If the blessing bonus isn't strong enough at first, you can keep getting blessings from more dragons until it catches up to the power from stealing a dragon's soul.
The Ocean Dragon floated calmly on the surface of the sea, then, like a playful puppy, it closed its eyes and extended its huge head in front of Duke.
Duke reached out with his right hand and scratched the tough scales on the dragon's chin.
As soon as his hand touched the Ocean Dragon, a powerful, life-filled dragon energy instantly merged into Duke's body.
Feeling the slight changes inside him, Duke smiled in satisfaction.
Then, with his mind, he directed the Ocean Dragon to dive back into the seabed, while the merchant ship accompanying Duke continued toward Alabasta.
Of course, the many Sea Kings in the deep sea would become the Ocean Dragon's food, helping it gain experience and grow stronger.
Alabasta was almost within reach.
Meanwhile, on Beehive Island in the New World, Vladimir had defeated Ochoku and greatly strengthened himself after equipping two pieces of powerful gear.
Before he could fully adjust to his new strength, he planned to return to the first half of the Grand Line with his rewards.
A massive pirate ship appeared, cutting through the waves, directly blocking Vladimir's path.
On the bow of the ship, the world's strongest man, Whitebeard, stood tall.
"Ku la la la la,"
"Kid, are you the one who defeated Ochoku?"
Whitebeard's face darkened as he stared coldly at Vladimir.
"This is the New World," he said. "This isn't a place for you to cause trouble!"
Vladimir, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, dared to enter the New World and kill Ochoku, who had connections to Whitebeard. This made Whitebeard, known for his relatively good temper among the Four Emperors, angry.
No one knew if this was the start of a major invasion of the New World by the World Government and the Marines.
But as long as Whitebeard was alive, the New World would not be a place where the World Government could act freely.
After speaking coldly, Whitebeard's terrifying presence immediately pressured Vladimir.
Behind him stood a large group of famous squad captains from the New World, all ready for a fight.
Whitebeard tightened his grip on his weapon and glared at Vladimir, his expression cold, as if declaring that Vladimir's life was on the line.
No one in the sea could escape alive after truly angering Father Whitebeard.
"The strongest man in the world, Whitebeard?"
"What an incredible force,"
Vladimir bowed respectfully to Whitebeard.
Then, despite the overwhelming Conqueror's Haki radiating from Whitebeard, he remained calm and said,
"I've finished my business in the New World and I'm preparing to leave this area."
"So, will you let me leave in peace?"
The aura radiating from Whitebeard was incredibly terrifying, but compared to the dark descendants and celestial warriors of the past,
Whitebeard's strength had waned due to aging and hidden injuries, and he could even die from old age. The difference in power was too great!
That's the difference between a man and a god.
Even though Whitebeard at his peak might have been as powerful as some of the dark descendants,
True strength was never just about attack power.
For example, Vladimir knew he might not be able to defeat Whitebeard right now,
But after dozens or even hundreds of years, Vladimir could walk around Whitebeard's grave without changing at all.
Meanwhile, the mighty Whitebeard would be nothing more than a few bones by then.
A long life is a type of strength too.
Vladimir was as calm as if he were simply stepping out to buy some onions, and his confidence made Whitebeard frown deeper, his mood darkening further.
The Whitebeard Pirates' squad captains couldn't take Vladimir's indifference anymore, or the arrogance in his behavior!
"Do you know who you're talking to?"
"Don't think that just because you're called the Blood Emperor, you're on equal footing with Dad!"
"On this sea, the only one worthy of being called emperor is Dad!"
"Die, you World Government lackey!"
At once, a large number of Whitebeard Pirates' captains charged at Vladimir!
Marco's Phoenix Fire, Vista's powerful slash, Izou's bullet wrapped in Armament Haki,
Countless attacks overwhelmed Vladimir in an instant, leaving terrifying scars and holes across his body!
But as the smoke cleared, to the disbelief of Marco and the others, Vladimir's shattered body began to slowly heal, leaving him completely unscathed.
"How is that possible? Not even Logia can ignore all our attacks!"
"The Blood Fruit can't have that kind of power,"
"What kind of Devil Fruit did you eat?!"
Marco and the others gasped in surprise.
As the captain of the Whitebeard Pirates and one of the most famous pirates in the world,
They were all too familiar with the power of a Logia Devil Fruit's ability to ignore normal attacks.
But the Logia Devil Fruit powers they had fought and even defeated were never capable of ignoring Haki.
It was impossible for a Logia Devil Fruit to completely ignore a Haki attack.
"No, you fools, he didn't ignore all your attacks,"
"He just recovered too quickly!" Whitebeard said solemnly, his voice deep as he addressed Vladimir.
"Ku la la la, in this world, there's such a strange and magical Devil Fruit."
"Or perhaps it's some unusual physique?"
"Is that how you defeated Ochoku?"
"Then come, try my move!"
After Whitebeard's words, a wave of vibrating power suddenly appeared on the blade of Cong Unique, his supremely fast sword.
With a powerful swing, Whitebeard unleashed a terrifying ball of shaking power, filled with an aura capable of destroying everything in its path, including the very fabric of the air itself.
The Shock Fruit, pushed to its extreme by Whitebeard, had world-shattering power.
The void itself trembled and cracked under the force of Whitebeard's attack, and Vladimir's face grew more serious.
Then, just as Whitebeard's shockwave was about to strike Vladimir, his body suddenly turned into a mist of blood, scattering into the void!
Whitebeard's shockwave continued, tearing through the blood mist, and obliterating the last remains of the skull on Beehive Island.
The might of the strongest in the sea was enough to change the landscape itself.
Vladimir's body had completely disappeared into the blood mist, leaving no trace.
Marco and the others cheered, but Whitebeard's expression grew even more grim.
Then, from the countless drops of blood scattered across Honeycomb Island, an eerie figure slowly began to take form again.
"Now, can you let me leave?" Vladimir asked calmly, as behind him, boundless blood mixed with an aura of death and decay spread in all directions.
It slowly began to encircle the entire Whitebeard crew, creeping closer with each moment.
Vladimir might not be able to defeat Whitebeard,
But how many of the Whitebeard Pirates' captains could survive Vladimir's full assault?