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Time passed slowly.
The entire island, high in the sky, had broken into several large pieces. It was now only being held up by Shiki's Float-Float Fruit ability, preventing it from falling.
The battle above was clearly intense.
Even though they were thousands of meters away, the sea was still affected, causing massive waves.
Before long, the fierce fighting died down.
"Akira, don't get cocky."
Graeme flew backwards from a distance, crashed into the ground, and spat out a large mouthful of blood.
He tried to stand, but after struggling for a long time, he couldn't summon any more strength.
When Akira's heat-radiating figure appeared before him, Graeme knew death had come for him.
The outcome of this group fight was inevitable.
Akira's combat power was on par with the Four Emperors, and with the support of so many strong allies—including a version of Whitebeard's younger self written by Admiral Sengoku—it was easy to capture Graeme.
Fighting alone is not a wise choice.
Even someone as powerful as Whitebeard can't ignore the combined attacks of many strong opponents, unless the gap in strength is truly massive.
Power is crucial, but having allies is just as important.
Not everyone can be a lone wolf like Patrick Redfield or Dracule Mihawk, and even those who are, can't withstand the full force of a major faction.
"Do you think the Five Elders won't notice if you kill me quietly?"
"My Vivre Card will guide the reinforcements."
"I'm telling you, no matter how clever your plan is, you'll definitely be caught," Graeme said with a grin, clutching his chest.
During the battle, he realized Akira was still trying to stay hidden. Otherwise, there would be no need for such elaborate measures.
And before dying, it would be a sweet victory to see Akira's scheme fall apart and frustrate him.
"Vivre Card? Are these the ones you're talking about?"
Akira calmly pulled out two burning, small square papers from his pocket, a smirk on his face.
"Thanks for the concern, but I've already thought of that."
"I swapped out the ones in your office and Commander Kong's."
Graeme's laughter abruptly ceased.
Akira tossed the two pieces of Vivre Card away and raised his Sword high.
"Don't worry. I'll bring you back later."
With a swift motion, the tip of the Nichirin Sword pierced Graeme's heart with precision.
Graeme's eyes widened as his breathing slowed, eventually stopping altogether.
"Now, it's time to make him one of us."
Akira sheathed his long sword, looking down at Graeme's lifeless body beneath him. He muttered to himself, "But it only lasts for one month, which is far too short."
The current level of development of his Mythical Zoan form was still ordinary, meaning anything brought back from the past would only exist for a month.
After that, it would vanish completely, giving Akira little time to act.
The reason Akira went through such trouble to kill Graeme was simple—he wanted to turn the CP0's leader into one of his own, granting him full control over that powerful force.
But Graeme could only exist for a month before disappearing, which meant that all of Akira's efforts today would be for nothing, ultimately having no lasting impact.
After all, the Five Elders could easily assign a new, powerful person to replace the CPO captain at any time.
What would Akira do then? Kill the next captain as well?
If that were the case, no CP0 captain would last longer than a month. Even if the Five Elders were slow to catch on, they would eventually realize someone was targeting them.
Once they became suspicious, they would take precautions, and that would spell trouble for Akira.
Therefore, no matter what, Graeme's existence needed to be extended.
To do that, Akira had to improve the level of development of his Mythical Zoan ability, the key to prolonging the time of anyone brought back from the past.
"Forget it. I originally planned to develop this ability myself, but time waits for no one. I'll have to spend 10,000 experience points to enhance it now."
Akira sighed lightly, but without a second thought, he focused his mind on the system.
On the attribute map on the first page, he navigated to the Mythical Zoan "Over" form and tapped lightly.
[Ding! Does the Host wish to spend 10,000 experience points to advance the development of the Mythical Zoan "Over" form to the elite level?]
"Yes."
As soon as Akira confirmed, 10,000 experience points were instantly deducted.
The next second, knowledge and techniques related to his enhanced ability flowed into his mind, like a sudden burst of enlightenment.
The power of his Mythical Zoan "Over" form doubled, and his control over it sharpened dramatically.
Akira raised his hand, creating a glowing, vibrant light filled with energy.
Although this new power felt like an unstoppable flood rushing through his body, Akira's enhanced attributes allowed him to handle it with ease. His face only turned slightly pale, unlike before when it would have left him completely drained.
With this new level of mastery, he could now extend Graeme's existence and fully capitalize on his plan, ensuring that the CP0 remained under his control for far longer than a single month.
"The light is a bit stronger, and the hull is noticeably thicker than before," Akira remarked as he examined the glowing boat in his hand.
However, he knew there was a catch. The ability of "Over" was ultimately a support ability, not something that could directly improve combat power. Its real strength wouldn't be clear until tested in action.
With that, Akira tossed the boat onto Graeme's lifeless body, watching as it began to transform, enveloping the corpse and disappearing into the void.
Just like before, the boat traveled upstream along the river of time and space.
It passed the moment Graeme was killed by the Nichirin Sword, passed the point where he was gravely wounded during their battle, and finally stopped at a time when Graeme was fully intact, without any injuries.
The boat then lifted Graeme's unscathed body and swiftly carried it back downstream through time.
As Graeme reappeared, he immediately knelt before Akira, his tone filled with reverence. "Master."
Graeme's behavior was that of a loyal servant, completely under Akira's control, just as Akira had intended.