I Can Copy Any Talent in One Piece

Noil looked over, and his expression darkened.

A row of wooden racks stood there. Scarlet blood had splattered across the ground, and bloody raw meat hung from the racks. Torn scraps of human clothing and faces frozen in terror lay scattered below.

What they had been eating was instantly clear.

A chill ran down Noil's spine as he glared at the villagers, who looked like ravenous wolves.

This island was an uncivilized wilderness, and its people were inhuman beasts!

Back on his own turf, Kasa found his courage and laughed wildly. "You dared set foot on this island? Then you're not leaving. Stay and become our food!"

"Perfect! We'll offer the finest feast to the Great Shaman, who taught us to enjoy human flesh!"

The villagers gripped their weapons, eager to attack. They looked at the four of them as though dinner had arrived.

Surrounded, Ace grew solemn. "What do we do? We can't kill every last one of them, can we?"

A ruthless look crossed Noil's face. "Take out the leader first. That damned Great Shaman taught them all this! We kill him first!"

"Right!"

Kasa's features twisted as he laughed like a madman. "The likes of you?!"

"How could you ever defeat the Great Shaman, who can create fire?"

"Outsiders like you are only fit to become our—"

Before Kasa could finish his frenzied shout, a sudden chill swept across his neck.

When he looked up, even the sky seemed bloodred. The villagers who had always been friendly rushed toward him like vengeful ghosts. His consciousness slowly faded...

Noil raised his bloodstained Qingxing and stared at the savages before him. Then he roared:

"Get out here, you damned Great Shaman!!"

The Unlucky Great Shaman

Noil's roar seemed to enrage the surrounding villagers.

"How dare you insult the Great Shaman! Kill them!"

"Skin them! Offer their hides to the Great Shaman!"

At the mention of the Great Shaman, the villagers grew even more vicious. They charged, waving their weapons.

Ace had been itching for a fight. He rushed in with his fists raised, while Deuce and Skull drew the flintlock pistols at their waists and opened fire.

But one figure was faster than all of them. Hand on his sword, Noil crouched and lunged forward, reaching the villagers in the blink of an eye.

Before the terrified villagers could react, Noil gripped his hilt and drew his blade in a fierce slash!

It was the famed lightning-fast draw technique of the Flying Heaven Imperial Sword Style!

"Dragon Nest Flash!" At those cold words, Noil's blade flashed from its sheath so quickly it seemed to vanish into the air.

Blurs of light appeared as Noil unleashed dozens of wild slashes in a single second. Before many of his enemies even saw where the strikes had landed, fatal wounds opened across their bodies!

"Ah!"

Only when the pain spread did the wounded realize what had happened. A swath of enemies collapsed before him!

"So... so strong!"

Deuce and Skull stared at Noil as though he were a god of war, barely able to get the words out.

Ace's eyes shone. "I knew Noil was strong!"

The villagers were too stunned by Noil's display to advance. Then an elderly voice rang out.

"Outsider! You're dead!"

Noil turned toward the voice. A sinister-looking old man with white hair and a white beard emerged.

The villagers parted for him in delight, shouting, "The Great Shaman is here!"

"Great Shaman, punish them!"

"Let the Heavenly Fire burn the outsiders to ash!"

Hearing the villagers praise him, the Great Shaman could not help feeling pleased with himself.

Arrogance spread across his withered face. "Boy, surrender if you know what's good for you. Become my meal!"

The hotheaded Ace could not let that pass. "Bullshit! Eat your own granny!"

With that, Ace charged again. Noil had stolen the spotlight earlier, and Ace had not had nearly enough fighting!

The insult flushed the Great Shaman's old face red, but he did not dodge the fist coming straight at it.

There was even a trace of contempt in his eyes!

Sure enough, when Ace's fist struck the old man, it felt as though he had punched a mass of fire. The Great Shaman's head burst apart like a firework, and Ace's arm passed straight through the flames!

"Hot... What's going on?"

Ace felt no impact at all. His hand even burned a little as he pulled back in surprise.

Under the villagers' adoring gazes, the flames that had been the Great Shaman's head came together again, revealing his smug old face. "Hahaha! Boy, have you felt the power of a god?!"

"A freak eats a Devil Fruit and thinks he's become a god?"

At Noil's calm words, the Great Shaman stopped laughing. He glared at Noil, furious at having his secret exposed.

The islanders might worship him as a god, but he knew the truth: his terrifying power came entirely from a fruit he had eaten more than ten years ago!

He was not native to the island. He had once been a pirate, but his crew had cast him out because of his horrific taste for human flesh.

That was how he had ended up on this secluded island he had discovered by chance. He had ruled over it for years and lived very well indeed!

Noil's words had torn away the cover the Great Shaman had hidden behind for years, along with the lies he told himself!

Ace slapped his forehead in realization. "I know about Devil Fruits. Did this guy eat one like Luffy did?"

The Great Shaman's beard trembled with rage. Both his hands turned to flame as he roared, "Shut up, both of you!"

His arms stretched into streams of fire, sending a pillar of flame at each of them.

But neither Ace nor Noil thought much of the pillar of fire's speed. They each made a small hop, and the surging flames missed.

Ace jeered, "Old man, your aim's terrible."

Noil curled his lip. Another fool squandering a good Devil Fruit power.

The Great Shaman, glaring furiously, was thoroughly enraged. His entire lower body turned into blazing fire, and he propelled himself toward them.

Knowing he could not hit the old man, Ace quickly dodged. The Great Shaman changed course and charged Noil instead.

Seeing Noil apparently frozen in place, the Great Shaman rejoiced.

Brat! Burn to ash!

To Noil, the Great Shaman might as well have been crawling. When the old man finally reached him, Noil slowly raised his long leg over his head.

Got him!

Just as the Great Shaman was about to celebrate, a pain so intense he nearly blacked out exploded through his head.

A foot blackened with Armament Haki came down on the Great Shaman's head, slamming him headfirst into the ground!

What?!

The villagers fell into utter panic.

Why had the Great Shaman's miraculous ability to turn into fire failed?!

Ace stared at Noil in astonishment. "How did you hit him?"

Noil smiled at him. "That power's called Haki. I'll teach you later..."

"Yeah, please do!"

While the two chatted happily, a muffled voice came from beneath Noil's foot. "Don't get cocky, bastard! I'm not dead yet!"

The Great Shaman's whole body scattered into flames, escaping Noil's "demonic foot." He roared, "You've made me angry, boy!"

Ace scratched his ear. "He says you've made him angry, Noil."

"Oh?" Noil was utterly unconcerned. "I'm impressive, then."

The villagers, fanatical followers of the Great Shaman, looked as though they had swallowed dung. Deuce and Skull covered their mouths, snickering.

Being ignored by the two of them nearly drove the Great Shaman out of his mind. He roared and unleashed his flames.

He raised both hands above his head. Flames poured from the Great Shaman's body, gathering recklessly in his palms.

The orange-red glow grew brighter. A fireball like a small sun formed in the Great Shaman's hands, blasting waves of heat across everyone present.

At the sight of the Great Shaman conjuring such an enormous fireball, the villagers dropped to their knees. They shouted in fervent worship:

“The Great Shaman is invincible!”

“The Great Shaman is invincible!”

The Great Shaman's power seemed close to its limit, and his old face had turned purplish red. Even so, he could not resist showing off. "Die, bastards! This is the power of God!"

Yet beneath the firelight, Ace showed no fear. Noil even began picking his nose out of boredom.

With all that shouting and posing before he attacks, it should be easy to dodge, right?

That was what Ace thought.

Noil's thought was simpler:

The old man spent all that time charging his ultimate attack, and it's just a cheap, watered-down version of Great Flame Commandment: Flame Emperor?

The Flame-Flame Fruit

Holding up his tiny version of Great Flame Commandment: Flame Emperor, the Great Shaman hurled his charged attack down with a savage grin. "Die, bastards!"

The blazing fireball loomed over their heads. Ace raised an eyebrow.

Yep... it really is slow.

Ace was far quicker than the fireball. With a few nimble dashes, he easily escaped its path.

The panting Great Shaman watched him go, his eyes nearly popping out with rage. How had the boy moved so fast?

Is my attack really that easy to dodge?

But when he looked back, the young man with a sword at his waist was still standing there, seemingly frozen with fear.

The Great Shaman smiled again, but the expression soon stiffened on his face.

This... hasn't this happened before?

The fireball slammed into the ground. A huge explosion and a wave of heat shot skyward, while scorching currents swept outward. Ace and the other two, who had taken cover nearby, stared wide-eyed.

Noil... is he all right?

Tongues of flame licked hungrily at the island's red leaves. Thick black smoke rose, and the little village became a sea of fire in an instant.

A dark figure slowly emerged from the towering blaze. Ace and the others recognized him at once. It was Noil!

Watching Noil walk out of the inferno wreathed in flames, the Great Shaman stammered in shock, "Why... you have it too... and your fire is black..."

Amaterasu Black Flame blazed across Noil's body. Wisps of black fire framed his face, making him look like a handsome lord of the underworld walking out of hell.

"How could ordinary fire compare to my Amaterasu Sunfire?" Noil said, raising a burning arm with satisfaction.

"Impossible! How is that possible?!" The Great Shaman stared at Noil in disbelief.

The black flames radiated such terrifying heat that even his body of fire felt as though it were burning!

How many years had it been since he last felt heat like that?!

"Die! It's all a trick!"

The Great Shaman turned his arms into flaming whips and lashed out. Noil calmly raised a hand burning with Amaterasu Flame and easily scattered the attack.

The orange-red flames seemed to have met their superior. The black Amaterasu Flame devoured them voraciously, and the Great Shaman's fire broke apart and fled.

"Impossible! Why is this happening?" The Great Shaman, who had lorded over others for so long, collapsed to the ground as though he had seen a ghost and stared at Noil in terror.