In the underworld, everything has a price.
Even someone like Doflamingo—the so-called Emperor of the Underworld—could be targeted by assassins if someone offered enough money. Issue a bounty, and killers would line up for the job.
But Lance wasn't going to rely on someone else for revenge. His hatred would only be washed clean with his own two hands.
Even if he knew everything about One Piece, manga was different from reality. When it came to intel, the more details Lance had, the better.
The officers of the Donquixote Family weren't easy opponents.
They weren't just strong—some of them had bizarre, mysterious Devil Fruit abilities. And even if Lance couldn't die, that didn't mean he could crush them outright without risk.
"I'll take my time. After all, I've got more time than I know what to do with."
He lit a cigarette and lay back on the couch… Ever since he died and revived as an Ajin, his life had stopped progressing. His age might continue to climb, but his body—his appearance, physique, organs—would never change again.
From that moment forward, he became eternal.
He had all the time in the world to toy with the Donquixote Family.
About half an hour later, a wave of heat surged inside his body… The power Kuro absorbed from the traffickers fed back into him, making him even stronger.
Ding! Congratulations. Your energy has broken its limit. IBM capacity increased. You may now summon: 2 simultaneously!
Suddenly, a mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
Lance's eyes gleamed with a strange light. A faint smile curled at his lips.
"Interesting… this is getting more and more interesting."
"Even in Ajin, they could only summon one IBM at a time. And now I can increase that number just by devouring more… This Ajin System really has gone beyond its original setting. It's evolving in ways I can't even predict."
Being able to summon two IBMs at once didn't just double his combat power—it was way more than that. Two invisible monsters acting together could become an absolute nightmare for any enemy.
Imagine pulling out one during battle, then suddenly summoning another at the critical moment—his opponent would have no time to react!
More importantly, two IBMs didn't just help in combat. With double the devouring capacity, his growth rate would skyrocket.
He no longer had to rely on Kuro alone to fight and devour. With two of them acting separately, they could devour far more prey and gain strength even faster.
"System, if I keep feeding on more energy, can I break through again and increase the number of IBMs?"
He asked the system, fixated on this key question.
There was silence for a moment—no answer.
Lance didn't rush it. He just calmly smoked, waiting.
After about five minutes, the system finally replied: "Yes. As long as you continue to absorb biological energy, your IBM count can increase. There is… no upper limit."
Even though he had somewhat expected it, Lance's hands still trembled slightly at those words.
"An invisible empire…"
Those words echoed in his mind, making his heart pound. Joy boiled up from deep inside—he could barely contain it.
He finished the entire cigarette in one deep drag, exhaling thick smoke, releasing his excitement.
One Kuro was enough to turn all of Dressrosa upside down. With two? Even if Doflamingo was some kind of monster—what could he do?
All he could do was watch helplessly as Lance killed and devoured right under his nose.
With a thought, a second Kuro appeared.
This one was noticeably bigger than the first. Taller, longer claws, a more imposing presence.
"Master… awaiting… your… command…"
The large Kuro spoke in a raspy, hollow voice, bowing respectfully.
"So the stronger I get, the stronger the newly summoned IBMs become?"
"This system… really thought of everything."
"But everything has an order. Even if you're stronger than the first, you'll still be number two."
"I'll call you Kuro-Ni. Remember that name—it's a gift from me. It will follow you through your eternal existence."
"Kuro-Ni… Kuro-Ni… nice name… Master… Kuro-Ni…"
Despite its larger size and strength, Kuro-Ni had the same low-level intelligence as the original Kuro.
"Those traffickers were just the beginning… Next, I'll turn this entire illegal zone into my slaughterhouse!"
Lance stood up and glanced down at his bloodstained clothes. "But before that… I need a shower and a change of clothes. The stench of blood is ruining my appetite."
"Oh right, Kuro-Ni, go help Kuro get rid of the bones. Toss them into the ocean."
"If possible, crush the bones to dust and scatter them at sea… Make sure they never return to this world."
The next day, the one-legged soldier and Rebecca returned.
They brought a gift—a beautifully decorated birthday cake.
"Today's Rebecca's birthday," the soldier explained. "She insisted on spending it with you, Benefactor-san, so I brought her here… Sorry if we're bothering you."
"Benefactor-san! This is the cake soldier-san gave me! It's too big for just the two of us, so please have some with us!"
Rebecca beamed sweetly.
"A cake, huh… I haven't had one in a long time. Tasting something sweet again… wouldn't be so bad."
Lance glanced at them, clearly understanding their intentions to thank him. He didn't reject them and replied with a calm nod.
"Yay! I get to eat cake with Benefactor-san!"
Rebecca was thrilled.
The cake didn't last long. Rebecca was full of energy, and once she tired herself out, she fell asleep on the couch.
"Kyros, tell me everything about the Donquixote Family… all of it."
Lance lit another cigarette and spoke expressionlessly.
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