one piece: gene extraction and fusion system-Chapter 173: The Soul-Swallowing Crow

...

In the distance, down below.

Robin watched from afar as Mio's figure kept flickering, blasting through waves of crows in the air. Suddenly, she let out a surprised gasp and looked toward a different direction, a look of astonishment spreading across her face.

Robin's Armament Haki wasn't especially strong. She was still young, and her physical strength, being a woman, hadn't yet caught up—nor had she undergone intense training in that area. However, her Observation Haki was exceptional.

And it was through that Haki that she noticed a figure staggering away in the distance.

It was...

A crow. A small one. It looked like it had just been born. Its feathers were still sparse, and its wings hadn't even fully opened.

But what shocked Robin was that, even as it hobbled away, it kept glancing back at Mio.

Its eyes burned with intense hatred—an overwhelming rage and thirst for revenge.

The emotional intensity in its gaze made Robin instinctively alert.

Crows were known for their intelligence, but this fledgling's cognitive abilities were clearly above average.

"Such heavy hatred... I can't let you escape."

Robin murmured to herself, then crossed her arms in front of her chest. With a thought, she activated the powers of the Flower-Flower Fruit.

Four arms bloomed into existence around the tiny crow, each one coated faintly with Armament Haki.

They grabbed the young crow by its wings, legs, neck, and body, locking it down and completely immobilizing it.

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"Waaah—Waaah!!" The crow let out a shrill, unpleasant screech.

...

An hour passed.

It took Mio a full hour to finish the battle. With a long exhale, he reappeared beside Robin in a flash.

He glanced at the number on his system panel and grinned with satisfaction. His eyes gleamed.

"One hundred and thirty-two thousand crow genes... Not bad!"

Over ten thousand genes of a single species—just imagining their potential when fused made Mio's blood boil.

"Captain, over here!"

Robin tugged on Mio's coat and pointed toward the captured fledgling.

Mio had noticed the small crow earlier. Now, seeing it caught and Robin smiling, he responded with a grin of his own.

"Well done. This is a triple blessing."

"Triple blessing?" Robin blinked, confused. "I get that the crows were a good thing for you, and this little one too... but what's the third?"

Mio reached out and gently pinched Robin's soft cheek, enjoying the chubby texture, before pointing toward a spot near the former crow's nest.

"There's the third one."

During the battle, Mio had caught sight of something unusual—a discovery that made him momentarily forget the flames and fighting.

It was a large tree, standing right beside the crow's nest. Nestled at its roots was a dark-colored devil fruit, etched with swirling spiral patterns and glimmering faintly with a black sheen.

"Devil fruit?!"

Robin gasped, eyes wide with surprise.

"And it's no ordinary one," Mio said, excitement gleaming in his eyes. "It's the Mythical Zoan-type—Soul-Swallowing Bird."

Mio had memorized the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia provided by Doflamingo long ago. Or at least, he had paid special attention to the fruits that were powerful or useful.

The Soul-Swallowing Bird Fruit was one of them.

As a mythical beast-type Zoan fruit, its power was extraordinary. True to its name, the fruit was tied to the soul itself—an ability that could harm, or even consume, the soul. In terms of power, it was rare and terrifying.

From the moment Mio saw the fruit, he recognized it immediately.

To encounter such a fruit so soon after arriving at the Caesar Islands was more than luck—it was a sign. It stirred his anticipation for what other treasures this island might hold.

With a whoosh, Mio flashed next to the fruit, picked it up, and returned to Robin's side.

"Captain, what do we do with this little guy? Kill it?" Robin gestured to the still-screeching baby crow.

"No," Mio said with a grin. "We'll take it back. It's different from the others. Smarter. Special. We'll raise it."

It was fitting, after all. What could be more symbolic for the Black Crow Pirates than having an actual crow aboard?

"Alright!" Robin replied enthusiastically. She had long since grown used to the symbolism surrounding crows. She no longer viewed them with fear or superstition—not after joining Mio's crew.

Mio handed the devil fruit to Robin and scooped up the small crow into his hands. With that, the two made their way back toward the Black Glory.

As they walked, Mio's mind was already working.

He now held three devil fruits in his possession. The Soul-Swallowing Bird Fruit was certainly the most powerful, but the other two had their own merits.

Should he use the lottery system? All three fruits were good. It was a hard choice.

By the time they returned to the Black Glory, Mio had made his decision.

When they reached the shore, Mio's attention was drawn to a curious scene—a swarm of ants were forming orderly lines, dragging out injured beasts from the forest and placing them neatly on the sand.

"Not bad. Pretty efficient."

There were nearly ten severely injured beasts already. At this rate, he could harvest dozens—perhaps even hundreds—of new genes every day.

"My lord!"

A deep voice rumbled from the sea. The massive form of Hanba surged out from the waves, his serpentine body gliding through the water before rising to greet Mio.

"Hanba, if you get the chance, capture a few sea beasts. They'll come in handy for me."

In the past year, everyone under Mio had grown stronger—and Hanba was no exception.

Though he hadn't had many chances to display his power lately, Mio knew that when the time came, Hanba's strength would shake the world.

"Understood, Master!"

Hanba nodded solemnly and dove back into the depths, vanishing beneath the waves.