The Forbidden Power of the Sea

Seeing Zephyr leave them behind and head straight for Maple Leaf Island, Rear Admiral Kadaru was dumbfounded.

The ship hadn't even reached shore, yet the highest-ranking officer aboard had already gone off on his own. What was that supposed to mean?

Their opponents were just a bunch of unknown little-time pirates. Was it really necessary for a Navy admiral to handle them personally?

"Take the warship to Maple Leaf Island Port immediately, then relay Admiral Zephyr's order to the other warships."

Watching Admiral Zephyr's retreating figure, Kadaru felt utterly helpless. Now that the admiral had left, he had no choice but to take command.

After all, aside from the admiral, he was the highest-ranking officer here.

Pirates with a bounty of twenty million Berries were nothing to Kadaru. But they had to remember that at least eighty percent of the people aboard their three warships were ordinary civilians who had received no training at all.

Admiral Zephyr had gone ashore by himself. If anything happened to these newly recruited soldiers, wouldn't Kadaru end up taking the blame again?

Meanwhile, over on Maple Leaf Island, Wood stood gripping his sword in both hands. Blood still dripped from its blade, and the bodies of Iron Arm Pirates lay all around him, every one of them unmistakably lifeless.

At a glance, there were about twenty or thirty of them, nearly half the total number of pirates in the Iron Arm Pirates.

But after killing so many pirates, Wood had hardly come away unscathed. His body was covered in wounds of all sizes, and his entire left arm hung limp at his side.

The bones in his left arm were clearly broken clean through. In Pirate World, an injury like that would take only a few days to recover from, but for now it was certainly affecting Wood's strength.

Holding the long sword in his right hand, Wood gave it a forceful flick, shaking all the blood from the blade. He didn't want it running down to the hilt and making his fingers slip.

Watching Wood flick his sword, Iron Arm Cook stood not far away, his face blazing with rage. He looked ready to skin Wood alive and devour him on the spot.

Compared to Wood, whose left arm hung limp, Cook was hardly in better shape. The prolonged battle had drained more than half his stamina.

A terrible slash over his right eye not only hindered his fighting ability, but the heavy bleeding was also leaving him weaker by the minute.

Yet the pain in his right eye was nothing compared to the hatred he felt for Wood.

Back then, their Iron Arm Pirates had set sail from the South Blue with dreams in their hearts. Their crew had grown stronger all along the way, and they had planned to venture into the New World.

But who would have thought that just after entering the first half of the Grand Line, they would be nearly wiped out on a tiny island like this by a brat who hadn't even grown his first whiskers!

"You killed so many of my crewmates. I won't let you die easily, brat!

"You probably think that with my right eye injured and my stamina almost gone, I can't fight anymore.

"But you're not the only one who knows how to hold something back. There's another kind of forbidden power on this sea. Today, I'll show you what it is."

Seeing the residents of Maple Leaf Island still fighting the Iron Arm Pirates on the other side, Wood had planned to end things quickly.

The people of Maple Leaf Island had formed a group and come to help him of their own accord after seeing him get hurt.

But how could ordinary residents armed with pitchforks and axes stand a chance against pirates whose hands were stained with blood?

Although the people of Maple Leaf Island outnumbered the Iron Arm Pirates several times over, the moment they clashed, many of them were already wounded or killed.

Wood had wanted to finish the fight here as quickly as possible, then rush over to help and reduce the number of casualties among the islanders.

But Cook's words made Wood's expression turn grave at once. It was clear from what he'd said that he still had another card to play.

"The forbidden power of the sea. Could it be..."

As if to confirm Wood's suspicions, Cook's body began to change.

The skin that had looked perfectly human began to sprout a layer of fuzz. Cook had already been exceptionally tall, but now he grew even taller in a short time, as if he'd been injected with growth hormones.

His sharply defined muscles gradually became covered in short fur, while his arms and legs grew abnormally thick.

His mohawk remained unchanged, but his once rugged face transformed, and he became an animal that moved about by hopping on two legs.

Wood had seen this animal in his previous life. It was none other than a kangaroo!

"Tsk, so he's a Zoan Devil Fruit user..."

Cook looked smug as he revealed his Devil Fruit powers. He'd been about to brag as usual, but he hadn't expected Wood to know about Devil Fruits and even correctly identify what type his was.

"That's right. Devil Fruits are the forbidden power of the sea. Those who eat them are rejected by the ocean.

"I ate the Zoan-type Ratto Ratto Fruit, Kangaroo Model.

"Zoan Devil Fruits can greatly enhance a user's physical abilities, and kangaroos are naturally gifted at boxing. Do you know what that means?"

Wood knew about Devil Fruits, and Cook wasn't particularly surprised. They were already in the first half of the Grand Line.

Unlike the backward Four Blues, people on the Grand Line had far broader horizons. They wouldn't be startled at the sight of a Devil Fruit user like people in the Four Blues.

Under normal circumstances, Zoan Devil Fruits gave their users three forms: their normal form, a half-human, half-beast form, and a full Beast Form.

Iron Arm Cook was only a rookie pirate with a bounty of twenty million Berries. Wood didn't believe he could have developed his Devil Fruit powers to any great extent.

Still, there was no denying that a battle that had seemed all but won had now become unpredictable after Cook revealed that he was a Devil Fruit user.

Cook, now in his half-human, half-kangaroo form, leaped and shot straight toward Wood. His muscular arm swung his Arm Gauntlet-clad fist through the air, aiming a punch at Wood's head.

"BOOM—!"

The massive fist shattered the ground. A few strands of Wood's black hair fluttered up, but he had already moved several steps away. Looking at the web of cracks covering the ground, he wore a shaken expression.

After using his Devil Fruit powers, Cook's jumping ability and punching power were both far greater than before!

"Tsk, my stamina's really been worn down this much, huh? If I'd been at full strength from the start, that punch would've blown your head wide open!"

Looking at the crater his Arm Gauntlet had made in the ground, Cook still seemed dissatisfied.

Back when he was in this form, one full-power punch had gone straight through a small Navy warship.