Chapter 17: High-Tier Vampire

The members of the Laru Pirate Crew crept cautiously toward Ryu's hiding spot, each step hesitant and calculated. No one dared to move more than a couple of steps ahead, fearing they'd be the first casualty in this deadly game of cat and mouse.

Laru watched the scene unfold with mounting frustration. His wound throbbed painfully with every breath, making it nearly impossible to continue fighting. Now, all he could do was rely on his subordinates—though their cowardice only fueled his rage further.

Seeing their reluctance to approach, Ryu let out a quiet sigh of relief. Time was on his side. The longer this dragged on, the more his injuries healed. What should have been a short distance took the pirates a full five minutes to cover.

Some of the smarter ones, noticing Laru's deteriorating condition, quietly slipped away when no one was looking. Though Laru caught sight of their desertion, there was nothing he could do about it now.

Pulling BloodThirst from his Blood Ring, Ryu prepared for the next phase of combat. While he wasn't trained in dual-wielding, necessity demanded improvisation. These low-level grunts fell with a single strike anyway.

In his current state—still honing his swordsmanship—using two blades didn't require much additional skill. With so many enemies armed with guns, efficiency was key.

Gulping nervously, one pirate peeked around the corner where Ryu had been hiding—but found no trace of him.

"Where did he go? Did he run?"

Relief washed over the man briefly—until a shadow loomed above him. A head rolled onto the ground with a sickening thud.

Ryu flicked his wrist, sending a droplet of blood flying like a spear. It struck another pirate preparing to fire, mimicking Jinbe's water-based attacks but powered by his own life force. Without hesitation, he kicked a nearby corpse into the dense cluster of pirates, knocking several off balance.

Thirty enemies remained—fifteen of them armed with guns, positioned at the rear. Ryu dove into the fray, forcing them to hesitate before firing indiscriminately.

After dispatching a few more foes, Ryu grabbed a fallen pirate's body as a makeshift shield. He sheathed Abyss, satisfied with its performance during the fight. For now, BloodThirst would take center stage once again.

Despite being outnumbered, Ryu eventually eliminated the entire group—at the cost of seven bullet wounds. His body bore testament to the brutal exchange, riddled with fresh gunshot marks.

Laru grinned maliciously despite losing all his men. "No matter," he thought bitterly. "Crews can always be replaced. Right now, I just need to kill this brat." Summoning what little strength he had left, Laru staggered toward Ryu, driven by sheer willpower.

But then, something strange caught his attention. Ryu reached for a flask, taking a sip. His complexion brightened instantly, as if the liquid held miraculous properties.

What happened next shocked Laru to his core. The boy's wounds began closing rapidly, and an arrogant smirk spread across Ryu's face.

Realizing the danger, Laru lunged forward—

Only to collapse face-first onto the ground. The blood loss had taken its toll. Having only recently acquired his Devil Fruit powers, Laru lacked any regenerative abilities. Instead of recovering, his injuries worsened with each passing moment.

"Damn it!" Laru cursed under his breath.

As Ryu approached, Laru struggled desperately to escape, but waves of agony from his damaged kidneys rendered him nearly unconscious. By the time Ryu stood directly in front of him, panic consumed Laru entirely. Gone was his earlier arrogance; he was reduced to pleading for mercy.

"Please! Please don't kill me! I have so much treasure—I'll give it all to you!"

"Again with that line? I'm getting tired of hearing it. Can't you come up with something more original?" Ryu replied coldly.

"I'll be your slave! Anything you want, I'll do it!"

Ryu paused, considering the absurdity of the situation. When people are truly afraid, pride means nothing.

"I don't need a dog that ugly," he said dismissively.

With a swift swing of BloodThirst, Ryu severed Laru's ram-like head. Immediately, he sank his fangs into the corpse's neck, curious to taste the blood of a Devil Fruit user for the first time.

As he drank, Ryu's wounds healed at an accelerated rate. His eyes clouded over, devoid of reason. System notifications echoed in his mind, though he was too far gone to process them.

[Detected consumption of Devil Fruit user's blood.

Host has reached High-Tier Vampire status.

Initiating evolution… Hidden conditions met.

Mutation evolution commencing.]

[Evolution complete.

Mutation evolution successful.

Additional skills unlocked: Bat Form.]

[New Skill Acquired: Demon Eyes.]

[New Skill Acquired: Enhanced Senses.]

[Congratulations! Host has completed second evolution.

Rewards: Medium Blood Pouch, Enhanced Vampiric Drain skill.]

By the time Ryu regained consciousness, he noticed the horrifying aftermath. Every pirate around him had been reduced to desiccated husks. There was no doubt who was responsible. His small blood pouch was empty, but inside his Blood Ring lay a new medium-sized pouch—a pleasant surprise.

Profile:

Name: Ikano D. Ryu

Age: 7

Race: High-Tier Vampire

Level: 1 (0%)

Power Level: 860

Busoshoku Haki: Locked

Kenbunshoku Haki: Level 1

Haoshoku Haki: Locked

Skills:

Enhanced Vampiric Drain: Retains all standard vampiric effects. Increases speed of blood absorption. Can instantly drain an adult human's blood. Speed scales with power level.

Innate Kenbunshoku Haki: Born with Observation Haki.

Advanced Vampire: Naturally surpasses ordinary humans. Equivalent to 100x a normal soldier upon reaching adulthood. At Level 30, prerequisites for evolving into a Vampire Count will be met.

Night's Curse: Attributes slightly boosted at night; significantly weakened during the day.

Demon Eyes: Night vision greatly enhanced. Daytime vision unaffected. Can gauge opponent strength through eye contact. Cannot detect opponents beyond certain thresholds.

Basic Swordsmanship (20,356/100,000): Boosts swordplay effectiveness by 40%.

Blood Spear (167/10,000): Consumes 1% of host's blood to deal 150%-300% random damage. Cooldown: 1 minute.

Peak Mastery (Passive): Drastically increases focus and perseverance. Once committed to a task, refuses to stop until mastery is achieved.

Bat Form (1/1000): Allows transformation into a giant bat. All attributes significantly increased. Ability improves by consuming blood from Zoan or Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit users.

Items:

Small Blood Pouch: 0/1000Medium Blood Pouch: 0/10,000Blood Ring: 34/100 (100 cubic meters storage space. Size scales with host's power.)

Quests:

Evolution Quest: Reach Level 30, fulfill prerequisites, and undergo third evolution. Reward: Large Blood Pouch, Random Skill x1.Event Quest: Defeat Shanks. Time limit: None. Reward varies based on completion time.