New Transformation, Bound for the West Blue

A full moon hung in the ink-dark sky, its silver radiance spilling down to pave a road of shattered silver across the sea.

The steamship chugged along, belching faint black smoke as it slowly cut through the tranquil waters, its hull gently swaying with the waves.

A dim yellow wall lamp glowed in the cabin. Lucas leaned bare-chested against the headboard, his chest, shoulders, and arms covered in bluish-purple bruises—the unmistakable marks left by Busoshoku Haki.

Kuzan had held back with his ability, but he had not gone easy with his Haki. Injuries of this severity could only be nursed back slowly, bit by bit.

Baccarat knelt beside him, dipping her fingertips into the ointment and carefully massaging it over the bruises.

Her brows were furrowed, her eyes full of heartache. The soft curves of her chest occasionally brushed against his arm as she moved.

"Darling, am I especially useless?"

"When the fighting started, I couldn't even help."

"Don't be ridiculous." Lucas chuckled softly, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her into his embrace. "You're very useful."

Baccarat's cheeks reddened. She obediently leaned down, her skirt sliding over her smooth skin.

Early the next morning, the sky had only just begun to brighten.

The long table on deck was covered with medicine bottles and grinding bowls of all sizes. Lucas sat behind it, holding a pestle between his fingers as he skillfully worked with various medicinal ingredients.

Above the deck, Baccarat hovered barefoot in midair, using Geppo to stay aloft.

Shigan, Kami-e, Rankyaku, Soru... She performed the Rokushiki techniques one after another. Her movements were still somewhat unpracticed, but they had begun to take shape.

The Life Energy nourishment from last Yoru had raised her physical condition another level, allowing her to barely reach the threshold for learning Rokushiki.

The principles behind Rokushiki were not actually complicated once laid bare.

The real difficulty had never been the techniques themselves, but the threshold of physical explosive power.

Learning Rokushiki was less about learning techniques than it was about improving one's physical abilities.

Kalifa's ability to smash bowling balls in the original timeline proved that well. Even as a woman, once her physical condition reached the threshold for learning Rokushiki, her explosive strength would be enough to crush many men. Still, the effort and sweat required to reach that point had undoubtedly been immense.

Baccarat was fortunate.

The threshold that the Marines and Cipher Pol had spent years grinding toward was something she crossed with ease after sleeping with a man for only a few months.

If word of this reached Marineford, it would probably make half the physical training instructors cough up blood on the spot.

After familiarizing herself with the new techniques, Baccarat landed steadily on the deck. She wiped the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief, then walked over to sit beside Lucas, poured herself a cup of black tea, and took small sips.

Only when the sun climbed overhead did Lucas stop what he was doing.

A blood-red pill, faintly gleaming across its surface, lay quietly in his palm.

He tipped his head back and swallowed it. The medicine spread through his bloodstream, and a subtle numb itch ran through his body.

The next second, he activated his Beast Form. A pair of Bloody Bat Wings unfurled from his back, spanning more than three meters. His azure pupils gradually turned an eerie scarlet, while his two upper teeth lengthened slightly into sharp fangs.

Other than that, nothing changed.

Lucas sensed the increase in power within his body. It was no different from before, and delight appeared on his face.

With long-term use, this form could be permanently stabilized.

The Beast Form was settled. Next came the Hybrid Form.

That form had more redundant traits, so it would need to be adjusted slowly as well.

He released his transformation and returned to his original silver hair and blue eyes. Only then did he notice Baccarat staring blankly at him, her cheeks flushed and her gaze slightly unfocused.

"What is it?"

Baccarat abruptly snapped back to her senses and hurriedly turned her face away, even the tips of her ears burning red.

Legend said that Vampires relied on their peerless beauty to attract the opposite sex and make them approach voluntarily before drinking their blood. In other words, the Beast Form of the Vampire-Vampire Fruit amplified its user's attraction to the opposite sex.

Lucas himself had never noticed this effect, but Baccarat, who slept beside him every night, felt it keenly.

She bit her lip, too embarrassed to admit she had been captivated by the sight of him. Instead, she casually changed the subject.

"Darling, where are we going next?"

"The West Blue."

The South Blue and East Blue lay on either side of the first half of the Grand Line, while the West Blue and North Blue bordered its latter half. To reach the West Blue, they had to pass through the Red Port on the Red Line.

The first time was unfamiliar, the second time was easy. With their previous sailing experience, the steamship crossed the Calm Belt and entered the Grand Line. Lucas followed the same routine, finding an inn, buying two tickets for a ship headed to the Red Port, and safely arriving with Baccarat at the port on the Paradise side.

They rested at the Red Port for a day and waited until late Yoru.

Carrying cases full of Beli, the two of them wrapped themselves in black mist and used Geppo to rush into the sky. Before long, they were standing on the Red Port's land on the New World side.

Several slave-catching ships that had docked late at Yoru were moored by the harbor, flying discreetly concealed banners.

Lucas picked the largest and best-maintained one, then landed on it with Baccarat.

The traffickers aboard were still drunkenly gambling. Before they could even see where their enemies were, all their luck had been drained away, and they slaughtered one another by mistake until none remained.

By the time the sky began to brighten, the slave-catching ship had already departed the Red Port and was sailing toward the Calm Belt leading to the West Blue.

TO BE CONTINUED