Ross Darahan, also known as "Mind Games Darahan", is the leader of the Zelus Bounty Hunters. Ross is a notorious bounty hunter the preys on pirates entering the New World. Ross' shallow motives seem to be profit and fame. He has eaten the Pushuke Pushuke no Mi, which gives the consumer's body the ability to read the minds of those around him. Original just a recruit by Zelus Arz, Ross ended up becoming one of its top hunters, and eventually defeated Arz in a duel for leadership.
Ross is entirely unknown outside of the New World, but within the New World, he is known as a terror for incoming rookie pirates. His Devil Fruit abilities allow him and his Bounty Hunters to track a crew and their ship relentlessly until they collapse from exhaustion.
Darahan will never cease pursuit until he has either captured the pirates with bounties, or has been defeated. Once he has lost a battle, his respect for the victor prevents him from ever pursuing them again. Since assuming leadership however, Ross has only lost twice. One of those instances was to the Yonko Whitebeard.
Appearance[]
Ross is a man of middling age who looks far older than he is. His eye-patch covers the vicious scar given to him by Zelus Arz when he took Ross' right eye. He typically wears long white trousers with brown boots and a long, rolled up, dark grey shirt-coat that splits at the middle and sides. He also wears thick leather gloves. He is typically seen carrying around his poleaxe strapped to his hip.
Personality and Traits[]
Ross' two dominant traits are his vanity and odd sense of respect. He considers himself a cut above the vast majority of people and is more then eager to prove it if challenged. Ross' arrogance can often get the better of him, such as when he chose to try and hunt down the Whitebeard Pirates. To Ross, he is above all others until such a point that he has been defeated by them. His contempt for his lessers is only matched by his reverence for those that manage to better him.
Ross' respect does not know affiliation or ideology, as he highly respects Admiral Kizaru, who managed to capture him nearly a decade ago. He greets Kizaru as an old friend if they ever meet, even though he knows a battle is sure to come. Kizaru, on the other hand, loathes him and considers him a tremendous annoyance. Should he manage to better a former adversary in direct combat, his disdain for that person returns.
Ross is a genius commander and tactician. He was able coordinate an ingenious strategy against the Whitebeard Pirates that preoccupied their commanders, opened his way to take on Whitebeard himself, and minimized the enemy's capabilities to reinforce the battle. His tactics are most effective in small scale engagements, which is ideal for raiding small towns and villages, as well as pirate ships. Ross keeps his personal group of Bounty Hunters on the move, conquering new towns every few weeks to use as temporary bases to keep the marines guessing.
Ross' vanity know no bounds. He was infuriated when Portgas D. Ace managed to interrupt his battle with Whitebeard. Not because he interfered in the battle, but because it highlighted a flaw in his "perfect" plan. He kills any bystander who even thinks of asking about his eye-patch or scar.
Abilities and Powers[]
Physical Abilities[]
As leader of the Zelus Bounty Hunters, Ross has immense physical strength, and is capable of lifting up entire buildings, breaking stone, and shattering steel with his bare hands. He once cleaved an entire port in two with a swing of his poleaxe. Ross' greatest attribute is his inhuman speed, agility, and reflexes. Even without his Devil Fruit, Ross is capable of dodging attacks from Kizaru.
Ross' fighting style typically consists of strikes form his polearm and adept hand-to-hand, supplemented with his physical prowess and the mental abilities of the Pushuke Pushuke no Mi. Ross' fighting style is completely self taught; it follows no particular code of honor. He will attack children, hit below the belt, attack enemies even if they have their backs turned, even use enemies as human shields, and generally every dirty trick known to man. His fighting style is dependent heavily on reflex and instinct. Before even learning Observation Haki, Ross could easily dodge most attacks by relying on instinct alone.
Ross is considered a master when using halberds, spears, javelins, and staves. He is somewhat competent with swords, guns, and knives.
Haki[]
Observation Haki[]
Ross' Observation Haki places him amongst the strongest Haki users in the New World. Even in its infancy, it was powerful that the shock from it often sent him into unconsciousness. Before improving its strength, he was able to detect a Sea King hiding deep underwater over a two kilometers away. Ross uses his Observation haki extensively, to the point that he is sometimes more well known for his Observation Haki than his Devil Fruit. Ross will sweep his Haki like radar with a range well into kilometers searching for enemies, and can maintain a constant watch for several minutes uninterrupted. With his Devil Fruit, Ross can link his mind and haki to another person, warning an ally of an enemy ambush. He can also use this on his enemies, overwhelming their senses.
Armament Haki[]
Ross' Armament Haki is only considered slightly above average in the New World, paling in comparison to his Observation Haki. When considered outside of the New World, it is notably strong. Ross emphasizes the longevity of his Haki over its power, which often puts him at a disadvantage when fighting opponents with tougher haki.
Devil Fruit[]
Ross gained the ability to read the mind of anyone around him from eating the Pushuke Pushuke no Mi. Ross' sharp mind adapted quickly to the fruit, and he is able to turn his power off at will. When using his Devil Fruit, a person cannot hide is true thoughts or desires, as Ross would be able to tell that what they wanted to hide. He can also decipher coded speech, as he can read what each word is code for. He is able to also perfectly visualize objects and persons that his target is thinking of. Ross' only true limitation is the limit of a person's knowledge. He also cannot read subconscious thought, with one exception.
The Pushuke Pushuke no Mi also has a very unique and dangerous power when used in conjunction with Observation Haki. Observation Haki can predict and visualize another's actions, while the Pushuke Pushuke no Mi can predict and visualize thought. Thus, the two together can predict the actions of one's thoughts. Simply put, Ross' knows what a person is going to do before even he or she does. This is how he is able to evade even Kizaru's fastest Pika Pika no Mi attacks, which can travel at the speed of light. He also once used this ability to reflect Kizaru's lightspeed travel with a mirror that sent Kizaru several islands away. This also allows him to read subconscious thought.