Because Creed knew Shirahoshi was the new Poseidon, he quietly probed her attributes and abilities:
[Attributes]: Strength: A-, Agility: A, Endurance (Defense): B+, Willpower: B-
[Abilities]: SS-grade Observation Haki — Voice of All Things, S+ Telepathy, SS+ Gyojin Eihō (Fishman Swimming Arts) …
[Special]: SSS- Poseidon's Power (10%, not extractable)
[Overall]: S-
Since Poseidon's Power could not be extracted, Creed set his sights on the rest. The moment Shirahoshi entered his room to rest, he began.
"Ding! Target: Shirahoshi. Extracting SS-Observation Haki (will fuse on acquisition), S+ Telepathy, SS+ Gyojin Eihō (Fishman Swimming Arts)…"
"Ding! Extraction complete. Fusing Kenbunshoku Haki—your Observation Haki advances to SSSS and gains three aspects: Mirai Yochi (Future Sight), Kokoro Yomi (Reading the Heart), and Voice of All Things!"
The prompt stunned Creed.
He had never expected Shirahoshi's merely SS-grade Kenbunshoku, once fused, would push his own Observation Haki up an entire tier.
So the Voice of All Things really was on a different level.
It was also his first SSSS-level ability. Ecstatic, he left the cabin, gathered everyone, and kicked off a grand feast.
"This isn't great, is it? We just stuffed ourselves for days on Fish-Man Island. Keep this up and I'll turn into a ball," Perona muttered, pinching her waist.
Life had been too good lately—her waist had indeed softened a touch, a brutal blow to someone who adored looking cute.
"Yohohoho! Perona-san does love her meat—of course she'll gain weight. Someone like me who drinks black tea all day will never get fat… Yohohoho—oh, right. I don't have any fat. Only bones!" Brook chuckled, balancing a teacup and saucer.
"That's because your roast meat is too good! Hmph!" Perona huffed.
On that point, everyone agreed. Brook's barbecue was simply divine—half a century of polishing every life skill would do that.
"Ground rule: only three bottles of red tonight. Everything else, drink as you like." Redfield raised a finger, drawing a line. His wine cellar's treasures were his life; he meant to savor them for years, not watch these philistines waste them.
"Don't be stingy, Redfield-senpai. Crocodile's sitting on a pile of fine cigars and wine. When we see him, I'll have him refresh your stock," Robin smiled.
"I refuse to believe that country bumpkin has better wine than me. Fine—on your account, Robin, five bottles. No more," Redfield relented, spreading five fingers.
Hearing the merriment, Shirahoshi timidly emerged, led by Ain, and joined the party. Having hidden in the Hard-Shell Tower for years to avoid Van der Decken, she'd almost never attended a banquet. Everything was new; she laughed with the bright innocence of a child.
As the food rolled out, Brook raised his violin; Robin and Ain spun across the deck to the lilting melody. The atmosphere grew warmer, lighter.
Creed drank a fair bit and felt pleasantly light-headed. Days like this were comfortable—free. For the first time, he truly understood why pirates chased that word.
He reclined on a beach chair, watching schools of fish glide beyond the bubble membrane. After extracting Shirahoshi's abilities, he could now hear the murmurs of these creatures—and even trade thoughts with them via Telepathy. Without Poseidon's Power, though, he wouldn't be driving Sea Kings any time soon.
"Poseidon's Power probably needs a special extraction card—like a unique Devil Fruit pull," Creed mused.
Then a ripple of emotion pricked his senses—big sea beasts, two to three miles away.
"Scared me half to death! Those humans on the ship behind us are terrifying. My little brother got curious and swam closer—and they cut him down. Uu-uu… my brother died so fast…"
"Good thing we fled, or we'd be the same. Humans are awful!"
"That's why I told you—don't spare the weak ones! Swallow them whole!"
These creatures were seventy to eighty meters long and quite strong—yet they'd been hewn apart in an instant. A chill flickered in Creed's eyes.
"There's a serious swordsman aboard the ship behind us."
Because they were dropping into the undersea route, the Creed was riding a chaotic deep current. The environment was treacherous and noisy, which compressed Creed's sensing range and masked the pirate ship's approach. Plenty of crews took the seafloor route to the New World, so he grew wary, not alarmed.
Right now, most of his focus stayed on Banbutsu no Koe.
It was Pirate King Roger's hallmark. Others had developed similar talents later, but none matched Roger's tier. Roger heard the very voices of things—and could, through that, interpret the Poneglyphs. Shirahoshi's hearing, by contrast, was largely limited to sea life; compared to Roger, it fell short, which was why the system had pegged it at SS.
But Creed already possessed SSSS- Kenbunshoku. After fusion, the Voice of All Things had climbed to a higher rung.
With SSSS Observation Haki—and three special aspects besides—even if Roger surpassed him in the "Voice" alone, the strongest in total Kenbunshoku was still Creed.
(End of Chapter)
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