Wash-Wash Fruit

"What on earth is this guy's body made of?!"

Both of her attacks had been effortlessly blocked by the man across from her with his bare body. Tsuru's expression darkened as she secretly suspected that he was not human at all. Otherwise, how could a human possess such terrifying physical defense?

Even Garp, the strongest rising star of her generation in the Navy, could not do that. Though Garp was known as Iron Fist and fought by charging headlong through his enemies' attacks, he relied more on powerful Haki than pure physical defense. In terms of sheer bodily toughness, the man before her was the first she had ever seen. He could even withstand her Armament Haki with his body alone, and he made it look effortless.

"Want to know what my body's made of, Sister Tsuru? Why not experience it yourself?"

Oak was still flirting shamelessly, but this time, he was no longer passively waiting to be hit. The instant his words fell, his entire body vanished from where he stood.

"Whoosh~"

When he reappeared, he was already before Tsuru, so close that he could make out every one of her eyelashes. But Oak was not focused on her eyelashes. Instead, his gaze drifted lower.

"What a sight!"

He had never expected Tsuru to be so well-endowed in her youth. There had been no hint of it on the future Vice Admiral Tsuru.

"Go to hell!"

Furious and embarrassed under his gaze, Tsuru swung her straight, shapely leg at Oak.

Smack~

Oak reacted swiftly, catching the leg aimed at him in one hand and giving it a firm squeeze.

"So soft!"

The soft sensation traveled from his hands throughout his entire body, making him feel thoroughly refreshed.

He had been too young before, and this body had not yet fully matured. Coupled with his immersion in the battlefield, Oak had rarely interacted with women. Since leaving the battlefield, however, it was as if something had suddenly clicked for him. He had begun to appreciate women, especially beautiful women.

Tsuru, before his eyes, was the most beautiful and heroic woman he had seen since coming to this world. That was why he could not help teasing her.

"You disgusting bastard!"

Her thigh had been grabbed, and the look of enjoyment on his face left Tsuru so angry that she could barely speak. Gritting her teeth, she used the momentum to leap into the air, then launched a barrage of flying kicks at Oak with her other leg. Every kick was immensely powerful, far beyond what one would expect from a woman.

Smack smack smack smack smack~

Oak let her leg strike his torso, chest, and even his face, yet he suffered no injury whatsoever.

He had no other special talents—his entire body was simply hard. No matter how Tsuru kicked, she could not break through his defense!

Smack~

He freed one hand and caught Tsuru's other leg as well.

"Hehe, let's see how you kick now!"

With both of Tsuru's legs in his grasp, he pulled hard, dragging her entire body toward him. She crashed into his arms as if throwing herself at him.

Logically, being restrained by an enemy like this was an extremely dangerous situation. Yet Tsuru showed no panic whatsoever. Her gaze remained composed, even carrying a trace of well-concealed satisfaction. She first threw the standard-issue Flintlock she had been holding at Oak, then flattened both palms and struck toward him.

Compared to her earlier attacks, this palm strike held neither immense force nor Armament Haki. It looked limp and powerless. Yet Oak looked as though he were facing a formidable enemy, because his instincts told him that the strike contained enormous danger. Without hesitation, he released Tsuru's legs, severing the connection between them. At the same time, he punched the thrown Flintlock back at her and rapidly retreated to widen the distance.

Smack~

Thanks to Oak's rapid string of reactions, Tsuru's palms missed him and struck her own Flintlock. The instant her hands touched it, the Flintlock rapidly transformed. Its body softened, becoming like a washed rag, glimmering with a soapy sheen as it hung from a clothesline that appeared out of thin air.

"The Wash-Wash Fruit!"

Seeing the effect, Oak immediately recognized it as Vice Admiral Tsuru's Wash-Wash Fruit from the original story. It could wash and hang out to dry anything it touched. Rumor even had it that it could purify the victim's heart, temporarily eliminating evil thoughts. It looked weak, but it was actually an extremely powerful ability—one of the rule-type powers among Paramecia abilities.

Oak's physical defense was powerful enough to withstand most physical attacks, but it could not resist these rule-based Devil Fruit powers. That was why he had sensed danger just now.

"You actually know my ability?"

Tsuru was greatly startled that he had recognized her power at a glance. She had only acquired this ability recently and rarely displayed it publicly, always keeping it as a trump card. Forget the outside seas—even within the Navy, few knew about it. In an instant, countless thoughts ran through her mind.

Could the Rocks Pirates be plotting something against the Navy? Otherwise, how could they have investigated even someone as insignificant as me in such detail?

At this point, Tsuru was not yet the chief staff officer of Navy Headquarters she would become in the future. Though she was outstanding among her peers, with strength surpassing even most vice admirals, she was not an important figure within the Navy. Since Oak had immediately identified the ability she had deliberately concealed, it was no wonder she was overthinking it.

Oak said nothing and merely took two more steps back.

"What a dangerous ability!"

Looking at the Flintlock that had been washed and hung on the clothesline, Oak did not think he would have any ability to resist if he were transformed into that state as well. In other words, if Tsuru's power touched him, he would become a lamb awaiting slaughter. He had to stay away from her.

"Hmph!"

"It's good that you know it's dangerous. So I advise you to surrender obediently and stop struggling pointlessly!"

Oak's movements interrupted Tsuru's thoughts. Once she came back to herself, she gave him a cold snort.

Since her greatest trump card had already been exposed, she was determined to arrest this dangerous man today.

"I like struggling. Come at me if you dare!"

Yet in the face of Tsuru's warning, Oak wore a smug, irritating grin and continued provoking her, causing Tsuru to furrow her brows.

"Then don't blame me for being merciless!"

In a flash, Tsuru used Soru of the Six Powers to instantly appear before Oak, striking at him with both palms.

Just before her palms could hit Oak, his body flickered and vanished from the spot.

It was only Soru. Tsuru was not the only one who knew the technique—Oak did as well. And because his explosive power was greater, he used it even faster than she could.

Oak flashed into the air several meters above them, fixed his eyes on Tsuru below, clenched one hand into a fist, and dove down with a punch. Yet Tsuru seemed to have anticipated it. Before his fist could descend, she stepped aside, causing Oak's punch to miss and strike the deck. A powerful shockwave immediately spread from the impact point and surged through the entire ship.

With a thunderous boom, the massive warship—over a hundred meters long, capable of carrying more than a thousand people, and built from high-strength materials—instantly shattered apart. The resulting shockwave sent everyone aboard flying.