One Piece: The Strongest Trait System novel Chapter 176

Chapter 176: [176] : [BONUS] - Setting Sail for Sabaody Archipelago!

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Kuma held no fear of death.

For him, Bonney represented the continuation of both Ginny’s life and his own soul. As long as Bonney could live well, Kuma felt his own spirit would not be extinguished.

But if he could personally witness Bonney grow up...

The thought made Kuma’s very soul tremble. If he weren’t already a complete cyborg, devoid of the ability to cry, tears would surely be streaming down his face.

For a father to be unable to watch his daughter grow up—was an immense, eternal regret.

Bonney was only nine years old now, not even having celebrated her tenth birthday. Though Bonney, with her Age-Age Fruit, could disguise herself as an adult woman, in Kuma’s eyes, she was still just his precious nine-year-old girl.

The most important line in the last words Kuma intended to leave for Bonney was simply: ’Happy Tenth Birthday, Bonney...’

What would Bonney be like at eighteen?

What would she be like when she got married?

When she had children of her own?

When she grew old?

Kuma’s mind often drifted, imagining these future versions of Bonney.

But Kuma knew with grim certainty that he was about to ’die’, that he would never see Bonney’s future. This regret was even greater than not being able to witness Nika’s descent firsthand.

But now... if, as a soul, he could return to this world from the underworld after death...

Those images of Bonney’s future he so often imagined—could he REALLY witness them all with his own eyes?

Though Kuma’s cyborg body couldn’t tremble with excitement, his soul certainly was!

"What... What must I do?" Kuma’s body bowed before Rowen, listening intently to his words.

This was Kuma’s way of expressing a gratitude so profound it transcended words, coming from the very depths of his soul.

"Simple. I’ll leave an imprint on your soul. After you ’die’, I can find your soul in the underworld," Rowen explained with a smile.

The underworld was very big—even as an Awakened Man of the Underworld, Rowen couldn’t identify every soul’s former identity. He had to leave his own mark on the soul he wished to find.

Crocodile, Enel, and Moria had all died by his hand—their souls naturally bore traces of his own spiritual aura. But Kuma’s ’death’ would be the complete erasure of his consciousness, while his body, and even his Devil Fruit ability, remained. Rowen had no intention of preventing this death...

Given Kuma’s code of conduct, he wouldn’t break his agreement with the World Government and Vegapunk, even though the World Government was the root cause of all his tragedies.

This was the measure of the man, his personal charisma. If he lost himself, then even if alive, his soul would be dead, just like Moria before. And Kuma’s cyborg body was now irreversible; he couldn’t even laugh or cry like a normal human.

Plus, as a Buccaneer, viewed as a natural-born slave by the Celestial Dragons, his bloodline was one of the sources of his tragedy.

Kuma even felt happy Bonney wasn’t his biological daughter, as she didn’t inherit the fate of a natural-born slave. Under these circumstances, the ’death’ of Kuma’s physical consciousness was the only way to bring his tragedy to a close—

—Thus, Rowen’s plan was to find Kuma’s soul in the underworld after his ’death’, not to save his physical body.

WHOOSH!

An Air Door to the underworld opened! Soul energy was extracted from within!

FWOOSH!

This soul energy, transformed into Demonic Blue Fire by Rowen’s combined Flare-Flare and Revive-Revive abilities, enveloped Kuma!

Kuma’s body trembled violently. His soul—was burning under this power!

"Using Demonic Blue Fire, I will leave an indelible imprint on your soul. When you reach the underworld after your ’death’, with this imprint, I can accurately locate your soul," Rowen explained, controlling the Demonic Blue Fire with a smile.

The Demonic Blue Fire, created by combining the Awakened Flare-Flare and Revive-Revive Fruits—just like Manigoldo’s in Saint Seiya—had the property of using souls as fuel, directly burning an enemy’s soul.

If one’s Haki was completely broken, their soul would be burned to nothing. Even mere contact with Demonic Blue Fire would leave an indelible mark on the soul. And because it was soul damage, conventional healing was useless—only soul-based powers, like the Soul-Soul Fruit, could repair it.

Rowen used this property to mark Kuma’s soul.

With this mark, and the spiritual power channel now established, the moment Kuma ’died’, his Warlord ’Fortune’ would be plundered by Rowen without any waste—as for the minor soul damage Kuma sustained from the Demonic Blue Fire, once Rowen obtained Big Mom’s Soul-Soul Fruit, he could easily repair it!

"Thank you... truly, thank you... Rowen," Kuma’s soul pulsed with gratitude, despite the intense pain.

The form of address, ’Rowen’, was what the man himself had requested.

This man... truly treated him as an equal!

The debt of gratitude he owed this man was immense. Only by fighting for him with all his might after death, as a soul—could he repay even a fraction of it.

"Shishishi! Next time we meet, I’ll be Awakened! You’ll get to see Nika then!" Luffy grinned.

"Ah... I look forward to it," Kuma replied.

His life, at this moment, felt filled with hope. He had thought his life was about to end, yet here, with Rowen, he had found a new beginning.

He would be able to see Nika, and see Bonney grow up...

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"I’ve packed my things!" Perona flew out from the ruined, gloomy castle, carrying a large bundle.

"Be careful on your journey, Perona,"

Moria’s soul murmured, watching her with immense fondness. He had never imagined he would one day be able to see his ’Daughter’ off as she set sail.

"Waaah! Don’t be so gentle, Moria-sama!" Perona cried, moved to tears.

"Don’t call me Moria-sama anymore, Perona. Call me..." Moria hesitated, unsure what she should call him.

Just then, Nami’s eyes twinkled. She leaned over and whispered something in Perona’s ear.

"I’m off then... Father," Perona declared, shouldering her bag, beaming a sweet smile towards Moria’s soul.

"UWAAAAAH! KUMA! DID YOU HEAR THAT?? PERONA CALLED ME FATHER! YOU BASTARD!" Moria’s soul wailed with joy, repeatedly trying to pat Kuma on the back, but only passing through his cyborg body.

Kuma, lacking any soul-based Devil Fruit, couldn’t hear Moria’s words. But he understood his meaning. And he continued to comfort the weeping Moria.

Perhaps because—they were both fathers.

"Set sail with a smile! Don’t make Father worry!" Perona sniffled, wiping her nose, then stepped onto the deck of the Going Merry.

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