On the third floor of a restaurant near the docks, Luo Ya sat by the window, slowly polishing Scorching Cloud. A steaming cup of coffee sat on the table.
"The auction's over. As the buyer of Treasure Tree Adam, I'm sure to put out to sea right away. The fewer people trailing me, the better." Luo Ya muttered, his eyes fixed on the stone road outside.
Before long, a group of people came into view, carrying an enormous tree. From the deep footprints they left behind, it was clear the load was heavy.
"This is supposed to be just a small branch? Why does it look so huge? Whatever." Luo Ya took a deep breath, then launched himself straight through the window.
Crash! The sound of breaking glass drew the attention of the quiet street. Luo Ya soared through the air, raising Scorching Cloud high above his head. "Fire Burning City Walls!"
A towering pillar of flame shot up alongside Scorching Cloud, drawing the eyes of everyone on the island. It came crashing straight down on the group.
"Are you fucking crazy? Protect Treasure Tree Adam!" shouted the man leading them. A diagonal scar ran from the corner of his left eye down to the right side of his neck.
At the same time, he turned and launched himself into a kick aimed at Treasure Tree Adam. The pillar of flame crashed down, and three figures who failed to dodge in time were reduced to charred husks.
"You've got some moves, Scarface." Luo Ya sheathed his sword with a laugh.
"This great man is Scar Wolf Holen, with a bounty of ninety million Beli. You dare try to steal my stuff? Luo Ya, brat, do you really think killing a few Marines and getting a higher bounty means everything?"
As he spoke, black fur sprouted all over Holen's body, and his face thrust forward. He transformed into a wolf-man and let out a long howl. "Awooo!"
"Heh, Scarface, huh? I want to do something big, and I need you to give me some courage. Think I can pull it off?" Luo Ya said with a grin.
"Go to hell!" Holen snarled, swinging his half-meter-long claws at Luo Ya.
Clang! Holen's black claws met Scorching Cloud, which glowed red. Wisps of smoke curled up between them.
Luo Ya held Scorching Cloud in one hand. "Heh, you don't get a ninety-million-Beli bounty without being strong. It's no surprise you've mastered Armament Haki." With that, he kicked Holen square in the chest.
The kick sent Holen stumbling back two steps. But that was the perk of a Zoan Devil Fruit: its user was tough as nails. A little injury like that barely hurt.
Holen dropped onto all fours and pounced, crossing his claws as he lunged at Luo Ya with a foul stench.
Luo Ya used the momentum to retreat two steps and sheathe his sword. As Holen came at him, he simply sidestepped to the left.
Nadeshiko Slash! From Holen's flank, Luo Ya drew his sword and unleashed a colossal wave of flaming sword energy at him. But the slash was off—it seemed to have gone wide.
It set all the nearby buildings ablaze, and in an instant, a raging fire engulfed the area.
Looking at the fire around him, Holen didn't immediately attack Luo Ya. "You've got guts, kid. You're using me to stir up a huge commotion, aren't you?"
"You saw through me? Doesn't matter. Anyone who wants Treasure Tree Adam will get involved sooner or later. Pros play the long game. You ever heard of tactics?" Luo Ya pointed to the people fighting behind him. Holen's underlings were already sprawled on the ground, waiting to be buried.
"Damn it!" Holen's face tightened, his teeth grinding. Then he charged at Luo Ya.
Whoosh! The sound of claws slicing through the air rang out. Luo Ya swung his sword to meet the black claws. Clang! Clang!
He knocked aside Holen's two heavy blows. In his mind, Luo Ya called out, Pine Torch! He swung his sword, sending out several waves of sword energy that formed a fiery tornado around Holen. In an instant, the air filled with the smell of charred meat.
"That smell? It's pretty intense, Scarface. You look like a mess, but who knew you'd smell so good roasted?" Luo Ya teased.
A wolf's howl rang out. "Awooo!" Holen broke free of the fiery tornado formed by Pine Torch. His black fur was singed and curled, and patches of it had burned away, revealing yellowish-red flesh streaked with black.
"Huff, huff. You've really pissed me off now, kid." Holen panted heavily. The burned parts of his body began to heal rapidly, and he grew another size, reaching nearly three meters tall. His imposing frame was packed with tightly knotted muscles.
"It's been a long time since anyone forced me to use this form. I'm going to hack your filthy body apart! Cut you up! Chop you to pieces!" Holen roared as he charged at Luo Ya, moving at a speed that was in a completely different league from before.
Seeing that he couldn't dodge in time, Luo Ya raised his sword to block, but the tremendous force sent him flying. In midair, Holen's eyes flashed with bloodlust as he pounced on Luo Ya. His huge wolf's jaws and black claws lunged at him.
Bang! Luo Ya's black shoe slammed into Holen's wolf muzzle. Luo Ya was only a little over 1.8 meters tall—not quite two meters—and was clearly a shorty in the world of the Pirate King, where people averaged over two meters. But thanks to his long legs, his reach was just a little greater than Holen's, claws and all, and he kicked Holen flying.
"Scarface, I've got something else to take care of. Would you mind looking after Treasure Tree Adam for me for a while? I'll come back for it later." After the intense fight, Luo Ya was getting excited too. Luckily, he hadn't gotten so carried away that he'd forgotten his mission.
"What kind of bullshit are you spouting, kid? I'm tearing you apart today!" Holen said, crouching as if ready to pounce.
Luo Ya raised his chin slightly, gesturing behind Holen.
Seeing the smile on Luo Ya's face, Holen hesitated, then turned to look.
A group of burly men in black suits had already picked up Treasure Tree Adam and carried it to the edge of the battlefield. The Treasure Tree Adam Holen had paid a fortune to buy was about to slip away.
Holen clenched his teeth and looked back and forth between Luo Ya and Treasure Tree Adam.
"Scarface, if you don't do something, someone else is going to get Treasure Tree Adam for free!" Luo Ya said, grinning from ear to ear.
After sheathing his sword, Luo Ya turned and headed for the center of the island, completely unconcerned that Holen might attack him from behind.
Watching Luo Ya's retreating back, Holen threw his head back and let out a long howl. "Awooo!" Then he turned and charged at the men in black suits.