Chapter 40: The Power Gained from Jujutsu Kaisen

Without hesitation, I returned to the Oda World.

The last place I’d been before logging out was atop a small single-person sailboat, just as it began its voyage.

I took a deep breath, savouring the sight of the sea after such a long time.

“Fuuuuu…”

CRACKLE!!!

What surged through my grasp was sheer overwhelming will—Conqueror’s Haki clad in dark crimson lightning.

So this is what happens when I apply the principles of Black Blade… Interesting.

While some abilities like Cursed Technique Reversal didn’t transfer due to differing conditions, traces of their essence seemed to remain in other ways.

For instance, if I focused Armament Haki deep—deeper than ever before—until it sank into the very core of my blade…

Then I might be able to touch upon its true nature.

Lightly brushing my hand over the blade, I slashed at the air.

Shrrrrrip!

I could feel space itself distort.

It wasn’t quite cutting through space—but it felt like slicing through a thin sheet of paper layered over the world.

A distortion, if not a full tear.

As for Reversal Cursed Techniques, unfortunately, they were out of reach.

But the gifted physical abilities from Heavenly Restriction still applied here—I could feel my body’s capabilities vastly enhanced.

“Very nice…”

Even just the boost from Conqueror’s Haki alone was massive.

And now, with my Observation, Armament, and Conqueror’s Haki all dramatically elevated, it was no exaggeration to say I’d become several times stronger than I was before leaving this world.

With that confidence, I continued sailing onward.

Not even three days had passed since I’d departed Amazon Lily.

Not even three days since my return to this world when someone showed up in front of me.

“Kuahahahaha!!! So you’re the infamous Boa Hancock, huh?! You do look young, but your beauty holds incredible promise!!! You’d make the perfect concubine for someone like me!!! Now, if you don’t want to get hurt, I suggest you get on my ship willingly!”

“…And who exactly are you?”

“Kuahaha! Who am I, you ask?! I’m worth a whole 59 million berries—”

“…I have no interest in remembering the name of someone who can’t even break the 100-million mark.”

I didn’t bother drawing my sword.

Just a flick of my finger—and Rankyaku surged forth.

It was originally a technique that required a kick to unleash wind blades.

But with my current power, even a single finger was enough.

The slash of compressed air I launched sliced through the pirate’s ship in an instant, shattering it into splinters.

One more piece of ocean trash, cleared.

But that was the moment I realized something.

They may have been small fry—but the fact that they were openly coming after me meant one thing.

Someone serious was getting close.

“…How irritating. All this just to catch an eleven-year-old?”

‘Useless trash that won’t do the sea any good, the lot of them.’

Then it wouldn’t hurt to clean them up.

And maybe—just maybe—one of them would have the fruit I’m after.

With that thought in mind, I set my course and continued sailing toward the next island according to the system’s records.

***

“Shouldn’t we be seeing that girl any time now?”

“Heh, totally! The gut feeling I copied from the Intuition-Intuition Fruit says she’s getting closer!”

“Excellent! Just capturing her would earn us a fortune that makes gold look cheap! The Celestial Dragons really are something else! Kuahahaha!”

The three pirate captains licked their lips in anticipation.

The bounty placed by the Celestial Dragons—10 billion berries.

An amount so vast it would be nearly impossible to obtain even by raiding several islands.

To pirates crazed by greed, it was the ultimate prize.

But competition was fierce.

And tracking the target wasn’t easy.

That’s why the three had joined forces.

The Mirror-Mirror Fruit user, Grady the Replicator – 129 million berries.

The Needle-Needle Fruit user, Howdy Tivera the Stitcher – 200 million berries.

The Thread-Thread Fruit user, Dio Brando the Binder – 140 million berries.

Among them, Grady—who had copied the powers of Laubertia the God of Battle, user of the Intuition-Intuition Fruit—was the linchpin.

His replicated intuition made tracking targets significantly easier.

And now, that intuition had led them close—dangerously close.

The moment was near.

Sure, the Navy said she was powerful enough to take down pirates on her own…

But how strong could an eleven-year-old really be?

Those rumors probably stemmed from her getting help from the Navy in the first place.

Alone, she had to be just a child—an unguarded treasure waiting to be claimed.

Kuhuhuhu…

Heeheehee…

Kekekeke…

With smug confidence, the trio charged toward the distant speck they saw on the horizon.

***

‘Maybe I never needed to go to Jujutsu Kaisen after all.’

The thought crossed my mind again.

After all, the enemies so far had all been pathetically weak.

“Seriously, this is insane. You can really feel that it’s the early phase of the Great Pirate Era.”

Even during my time with the Navy, I thought I’d seen a lot of pirates…

But this?

Either I look like an easy target now, or things are just that chaotic.

It felt like there were at least twice as many of them buzzing around me now.

Ever since the first small fry appeared, a new crew had shown up every few hours.

And yet, not a single one of them had a bounty in the hundred-millions.

They were all just… vermin.

Honestly, even the me from before I went to Jujutsu Kaisen could have handled this mess easily.

Just Garp’s strength and Roger’s Haki potential alone would’ve been enough.

But then—

My Observation Haki picked up something.

A presence.

No—three.

They felt different from the small fry I’d been dealing with.

‘…Devil Fruit users?’

With the addition of my Six Eyes and the world’s observation systems fused into my Haki, I could see not just their forms—but the very energy within their bodies.

They didn’t have awakened Haki.

Their spiritual presence was calm.

But—there it was.

A strange, demonic energy, flickering deep inside.

One.

Two.

Three.

Feeling it, I smiled.

It was finally time to test the awakened ability of the Copy-Copy Fruit.