before eating the Dark-Dark Fruit, Bane had fully prepared himself mentally, whispering to himself phrases like "those who achieve great things do not fuss over trifles" and "heaven bestows great responsibility."

As it turned out, once he steeled his heart and took a bite, it was fragrant, succulent, and juicy—unexpectedly delicious!

Originally intending to just take a bite and endure the misery, Bane ended up eating the entire watermelon-sized Dark-Dark Fruit after realizing it tasted quite good.

Afterward, just as he had anticipated, even though he had left the Pirate World, the Dark-Dark Fruit still possessed magical power. It seemed the world he resided in had immense compatibility, capable of accommodating powers from various other worlds.

After consuming the Dark-Dark Fruit, Bane felt as if his entire being had been submerged in the power of darkness; an endless stream of dark elements flowed wantonly through his body, surging and roaring.

He was the embodiment of darkness!

But in reality, this was an illusion brought on by the sudden acquisition of great power. The Dark-Dark Fruit was indeed formidable, and the dark elemental energy it contained could be called infinite. However, over these past few days, after calming the initial expansion, Bane noticed a key factor: although the dark elements within him seemed endless, mobilizing and using this power required the consumption of his own stamina.

It was as if the Dark-Dark Fruit were a reservoir; there was plenty of water inside, but how much he could use depended on how much the faucet could release. His body was that faucet—the stronger he became, the more powerful the fruit's ability he could unleash!

"No wonder people say it's not the fruit that makes the person, but the person who makes the fruit. Even the Three Marine Admirals, who are Logia users, would be top-tier powerhouses on the sea even without their Devil Fruits," Bane mused to himself.

A Devil Fruit merely provides an opportunity; whether one can seize that opportunity and continue to climb depends on the individual.

Ultimately, a person must rely on themselves!

At this moment, Bane was sitting on the sofa in his living room. Between his fingers, dark elements flowed like liquid, dripping onto the floor and thoroughly staining the already unclean ground a pitch-black color.

When the surrounding floor was completely stained, the coffee table that had been standing there began to sink continuously, gradually submerging into the seemingly bottomless darkness and being swallowed whole.

The moment the coffee table vanished into the darkness, Bane abruptly clenched his palm into a fist. Following his movement, the pool of black water on the floor instantly condensed into an energy sphere radiating a thick aura of darkness, hovering in the living room.

A moment later, Bane slowly relaxed his hand, and the dark energy sphere dissipated immediately. A large amount of crushed wood debris and remnants of the coffee table fell from the darkness onto the floor.

"After staying indoors for these few days, I've finally gained a preliminary grasp of this Dark-Dark Fruit," Bane said with a smile as he stood up.

Looking around, his home was a complete mess, as if a hurricane had swept through it—even more miserable than the pool hall he had helped smash up a few days ago.

The reason was that during the first two days after eating the Dark-Dark Fruit, Bane couldn't control this power at all. To put it simply, it was like suddenly growing a tail; even though it was part of his body, he had no prior experience with it, so he was completely unable to control it, stumbling about.

The night he ate the Dark-Dark Fruit, he woke up the next morning and passed gas; a plume of black smoke carrying a massive amount of dark elements leaked out, directly shattering Bane's bed.

That was why Bane hadn't dared to step outside for the past few days, terrified that if he accidentally lost control, he might blow someone up on the street with a fart.

He would truly be famous then!

Until today, he had finally adapted to this power and gained preliminary control over the Dark-Dark Fruit's abilities, so he planned to go out for a stroll, check the situation, and further consider how he should start his new life.

His original plans would likely have to be scrapped now. After all, since he could suddenly open the World-Crossing Gate himself, the choices were endless. If conditions here became unfavorable, it wouldn't be impossible to simply reside in the Pirate World and stir up trouble there.

In short, after being transmigrated for so many days, he finally felt some confidence in his heart.

Walking down the street and observing the state of New Dar City, it was essentially no different from a few days ago. It seemed the Empire's success in the westward expansion hadn't influenced things this quickly yet.

Bane bought a newspaper on the street and then walked familiarly toward Sphinx Street. Along the way, he encountered quite a few lackeys who greeted him respectfully, calling him "Big Brother."

Bane, however, was engrossed in the newspaper and ignored them entirely.

Turning a corner, he entered a boxing gym. Bane slapped the newspaper onto the bar counter, his expression becoming bored; clearly, there was no news these past few days that caught his interest.

"Hey, Bane, how come I haven't seen you in a few days? Don't tell me you got your head smashed in again?" On the training ring, a burly man, even stronger than Bane and standing at two and a half meters tall, greeted him with a mocking laugh.

Taking a cigar from his pocket, clipping it, and lighting it before biting down, Bane replied with a laugh and a curse: "Do you believe I'll go up there right now and smash your head in?"

"Hahahaha, looks like you're in high spirits," the burly man laughed loudly, then asked with interest, "Want to come up and trade a few blows for real?"

"No, where's Frant?" Bane waved his hand in refusal.

"I'm here."

Hearing the voice, he looked over. The door behind the bar opened, and a lean man carrying an exquisite briefcase sat down opposite Bane.

Before Bane could speak, Frant raised an eyebrow and said, "I've got some new stuff in my hands. Want to try it?"

"What new stuff?" Bane asked, feeling slightly curious.

Frant was a black-market dealer in New Dar City who always managed to get his hands on strange items. Bane had helped him resolve a few minor troubles in the past, so their relationship was decent. As a black-market dealer, he was well-informed, so Bane would occasionally come to him to hear "various rumors and gossip" to avoid being clueless about how the underworld worked.

"Watch and be amazed." Frant pretended to be arrogant, lifting his chin, and quickly opened the briefcase.

There were no large items in the case, only something resembling a biological injection tube. The tube was transparent, and a liquid as crimson as blood flowed inside.

"Blood?" Bane guessed.

"Ahem, this is a special serum that can make a person's physical fitness much stronger... but to be precise, this is called Rc Cells," Frant said, putting on an act.

Hearing the mention of these cells, Bane felt they sounded familiar, but only vaguely so.

"Another thing from an otherworldly place?" Bane inquired.

"Of course. Aren't you a physical enhancement ability user? I figured this stuff would be quite compatible with you, so I picked it up at the black market, intending to give it to you," Frant said with a chuckle.

"You brat definitely don't have good intentions, 'giving it to me'?" Bane said dismissively. "Tell me, what are the side effects?"

Although he had helped Frant resolve a few troubles in the past, people like them, who walked the lawless paths, wouldn't be truly that righteous. If he were that loyal, Frant wouldn't be doing so well in the black market; he would have already died in some gutter somewhere.

Bane saw through him, but Frant felt no embarrassment. He chuckled and said, "How could one possibly gain power without paying a price?"

"Stop beating around the bush." Bane tapped the tabletop and exhaled a puff of smoke.

Frant glanced left and right, then leaned closer to Bane's head and lowered his voice. "Half a year ago, didn't a World-Crossing Gate appear in Vandir City?"

"I remember. The papers mentioned it not long ago; they say there's a perverted serial killer over there who likes to eat people." As Bane spoke, he suddenly froze.

RC Cells!?

Frant did not notice the change in Bane's expression and continued in a hushed tone, "The official report claimed the World-Crossing Gate had malfunctioned, but in reality, that gate was breached. The Osaria Family, who controls Vandir City, suppressed the news because they wanted to hoard the benefits for themselves. They seized this power from the gate—RC Cells—which were supposedly taken from a race of Ghouls or something similar."

"So the side effect is cannibalism?" Bane rolled his eyes at Frant.

"That was the prototype. After more than half a year of research, the Osaria Family has achieved great success. The one I have in my hand has had those side effects removed. You won't have to eat people, though your appetite will become quite large."