Chapter 30 – After-Battle Harvest
"So cool!"
Luffy, Usopp, Chopper and Supersonic Duck stared at the transformed Dante Voss, their eyes lighting up as they rushed over.
Zoro, too, was staring wide-eyed at the [bloodthirsty sword].
He could tell it was an excellent blade—perhaps even better than his [Wado Ichimonji].
"Really, having a Devil Fruit is so convenient!"
Sanji exhaled smoke, envy in his voice.
If he had a storage Ability like that, he wouldn't worry about Luffy stealing his food.
Of course, if he could choose one power, he'd definitely pick invisibility.
"This guy really isn't ordinary."
Nami, standing beside Vivi, turned her head as she spoke.
Nami's expression grew excited; her eyes even turned into Berries.
"Just look at those clothes—Dante Voss must be loaded!"
Vivi blinked in surprise, then gave a faint smile.
"Dante Voss, you're a swordsman too?"
Zoro asked, eyes blazing.
"Yeah, I'm a swordsman."
Dante Voss nodded.
"And this sword?"
Zoro stared at the [bloodthirsty sword], longing in his gaze.
A fine blade is the greatest lure for any swordsman.
Seeing Zoro's face, Dante Voss smiled faintly and drew the sheathed [bloodthirsty sword].
"Clang—"
The dark-red blade emerged, its edge glinting coldly, as though it could slice anything in the world.
The [bloodthirsty sword] seemed to sense the onlookers, glowing faintly red, as if thirsty for blood.
"Amazing!"
Luffy, Usopp and Chopper knew nothing about swords, but they'd never seen one glow on its own and instantly envied it.
"Is it a Supreme Grade Blade?"
Zoro's voice trembled; while no expert on Famed swords, he could feel it far surpassed his [Wado Ichimonji].
"Supreme Grade Blade?"
Dante Voss murmured, then shook his head disdainfully.
"No! This is a sword beyond Supreme Grade—I call it a Divine Sword."
To Dante Voss, Supreme Grade Blades were merely sharper and sturdier; in every other aspect they couldn't compare to the [bloodthirsty sword].
The sword seemed to hear the praise; its red glow pulsed brighter.
"Beyond Supreme Grade? Interesting! Looks like I still know too little about this world."
Zoro didn't doubt him; the blade felt so powerful that surpassing Supreme Grade seemed only natural.
"Then let's spar sometime! I want to see your swordsmanship—to see how strong a 100-million-bounty man really is!"
Battle hunger flashed in Zoro's eyes; he loved honing his skills against other swordsmen.
Besides, he aimed to be the world's greatest; he had to defeat every swordsman alive.
"Deal!"
Dante Voss nodded in agreement.
Though Zoro would become monstrously strong later—perhaps the future Strongest Swordsman—
Dante Voss had the [System]. He feared no one, and right now his swordsmanship already outstripped Zoro's.
With his current Intermediate Sword Master level, Dante Voss could see Zoro hadn't yet reached [Cutting Iron]; he was only an Advanced Swordsman.
And his attributes were far below Dante Voss's—no match at all.
After crowding around Dante Voss for a while, the gang finally dispersed, curiosity sated.
Luffy, Usopp, Chopper and Supersonic Duck started fishing off the side; Sanji juiced Dante Voss's fruit; Zoro worked out on deck.
The two girls stood at the bow, gazing at the sea.
Dante Voss leaned on the rail, watching the rolling waves, and asked Zoro,
"Where are you headed?"
Zoro hoisted dumbbells easily as he answered,
"Alabasta—a desert kingdom."
"Is that so?"
Dante Voss's gaze was calm; he understood.
Seeing Vivi and Chopper, he'd already guessed their next stop.
Alabasta!
A desert nation, home of Shichibukai Crocodile. They would help Vivi defeat him and save the country.
Dante Voss's eyes flickered thoughtfully.
If he tagged along and took down Crocodile, the rewards might be huge.
As a major supporting character, Crocodile could drop loot rivaling the [bloodthirsty sword].
At that thought, Dante Voss's anticipation quietly grew.
The World Government was surely hunting him worldwide; he couldn't make big moves for now.
Revealing his location would be deadly.
He had to wait for the [stone of translocation]'s cooldown to end.
Besides, following the Straw Hats let him scoop up plenty of leftovers—Crocodile, Enel, Moriah, and more.
Those powerful figures plot-killed by Luffy granted immense power, and their subordinates offered quick paths to strength.
Most importantly, Dante Voss trusted the Straw Hats; they'd never betray him, sparing him the need to hide his identity.
After slaughtering so many, even constantly raising [Spirit] might leave side effects.
Staying with them could ease that burden.
As for avenging those villagers, there was no rush; that pirate crew moved unpredictably, and he had no leads—he'd play it by ear.
With that, Dante Voss opened the System panel to review his gains.
[Physique: 5833]
[Strength: 6042]
[Speed: 6052]
[Spirit: 5274]
[slaughter points: 7165]
After the battle at Mary Geoise, Dante Voss's attributes had soared.
Every stat now exceeded five thousand, with seven thousand slaughter points still unspent.
Judging by his understanding of CP0, he figured he'd reached Marine Vice Admiral level—maybe even surpassed most of them.
In his estimate, a typical Vice Admiral sat around 5000–6000 in overall power.
Despite having plenty of slaughter points, he didn't plan to spend them yet.
The higher his base stats, the fewer slaughter points he'd earn later.
Delaying the allocation meant more points per kill down the road.
As long as he had points, he could power up anytime and avoid sudden defeat.
Of course!
Boosting strength wasn't limited to spending points.
Dante Voss left the [attributes] page and opened the [Abilities] tab.
Now the panel listed not only [Swordsmanship] but also [Blood Fiend Tide].
Apparently this skill granted by the [bloodthirsty sword] could be leveled with points too.
But he had no intention of upgrading it; it was merely a wide-area mob-clear move with limited use against elites.
Worse, kills via [Blood Fiend Tide] only granted slaughter points, failing to trigger the sword's passive [Nourish], costing him heaps of Physique.