The Mysterious Smile
Moke's lips curled into a mysterious smile. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the Devil Fruit emitted a strange light, toward Gizas Jesus Burgess. The fruit traced a graceful arc through the air, landing precisely in Gizas Jesus Burgess's outstretched palm like a dazzling shooting star.
Gizzas Jesus Burgess stared wide-eyed at the Devil Fruit in his hand in disbelief. When he heard Moke say that the fruit was Zoan -type Mythical Zoan - Calamity Hound Form, his eyes instantly lit up like a burning campfire.
"Zoan - Mythical Zoan - Calamity Hound Form???" The Baboon King Burns, Brook, Perona, and Ata exclaimed in unison. They looked at each other, their faces showing a mixture of shock and confusion.
"Devil Fruit of this caliber can actually be auctioned off at an auction house?" Baboon King Burns muttered to himself, his voice filled with disbelief.
Brook, shaking his signature skull head, chimed in, "Yeah, I thought such rare Devil Fruit were practically nonexistent on the market!"
Perona crossed her arms, curled her lip, and scoffed, "Hmph, I don't believe it. If it were that easy to obtain, wouldn't everyone be a strong person?"
However, despite their doubts, seeing the Devil Fruit undeniably in Gizzas Jesus Burgess's hands, and hearing it from their respected captain, Moke, they had no choice but to temporarily accept this unbelievable fact. If it weren't for their trust in Moke and the fact that they had witnessed it firsthand, they probably would have burst out laughing. After all, it was truly unbelievable that such a precious and powerful Devil Fruit had appeared so easily before their eyes.
In the bustling auction house, the unbelievable news spread that Mythical Zoan had been auctioned off. Wasn't this the most absurd and laughable thing in the world? However, just as everyone burst into laughter, Moke casually added, "Don't underestimate this Devil Fruit. It's a treasure I acquired at a cost of a full 600 million Beli! So after you all finish eating it, you'd better hurry up and improve your strength."
Upon hearing this, even the usually calm and collected Gizzas Jesus Burgess couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Six hundred million Beli?" His eyes widened, his face filled with astonishment, and he gripped the incredibly precious Devil Fruit tightly in his hand, his fingers even trembling slightly from the shock.
Well, it has to be admitted that at that moment, Gizzas Jesus Burgess's sense of belonging to this pirate crew soared to its peak. He was filled with endless gratitude for their generous and magnanimous captain, Moke... In fact, he wasn't the only one who felt this way; the other members shared the same sentiment. Everyone felt that they had truly become an indispensable part of this pirate crew, and their sense of belonging to them greatly increased.
Seeing this, Jack the Drought, Ulti, and Page One, standing opposite him, became extremely anxious. Jack glared and roared, "Ulti, Page One, get that Devil Fruit back for me!" Before he finished speaking, Ulti and Page One replied in unison, "Yes!" Then, they both suddenly exerted force with their legs, and their bodies shot towards Gizzas Jesus Burgess, who was holding the Devil Fruit, like arrows released from a bow.
Baboon King Burns showed no fear. His eyes widened, and he roared. He quickly assumed a standard punching stance and shouted, "Fish-Man Karate - Shark Tile Fist!" This move is one of the ultimate techniques in Fish-Man Karate, requiring the full force of one's body to activate, and its power is astonishing.
In the blink of an eye, Baboon King Burns' fist, as big as a cascading pot, hurtled forward like a cannonball. At the same time, its head slammed into its opponent like a hammer. With a loud bang, the two collided, sparks Hanabi and energy surging everywhere.
After the impact, Baboon King Burns was so shocked by the powerful reaction force that he staggered back two steps, each step leaving a deep footprint on the ground. In contrast, Ulti was like a kite with a broken string, her whole body arcing through the air for three or four meters before finally crashing heavily to the ground.
Just as the fierce battle raged on one side, another breathtaking scene unfolded on the other. Page One wielded his powerful right arm, sending a whistling sound through the air, and unleashed a powerful punch at Ata. Surprisingly, despite the fierce and relentless attack, Ata stood Fudō, showing no sign of panic, as if Page One wielded a powerful punch that wasn't even aimed at her.
Seeing this, Page One was filled with doubt and astonishment, but his movements didn't falter for a moment. After all, his fist was already inches from Ata's, and it was too late for Ata to dodge, defend, or counterattack! Sure enough, in the next second, Page One's Iron Fist slammed solidly into Ata's body...
However, the moment his punch landed squarely on his target, Page One's expression suddenly turned utterly horrified, as if he had witnessed something utterly terrifying. When his fist actually touched his opponent's body, it felt as if he had struck an incredibly smooth piece of silk. The force had absolutely no point of contact; no matter how hard he exerted himself, his fist could only slide helplessly to the side, utterly unable to cause the slightest harm to his enemy!
"Not good..." Page One thought to himself, realizing the danger. As one of the core members of the Beast Pirates, he had experienced countless life-or-death battles. Both his practical experience and keen intuition sent him the strongest warning signal at this moment—this seemingly petite and weak opponent was actually hiding a great danger! Unfortunately, it was too late to realize this now.
Meanwhile, Ata had already calculated the entire situation perfectly. She swiftly gripped the twin swords at her waist, drawing them in a flash with Inazuma. With a crisp metallic clang, two flashes of cold light streaked through the air. Then, Ata dodged Page One's powerful punch, deftly raising her twin swords high into a perfect "two" shape.
Just as Page One's fist grazed past her, Ata launched a fatal attack without hesitation. She uttered a soft cry, "Two Sword Style - Two Sword Style: Wolf Fang Thrust!" Before the words were even finished, she swung her arms fiercely, and the two swords in her hands transformed into two incomparably sharp silver lights, slashing fiercely towards Page One with lightning speed!
With a muffled thud, Page One was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string! The speed was astonishing. When everyone looked closely, they saw a shocking "two"-shaped wound on Page One's chest, deep enough to expose the bone, with blood gushing out like a fountain, splashing into the air and forming a Bloody Mist Era.
Just moments ago, Ata had unleashed his twin swords with lightning speed. And these swords were imbued with incredibly powerful Armament Haki! Faced with such a sudden and fatal blow, Page One was completely unprepared, and didn't even have time to apply Armament Haki Coating defend himself.
Seeing her younger brother severely injured, Ulti, who was fiercely protective of her brother, was immediately filled with anxiety, and her face turned deathly pale. She let out a heart-wrenching cry, "Page One..." Then, without hesitation, she leaped into the air, transforming into a black shadow and rushing towards Page One. In the blink of an eye, she was flying into the air and steadily caught the injured Page One.
However, at that moment, another fierce battle broke out! Jack, who had been lurking in the shadows, seized the opportunity and suddenly leaped into the air, pouncing on Gizzas Jesus Burgess like a ferocious beast. At this moment, Jack's eyes were bloodshot, filled with murderous intent, and he had already gripped the two strange weapons hidden in the ivory on his shoulder.
These two weapons had a peculiar design; the lower part was shaped like a straight blade, while the upper part resembled a giant scythe, gleaming with a chilling light that sent shivers down one's spine. Jack wielded these two terrifying weapons, slashing fiercely at Gizzas Jesus Burgess with overwhelming force. He had only one thought in his mind—he absolutely could not allow this incomparably precious Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit to fall into the enemy's hands!
Perona stood to the side, a sly smile on her face, and let out a series of eerie laughs. "Ho-ho-ho-ho-ho... Weevil, quickly chop him down!" As her words fell, Weevil forcefully sniffed the long snot hanging from his nose, then gripped the enormous sword in his hands tightly and swung it horizontally into the air.
At that moment, Weevil's target was none other than Jack the Drought was in mid-air. With a whoosh, the greatsword hurtled through the air with unparalleled force.
In the blink of an eye! Just as the gleaming broadsword, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, hurtled towards Jack the Drought like Inazuma, and was about to mercilessly strike him, Jack, as expected of a battle-hardened super strongman, reacted with astonishing speed! His eyes, which had been narrowed to slits, instantly widened into round, bell-like bulges, shooting out two extremely sharp beams of light. At the same time, he let out a deafening roar, "Hey!" The sound was like a thunderclap, creating a rolling wave of sound in the air.
Without hesitation, Jack suddenly raised his arms, his muscular arms brimming with explosive power. He gripped his weapon tightly, like an unbreakable mountain, and resolutely charged towards the menacing, unstoppable greatsword.
In an instant, a deafening clang rang out, a sound as resounding as a great bell, echoing throughout the heavens and earth. The two weapons collided violently, scattering countless dazzling Hanabi that flew everywhere, as brilliant and dazzling as Hanabi bursting in a festival.
In that instant, the entire world seemed to be paused, and time quietly stopped flowing. The surrounding scenery was frozen in a painting, and all objects lost their dynamism, falling into an eerie silence.
In stark contrast, the two weapons clashing still gleamed with a cold light as they crossed and collided, emitting a series of dazzling Hanabi and deafening sounds.
At the same time, the powerful Shockwave generated by this violent collision was spreading wildly in all directions with overwhelming force, sending sand and stones flying and destroying vegetation wherever it passed. Even the usually calm and peaceful air could no longer remain calm. Under the unparalleled impact, it began to churn and surge violently, gradually converging into swirling vortexes of air that resembled giant dragons. These vortexes roared through the sky and earth, bringing with them gusts of Gale that instilled fear in everyone.
It should be noted that these two individuals are no ordinary people; they are both peerless powerhouses with extraordinary skills and terrifying strength capable of destroying the world! Normally, they each dominate their own regions, rarely encountering a worthy opponent. But the gears of fate have tightly meshed them together today, causing these two people, who should never have crossed paths, to meet unexpectedly on this narrow road, thus setting the stage for a thrilling life-or-death duel.
At this moment, they were like two shooting stars burning with raging flames, carrying endless anger and killing intent, rushing towards each other at an astonishing speed, and then colliding with each other without reservation. In an instant, Hikaru flew, Lightning Flash Thunder, and the entire space seemed to tremble and collapse because it could not withstand such a huge energy impact.
This scene is as if Mars and Earth, two celestial bodies, are staging an unprecedented and intense collision in the vast universe. Its magnificence is beyond imagination. Any flowery words seem pale and powerless at this moment, and cannot even begin to describe one tenth of this breathtaking scene!
It's worth mentioning that this life-or-death struggle had no fancy techniques or strategies whatsoever; both sides relied entirely on their raw, undeniable strength to determine the victor. Every attack was like a mountain crushing an egg, and every defense was as solid as a rock. Their muscles were taut, veins bulging, and sweat poured down their faces, but their eyes always revealed an unwavering belief—either defeat the opponent or die on the battlefield!
Weevil's eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging on his forehead, and his muscles were tense. He suddenly exerted his strength, and a tremendous force erupted from his body. This force was so powerful that it was beyond imagination, like a raging prehistoric beast awakening from ancient times, opening its blood-red maw and lunging at its opponent with bared teeth and claws.
In an instant, two unparalleled forces collided with a deafening roar, like stars colliding in the universe, bursting forth with dazzling, blinding light. At the same time, accompanied by a deafening bang that could rip eardrums, the entire space was shaken to its breaking point by this terrifying energy.
However, even someone as powerful as Weevil could not withstand such an astonishing impact. He trembled violently, his feet sinking deep into the ground, and his body was forced backward, like a lone tree in Gale, about to be uprooted, or a candle flickering in the Gale, its weak flame about to be extinguished at any moment.
The once solid ground beneath his feet could no longer withstand the pressure. Under the crushing force of this terrifying power, it instantly crumbled, revealing bottomless, enormous cracks that resembled the gaping maws of a ferocious demon, inspiring awe and fear. From this alone, one could see just how astonishing the power was contained in Weevil's earth-shattering attack!
In comparison, Jack the Drought the Drought, who was in mid-air, was at a slight disadvantage. Although he tried his best to withstand Weevil's fierce and powerful attack, he was ultimately unable to completely dissipate the opponent's surging torrent of power. After being hit hard, Jack the Drought was like a kite with a broken string, and was violently thrown backward a long distance before he regained his footing and slowly floated back to the ground.
Just as these two unparalleled powerhouses were locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle, an uninvited guest suddenly barged into the fray—Gizas Jesus Burgess, taking advantage of the intense fighting and the fact that neither side could pay attention, silently crept to the extremely precious Mythical Zoan Fruit countless people coveted, and then without hesitation opened his blood-red maw and swallowed it whole. Witnessing this, Jack the Drought was consumed by rage, his anger reaching a fever pitch. He immediately roared, "Damn bastard! How dare you steal my treasure! I'll tear you to pieces to vent my hatred!"
Just as furious as Jack the Drought was his sister Ulti. At this moment, Ulti's beautiful eyes burned with rage. She glared fiercely at Ata and gritted her teeth, saying, "You despicable bastard, how dare you lay a finger on my brother! Today I'll make sure you die a horrible death!" With that, she made a move to rush forward and fight Ata. However, Page One, who was nearby, reacted quickly and stopped her in time.
At that moment, he involuntarily began to re-examine the group before him. Not only him, but Jack the Drought had the same reaction. Jack the Drought first glared fiercely at Gizzas Jesus Burgess, who had eaten the Mythical Zoan Fruit, his fierce gaze seemingly capable of spitting fire. Then, his gaze quickly shifted to Weevil, who had repelled him with a single strike, a deep sense of apprehension inadvertently flashing in his eyes. That exchange had made him clearly realize that in a pure contest of strength, he was actually slightly inferior. He had always relied on overwhelming power to suppress his opponents and achieve victory! But now...
Then, he slowly raised his head and turned his gaze to Moke, who was standing to the side. Only then did he truly begin to take Moke seriously. Think about it, even one of Moke's captains possessed such astonishing strength, so wouldn't Moke himself, as the captain of the ship, be even more powerful? No, certainly far more than that, far more terrifying than imagined. The current situation was undoubtedly extremely disadvantageous for him, Ulti, and Page One. After all, although there were three of them, only Ulti and Page One could be considered combatants. Yet even so, the enemy had easily withstood their attack with just two people, and even managed to easily injure one of them during the battle!
Just as he took a deep breath, preparing to charge forward like an arrow released from a bow, suddenly, a dark figure appeared before him with astonishing speed, blocking his inevitable path. Startled, he quickly looked closer and realized that the person blocking his way was actually one of Moke's crew members.
The crew member was exceptionally tall and muscular, his muscles bulging like hard rocks, clearly defined and full of explosive power. He exuded a chilling aura, like an unshakeable mountain standing in front of him, causing the other man to involuntarily feel a chill in his heart.
At this moment, the atmosphere on the entire battlefield became heavy, presenting an extremely delicate balance. The enemy had only sent out a mere three crew members, but these three people had displayed unimaginable strength, managing to hold their own against the much larger enemy force. In fact, judging from the current situation, the enemy clearly held the upper hand.
What's even more shocking is that the opposing team's most powerful and feared captain Moke, has yet to make a move. Logically speaking, given such a vast disparity in strength, choosing to retreat temporarily would undoubtedly be an extremely wise decision. After all, preserving one's strength for another day's battle is always better than blindly engaging in a head-on fight that could lead to total annihilation.
However, the man standing here was no ordinary person. He was none other than Jack the Drought, Might-Shaker Four Seas! His piercing eyes were fixed unwaveringly on the enemy before him, revealing an unyielding determination and courage. Then, he once again raised the enormous, incredibly sharp weapon in his hand high above his head, its blade gleaming coldly in the sunlight. Without the slightest hesitation, he roared and strode forward, pouncing on the enemy like a tiger descending a mountain. This time, his target was no longer the ordinary crew members, but rather Moke himself, who had yet to make a move.
Seeing Jack's fearless actions, Moke's face twitched involuntarily. He thought to himself, "This guy truly lives up to his reputation. As Devil Fruit User, he possesses astonishing courage and determination... truly admirable!" However, admiration aside, Moke wouldn't let Jack succeed so easily. He crossed his arms, coldly watching the rapidly approaching Jack, a barely perceptible glint of cold light flashing in his eyes. A fierce battle was about to erupt...