A Cough, Shukaku!

"Hahaha, I can move freely again!"

Shukaku burst into laughter the moment it emerged.

"This monster doesn't seem to be Red Eye."

Kuzan also sensed that Shukaku's aura was off. It did not feel human.

Moreover, his Observation Haki had been locked onto Brando the whole time, and that aura was inside this monster.

"I'll deal with you first!"

Shukaku lowered its head to look at Kuzan, then opened its mouth. Yin-Yang Chakra was injected at a ratio of two to eight, instantly condensing into a Tailed Beast Bomb.

Kuzan narrowed his eyes, then abruptly swung his right hand. Frost spread out, instantly freezing the enormous Shukaku along with the Tailed Beast Bomb.

However, the condensed Tailed Beast Bomb exploded outright, shattering the ice. Part of Shukaku's mouth was blown apart as well, but it quickly recovered under the restoration of its chakra.

"Sand?"

Kuzan lowered his head and saw a large amount of sand emerging through the ice.

"Isn't that Crocodile's ability?"

"Could this guy's power be the ability to seize Devil Fruits?"

Kuzan considered that astonishing possibility.

However, the sand Shukaku controlled was frozen again the moment it emerged.

The gigantic Shukaku was practically a punching bag before Kuzan, utterly unable to fight back. Its wide-area attacks were useless against the Ice-Ice Fruit.

"Damn it, this guy is so annoying!"

Shukaku flew into a rage.

Its attacks were stopped before it could use them. Then it was frozen again. After struggling with all its strength to break free, it took another punch, and part of its body was frozen once more.

"So, join forces with me, Shukaku. Let's teach this lackey a lesson together."

Brando spoke with Shukaku in the mental space.

The difference in their stats was truly difficult to overcome. Brando already had plenty of tricks now, but they were still not enough against Kuzan.

"Tch, I'm not teaming up with you..."

Shukaku was just about to answer.

Outside, its chakra-made body took a punch from Kuzan right in the face, blasting away more than half of it.

Kuzan had failed to hit Brando's mouth earlier, so he was venting it all on Shukaku now.

But that enraged Shukaku.

"I'll lend you my power. If you don't punch him in the face, I'll never lend it to you again!"

After realizing it truly could not defeat Kuzan, Shukaku still wanted revenge, so it could only cooperate with Brando.

"No problem!"

Brando agreed immediately.

Kuzan looked at Shukaku, which he had frozen once more.

"Did a Zoan Devil Fruit awakening fail?"

Kuzan guessed why Brando's body had become like this. When a Zoan Devil Fruit awakening failed, there was a chance the user's personality would be consumed, their body taken over by the animal's will, reducing them to a pure beast.

The way Shukaku had acted just now was like that of a beast, which was why Kuzan suspected this.

"Now that he's become like this, I wonder whether the World Government will still recognize him as Red Eye."

Kuzan said with a slight headache.

For some reason, he also did not want Brando to die like this. He felt that it would be more interesting if this guy continued to stir things up on the seas. At the very least, those lofty Celestial Dragons might gain another enemy.

"Hm?"

"Again?"

Kuzan watched the frozen Shukaku tremble rapidly. It almost looked like it was doing sit-ups.

However, Shukaku had not broken free from the ice. Instead, its entire body turned into sand and scattered apart, revealing Brando at the center.

As Brando suddenly spread his arms wide, the sand expanded and shattered the ice.

"Now for round two!"

Brando landed on the ice.

The exposed skin on Brando's body was now covered in black markings identical to the patterns on Shukaku's body.

"No matter how many times it takes, I'll defeat you!"

Kuzan said seriously.

Then he sped across the ice, charging straight at Brando.

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

Brando created two Shadow Clones, placing them directly in Kuzan's path.

Kuzan thought they would be as easy to deal with as the previous Shadow Clones, but he immediately sensed something was wrong. Both clones were charging at him while forming Rasenshuriken.

That move had clearly only been usable by the original body before!

The two Rasenshuriken forced Kuzan's advance to a halt. That move posed a threat even to him, and he had no intention of taking it head-on. Two small mushroom clouds rose up.

The moment Kuzan landed on the ice, sand broke through it and coiled around his feet.

But Kuzan crushed it with a slight stomp.

"The ability to control sand—is that the power of that beast from before?"

At the same time, Kuzan used Ice Age again to reinforce the ice, giving his elemental body more terrain to work with.

But this time, the sand was no longer as powerless as before. It could put up some resistance.

"I still have to deal with the original body!"

Kuzan was somewhat flustered now, because he had no idea how many more times Brando could sit back up. He felt that things would go wrong if this continued.

The two Shadow Clones moved to surround Kuzan. They were so powerful this time because they had Shukaku Chakra supporting them. Previously, borrowing Tailed Beast Chakra had merely increased Brando's chakra reserves somewhat.

But now that Shukaku was supporting him with its full strength, his chakra reserves had directly reached the limit of Super Shadow Level, even enough to rival the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha.

Kuzan charged at Brando's original body again while swiftly dodging the Shadow Clones' attacks. He simply took some insignificant moves head-on.

When he smashed through a wall of sand, Brando's original body formed another sphere in his hand. It glowed yellow and bore markings. Instead of retreating, Brando charged at Kuzan while holding it up.

Kuzan sensed that something was off about the energy sphere in Brando's hand, but he did not sense the aura of death, so he met him head-on.

"Magnet Release: Rasengan!"

This Rasengan was unleashed through Shukaku's power and carried a sealing effect.

"Ice Glove!"

Kuzan met it with a fist infused with freezing power.

The impact of their collision shattered the surrounding ice.

"What?"

Kuzan saw the strange markings on the energy sphere rapidly spreading onto his fist. At the same time, he felt as though the power of his Devil Fruit was being suppressed.

Then, two enormous claws made of sand emerged behind Brando and grabbed at Kuzan.

Shukaku was controlling them. It was preparing to use a sealing technique to suppress Kuzan.

"Tch..."

Kuzan did not dare hold back. Frost erupted from him.

Everything around him froze instantly, interrupting Shukaku's movements and freezing Brando as well.

Kuzan did not stop. He prepared to punch Brando, who was trapped in the ice.

But the two Shadow Clones came from behind to restrain him.

"So annoying!"

Kuzan felt that Brando's mouth was annoying, his abilities were annoying, and he was simply an infuriating person.

He could only use the Ice-Ice Fruit's power with a backhanded motion, creating an ice wall to block the Shadow Clones' attack.

But Brando also broke free from the ice through Shukaku's power.

Seeing this, Kuzan immediately threw a punch. Brando likewise raised his fist and punched toward Kuzan's face, because he felt that time was running out.

"Bang!"

Both of them were punched in the face, though Kuzan's arm was longer because he was taller.

Brando had used the Multi-Size Technique to extend his arm, making his fist larger as well. It was said to have hit Kuzan's face, but in truth, it struck his entire head.

Both of them were sent flying backward.

Kuzan slammed hard into the ice wall he had created, while Brando was caught by sand controlled by the Shadow Clones.