One Piece Devouring Fruit - Chapter 63

After easily defeating the bandits, Michion understood why the townspeople feared them. Compared to ordinary people, these bandits were quite formidable, each able to fight off seven or eight average men without issue.

Additionally, their tactic of attacking groups and killing indiscriminately to instill fear made them even more terrifying to the locals. The marketplace guards could have been more useful, as Michion had observed earlier when entering the town. They were nowhere to be seen during the attack, probably having fled, highlighting the disparity in strength between the two sides and explaining why the bandits could rampage unchecked for so long.

However, these bandits were challenging targets to Michion and his companions.

Unsurprisingly, if any strong individuals had been among the bandits, they would have long used their power to rule the country.

“Damn it! Why are they so strong? Retreat!” shouted a bandit as they were quickly overwhelmed by Sola and the others. Seeing a little girl appear on their leader’s camel and easily kill him with a “gentle” hug, the bandits realized they had messed with the wrong people.

Watching their leader’s limp body, the bandits shivered in fear and immediately tried to flee on their camels.

Unfortunately for them, they had crossed Michion and his friends. Especially Berigood, who was still seething from the bandits’ mockery. He used his ability to split into spheres, attacking each bandit and covering their faces in sticky balls.

As the bandits spun in the air with their yellow-toothed grins, Michion couldn’t help but feel a moment of pity for them.

“These scum are just a menace to others. Besides, we don’t have the resources to imprison so many, and feeding them would be a hassle,” Michion remarked. He snapped his fingers, and air-based weapons formed and flew to finish off the remaining bandits.

The bandits, who had been so fearsome moments earlier, were now helpless like lambs to the slaughter. From the start of the battle, it took less than fifteen minutes for Michion and his team to wipe them out.

In the world of pirates, this was the harsh reality. For the strong, weaklings were insignificant. Just as Luffy could knock out 50,000 Fish-Men with his Conqueror’s Haki, sheer numbers were meaningless against such a level of power.

But the bandits’ numbers weren’t enough to change their fate.

As Michion activated his Ouroboros Domain to finish off the bandits, he noticed that among the dozens of bandits, there was one with some innate talent. This gave him a slight increase in his “Spirit” attribute.

With his Observation of Haki gradually awakening, Michion could more clearly sense these incremental increases in power. Although minimal, it was enough to drive anyone mad with greed if they understood its potential. In the wrong hands, this power could create a murderous monster.

Michion considered himself an ordinary person by his previous life’s standards but relatively moral in this new world. He could never become a mass murderer.

In this world, killing was common; the truly powerful even wiped out entire nations. Morality was a twisted concept, where being less evil made one good by comparison.

Therefore, in this world, Michion found himself in the “lawful good” camp.

Looking at the phantom of the Ouroboros becoming more distinct, with some scales starting to show, Michion continued his task. As he retracted the strange aura, Tina remarked:

“Every time I see your aura, it’s fascinating. You’ve developed an ability to manipulate air with it.”

Michion smiled. “The development of Devil Fruit abilities is as limitless as imagination. It’s hard to grasp the potential and connections of these powers, isn’t it?”

Tina laughed, realizing the truth in Michion’s words. If one could fully understand a Devil Fruit’s potential, it wouldn’t be called a “Devil Fruit.”

“Sola, come here! These bandits seem to be quite wealthy,” Sola called out, urging Tina to help collect the spoils.

Michion felt satisfied with his previous decisions to disguise his abilities. Publicly, his power was known as an aura-based ability, providing buffs. Manipulating air didn’t seem to fit that profile.

His abilities were more like a domain. As he said, Devil Fruits were mysterious and broke common sense. They could have been stronger but suited their user.

Take Do Flamingo’s String-String Fruit, which could even attach to clouds for flight. It seemed ridiculous, but it was the reality of this world. Michion often wondered what would happen without clouds; Doflamingo would be out of luck.

Michion disguised his Devour-Devour Fruit abilities as an Ouroboros Aura, giving the impression of a range-limited power. It fits perfectly, making his powers seem more reasonable.

This cover allowed Michion to activate his Ouroboros aura without suspicion. People would think it was just his air-controlling aura.

But in reality, the air manipulation was a secondary development of the Devour-Devour Fruit. The true power was the ultimate combination of both fruits.

Aura is the skin, Devour is the core, and it is endlessly consuming and reflecting power!

It was an indulgent, dramatic explanation, but it did the job.

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