One Piece: Blood Clan

The members of Laru's pirate crew, still reeling from Bors's earlier display, now crept cautiously toward his hidden refuge. Not one dared advance more than a step or two, fearful that whoever led might be the first to fall.

Laru himself watched this scene with fury barely contained. Every shout he let out sent agonizing pain through his kidneys—so severe that fighting any longer was out of the question. All he could do now was bark orders at his lackeys.

Seeing his men hesitate, Bors exhaled in relief. Every extra moment spent lying low allowed his wounds to mend further. In that short span, the pirates had dawdled for nearly five minutes before finally creeping close. A few of the smarter ones, having sensed that Laru's condition was deteriorating, even slipped away—an action Laru noticed but could do nothing about.

Bors then withdrew his Blood Drink from his "Blood Ring." Though he wasn't proficient in dual-wielding, circumstances forced him to use two swords at once. After all, when dealing with these low-tier thugs he normally dispatched with a single strike, efficiency was paramount.

A low, guttural sound escaped him as he shifted his grip. He swallowed hard. One of the pirates—creeping behind the wall where Bors had been stationed—suddenly found that his target had vanished.

"Where did he go? Has he fled?" the pirate demanded.

At that moment, Bors felt a brief surge of relief… until a shadow materialized overhead. With a sickening thud, a severed head fell to the ground.

Without hesitation, Bors flicked his wrist. A droplet of blood soared from his hand and struck a pirate who was just about to fire his gun. The attack, a precise "Blood Thrust" reminiscent of Jinbei's water-slicing technique (though powered solely by his own blood), disrupted their aim.

Immediately, Bors swept his leg, sending a nearby corpse flying into the densest part of the enemy cluster. In an instant, chaos reigned: only about thirty foes remained on the field, fifteen of whom brandished guns from behind cover. Seizing the moment, Bors charged into the melee, forcing the others to hold their fire.

After dispatching several attackers, he grabbed one of the fallen bodies and held it as a makeshift shield. Simultaneously, he retracted A Bi Maru from his grasp—he'd already tested its smooth stroke—and decided to revert to his trusted Blood Drink for the heavy lifting.

Outnumbered yet undeterred, Bors fought on. Ultimately, though he suffered seven gunshot wounds, he managed to obliterate the entire group.

Laru, staring at the battlefield littered with gunshot wounds and lifeless bodies, sneered in satisfaction—even though every one of his underlings had been cut down.

"Not a problem," Laru muttered darkly. "When my lackeys die, I just recruit new ones. The only thing that matters now is to eliminate this intruder." Clinging to his dwindling pride, Laru summoned what little willpower remained and staggered toward Bors.

Bors, however, performed a gesture that even he found perplexing. From who-knows-where, his opponent produced a water bottle. After taking a long drink, the man's face flushed red as though the water held a miraculous elixir.

Then something astonishing happened: Bors's wounds began to slow their bleeding, and an uncharacteristic, almost defiant smile spread across his face. Sensing something amiss, Laru lunged forward in a blind dash—and immediately collapsed, headfirst, onto the ground.

He had lost too much blood. It was a cruel twist of fate: he had only recently acquired his Devil Fruit power, and its potential was barely tapped. Now, after a prolonged recovery, his injuries had worsened rather than healed.

"Damn it!" Laru roared in despair.

As Bors advanced, Laru struggled desperately. Every step was agony—his kidneys cried out in torment—and by the time Bors reached him, Laru was a quivering wreck. Gone was the haughty posture of the tyrannical captain; in its place was a pleading, terrified man.

"Please, please don't kill me—I've got so much money! I'll give you all my treasures!" Laru pleaded, voice trembling.

"Is that the best you can do? I'm sick of these same old pleas," Bors replied dryly. "Can't you come up with something fresh?"

"Let me be your dog! I'll do whatever you say!" Laru blurted out in desperation.

Bors stared in silence. When a man is truly terrified, pride becomes meaningless.

"I don't need a dog that looks as ugly as you," Bors snapped. In a swift, brutal motion, he swung his blade and cleaved off Laru's ram-like head.

Without pausing, Bors bit down on Laru's exposed neck—curiosity overriding caution, he had never tasted the blood of a Devil Fruit user. The flavor was startlingly new, a tang of power and raw essence.

As he began to suck the blood, a miraculous change took hold. Bors's wounds started to heal at an alarming rate. At the same time, his eyes grew dim and unfocused, as if sanity itself was slipping away. A system notification echoed in his mind—but by then, Bors had long lost all rationality.

[System Notice: Host is absorbing the blood of a Devil Fruit user. Host has reached High-level vampire. Initiating evolution: hidden conditions met. Commencing mutant evolution…]

[Evolution Complete: Mutation successful. Extra evolution skill acquired: Bat Transformation.]

[New Skill Acquired: Demon Eyes]

[New Skill Acquired: Enhanced Senses]

[Congratulations, host! Second evolution complete. Reward: Item: Medium Blood Pack, Skill: Enhanced Blood Absorption]

Almost as soon as the system's chime faded, Bors realized something was wrong. Looking around, he saw that everyone nearby had turned into desiccated corpses—there was no doubt in his mind that he was responsible.

At the same time, his own small Blood Pack had run dry. Yet, much to his surprise, his Blood Ring now contained a new medium Blood Pack in addition to his original small one—an unexpected bonus.

Name: Ikanou B. Bors

Age: 7

Race: Advanced Vampire

Level: 1 (0%)

Dao Power: 860

Armament Haki: Not unlocked

Observation Haki: Level 1

Conqueror's Haki: Not unlocked

Skills:

• Enhanced Blood Absorption: Absorbs blood with full effect; accelerates absorption speed—currently capable of instantaneously draining an adult's entire blood supply, with speed increasing as power grows.

• Innate Observation Haki: Naturally possesses Observation Haki.

• Advanced Vampire: As a vampire, his natural strength far exceeds that of ordinary humans; once he reaches level 30 (subject to prerequisite conditions), he can evolve into a Vampire Count.

• Curse of the Night: Attributes receive a modest boost at night and drop sharply during the day.

• Demon Eyes: Dramatically improved night vision without affecting daytime sight; allows him to gauge an opponent's strength, though foes above a certain threshold remain inscrutable.

• Basic Swordsmanship (20356/100000): Increases sword power by 40%.

• Blood Thrust (167/10000): Consumes 1% of his blood to deal random damage between 150% and 300%; cooldown: 1 minute.

• Reaching the Pinnacle (Passive): Upon acquisition, focus and determination skyrocket. Once he commits to a task, he won't stop until he has reached perfection.

• Bat Transformation 1 (0/1000): Can transform into a giant bat, significantly boosting all attributes. This ability can be enhanced by absorbing Devil Fruit powers of the animal or mythical beast type.

Items:

• Small Blood Pack: 0/1000

• Medium Blood Pack: 0/10000

• Blood Ring: 34/100 (Storage capacity is 100 cubic meters; capacity depends on the host's power)

Missions:

• Evolution Mission: Reach level 30, satisfy prerequisite conditions, complete the third evolution. Reward: Large Blood Pack and a random skill.

• Event Mission: Defeat "Red-Haired" (presumably a mission with no time limit); reward scales with time taken.