Chapter 44: Devil Power
[Killed a Shichibukai: obtained 500 slaughter points]
A System prompt flashed across Dante Voss's vision, but he ignored it and stared eagerly as a golden orb of energy began to form.
Just as he'd expected, the man who once fought Bullet to a standstill—the Sand Crocodile with the heaviest narrative weight among the Shichibukai—had dropped a gold!
The golden orb finally condensed, hovering mystically above Crocodile's corpse.
Dante Voss reached out, trembling slightly with excitement.
The instant his fingers touched it, the orb dissolved into light and merged into his body.
[Obtained Gold-tier Ability: Devil Power]
A new prompt appeared; a strange new power surged through Dante Voss's body.
He raised his hand and willed it gently.
A faint black mist wafted from his palm, lively and natural, as though it had always belonged to him.
Dante Voss was delighted.
He had finally gained a combat-related reward.
Swordsmanship alone left him lacking in attack options; filling the gap would be perfect.
He eagerly opened the Ability page and read the description.
[Devil Power]
[Description: The might of the Abyssal Demon—purest darkness that devours all light and order.]
[Level 1: Amplify]
[Description: Briefly channels devil energy to boost attack power.]
[Next Level: Materialization (costs 5,000 slaughter points)]
[Description: Further amplifies the power and allows manifestation outside the body for offense or support.]
Reading the details, Dante Voss understood what the Ability could do.
He was currently at Level 1—Amplify.
At this stage Devil Power only added attack, much like Armament Haki coating body or weapon.
He wondered whether it could stack with Haki to hit Logia intangibles.
That question mattered to him.
Not every Logia had an obvious weakness like Crocodile.
Without Sea Stone, he couldn't even scratch them.
And most Logia users were stronger than Crocodile; ambushing them with Sea Stone would be nearly impossible.
The next level, Materialization, intrigued him.
Then Devil Power wouldn't be just an attack buff.
He could Materialization Demon Wings for flight, for instance.
Or conjure an Energy Shield—both eminently practical.
But seeing the 5,000-point cost, he checked his Stat Panel.
[slaughter points: 4,815]
Still short by a little over a hundred.
Yet this was a battlefield—points would come… Seeing Dante Voss actually kill Crocodile, everyone stared in disbelief.
Hadn't Dante Voss been unable to even wound him?
Hadn't Crocodile held the upper hand the whole time?
How had he suddenly died?
The abrupt reversal left everyone stunned.
Only after a long moment, when the body still didn't rise, did relieved smiles appear.
"Great! The demon Crocodile is finally dead!".
Tears of joy streamed down Vivi's face.
Their country had seemed utterly without hope.
But with the chief culprit dead, the civil war could end.
Gratefully, she looked at Dante Voss.
Without him, her nation would have bled far more.
But now wasn't the time for thanks—she had to stop the battle.
"He really won? Thank goodness Dante Voss is here!".
Nami exhaled in relief.
Crocodile's earlier arrogance had filled her with despair; she'd thought they were doomed.
Yet Dante Voss had slain him and saved them all.
"Hurrah! Long live Dante Voss!".
Usopp and Chopper cheered when they saw the danger pass.
Sanji gave a faint smile and lit a cigarette.
Zoro sheathed all three swords.
"He actually killed Crocodile!".
Cobra, supported by Chaka, stood up, still incredulous.
As king, he knew Crocodile's strength intimately.
Even the full Royal Army had lacked certainty of victory.
Yet this youth, blade in hand, had single-handedly cut him down.
Just how strong was he?
Dante Voss closed the System and looked at the joyful crowd.
"Didn't you say you couldn't beat him? You scared me to death.".
Nami walked over, complaining.
For a moment she'd thought they would die.
Dante Voss smiled slightly and replied,
"Pure luck!".
Had Crocodile not grown careless, constantly relying on intangibility, he'd have survived.
Overconfidence in his Devil Fruit had been his downfall.
The others gathered around, voicing their joy.
They had narrowly escaped death; without Dante Voss, Crocodile would have killed them.
But Dante Voss's mind was elsewhere; after saying goodbye he leapt toward the battlefield below.
He was eager to level up Devil Power and see its Materialization form.
Fighting still raged, but the outnumbered Royal Army was retreating step by step.
Vivi had found the rebel leader Koza and explained everything.
Her childhood friend trusted her and was about to order a ceasefire when a hidden Baroque Works Agent in the Royal Army shot him.
Koza collapsed instantly.
Seeing their leader fall, the rebels' fury exploded; their assault grew fiercer.
The war reignited, hotter than before.
Vivi watched the hope she'd just kindled fade away.
Each fallen civilian felt like a stab to her heart.
"Stop! Please stop fighting!".
She screamed through tears, but neither side, burning with rage, heeded her.
Powerless, Vivi sank to the ground, feeling utterly small.
"Vivi, leave the rest to me.".
A voice rang out; in despair she lifted her gaze to a black-clad figure.
"Dante Voss!".
She wept—now only the man who had slain a Shichibukai could save them.