I released chapters 59 and 60 together, make sure you didn't miss the previous one.
[Mortem Island]
A dark-haired young man was currently sitting on top of a tree stump. His regal attire floated in the breeze.
Just being there had let the surrounding grass and nature blossom vigorously. Dead leaves turned vibrant, the grass grew greener than ever; quite the scene.
"..."
Damien had his eyes closed, fully focusing his mind on the inside.
Not something like training his soul or whatever nonsense, instead, he was focussing on his very body. The muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones, organs, organ systems, and even nerves.
"I can feel their minute details but not even close to manipulating them, let alone the cells," he murmured.
Out of boredom, he unloaded his conscience onto the tips of the hair on his head.
*Fzzz*
Like tentacles, each strand started to stand up and move, as if with its own brain. "Though my hair isn't long enough for anything useful, not that I want to turn into a pervy sage."
He then loosened the ability and pondered.
Naturally, it was Life Return.
Though before he could continue, his Observation flared, evident by the red flash of his eyes.
.
"Oh, so that's what it does," he said while glancing at the purple flower pattern on the ground nearby.
*Fwooo*
A blast of air erupted as the inscription glowed with purple brilliance. It took but a second for a human silhouette to arise.
Dressed in black, though without her reflective mask—a wild Aurora appeared!
"So that was your little surprise," Damien commented.
The girl beamed a slight smile and responded, "I was able to develop a lot of new abilities after you trained me at Fishman Island. One of them is with these Aether Anchors that allow me to materialize myself wherever they are imprinted."
"Unfortunately, even a drop of seawater can destroy them, but they can be very convenient."
Damien hummed at the revelation, nodding at its usefulness.
However, he then switched the topic and addressed the elephant in the room. "So, how was it?"
Aurora lightly exhaled before giving a deep nod, her eyes firmer than ever before, something Damien picked up immediately.
"Everything went well!" she said, her chipper inflection betraying the calm response.
Damien grinned at her attempt to hide her excitement.
"Don't be embarrassed, it felt good, didn't it? To make a bunch of scum dance to your words."
The comment left the girl a little speechless.
That's their place," Damien said, standing up. "If you want to grasp them by their throats, you must use an iron fist. Otherwise, they will stab you in the back."
The girl nodded with a serious expression, inputting the advice into her mind.
"And as long as you satiate their greed, they will do as you say. If they get too greedy then make an example out of them."
Aurora nodded once again, "I know, I won't let you down."
Damien was pleased with the turn of events, smiling in return.
.
"How should I deal with the spies?" Aurora then asked.
During her preliminary scout of the island, she found many spies walking around. The big thing was that they did not even try to hide; Barro's control was so weak that his own men didn't execute the orders to remove said spies.
"What do you think?" Damien questioned back.
Aurora looked as if she was expecting such a response and aired her thoughts, "Kill the ones on the surface to let them know that Barro's weak grasp has been eradicated… leave the more hidden ones alive."
Damien raised an eyebrow at the second part, to which the girl elaborated.
"If I purge them all then it will end up inviting more trouble in the form of attention of both pirates and the World Government."
Damien nodded in agreement.
"Just remember that all of your actions in the Underworld must remain under the veil of the night."
Aurora smiled. "I know, the Government would never allow the Sin Incarnate's evil claws to seep into the Underworld. Don't worry, I'll make sure they can't trace it back to you."
She then took out a Devil Fruit and handed it to Damien, all the while revealing the small book.
The diary brought curiosity to the pirate's face: "That is?"
Aurora beamed a confident smile and replied, "This is my textbook! Since you want me to manage the Underworld, I'll have to read up on every bit of Barro's notes. He may have turned into a shell of his former self but these notes go back decades, even into his prime years."
Damien hummed. He noticed that Aurora was quite excited by the sound of her tone, perhaps she had some aspirations in business before her life was turned upside down.
"Then I'll leave you to it."
The girl leaked an honest smile before dissolving away into purple clouds and the anchor from before, leaving Damien alone.
"Her powers are a bit broken," he murmured before shaking his head and bringing up some data.
>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-==-=----[]---<>---[]---=-==-=----[]---<>---[]---=-==-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=-----
Though apart from the high reward, there was a little detail in the report Damien noticed.
"Looks like those Directors still have a good sense," he said, "Limiting any negativity toward the World Government, bending enough to somewhat calm the Five Elders."
"Though it's a river ready to burst, I need to liberate the Agency soon."
.
At the same time, he saw a purple shadow materialize in front of him.
"Damien," the figure called out. "You called for me?"
"Yo," he greeted, looking at the girl dressed in all black.
Aurora smiled at her captain. However, that joy soon plummeted at her next thought: "Are you leaving for Wano soon?"
"That's right, the Sea Kings are ready to escort us, it's about time I go to the Land of Samurai," he answered.
The girl nodded, though her mood was slightly dim.
Damien then reached into his regal coat and pulled out a small pendant.
He inched forward and casually moved aside her silky hair to put the accessory around her neck.
Though his casual intentions left the one on the receiving end to freeze; Aurora's face reddened up as she felt Damien's breath hit her neck as the pendant was fully equipped.
The girl was so enraptured by what took place that her mind seemed to ignore the seastone's effects for a second.
"…"
Soon enough, she fell to the ground, though enough time for Damien to grab her shoulders to stabilize her.
"This…" she weakly muttered.
"It'll help you build immunity to the metal. I want you to liberate your reliance on your Devil Fruit and master the Haki you have seen Zephyr and myself use," he lightly explained.
The girl tried to hide her difficulty. "Armament Haki…" she murmured as she recalled her desperation against the Black Arm.
Someone who essentially overwhelmed her powerful ability to the point of trying to kill herself to take him down.
Ignoring her weakness, she slowly escaped Damien's grasp and stood up, trying to show a look of determination.
"I will have Barro's Empire ready by the time you return!" she declared with a resolute voice, surmounting the weakening of the Seatstone.
Damien was pleased with her determination as his crimson eyes fell upon the purple-haired assassin.
"Very good, I look forward to the height you can reach by the time I return from Wano."
To Be Continued…
Author's Corner.
That deals with the side activities, off to Wano now.
Images are available on Discord alongside other niche details: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q