ch 46: Mangekyō Sharingan

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"..."

Blackbeard's mouth twitched in frustration, barely able to hold back his curses.

"Forget it! I won't be hiring you!"

"Not hiring anymore?" Akira's expression chilled. "Then hand over the Devil Fruit, now."

Under Akira's icy glare, Blackbeard had no choice but to comply.

A moment later, he reluctantly pulled out a mysterious-looking Devil Fruit from his cloak—the Thunder Fruit, one of the most powerful Logia fruits. Enel had of course died in this operation.

Blackbeard's fingers itched to taste it himself, but he quickly noticed Akira's cold, watchful gaze, sending a chill down his spine. No, challenging this guy right now would be suicide.

Gritting his teeth, Blackbeard held out the Thunder Fruit. "Take it."

Unfazed, Akira reached for it, admiring the fruit with an intense gleam in his eye. He had dreamed of this moment since he was a kid watching One Piece, wishing he could gain the powers of a Devil Fruit. Now, holding the Thunder Fruit—a fruit that could give him unmatched power—was surreal.

"Good. If you had just cooperated earlier, you'd have saved yourself a lot of pain," Akira remarked, smirking.

Blackbeard's mouth twitched, but he forced a smile. "Fine… we'll call it even. There may be more opportunities for us to work together in the future."

"More opportunities?" Akira raised an eyebrow as he tucked the Thunder Fruit away in his pack, his back already turned as he walked off.

Blackbeard shouted after him, "Hey! Where do I find you if I need your… 'security services'?"

"You'll figure it out."

And with that, Akira disappeared from sight. Only then did Blackbeard's crewmates, Van Augur, Doc Q, and Burgess, dare to approach him, each of them sporting bruises from their recent "encounter."

"Captain!" Doc Q wheezed, clearly still feeling the effects of his burns. Van Augur's cheek was swollen, and even Burgess, the least injured, looked somewhat shaken.

Blackbeard waved them off, his mind still on the Thunder Fruit. "Don't blame yourselves. That kid… he's on a whole other level."

"Who was he?" Van Augur asked, still mystified.

Blackbeard scowled. "He called himself Uchiha Akira, said he was from some 'security company.' That brat took the Thunder Fruit right out of our hands."

His crew looked equally dismayed. Losing one of the most powerful Devil Fruits to a stranger stung.

"I'm not done with him. When my plans are complete, I'll make him pay back every last berry—plus interest. Uchiha Akira… I'll remember that name."

---

Meanwhile, Akira wasted no time leaving Jaya Island, preferring to avoid its chaotic pirate-dense environment. Boarding a merchant ship, he set sail for the next town, reveling in his journey. He'd always loved traveling, and this new world offered countless wonders he wanted to experience.

For the next half-month, Akira visited town after town, savoring each one's unique beauty and cuisine. But just as he was beginning to truly enjoy himself, a familiar system notification appeared.

[Ding! The mission: Soaring Strength (completed)]

[Reward: Three Tomoe Sharingan]

Akira's face lit up with satisfaction. His clan's training had paid off; a lot of his people had quickly mastered the Fire Breathing technique.

Soon, a surge of potent chakra flowed into Akira's eyes, and his Sharingan absorbed and fused the new power. His Sharingan was already close to its peak, but this steady grind would refine it further, bringing him closer to his full potential.

Then, another notification chimed.

[Ding! The mission: Funds are in short supply (completed)]

[Reward: Mangekyō Sharingan]

A grin spread across Akira's face. His power—and his clan's reach—was growing faster than he had anticipated.

---

Akira's heart raced with excitement. He had always maintained his composure with the one-, two-, or the three-tomoe Sharingan, as they offered incremental boosts in power. But the Mangekyō Sharingan was entirely different—a complete transformation in ability.

With the Mangekyō activated, not only did he gain access to powerful new abilities, but he could also summon Susanoo. This was far beyond the abilities of the three-tomoe Sharingan.

[Detected: Host has activated Mangekyō Sharingan. Mangekyō reward converted into additional pupil power.]

Suddenly, a powerful surge of chakra poured into his eyes, causing a sharp, stinging sensation. After a moment, the energy fully integrated, and Akira's eyes felt slightly swollen. Instinctively, he activated his Sharingan and scanned his surroundings.

The world looked entirely different.

Objects in the distance became crystal clear, and as he funneled more power into his eyes, he felt the Mangekyō activate. But this time, it was unlike any activation he had experienced.

"This is…"

Everything in his field of vision slowed down to a crawl. It wasn't quite as if time had stopped, but everything was moving at an agonizingly slow pace. A drop of water that would normally fall to the ground in a second now seemed to take thousands of seconds.

Akira had experienced heightened perception before, but never to this degree. It was almost as though time itself had been frozen.

"Is my perception slowing down?" he wondered aloud. "No, that's not it! My vision has become even sharper!"

Testing this new ability, Akira managed to move freely, though his movements felt a bit sluggish compared to the frozen world around him. In reality, it was like moving in real-time while the world lagged behind. Gradually, he lessened the output of his pupil power, and the world returned to normal speed.

"What an incredible increase in perception!"

Akira's excitement grew. This new evolution of his Mangekyō Sharingan was a game-changer. Being able to perceive his opponent's every move as though they were standing still would make battle infinitely easier.

"I think I'll call this ability 'Infinite Vision,'" he murmured. "If the Mangekyō Sharingan can do this… I can't wait to see what the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan will unlock."

...