Zoan Devil Fruit-like Victory

The night grew darker and darker, and the stars gradually filled the sky. The sea wind was cold, making the patrolling Marines shrink their necks and tighten their clothes before continuing their vigilant patrols with rifles in hand.

The soldier on lighthouse duty had a cigarette hanging from his lips as he looked toward the Recruit Camp.

"Huh? Are they still serving food in the cafeteria this late?"

"Damn brat!"

Ms. S braced herself on her knees and panted heavily. Before her, a pot of bubbling meat stew filled the air with a rich aroma. After resting briefly, she picked up the vegetables on the cutting board and began chopping again, because Loa at the table opposite her had already reached his final dish.

Loa held his hugely swollen stomach with one hand and gripped the edge of a plate with the other, swallowing the food in several crunching bites.

After finishing the last mouthful, Loa noticed that Ms. S's food was still in the pot. Just as he was about to deliver his victory speech, he suddenly shut his mouth. A basin of fried shrimp rice coated in sauce had been set before him, every golden grain gleaming enticingly.

"Brat, you think you can beat me? You're still far too early!"

Ms. S snorted disdainfully and continued adding ingredients to the pot.

"Just wait, brat. Once this pot of soup is done, you'll definitely lose."

I really am about to lose~

Loa stared gravely at the shrimp in the basin. Although the system could quickly convert the food he ate into energy points, that speed was ultimately limited. Unless he could level up right now, the food in his stomach would take at least three hours to digest completely.

"Do I really have to admit defeat?"

Loa shook his head, driving that thought from his mind. As a Dragon Slayer, how could he admit defeat over appetite? Besides, he had the system helping him digest. Losing to a frail old woman would be far too humiliating!

Loa chewed on shrimp while doing everything he could to digest the food.

Suddenly, an idea struck him.

"Right, I'm a Dragon Slayer! Why do I have to fight her head-on?"

Loa scooped up a spoonful of rice and stuffed it into his mouth, then stood and headed outside. "Make way, excuse me, I'm going out for a moment," he mumbled through his mouthful.

"Brat, are you planning to go throw up the food?" Ms. S sneered when she saw what he was doing.

"Throw up? Yes, I am. But I'm not throwing up food. If you don't believe me, come with me."

"Tch, I'm not stupid. The dishes will be ready soon, and then you'll definitely lose! Hey, you lot, go out and keep an eye on him. Don't let that brat pull any tricks."

Ms. S declared that she was smart enough not to waste her time, while ordering the other cooks to keep watch over Loa.

"No way, is Loa going to lose?"

"Who knows? Come on, let's follow him and see."

The recruits poured out of the cafeteria in a swarm, joining the cooks outside. They saw Loa with puffed cheeks, looking around the open area as if searching for something.

"Is he looking for a spot to throw up? If he wastes food like that, Ms. S will definitely explode!"

The recruits all guessed as much. But Loa ignored them. He surveyed the surroundings and chose an open patch of ground. There were no buildings nearby, and even the closest grass was three meters away.

Having chosen his position, he raised his head and clenched his fists before his mouth.

"Ice Dragon's Roar!"

Boom!

A massive Ice Tornado shot into the sky before everyone's dumbfounded eyes. The intense chill washed over them, making it feel as though they had been transported to East Island.

Loa had indeed thrown something up, but it was not food. It was magic power.

In the world of Fairy Tail, using magic required not only magic power, but stamina as well. A move like Ice Dragon's Roar consumed a terrifying amount of stamina. One of the greatest traits of Dragon Slayers was their recovery ability. Even after exhausting all their stamina, they could replenish it quickly. Just like in the original manga, no matter how badly Natsu was beaten by his enemies, he could always recover rapidly and unleash his ultimate move to turn the tables.

I won't fight you head-on. I'll wear you down instead!

That was Loa's plan. By using Ice Dragon's Roar to massively drain his stamina, the food in his stomach would immediately break down with the system's help and replenish his body.

Crack!

A crisp shattering sound came from the sky. Everyone looked up to see the Ice Tornado explode, countless ice crystals sparkling beneath the moonlight.

"Is he setting off fireworks?"

Everyone blinked in confusion, staring blankly at the sight overhead.

After releasing the first Ice Dragon's Roar, Loa panted heavily and touched his stomach. Sure enough, the food inside was beginning to digest rapidly, leaving his whole body feeling warm.

He turned and saw the crowd still frozen in place, with nothing over their heads for cover. He shouted in alarm, "Hey, stop staring! The ice is going to fall soon! Aren't you going to take cover?"

"Ahhh?!"

The others froze for a moment, then looked up. The tiny ice crystals in their field of vision were growing larger and larger, some already as big as heads!

"Run! Hail's coming!"

Clatter, clatter, clatter~

The crowd shoved their way back into the cafeteria. Sure enough, hail began falling from the sky. The smallest chunks of ice were as big as fists, while the largest were nearly the size of a table. They struck the ground and split in two with sharp cracks, leaving dents in the earth.

Loa figured that ice formed by Dragon Slayer Magic was not much weaker than the ice saber Kuzan condensed when fighting enemies.

"Where's Loa? Why didn't that guy come inside?!"

Amid the noisy crowd, Ms. S looked around without spotting Loa. She waved her ladle and demanded an answer.

"Over there! He's still outside!"

A sharp-eyed recruit pointed out the window. Not only had Loa failed to enter the building, he did not even seem to have any intention of dodging.

"Damn it! Hurry up and save him!"

They might have been competing, but that did not mean she could watch him die. Ms. S roared and prepared to rush outside, only for several burly cooks to immediately hold her back.

"Look! Loa's about to throw up again!"

Ms. S looked over at once. Sure enough, the blue magic circle had appeared before Loa's mouth again.

Boom!

Another Ice Tornado flew out, shooting straight toward the heavens. Loa had calculated the direction of this blast. It not only destroyed most of the previous ice, but also cleared a path between him and the cafeteria.

After doing all that, Loa straightened up and flashed them a smug grin. He half-raised one hand and loosely curled his fingers as blue magic power condensed into ice in his palm, slowly forming a crystalline ice umbrella.

Holding the umbrella, Loa slowly walked toward the cafeteria along the path opened by Ice Dragon's Roar, one step at a time. On either side of him, chunks of ice fell with shrieking whistles and crashed against the ground with a cacophony of clinks and bangs. Above his head, everything remained calm. Only a few tiny flecks of ice drifted down onto the umbrella as lightly as raindrops.

At that moment, Loa looked like an emperor walking through ice and snow. No frost dared offend him; all of it submitted at his side.

"Is that guy really still a recruit?"

The recruits of the Recruit Camp fell silent. With that strength and presence, there could not be many people like him even in the Elite Camp, right?

No! There probably were none even in the Elite Camp!

Loa returned to the cafeteria and tossed the umbrella behind him, letting the falling ice smash it to pieces.

"Well then, Ms. S, let's continue the competition!"

"No need~" Ms. S waved a hand. "You must have used your Devil Fruit power just now to consume a huge amount of stamina. By now, the food in your stomach should have mostly been digested, right? Tch, a Zoan Devil Fruit user, huh?"

Seeing Loa's stomach had deflated, Ms. S had her answer.

"Then, thank you for the meal!"

Loa pressed his palms together and lowered his head with a smile.