The Terrifying Devil Fruit Ability

"Is it coming...?"

White Fox suddenly seemed to sense something, murmuring in a voice only the two of them could hear.

Who was coming?

Xianuo grew more impatient. This guy was being so cryptic, were they going to fight or not?

He was talking to himself but wouldn't explain clearly, just standing there like a wooden pole, making people guess.

He hated riddlers the most in his life.

Never mind.

If he could use his fists, he wouldn't waste words. If he wouldn't give an answer, he'd take it himself! With this thought, he immediately made up his mind. With a flick of his wrist, the bamboo sword suddenly thrust out.

By the time White Fox dazedly realized what was happening and turned his face, the bamboo sword had already precisely knocked off his mask.

Clack--

White Fox's mask fell to the ground. A gaunt, withered face, looking a little over fifty and filled with exhaustion and the vicissitudes of life, was displayed to everyone on the large screen hanging above.

For a moment, the entire venue fell into dead silence, so quiet that even the sound of the mask rolling on the ground was clearly audible.

Xianuo felt the strangeness in the air and frowned as he stared at the face. Was this person famous?

The next second.

Like a boulder dropped into a calm lake, the entire venue erupted in an uproar! Almost all the spectators couldn't help but stand up.

"Hey! No way! If I'm not mistaken, that, that face is..."

"Director Sakuraba Tree!"

"He's still alive?!"

What in the world was going on!

Didn't that renowned Mr. Sakuraba Tree die in a shipwreck five years ago during a storm?!

"Father!!!"

The changing room door curtain was violently thrown open, and Junyi rushed out as if he had gone mad.

When he reached the man, his whole body was trembling. He stared with wide eyes at the withered man, afraid that everything before him was just a dream. "Is it really you? Is it really you...?"

"It's me, Junyi."

The withered man's slightly trembling hand reached out and stroked Junyi's head, as if he had a thousand words to say.

But in the end, his eyes just reddened, and two streams of tears flowed down as he murmured to himself, "Junyi, my Junyi..."

"Father!!!" Junyi couldn't hold back any longer. He threw himself into the man's embrace, tightly hugging his somewhat bony, dry chest, and burst into tears.

"Waaah, what's happening, I'm going to cry too..." The host standing at the edge of the stage also began to sob, taking off his glasses to wipe his tears, which made Xianuo, standing nearby, glance over.

He silently took a few steps back, leaving the center of the stage to the father and son.

"...Junyi, move aside for a moment. Listen, I can struggle out of the control. I don't have much time to stay conscious, let me say the important things first."

The withered man patted his son's head. Junyi wiped his tears and nodded vigorously, releasing his arms. No matter how reluctant he was, he knew the importance of the situation.

The withered man turned around, facing the audience.

"Everyone, it's been a long time. Or rather, it's been a long time since I've appeared before you as Sakuraba Tree."

He said in a somewhat hoarse voice, "I think the thing you all want to know most is what really happened in that shipwreck five years ago, and why I'm still alive?"

In the audience, the vast majority subconsciously nodded.

"That wasn't a shipwreck, it was a meticulously planned trap."

Recalling that nightmare, Sakuraba Tree's eyes showed pain. "A devil named 'Carpenter,' or rather, someone who obtained devil powers, set his sights on my body, which still had some strength. So, he designed a scheme to lure me out to sea, knocked me unconscious, and then, while I was unconscious, controlled me with his abilities."

Carpenter?

Most of the outsiders present looked bewildered, but many local residents couldn't help but be startled. They were too familiar with this name.

This "Carpenter" was the boss of an underground force that had risen to prominence about five years ago.

He was involved in all sorts of shady businesses, such as professional begging, casino enforcer, loan sharking, and even a few brothels on the island. He was infamous.

Ordinary citizens would mostly try to avoid him if they saw him, as he was someone they couldn't afford to offend.

But in public, his status was still far from that of the island's true influential figures.

And Sakuraba Tree was undoubtedly one of those influential figures.

A rat from the underground sewers dared to make a move against someone like that?

Where did he get the guts and the skill!

Could it be that it was thanks to the power of that devil Mr. Sakuraba Tree mentioned?

"Director Sakuraba Tree! Are you saying that Carpenter guy is a Devil Fruit user?"

There were, after all, knowledgeable people in the audience who immediately understood the implication and couldn't help but ask loudly.

"That's right!" Sakuraba Tree nodded bitterly. "To be precise, I'm a Paramecia-type Puppet-Puppet Fruit ability user. I can turn..."

"--I can turn humans into puppets that I control at will!"

BANG! The dojo doors were suddenly kicked open violently from the outside, accompanied by a loud, arrogant voice. A middle-aged man in a luxurious trench coat, with a cigar in his mouth and a scowling face, appeared at the entrance.

He was the notorious "Carpenter" in the eyes of the local residents.

And behind him followed two figures.

The audience looked closely and were shocked to discover that the two people who seemed like henchmen were actually the town's sheriff and Major Tom T., the highest-ranking officer of the 129th Marine branch base north of the island!

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, this is quite surprising, Sakuraba Tree. It seems I underestimated your willpower and resistance."

The "Carpenter's" cold gaze fixed on the gaunt man on the stage, and he said grimly:

"Other puppets can be brainwashed once and then left alone. Only you are an exception; you show signs of struggling and losing control every now and then. I just brainwashed you again last month, so what stimulated you this time? Let me guess... could it be this kid?"

His gaze shifted to Junyi. Major Tom T., the Marine branch officer standing behind him to the right, expressionlessly raised his flintlock pistol and aimed it at Junyi.

"Major Tom T., what are you doing?! Why are you obeying the orders of a thug and pointing your gun at a child?!"

An incredulous roar came from the audience.

--It turned out that some Marines from the 129th branch were in town on their day off to watch the match. Seeing this scene, they couldn't believe their eyes.

Was this still the familiar, kind, and upright Major they knew?

"Didn't I tell you? That's the power of the Paramecia-type Puppet-Puppet Fruit."

Sakuraba Tree gave a wry smile. "Your Major, and that sheriff, are like me; they've long been secretly controlled by him. Normally, you can't tell the difference, but as soon as the Carpenter wills it, they immediately become puppet slaves who obey his every command."

"Also, each puppet requires a finger to control. The Carpenter has ten fingers, so he wouldn't waste any."

He looked at the seven dojo masters to the south, his voice growing hoarser. "So, my old friends here have all, without exception, met the same unfortunate fate."

The audience erupted in another uproar.

The seven dojo masters remained seated with indifferent expressions, showing no intention of refuting him, which only served to confirm Sakuraba Tree's words.

The surrounding audience, as if seeing a plague, stood up in panic and fear, scrambling and shoving each other as they retreated outwards.

Among them were also some family members or close subordinates of these dojo masters.

They suddenly recalled how their respective masters had gradually become strange over the past five years. It was only at this moment that they finally understood the reason. Looking at those familiar yet strange backs, they couldn't help but feel a chill run down their spines.