Boom!

The entire office building suddenly began to crumble into sand, much to Rosen's surprise, as this wasn't under his control. It seemed his abilities had triggered some kind of chain reaction at that moment, as evident from his data.

[Human Enhancement Attributes:

- Name: Crocodile (Rosen)

- Ability: Sand-Sand Fruit Awakening, Advanced (Proficiency: 1001/2000)

- Combat Skills: Intermediate (Proficiency: 900/1000)

- Haki:

- Conqueror's Haki: Intermediate (Proficiency: 360/1000)

- Armament Haki: (Proficiency: 240/300)

- Observation Haki: (Proficiency: 120/300)

Swordsmanship: Intermediate (Proficiency: 400/1000)

- Enhancement Count: 8

- Effects: Defense x8, Speed x6, Vitality x6, Strength x2, Experience Pack x1

- Next Enhancement Condition: Defeat a strong opponent with a bounty of over 800 million berries. (Strength x2)

- Random Reset Mission: Defeat a strong opponent with a bounty of over 400 million berries. (Defense x4)

- Devil Fruit Capacity Additional x1 Mission: Current progress 1/5. (Zoan-type Devil Fruit: Pig-Pig Fruit.)

Suggestion: After completing the progress, ensure a minimum defense of x8 before safely activating. Option to transfer available.

This data showed a more significant growth than Rosen had ever experienced before, but this was expected. From Lantis until now, Rosen had completed four missions: unifying the 400 million berry strength x2 mission, the defense x4 mission, O'Neill's speed x4 mission, and Eric's vitality x6 mission.

In a short time, Rosen had achieved a qualitative leap. Even though proficiency was becoming harder to increase, the completion of these missions had propelled him forward, especially after finishing the vitality x4 mission. Rosen felt as though every cell in his body was boiling, and his wounds began to itch—a sign of rapid healing. His energy was overflowing, which had caused his Logia-type ability to affect the surrounding environment.

In that moment, Rosen felt he could manipulate sand or sand-like substances in the vicinity without needing to touch the ground or actively use his ability. This sensation was exhilarating. In a short span, his speed, strength, defense, and vitality had all improved significantly.

Rosen felt immensely powerful, but he had no reference point to gauge just how strong he had become. He had never faced an Admiral-level opponent, but he believed that if he were to fight Queen Hathaway at her peak, he could win. This was both a belief and a confident assumption.

His Devil Fruit ability had been used frequently in recent battles, and the creation of a new technique, "Instant Annihilation," had contributed to his rapid growth. His proficiency in the Sand-Sand Fruit had reached an advanced level, and it was on the verge of awakening, rather than being dormant.

Initially, Rosen had doubted whether Logia-type Devil Fruit users could awaken their abilities, but the system's data suggested it was possible. Logia users naturally influenced their environment, especially Rosen with his Sand-Sand Fruit. In a way, Logia users were semi-awakened by default.

Rosen recalled that Logia users likely could awaken their abilities, though it might not be as noticeable as with other types. For example, the environmental changes after Aokiji and Akainu's battle on Punk Hazard were similar to an awakening, especially Aokiji's ability to freeze the ocean, not just emit ice from his body. Swamp-type users, on the other hand, had limited environmental influence, possibly because their abilities hadn't been developed to near-awakening levels.

Thus, Logia users could further develop their abilities to affect large areas, which could be considered an awakening. However, awakening didn't necessarily mean being stronger; it was more about the depth of research and development of the ability.

Rosen's recent ability to manipulate sand without physical contact suggested he was close to awakening, though he couldn't replicate it at will. He could feel that when his Haki spread, his will could manipulate sand within a certain range. He was now able to control sand-like substances effortlessly, though he still struggled to transform other materials into sand.

Rosen imagined what it would be like when his Sand-Sand Fruit fully awakened: turning everything around him into a desert kingdom. If his "Withering" ability became the dominant force in this kingdom, any enemy who entered would be drained of moisture and rendered powerless without Rosen even lifting a finger.

This thought excited Rosen, though he hadn't fully grasped this power yet. He was on the brink, just needing a final push or opportunity. Still, he was satisfied with his progress. His ability had jumped from intermediate to advanced in an instant, becoming his first advanced attribute. His combat skills, Haki, and swordsmanship had also improved significantly.

However, Rosen was slightly dissatisfied that the next strength x2 mission required defeating an opponent with an 800 million berry bounty. It seemed that strength, a fundamental yet straightforward attribute, was harder to improve. But this made sense, as the difficulty of random reset missions increased with his overall strength.

Rosen felt unprecedentedly powerful, almost to the point of overconfidence. Killing Eric had served as both a pledge of allegiance and a means to grow stronger. On the way, Rear Admiral O'Neill had mentioned that Admiral Kizaru was heading to Lantis Island. Rosen didn't know how strong Kizaru was, but he assumed that an Admiral's Devil Fruit mastery was at an advanced level. Rosen had just entered this tier and needed to prepare for the worst, as his betrayal was now known to every Marine.

"Crocodile! Enemy attack!" As Rosen reflected on his newfound strength and the qualitative leap in his abilities, the collapsing office building had already alerted the Marines at the base. This was part of Rosen's plan to cover for O'Neill and test his abilities. "Bring it on," he thought.

(End of Chapter)

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