Ship Spirit, [Ship Zuizui]

Plain grilled fish actually tasted average, but luckily, he had borrowed some seasonings from the town's general store, so it was flavorful enough.

"Hm?"

Dimon looked up at the sky. A dark shape plunged down, startling a flock of birds into flight.

Mammon released his claws, dropping two pirates before speaking in a human voice.

"Master, there are many pirates. I caught two of them first."

"You should use 'individuals' to count people. Two individuals."

"Two individuals," Mammon repeated, then added, "There are 115 more individuals."

Dimon saw through what he wanted at a glance. "No rush. We'll test it on them first."

Test what?

The two captured pirates trembled with fear, kneeling on the ground and shivering uncontrollably.

That terrifying black bat actually had a master?!

When they saw the black bat turn into a tall man, the two pirates grew even more terrified and hurriedly kowtowed to Dimon.

"My lord... spare my life!"

"I know where the captain hid all his treasure!"

As the two shouted, Mammon grabbed each of them by the neck, one in each hand, and lifted them like a pair of chicks.

Immediately afterward, he activated his ability.

A mysterious suction devoured the two pirates' life force. Their legs kicked wildly in midair as they struggled violently.

Seconds later, their robust bodies rapidly shriveled like punctured balloons, until they became two desiccated corpses.

All the blood in their bodies was gone.

Mammon discarded the corpses, then picked up a wooden bowl of water beside the campfire and poured a small glob of blood from his palm into it.

"Master, this is the Blood of Immortality I created. Drinking it will grant you a longer lifespan."

Dimon took the wooden bowl, brought it close, and gave it a gentle sniff.

There was no bloody smell whatsoever. Instead, it gave off a delicate fragrance, and every cell in his body was expressing an emotion called desire.

Without hesitation, Dimon took a small sip.

He was young, only in his twenties, and had no need for something like this in the first place, but nobody would mind being a little younger.

"Huh?"

Dimon felt an immense surge of vitality, as though every cell in his body was rejoicing.

Not only that, his physical condition underwent a tremendous change, and he seemed to have inexhaustible strength.

"This blood can strengthen my body?" Dimon wondered in surprise. "Becoming younger is itself a process of changing one's physical condition, so it makes sense that it can strengthen the body too."

Now he was brimming with energy, and all his fatigue had been swept away.

If he worked out in his current state, the results would probably be ten or even a hundred times better than ordinary exercise!

"Good stuff. Not only does it work wonders, it tastes even better, just like wine." Dimon smiled. "Don't call it the Blood of Immortality anymore. That's too ostentatious. Let's call it..."

"Longevity Wine!"

This stuff could only extend a person's lifespan, keep them young, and restore their youth.

Still, as long as there was enough wine, it was no different from immortality, and it also seemed to have some ability to heal injuries.

All in all, it was a rare treasure.

Its only drawback was that there was too little of it.

As he felt the surging vitality within him, Dimon immediately instructed Mammon:

"You did very well. Go kill the other 115 too."

"Yes, Master."

Mammon transformed into a giant black bat again, only to hear Dimon add, "Oh, right. Remember to keep the heads of any pirates with bounties."

Their heads could be exchanged for money with the Marines. He couldn't let them go to waste.

After Mammon left, Dimon got up and began exercising. He didn't know any advanced training methods, so he just did some push-ups, sit-ups, and military boxing to expend the surging vitality in his body.

The results were just as he had expected. The effects of Longevity Wine were terrifying: he could clearly feel his strength increasing with every passing second.

Could I sell some of this for money, then use it to buy Devil Fruits on the black market?

After giving it serious thought, Dimon abandoned the idea.

Once the world learned of Longevity Wine, it would undoubtedly cause a huge uproar. For now, he didn't want to invite trouble.

He might be able to try once he was powerful enough, but by then he wouldn't be short of money.

Dimon cleared his mind of stray thoughts and immersed himself in exercise.

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

Mammon flew back to the waters where the Warrior Pirates were trapped, struggling to escape the darkness.

No matter which direction the pirate ship sailed, pitch-black fog shrouded the entire vessel.

Mammon heard the pirates talking in the darkness. They were discussing what to do next. After listening quietly for a while, he confirmed that there were three wanted pirates aboard.

Then he swooped down and began a massacre.

Chapter 4: Ship Spirit, [Ship Zuizui]

On the coast of Sleepy Town.

An hour later, Mammon returned.

"Master, it's taken care of. This is all the Longevity Wine."

Dimon noticed that he was carrying an oak wine barrel. Once it was set down, Dimon opened it and looked inside. It was about one-fifth full.

If each of the hundred-odd people had five liters of blood, there would have been over 500 liters in all, but only 50 liters had ended up as Longevity Wine.

A rich fragrance wafted into his nose, but Dimon didn't drink any more. His body had yet to fully absorb the wine's effects.

"Sleepy Town is safe now. It's time to leave."

Before leaving, Dimon recalled everything he had previously brought to life, including the statue from the previous night.

The statue was just an ordinary statue with no special abilities, so there was no use keeping it.

Naturally, he could take back the power he had bestowed. Once he did, everything he had brought to life became inanimate again.

Only [A Breath of Fresh Wind] remained.

It was a special animated creation he had made to test his talent when he first transmigrated.

Back then, he had reached toward the sky and activated his ability, trying to bring the entire world to life...

As it happened, a breeze blew past. The world wasn't brought to life, but the wind gained life.

The only drawback was that this breath of wind couldn't speak.

Wrapping [A Breath of Fresh Wind] around his fingertip, Dimon leaped onto Mammon's back and rode the black bat away from the island.

Another half hour passed before they landed on the pirate ship Wave-Breaking Warrior.

The deck was littered with shriveled corpses. Judging from the scene, it had been a one-sided slaughter, with almost no signs of a fight.

From Mammon, Dimon learned that this crew was called the Warrior Pirates.

The captain had a bounty of 84 million Beli.

The deck chief, who could also be called the first mate, had a bounty of 33 million Beli.

There was also a swordsman worth 25 million.

The rest were small fry, not worthy of a bounty or a mention.

"Keep the heads of the three wanted pirates. Throw the other corpses into the sea to feed the fish."

After giving the order, Dimon entered the cabin and found a Log Pose in the captain's quarters.

The Grand Line's magnetic fields were chaotic, so sailing here required a Log Pose, which would point toward the next magnetic island.

"I don't have a navigator, and I don't know how to navigate either... I might as well bring this ship to life."

However, his ability was on cooldown, so he could only wait until tomorrow.

He searched the rest of the ship and found only some gold and silver treasures, along with more than ten million Beli in banknotes.

What a poor pirate crew. Had they even been putting any effort into plundering merchant ships?

After grumbling to himself, Dimon abandoned his dream of getting rich overnight and went to find a gym to continue exercising.

The next day, in the captain's quarters.

"You're a mature pirate ship now. You need to learn to navigate yourself!"

Animate, activate!

The next moment, a mysterious power enveloped the entire ship. A moment later, everything fell quiet again.

A creepy mouth suddenly stretched open on the tabletop in front of Dimon.

"M-master," the mouth said in a human voice.

"Huh? Why are you a mouth?"

Dimon was baffled. He understood less than one percent of his animation ability, and he was always encountering strange situations.

The mouth spoke in an operatic tone:

"I grew a mouth so that I could communicate freely with you, my great and wise master!"

"Great master, could you give your devoted servant a new name?"

"I can't stand hearing 'Wave-Breaking Warrior' for even one more second!"

And it was a chatterbox...

Dimon tossed the Log Pose in his hand to the ship's mouth. "From now on, your name is Zuizui. Follow where this points and sail the ship yourself."

"Understood, great master. Your loyal and humble Ship Zuizui is delighted to be of service."

Ship Zuizui opened his mouth, swallowed the Log Pose, and vanished, leaving the tabletop smooth and still again.

The little guy really knows how to flatter people. He's better with words than Mammon, that Devil Fruit turned sentient...

Dimon thought, amused.

Meanwhile, after swallowing the Log Pose, Ship Zuizui faithfully carried out the order.

The ship's sails lowered themselves without anyone handling them, and the unattended helm began turning on its own. Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.

Two days later.

The pirate ship Wave-Breaking Warrior was about to reach the next island.

Of course, it was no longer a pirate ship. The Warrior Pirates' flag that had flown from the mast had been discarded.

What made him happier than reaching the next island was that he had finally finished absorbing the effects of the Longevity Wine in his body.

His physical stats had undergone explosive growth. After conducting a few tests, Dimon was certain that if he competed in the Olympics now, he could win gold medals in so many events that he'd get tired of collecting them, and break all sorts of world records.

"With my current physique, I can easily outrun Bolt in the hundred meters. Punching Tyson and kicking Bruce Lee would be no problem!"

He had no technique, just high stats.

Unfortunately, that was only compared to people on Earth. Here in the Grand Line, this devilish sea where monsters were everywhere, he was just a slightly stronger small fry.

Fortunately, that was only temporary. With the help of Longevity Wine, he could soon become an expert.

Dimon immediately went to the ship's storeroom, poured himself a cup of Longevity Wine from the barrel, and drank it. Surging vitality flooded into him once more.

"Tsk, tsk. If this were a cultivation world, I'd definitely be a demonic cultivator, the kind everyone wants dead. But in the pirate world, all I can say is that young people still need more practice."

Savoring the lingering taste on his tongue, Dimon wanted more.