In the underground tunnel, a young fishwoman carried an injured Mink child on her back, followed by a ragged group of a dozen slaves from various races.

Suddenly, at the end of the tunnel, a silver-haired boy appeared—Donquixote Homing Saint.

"Out of the way!" the fishwoman bared her sharp teeth.

The boy didn't resist. He silently held out a ring of keys.

"There's a boat at the eastern dock…" his voice trembled,

"You can use it to escape."

A hand formed from Ritter's mist rose from the tunnel floor and pointed in the other direction.

"There's another way out."

As the last slave disappeared into the distance, Ritter turned back toward the battlefield. Rocks was tightening his grip around Saint Garling's throat, and Garp was back on his feet, fists gleaming black with Armament Haki.

"It's time to end this."

The blood mist around the Black Tide Greatsword suddenly surged. This time, Ritter didn't spread the mist outward. Instead, he drew it close, bending light to conceal himself.

He wasn't heading for the main battlefield.

You like treating people like livestock, huh?

Alright then, Celestial Dragons—

Here comes your daddy, Ritter.

"Captain Roger!" Jabba looked anxiously at the still-unmoving Roger.

"Ritter, he—"

"Let him go." Roger's straw hat cast a shadow over his eyes.

"There are some battles…"

"…he needs to choose for himself."

At the heart of God Valley, chaos reigned.

"If you like hunting so much…"

His voice drifted through the air, untraceable.

"Then how about now? I'm the hunter."

Saint Fei, one of the discarded Celestial Dragons, was panicking as he barked orders to his guards.

"Hurry! Get me out of this hellhole!"

The guards scanned their surroundings, tense, but saw only a thick, crimson mist.

"Sir, we can't find the enemy!"

"Useless! A bunch of—"

Schlick.

His voice cut off abruptly.

A thin line of blood had appeared on his throat—hair-thin and deadly.

The guards stared in horror as his head slowly slid off his shoulders, a fountain of blood spurting from his neck.

"One down."

From the moment he made up his mind to start killing Celestial Dragons to his first success, Ritter felt something inside him unlock. The bottleneck that had been holding back his Devil Fruit powers was gone.

He had awakened.

Before, his so-called "Blood Mist" had been a bit of a stretch he'd just colored it that way himself. But now, it was blood mist in truth, in form and in essence.

If you don't value life, then I won't value yours either. Treating your lives like fertilizer… seems fair.

Ritter could feel the transformation. With his fruit awakened, the very quality of his mist had evolved. And now, anyone caught within it so long as he wished it could have their life force drained, feeding directly back into his own body.

Killing that first Celestial Dragon was like unclogging a pipe.

This golden fruit from that shameless river god? Busted-tier.

No wonder the One Piece world is built on belief it's pure subjectivity.

Saint Sai and Saint Cao were trembling behind a golden statue.

"Damn these filthy commoners! How dare they attack us?!" Saint Sai shrieked, foaming at the mouth.

"When the Navy arrives, I'll enslave their entire families!"

"Shut up!" Saint Cao clamped a hand over his mouth.

"He can hear us!"

Suddenly, Sai shoved Cao away and pulled out a jewel-encrusted pistol.

"How dare you touch someone as noble as me with your dirty—?!"

"How are you even here, slave—?!"

Bang!

The bullet pierced the center of Saint Cao's forehead.

Saint Sai froze, staring at his own hand in disbelief.

"I… I didn't mean…"

Bang!

Blood erupted from his own chest. The two Celestial Dragons looked at each other, stunned, just as they fell.

What they'd seen before they died wasn't a slave

It was a pair of crimson eyes in the mist, ice-cold and indifferent.

"Dog eat dog… ahhh, nothing beats that feeling."

Another Celestial Dragon dragged his bloated body toward a golden carriage, snot and tears smearing his grotesque face.

"S-save me! I'm a descendant of the Creator! You lowly scum must—!"

Mist Erosion: Life Siphon.

Ritter crooked his finger.

The mist wrapping around the Celestial Dragon tightened violently.

"AaaaaAAHHHH!"

The fat man froze.

His skin began to shrivel and wrinkle before their eyes. Blood and flesh were drawn out by the mist, converted into crimson streams of energy that flowed into Ritter's body.

In three seconds, a dried-out corpse collapsed to its knees.

A breeze passed.

It turned to ash.

Ritter clenched his fist. His stamina was restored, his life force replenished—

Even his Haki felt sharper.

"So this is what it feels like to steal life," he murmured.

"No wonder you bastards got addicted to it…

Ah, but you guys are all trash—probably didn't feel it as clearly."

The five remaining Celestial Dragons huddled together, trembling as they held up goblets like some pitiful ritual.

"Come out! You demon!"

Ritter's voice came from every direction.

"Didn't you love hunting?"

"Well then—now it's your turn."

Mist Realm: Life Withering.

The crimson mist expanded in a surge, engulfing the five Celestial Dragons.

"AAAH! My arm—!"

"Help! My skin is melting!"

"Where are the slaves?! Navy! Save me—!"

Their screams faded, their bodies rapidly desiccated. Blood and vitality were siphoned clean, rushing into Ritter in five vivid streaks of red.

Thump.

Five dry corpses fell to the ground at once. Ritter's aura soared to a new peak.

"How utterly revolting… yet delicious."

He looked down at his own hand, a flicker of conflict in his eyes—

But it vanished in an instant, replaced by chilling resolve.

"But for dealing with you people… this is perfect."

The fishwoman and the fleeing slaves had made it to the dock—

But their pursuers weren't far behind.

"Stop them! Don't let a single one escape!"

A Marine captain led dozens of troops in hot pursuit, bullets raining down on the unarmed fugitives.

Suddenly, a wall of crimson mist rose from the ground, blocking every shot.

"What is that…?" the fishwoman gasped.

From within the fog, Ritter's voice echoed—

"Run. Don't look back."

The mist wall exploded outward, swallowing the Marines whole.

Mist Healing: Life Gift.

The children's wounds began to heal, while the Marines grew visibly weaker.

That's right.

Your lives will be used to gift others.

And that's a fair trade.

Thanks for the donation, Celestial Dragons.

Ritter had just found the perfect way to field-test his fruit powers.

You all died for science. Let us spit to honor your sacrifice.

Ptoo.

Ptoo.

Ptoo.

Watching the Marines weaken, Ritter's face turned mocking.

"Aren't you the Navy? Aren't you supposed to carry the weight of justice?

Why aren't you fighting on the main battlefield against the pirates, huh?

Let me guess—you don't dare face them, but kids are easier, right?"

The mist peeled off his face, revealing Ritter's features.

"Scarlet Mist. Ritter. Aren't you afraid of the World Government's revenge?"

Ritter picked his nose lazily.

"Well, thing is… if you're all dead, there's no one left to report me."

"Sayonara."

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