It was not energy being released, but a terrifying suction being born.
Yet this pull was not aimed at matter. It was directed at spirit, soul, and will.
Arohan's face changed drastically.
He felt the faith power inside him starting to leak out beyond his control.
All the divine force he had painstakingly gathered and refined over years was being dragged away by an invisible hand, rushing into the body of that Black Dragon.
"No...!"
For the first time, he lost his composure.
But it was already too late.
Bullet opened his jaws. This time, what he spewed out was not black flame, but a spinning black vortex.
The vortex seemed capable of swallowing light, sound... even space and time itself.
The golden light around Arohan's body was pulled, twisted, and finally sucked into that whirlpool.
"I am... the mouthpiece of God... how can this be..."
His body began to shrink and wither at frightening speed. The gold faded from his skin. The third eye at his brow slowly closed.
His consciousness blurred.
In those last moments, he saw fleeting images.
Ancient ruins. A colossal mural of a black dragon. The end time vision of it gnawing at the roots of a World Tree.
And a voice echoing in his mind:
"The Devourer... will one day devour everything... even gods..."
Then darkness fell.
Arohan's body crumbled into ash and scattered on the sea wind.
All the faith energy he had accumulated, the fear and hatred and despair of the hundreds of thousands he had consumed, were swallowed entirely by Bullet.
[Devour: Faith energy (high purity)]
[Warning: Energy tier too high, forced evolution commencing]
[Black Core upgrade: LV.1 → LV.2]
[New trait acquired: Mental Devour Specialization... greatly increased efficiency when devouring spiritual energy, will, faith and other non material forces]
[New trait acquired: Divine Resistance (basic)... improved resistance to faith based and rule type attacks]
[Physical constitution overall enhancement: +5.7%]
[Scale evolution rate: 0.14% → 0.23%]
A cascade of messages flashed through his mind. Bullet felt his body changing.
It was not just a rise in raw power. It was his very level of life stepping up.
When he opened his eyes again, deep within the scarlet slits of his pupils, a faint golden pattern had appeared.
A mark left behind by devouring divinity.
The sea was silent.
On the remaining ships, the pirates stared at the black dragon that had slain their captain and their strongest first mate. At last, their minds shattered.
"Run... run!"
"Monster, that thing is a real monster!"
"Even Lord Arohan..."
The fleet broke and scattered.
Bullet did not pursue.
His evolution had just finished. He needed time to digest it.
He reverted to human form and landed on a ship that still had not sunk, then sat down cross legged on the deck.
In the distance, the Oro Jackson glided slowly closer.
On the prow, Roger, Rayleigh, Shanks and the entire crew watched him in silence.
Their eyes were complicated.
Shock. Relief. Awe.
Bullet understood why.
It did not matter.
He touched the silver coin at his chest, feeling its faint warmth.
Then he lifted his head, looked toward Roger, and gave a small nod.
The meaning was clear: I did it.
Roger grinned, raising a thumb in his direction.
The morning sun rose fully, bathing the wreck strewn sea in light.
One man's battle had ended.
The Black Dragon had claimed a complete and absolute victory.