Chapter 247: The One Who Understands Vampires Best
"Uh... um... Your Majesty Nereus," Ginny began hesitantly, "does this mean I'm a Devil Fruit user now?"
"No," Nereus replied smoothly. "You have merely been altered by the influence of my ability. You've undergone a physical transformation, similar to the creations of a Devil Fruit user. You can still swim perfectly fine.
"Of course, the abilities you've gained aren't nearly as comprehensive as mine."
A moderate boost to her physical constitution, enhanced regenerative capabilities, the ability to consume blood to heal, and a pair of leathery bat wings for flight—that was the extent of what Ginny had gained.
As for the three-stage Zoan transformations, absolute blood manipulation, the River of Death, infinite life substitution, lifespan absorption, or Devil Fruit Awakening—those were Nereus's exclusive, inherent powers. Ginny could not replicate them.
If there was a downside to this arrangement, it was that as the Progenitor Vampire, Nereus possessed an absolute, instinctual command over Ginny. However, this psychological dominance rarely, if ever, manifested overtly in daily life.
The conversion of a Vampire came with strict metaphysical limitations. A pure maiden would be transformed into a Vampire. If a man or an impure individual were subjected to the exact same conversion, they would merely devolve into a Ghoul—a mindless, zombie-like monster entirely devoid of rationality.
If the progenitor's gender was reversed, the same rules applied. However, Nereus rarely employed the crude, violent method of biting a victim's neck. As his mastery over his Devil Fruit deepened, he could seamlessly perform the "First Embrace" through subtler, alternative means.
"This won't drastically alter your physical appearance. Just take some time to get used to it," Nereus said.
"The Drum Kingdom is renowned for its medical expertise," Nereus added, glancing at Luna. "There is a doctor there known as the 'Witch'—Dr. Kureha. She might be able to help you refine your Sulong research, though her fees are notoriously astronomical."
Nereus chatted with Luna and the others for a while longer, offering pointers on their training and inspecting the progress they had made in recent months. Once satisfied, he departed from Little Garden ahead of them.
This life-or-death crisis hadn't broken the crew's resolve to temper themselves; on the contrary, it had ignited an even fiercer hunger for true strength.
Shortly after Nereus left, the staggering fatigue and pain Kuma had repelled from Dorry and Brogy inevitably returned to their bodies. The two giants, who had been roaring with excitement moments ago, immediately crashed back into the dirt.
"Was that your King?" Dorry rasped, lying flat on his back to let his wounds heal. After all, Bishop's sneak attack had struck him fiercely. "It seems the outside world has undergone some massive changes over the years..."
Meanwhile, Brogy sat nearby, chatting with the rest of the crew. When he heard a summary of Nereus's exploits across the sea, even Brogy's eyes widened in utter disbelief.
"Gabababa! What a terrifying warrior! When we finally return to Elbaf, we should definitely challenge him to a duel! Have you all heard of Elbaf? How is our homeland faring these days?"
"The current King is Harald," Kuma replied in his steady voice. "His Majesty Nereus mentioned... Harald is striving for peace, though His Majesty fundamentally disagrees with his ideology."
"Harald? He's the King now...?"
Eighty years had passed, and the world outside had shifted in ways the two titans could barely comprehend. Yet Brogy harbored no immediate desire to leave the island. To him, the most important thing in the world was still his sacred duel with Dorry.
He did, however, accept a massive stack of old newspapers from Kuma, planning to read up on the outside world while they rested.
With Dorry in his current battered state, fighting him now would be a hollow victory. Brogy fully intended to wait quietly until Dorry recovered before resuming their endless deathmatch.
"Ginny, are you sure you aren't feeling any other weird side effects?" Luna asked worriedly.
"Nope," Ginny replied brightly. "My body feels incredibly light, my eyesight is sharper than ever, and my physical strength has shot up. Honestly, I've never felt better in my life!
"If I had to complain about one thing... it's that I get hungry a lot faster now."
Ginny was currently tinkering with a Den Den Mushi in her room, attempting to intercept and decrypt nearby radio signals, though she hadn't caught any valuable intelligence yet.
"I read somewhere that Vampires can't stomach normal food and can only drink blood..." Luna murmured.
"Really? I don't feel like that at all."
Ginny casually kicked at a massive pile of empty snack wrappers piled in the corner of her room. She always liked munching on snacks while she worked, and before she knew it, she had demolished a small mountain of them.
"Mr. Nereus doesn't exclusively drink blood either. Where did you even hear a rumor like that?"
"A fictional biography about Vampires."
"Well, then they obviously just made it up," Ginny laughed. "I'm pretty sure Mr. Nereus is the foremost authority on Vampires in the world."
In the eyes of anyone who knew Nereus's name, "Nereus" was practically synonymous with "Vampire." Ginny's logic was entirely flawless.
"Alright, alright, stop overthinking it," Ginny smiled reassuringly. "This is a great thing for me! At the very least, if we run into a life-or-death situation again, I won't just be dead weight.
"Actually, considering my strength went up, I think this rifle is getting a bit too light for me. I should just swap it out for a heavy artillery cannon! That way I'll have way more range and firepower!"
Aside from her role as the crew's intelligence officer, Ginny also served as their sniper. Her marksmanship was already exceptional.
However, if a sniper wanted to genuinely elevate their combat power in this world, the single most crucial factor was Haki.
If a sniper couldn't clad their projectiles in dense Armament Haki, it didn't matter how accurate they were; they would only ever be capable of bullying fodder.
Lacking Observation Haki was equally crippling. No matter how perfectly a sniper aimed, if their opponent possessed the Observation Haki necessary to predict the bullet's trajectory, hitting them was impossible.
The physical specs of the firearm itself also played a significant role. Previously, Ginny's physical constitution limited her to standard-issue rifles. But now, she possessed the strength for a massive upgrade.
Luna and the crew resumed their steady voyage across the sea. Although Nereus had departed ahead of them, he hadn't caused any earth-shattering commotions along the way. He merely took the time to systematically slaughter any blind, foolish pirate crews that dared cross his path, casually topping up the soul reserves in his River of Death.
The deaths of two CP0 agents were a moderate issue for the World Government. They accurately deduced that Luna's rookie crew lacked the strength to kill elite operatives, assuming the agents had perished due to some unforeseen accident.
When a Cipher Pol investigation team was dispatched to trace their steps, they only found Dorry and Brogy on Little Garden. Because they were Giants of Elbaf who had remained on that island for decades, the World Government chose not to dig any deeper.
If you piled several hundred CP0 agents together, their combined value still wouldn't match a single Harald. Compared to the lives of one or two expendable spies, keeping Harald pacified was infinitely more important.
CP0 operatives could be replaced endlessly. A sovereign powerhouse like Harald was utterly irreplaceable. The scales of value were never balanced to begin with.
Meanwhile, during this period, the Marines implemented a major restructuring of their highest echelons.
Former Marine Admiral Zephyr officially relinquished his rank and fully retreated to the rear lines, dedicating his entire life and energy to training the next generation of Marines as the Chief Instructor.
Compared to the original timeline, Zephyr had delayed his retirement by several years, which had significantly alleviated the intense operational pressure on the Marines during this chaotic era.
With Zephyr stepping down, Sengoku was once again left as the sole active Admiral. However, the Marines simultaneously issued a global broadcast formally announcing the promotion of three exceptional officers.
While Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan maintained their current ranks of Vice Admiral, they were officially bestowed the title of Admiral Candidates.
These three men were indisputable monsters within the Marines, possessing terrifying, apex combat power. However, an Admiral's duties extended far beyond mere combat strength. In terms of leadership, political acumen, and operational experience, they still lacked the necessary seniority and required further tempering.
Thus, they were designated as "Candidates." But everyone within the Marines—and across the world—knew perfectly well that given enough time, those three men would inevitably become the new Three Admirals.
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