Death-Death Fruit

That battle had been aimed at Jaeger by the World Government and the Navy, but Jaeger had not been alone.

He had led the renowned Death Fleet.

Besides the powerful fighter who had sailed with Jaeger, he had many subordinates and followers, each formidable among Pirates.

Together, they had formed a mighty force that included two Top Combatants.

Without them, even Jaeger would have struggled to hold out against such a terrifying lineup.

But the tale had grown so exaggerated as it spread across the seas that people eventually spoke as though Jaeger had fought alone.

The Kronos Kingdom had always had two pillars guarding it, one in the open and one in the shadows.

The one in the open was the Kingdom's general. The one in the shadows was the commander-in-chief of Hell, who controlled the Tartarus Royal Family's elite forces.

As for the commander-in-chief of the River Styx, the Kingdom's vital intelligence arm,

combat strength was not the main requirement. Their abilities varied, but they were at least as strong as a Navy Elite Vice Admiral, and most had the strength of an Admiral Candidate.

The post was often held by an outstanding member of the Tartarus Royal Family.

Whenever a new generation rose, the older powerhouses stepped down and became the Kingdom's hidden strength.

Losing one of the candidates for commander-in-chief of Hell alongside the crown prince had dealt the Kronos Kingdom an enormous blow.

In a thousand years, the Kronos Kingdom had never lost two Top Combatants at once.

And one of them had been the crown prince, blessed with the finest Bloodline of the Tartarus Family.

He had possessed the finest physique and potential, a Monster destined to reach the pinnacle.

The Tartarus Family had been fiercely divided over whether to retaliate against the World Government and the Navy. In the end, cooler heads had prevailed.

Because they still had Hades.

That was why the Kronos Kingdom kept a low profile now. It needed to.

"One last thing. This is for you, and it can only be yours."

"With it, you shouldn't have to worry while you're with the Rocks Pirates. It'll also put an end to certain people's hopes."

As Tartarus Bane spoke, he took a box he had prepared from his coat and slowly opened it before Hades.

Inside lay a pear-shaped, ash-gray Devil Fruit. Strange patterns covered its surface, and it seemed to give off a faint Deathly Energy.

Beneath the fruit was a small booklet.

"Is... is this...?"

Hades had never seen what that Devil Fruit looked like, but he already had a guess.

"That's right. The Death-Death Fruit! Your father's power, Hades!"

"After your father died, everyone searched for the Devil Fruit reborn after his death. The Navy searched, the World Government searched, the Rocks Pirates searched, and so did other forces across the seas."

"Perhaps fate favored us, or perhaps Jaeger watched over us from beyond. In the end, the Devil Fruit came into our hands."

Bane's voice was calm, but Hades could sense how difficult it had been. He could only imagine what they had paid for it.

Thinking of the World Government's sudden, aggressive moves, Hades realized this Devil Fruit was probably the reason.

The World Government had suffered a devastating blow. It would not have kept stirring up trouble inside the Kronos Kingdom otherwise.

And the Kronos Kingdom did not fear a World Government that had lost so many Agents.

Hades alone might not have alarmed the World Government. Badly battered, it and the Navy would not have wanted to offend Kronos, a Superpower with extraordinary influence in the New World.

Besides, Hades was still a child. They had plenty of time to make their plans.

There would be other chances to deal with the Kronos Kingdom. A little delay meant nothing when the Rocks Pirates were the threat the World Government and the Navy most urgently needed to confront.

But the Death-Death Fruit changed everything.

The Rocks Pirates might have been involved in the struggle for it, and his mother had played a part as well.

There might even have been bloodshed behind the scenes.

None of that mattered now. Hades felt an urge to seize the fruit. A craving for it surged through his body, though he could not tell whether it was all in his head.

Besides, this was one of the most powerful Paramecia Devil Fruits. How could Hades pass it up?

Hades reached out, grabbed the Death-Death Fruit, opened his mouth, and swallowed it in one gulp.

He knew Devil Fruits tasted revolting, and he had no desire to find out exactly what that meant.

Bane watched quietly. Then his expression changed, and he flashed to a spot more than ten meters from Hades.

As the current King of the Kronos Kingdom, Bane could not compare to his elder brother Jaeger, but he was no weakling.

A moment earlier, he had sensed a threat.

He kept his eyes fixed on Hades. A dangerous power was erupting from within him.

An eerie, ash-gray vapor seeped from Hades's body and slowly spread outward.

That power was unmistakably familiar. It could be sensed even from afar.

At a military base outside the Royal Capital,

General Zoffy suddenly looked up. Feeling that power, he turned toward the Royal Palace. His hands trembled with excitement, and tears filled his eyes.

"Your Highness!"

Hades felt power pouring endlessly from within him. He could control the strange force at will without harming himself.

It was the uncanny Power of Death. Without another force to counteract it or Haki to block it,

flesh alone could not withstand it. Life would wither and decay with ease.

Even the strongest body would be no more than paper before the Power of Death.

Later, he could combine his Fruit Ability with Internal Destruction, driving the Power of Death straight into an enemy's body.

Haki would weaken the Power of Death in the process, but the effect would remain potent.

The inside of a human body was far more fragile than its exterior. As the Death-Death Fruit's power steadily ate away at the body, small wounds would accumulate and his advantage would grow.

If the enemy was too weak, they would die.

Organ failure and the draining of life were both effects of the Power of Death.