"Very nice!"
Ross was very satisfied after hearing Gion's account.
The disciple he had raised himself was thriving.
"Saint Ross, where are you now? Do you need help?"
After finishing her own business, Gion inquired about Ross's training.
Zane had previously mentioned that Ross was in seclusion, and she guessed that Ross had deliberately paused his cultivation to wait for her arrival.
"I don't have anything on my end, but I do have a way to help you improve your strength."
As Ross spoke, he slowly raised his palm.
Whoosh!
Seawater suddenly appeared from mid-air and surged towards Gion.
Gion looked puzzled, but because it was Ross's ability affecting her, she did not resist at all and let the water flow over her.
But the moment her body was washed by the water, Gion realized something was wrong and instinctively cried out in alarm:
"Is this seawater?"
Before eating the fruit, she had already prepared herself for the fact that she would never be able to go to sea again.
After eating the fruit, she even soaked herself in seawater to try it out, and the feeling of weakness she experienced was very similar to what she felt now.
Fortunately, she was in good physical condition. Although her body was filled with a sense of weakness, she was not so weak that she had to kneel down. She remained standing, but her body was still trembling involuntarily.
"If you can't hold on any longer, tell me. Stay in the water and get used to it. This will increase your tolerance to seawater and seastone."
Ross manipulated the seawater to envelop Gion, leaving only her head exposed.
His recent achievement was the ability to generate and control seawater on a small scale.
As long as he had enough stamina, he could continuously generate seawater on land and manipulate it to fight enemies.
Though the principle was unknown, as was why the fruit's ability could generate seawater that countered other Devil Fruit abilities.
But after the 10th slave died, Ross somehow found a way to use it.
Furthermore, as the number of fruits he acquired increased, the conversion of physical strength into seawater became more efficient.
When he first gained the ability, even if he exhausted all his energy, he could only generate 2-3 tons of seawater, and that required all the stamina he had.
Don't be fooled by the fact that 2-3 tons sounds like a lot. One cubic meter of seawater weighs more than one ton, so 2-3 tons is only 2-3 cubic meters, roughly 1x1x3 in volume, which was just enough to completely enclose Gion.
After training with the seawater for half a month, his ability to generate it increased almost exponentially.
If he had exhausted his strength now, he could generate at least 100 tons of seawater.
Although it was just a small stream in practice, it was manageable enough for use in battle.
Most importantly, as Ross continued to acquire the abilities of the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Watatsumi, his resistance to seawater also increased.
Although his Devil Fruit ability came from the system, it was still affected by seawater and seastone.
When he was in a seawater environment or touched seastone, he had initially been unable to use his abilities.
However, perhaps due to the incomplete fruit ability granted by the system, he himself was not affected and did not experience the powerlessness that other fruit users felt; he was simply unable to unleash his ability.
However, as Ross's Devil Fruit abilities improved, he gradually became able to unleash his powers in seawater.
He could now use his abilities at almost 100% in seawater, and he could even faintly feel a slight increase in power.
In other words, the side effects of seawater on Devil Fruits had virtually no impact on him.
Unfortunately, it was currently limited to seawater.
Seastone still had a significant effect on him, perhaps because it was a solid substance that weakened Devil Fruits more severely. When he touched seastone, his power was only 30% of what it used to be.
Ross slowly raised his hand, palm facing the nobleman tightly enveloped by seawater.
Whoosh!!
In an instant, the surrounding air seemed to freeze, and the seawater sphere began to shrink inward under Ross's control.
The seawater seemed to be compressed by an invisible force, forming an airtight, ultra-high-pressure environment. The color of the seawater turned deep under the pressure, as if even light could not penetrate this sudden oppression.
Crack! crack!
With a chilling sound, the nobleman's body began to deform under the irresistible pressure. His flesh and blood gradually liquefied under this ultra-high pressure environment, dissolving into a dark red mist in the water.
This was a killer move that Ross had been researching recently.
Seawater itself had no direct lethality, but by manipulating it to continuously contract and create a high-pressure environment, it could instantly kill enemies with weak constitutions.
Unfortunately, this move was ineffective against strong individuals. Currently, with the abilities of the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Watatsumi he had acquired, he was unable to affect powerful opponents.
[System]: E-rank kill achieved!
[System]: Strength +100
[System]: Special Reward: Model: Watatsumi Ability (Incomplete)
That's the maximum upgrade I've reached...
Ross glanced at the new Devil Fruit abilities on the panel and sighed inwardly.
His Devil Fruit power had not increased since the first 10 people.
The last two were simply stacked as tags, and he didn't know how many stacks he would need before they would be upgraded further.
Moreover, even with these incomplete abilities, the combined power probably wouldn't be particularly strong.
So now we have a choice.
Ross looked up, his gaze falling on the newly formed Human-Human Fruit, Model: Watatsumi.
His current situation didn't qualify him as a Devil Fruit user. After all, Watatsumi still had the Devil Fruit, indicating that he had only stolen its power through the system, rather than truly becoming a Devil Fruit user.
In other words, if he didn't eat the 'Human-Human Fruit, Model: Watatsumi,' he could choose to eat another fruit.
With these thoughts in mind, Ross slowly walked up to the fruit in front of Watatsumi.
"Master..."
Stella saw Ross suddenly walk up to the fruit, a hint of worry on her face.
Before Ross went to eat the fruit, he would call people in first and force them to eat it.
This was the first time Ross had ever stood in front of the fruit himself.
In the past two weeks, Stella had seen too many people eat that fruit, but not a single one of them could survive; they all died in the seawater that the fruit came with.
"It's alright. We've waited so long, it's time to make a decision."
Ross smiled and picked up the fruit, signaling Stella to relax.
He had a higher opinion of the one in his hand than the ordinary mythical beasts.
With the current water control ability, plus a regular mythical beast, it was likely not as strong as this one.
No matter what world it was, as long as it involved a system of force, specialization was always better than being a jack-of-all-trades.
"Saint Ross, is this fruit dangerous?"
Gion was also drawn to Ross's actions, and her eyebrows furrowed slightly.
The fact that Stella could show such an expression, coupled with the fact that the fruit suddenly appeared after that nobleman's death, made it seem suspicious no matter how you looked at it.
"There is some danger, but not much danger."
Ross shook his head slightly, picked up the fruit in his hand, and finally took a bite.
The bitter taste exploded in his mouth, and even though Ross had expected it, he couldn't help but show an ugly expression.
It tastes awful!
Fortunately, the smell came on quickly and went away quickly.
Ross's body suddenly underwent a strange change, as if an invisible force was lifting him up. He slowly floated in mid-air, his body exuding an aura of transcendence.
His silver hair seemed to come alive, growing and spreading endlessly, like a cascading Milky Way, shimmering with a faint glow. At the same time, his skin became even paler, as if he had lost the color of mortal blood, but gained a touch of divine holiness.
Two silver-white dragon horns quietly emerged from the top of his head, their edges sharp and distinct. His eyes also changed, a silver light gleaming deep within them, as dazzling as stars, making it impossible to look directly at them.
At this moment, Ross seemed to have transformed into a god, radiating an inviolable aura. He inspired awe and an irresistible urge to worship.
...
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