One Piece : The Blood Emperor

(A/N : I'm just making sure it's night time in this chapter like 7pm. I'm using fixed time settings in every area of One Piece World to make things simpler.)

BOOM!!!

Luke was about to calm down after being kicked out by the separate realm when his face got smashed by a giant fist, hurling him down to the ground creating a huge pit.

BOOM!!! BOOM!!! BOOM!!!

'Shit! I almost forgot someone is beating my ass.'

He couldn't help but cursed inwardly. The heaviness on his body worsened but it was still bearable to the point that he could take punches all day long with this battle maniac giant insect in front of him.

Earlier, he forced himself to be in such a pressure to improve his Conqueror's Haki. However after meeting the man in the separate dimension, he couldn't help but postpone this idea for the time being.

Carnage Kabuto's transformation was indeed intimidating.

Although this giant bug can accompany Luke in training for seven days straight while enhancing his own battle capabilities, it's not relevant for the time being since he's pretty occupied with a new line of information that needs to be put on his top priority.

He needs to end this fight to ponder some things and to plan his ultimate goal.

BOOM!!! BOOM!!!

Carnage Kabuto was still relishing his act against Luke when his whole body suddenly stopped moving as if his body got contained in a tight space.

He soon realized the culprit.

"Sigh. What a troublesome fellow." Luke made a little struggle controlling the giant bug for a couple of seconds. He made some light stretches to soothe his aching muscles.

"Let's go back for now."

His eyes were glowing crimson and his aura erupted like a raging volcano.

...

Outside the foggy island...

Boa Hancock and her crew are now preparing to enter the island since the constant banging sound stopped in a short while.

They wanted to know exactly what happened to Luke who fought with the powerful mutated animals on the island.

RUMBLE!!!

However, their expression changed when they felt a surge of pressure out of nowhere. A pressure that slightly restricted their bodies from moving.

Thunder storms wreaked havoc all over the island. What puzzled them was every lightning thunder was blood red in colour.

"This.. familiar pressure.. It's him!" A lady warrior exclaimed. She was one of the warriors who encountered and experienced Luke's ability earlier.

"Look! What is that?" Another warrior pointed at the foggy island.

BOOM!!!!

The dusty island instantly cleared up revealing a giant raging storm of blood at the very center. It shreds everything it touches be it trees or huge boulders into dust making the spectators go numb in surprise.

Boa Hancock took a deep breath in shock before reverting into a serious expression.

Minutes later, she and her crew entered the island to check up on Luke.

"How is it? Where is he?" Boa Hancock asked while observing area. The island is now a wide open field with no debris remains. Although there are some burrowed holes here and there, the island is already spotlessly clean.

They found out that Luke was nowhere to be seen. It was as if he just vanished into thin air.

"We can't find him anywhere." A warrior replied.

"Did he perhaps perished in that weird storm?" Marigold asked with uncertainty.

Boa Hancock frowned without replying. She approached the very center of the storm. On the dimly lit ground, her beautiful eyes noticed a pair of unclear footprints. Her eyes narrowed before checking the distant seas.

"The issue here is done. Let's go home." She issued a command to the crew and walked to the ship. The island is a wasteland. There no valuable can be harvest in here. Better leave it untouched and considered it as part of their territories.

"What about him?" Sandersonia asked.

"What? Concerned for his well-being?" Boa Hancock asked without stopping her walk. However, there was a hint of threat in her tone.

"N-No. I-I was just.." Sandersonia panicked. In fact, she didn't even found Luke attractive at all. She was just curious about the mystery that Luke created on this island.

"He's alive but already left the island. The deal has been done. When we meet him later, treat him as enemy." Boa Hancock's voice was stern.

She tagged Luke as someone who controls blood based on her observation.

'This new Emperor group is not as simple as it seems. I wonder how strong their Captain is judging from the fact that their Vice Captain is already this monstruously strong.' She inwardly thought. Her curiosity directed from Luke to Luffy who doesn't have any idea what's going on in this island.

"Yes, Empress!" Sandersonia and others replied in unison.

...

Luke arrived at Going Merry. His whole figure was a bit of a mess after he got thrashed by Carnage Kabuto.

Since he was a bit of a rush to leave, he didn't bid his goodbyes to Boa Hancock. Not that she matters to him in any way. They will most likely meet in the future but probably as enemies.

After killing and consuming Carnage Kabuto's soul, he went back to check on his crewmates first before pondering some serious matters.

When he was about to start anything, a change happened on his body which made him halt his movements.

He was baffled at first before showing a surprised expression.

'What? Carnage Mode? Wait...'

His quick brainstorming immediately connected the dots on what was happening in his body.

He can actually inherit the skill of the soul he consumed. In his current case, he killed Carnage Kabuto and actually inherited an innate ability called Carnage Mode.

He then realized the second gift of that man from the separate realm earlier.

Not only he can get the ability, it was as if the ability was originally his. He can feel the familiarity of it and can activate it anytime he wants. Since it's similar to a skill, he can bestow it to anyone if he wants.

Carnage mode allows him to be a couple of times physically stronger while losing sanity in the process for seven straight days.

Meanwhile, he has a similar technique that came from his Soul Soul Devil Fruit. It's more overpowering than Carnage Mode and also pays a heavy price, burning or consuming lifespan to become physically stronger. The more lifespan he burns, the stronger he gets. He once used this skill during his fight with Ulquiorra back at the nearby island of Little Garden.

Still, Carnage mode is a better alternative than burning his lifespan. However, it will be problematic if he can't control his sanity while the skill is in active mode.

'Not bad for an upgrade.'

Such a new ability is like a game changer for him in this world. He can create new synergies with this upgrade. It gives him a higher chance to end his mission at a faster pace or that was he initially thought.

He soon calmed down as he silently clenched his teeth.

'Tsk. I'll confront that man later for sure.. Keeping things mysterious from me huh.. Just you wait.'

"Hm?"

Luke noticed that no one was around Going Merry. His attention then shifted to the island and saw the whole crew circling around a giant bonfire.

Nami was the first to notice Luke and got surprised. It was probably because she didn't expect his early return.

Luke entered the ship to freshen up first before meeting his crewmates.

Moments later, he exited the cabin. His face was a bit paler for exerting a bit much of his soul power. It was intentional for him to show off by cementing the majesty of an Emperor group towards Boa Hancock and her crew.

With some souls he devoured earlier, his complexion slowly returned to normal which is a little good news for him.

He then noticed a person waiting for him outside the cabin.

It was Frankenstein.

Luke examined the other party.

Frankenstein was a blonde caucasian man just like in the original story.

It was indeed as 'the man' says. This Special Homie he personally made has turned into a real human.

"Welcome back, Master." Frankenstein made an elegant bow similar to that of a butler.

"Did they know your current form, your human form?" Luke asked. He noticed the connection was still there as if Frankenstein was an artefact he could control.

"No, Master. I separated myself from them after finishing my task and went somewhere on the island where I can be alone." Frankenstein shook his head.

Luke concluded that this Frankenstein in front of him was a total copy of Frankenstein from the original story. Every expression he made was human-like.

Swish!

He waved his hand and Frankenstein transformed into a ring. He noticed three rings floated before him and realized it was the Neutralizing Spear and Slow Slow ring he lent at the other party.

"Not bad." Luke nodded in satisfaction as he retrieved the rings before heading towards the Strawhats.

...

As Luke arrived at the Strawhats, he easily discerned their current mood.

The rest of the Strawhats stood up when they saw Luke.

"Guaa!" Billy's eyes lit up and approached Luke. The duck was too dependent on him as usual.

"I was just gone for a day and you guys have a lot of stories to tell already." Luke rubbed Billy's head as he teased the group.

His eyes shifted to Luffy who was actually sleeping while eating a large chunk of meat. No wonder the guy didn't jump on him the moment he arrived.

Apart from Luffy and Johnny who's fast asleep, the rest of the Strawhats are wide awake.

The rest of the Strawhats smiled wryly when they heard him.

Luke inwardly guessed Frankenstein won the first day of training.

His attention turned to the snoring Johnny. His body seems fine as if he didn't get a brutal beating in today's training. Maybe mentally exhausted from who knows what Frankenstein used to torture this guy.

Luke squinted his eyes on Liz nearby who evaded his gaze. This little lady clearly helped the Strawhats of their injuries.

These next seven days should be a hellish training he prepared for the Strawhats and getting some serious injuries are a part of it.

Since Liz has a very effective healing capability, this harsh training will be less effective in overall improvements.

Who knows when the next proper training will start. Plus, this training session serves as laying low in the eyes of random troublemakers.

Nami eyed Luke with questioning stare. She recalled the other party will be out for a couple of days to train. However, not a day has passed and he already came back.

Luke shrugged his shoulders in response as if telling her that something came up and needed a change of plans.

When he was about to sit down, he saw a bird landing on a random rock nearby. It carries a small rectangular box in its back.

His eyes shone when he recognized the said bird. It was a messenger bird of the ninjas.

Luke took out the message scroll carried by the bird. As he read the contents of the message, he took a deep breath.

'In a week, someone from the ninjas will meet me to receive the third reward I've promised.'

He then looked at the stars above and sighed.

"It's time for a massive power upgrade."