Inside the cabin of the Wind Rider, Caelan sat cross-legged on the bed, his mind immersed in the system panel.
[Host: Caelan Alaric]
[Template: Berserker Class·Heracles (new template unlocked, please activate in a safe location)]
[Synchronization Progress: 100%]
[Berries: 3.66 billion]
[Strength: A+]
[Endurance: A]
[Agility: A]
[Mana: A]
[Luck: A]
[Noble Phantasm: A+]
[Personal Skills]: Battle Continuation (B), Mind's Eye (Fake) (B), Valor (A+), Divinity (A), Madness Enhancement (B)
[Other Skills]: Swordsmanship (A), Armament Haki (A), Observation Haki (A), Conqueror's Haki (A)
[Noble Phantasms]: God Hand: The Twelve Labors (B), Nine Lives: Shooting the Hundred Heads (C–A+)
---
"Open the new template."
Caelan gave the command mentally.
[Congratulations, host. SSR template unlocked: Lancer - Karna!]
As the system's voice fell, a radiant figure appeared in Caelan's consciousness.
Clad in golden armor and holding a divine spear, he stood alone and silent — a noble and solemn warrior.
"Son of the Sun God, Karna?!"
Looking at the dazzling figure, Caelan was taken aback.
No matter which Fate work he appeared in, Karna was always a top-tier combatant.
Heracles' template was undoubtedly strong, but it was still a notch below this one. After all, Heracles was a Berserker class, and he had lost too many Noble Phantasms and abilities. Had he been an Archer, he would surely match Karna's SSR status.
Karna was a great hero of ancient India, son of the sun god Surya.
As a Heroic Spirit, he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Gilgamesh in terms of specifications — all of his abilities were outstanding, and his Noble Phantasm reached EX-rank.
His golden armor, Kavacha and Kundala: Transform into Armor, was bestowed upon him by Surya, and fused with his body. It granted resistance against all attacks below A-rank.
And the divine spear in his hand, Vasavi Shakti, was even more terrifying — a Noble Phantasm that unleashed overwhelming destructive power at the cost of the user's life.
"System, spend all Berries to increase template synchronization."
Caelan's eyes lit up with excitement, barely able to contain himself.
With 3.6 billion Berries consumed, Karna's synchronization instantly rose to 36%.
A torrent of power surged into his body, and along with it, a flood of memories followed.
Half a day later, Caelan slowly opened his eyes, having completed the inheritance. The system panel had changed drastically.
[Host: Caelan Alaric]
[Templates: Berserker - Heracles (100%), Lancer - Karna (36%)]
[Berries: 60 million]
[Strength: A+↑]
[Endurance: A↑]
[Agility: A↑]
[Mana: A↑]
[Luck: A]
[Noble Phantasm: EX]
[Personal Skills]: Magic Resistance (C), Riding (A), Discernment of the Poor (A), Uncrowned Martial Arts (—), Battle Continuation (B), Mana Burst (Flame) (A), Battle Continuation (B), Mind's Eye (Fake) (B), Valor (A+), Divinity (A), Madness Enhancement (B)
[Other Skills]: Swordsmanship (A), Armament Haki (A), Observation Haki (A), Conqueror's Haki (A)
[Noble Phantasms]:
• God Hand: The Twelve Labors (B)
• Nine Lives: Shooting the Hundred Heads (C–A+)
• Kavacha and Kundala: O' Sun, Become Armor (A)
• Brahmastra (A)
• Brahmastra Kundala: O' Brahma, Curse Me (A+)
• Vasavi Shakti: O' Sun, Abide to Death (EX)
...
All of the 3.6 billion Berries he had painstakingly saved were now gone.
Each 1% increase in Karna's synchronization cost 100 million Berries, while the first 50% of Heracles' template had only cost 10 million per 1% — a tenfold price difference.
Looking at the dramatic changes to the panel, Caelan felt it was absolutely worth it.
The stat increases weren't the most impressive part, since his base stats were already among the highest for Heroic Spirits. Before hitting EX rank, increases wouldn't bring a qualitative leap.
What truly excited him were the new Noble Phantasms and personal skills.
There was no need to explain the Noble Phantasms. Kavacha and Kundala provided A-rank defensive capabilities, and the others were powerful offensive Noble Phantasms.
Leaving aside Mana, which only he could use in the One Piece world, the rest were immensely valuable.
Discernment of the Poor (A) let him see through people's hearts, he could no longer be deceived.
Uncrowned Martial Arts (—) made his martial prowess appear subpar, making it the ultimate hidden strength skill. A great ability for playing dumb and striking hard, though Caelan likely didn't need it here.
Mana Burst (Flame) (A) allowed him to unleash fire-attribute magic.
Though he couldn't become fire itself, like a Logia user, he could replicate nearly everything the Flame-Flame Fruit could do, even using flame propulsion to achieve sonic-speed flight.
As for elementalization? Caelan didn't need it.
He had Kavacha and Kundala, an A-rank Noble Phantasm that made his body comparable to Kaido's. On top of that, he still had his twelve lives from God Hand.
In short — he was practically unkillable.
With so many layers of defense, what need did he have for elementalization, which could be countered by Armament Haki anyway?
"Of what use is the Flame-Flame Fruit to me?"
A golden flame danced in Caelan's hand as he mocked it mercilessly.
Ace's so-called fire abilities were flashy in name but shallow in impact.
Skipping over a few of the less relevant new skills, Caelan's attention shifted to Riding.
Originally a Lancer-class skill at rank B, Karna's personal rank (A) had overridden it.
Riding (A) meant he could control all beasts and vehicles, except for those categorized as Phantasmal or Divine Beasts.
He didn't even need to elaborate on the vehicles — ships, carriages, aircraft, bicycles, even the Pluton battleship would fall under his control.
Beasts, however, were the real focus. As long as they weren't mythical or divine in nature, he could control them. That greatly expanded his tactical options.
"In this world... are there even any true Phantasmal or Divine Beasts?"
Caelan muttered as he considered the One Piece universe.
Though the world was rich in bizarre creatures, from giant beasts to mutated animals, they were still just highly-evolved wild beasts.
Even Sea Kings over 5,000 meters long and Zunesha, the elephant carrying an entire island, didn't meet the criteria for Divine or Phantasmal Beasts.
In other words, he could control nearly all animals. Even if he could only control one at a time, that was still incredibly powerful.
"Speaking of animals... could I ride those Zoan-type Devil Fruit users?"
Caelan's thoughts suddenly drifted in a strange direction.
Could he ride Shirahoshi, the Mermaid Princess?
What about those who had eaten Zoan-type Devil Fruits, could he ride them if they fully transformed into animal forms?
Could Kaido, in his Azure Dragon form, be considered a Phantasmal Beast? Could he be ridden?
For a moment, Caelan felt like his curiosity was clawing at him from the inside.
"Tashigi and Vivi both ate Mythical Zoans, didn't they? This is the perfect chance to test it."
Caelan's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Tashigi had eaten the Cat-Cat Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Nekomata. Vivi had the Bird-Bird Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Garuda.
Both of these were powerful Mythical Beasts. If he could ride Tashigi and Vivi in their transformed states, then maybe Kaido would be rideable too.
The more he thought about it, the more excited he became.
He couldn't wait to try it out.
(To be continued.)