A Miserable Death

If they turned into ugly freaks, everyone who saw them would be repulsed. Who would pity them then? Even Saint Sanming, who had previously been willing to show them mercy, might despise them from now on!

"These three fruits aren't hard to tell apart. This pink one is the Love-Love Fruit. As for the other two... well, either way, they'll turn you into something disgusting, so there isn't much difference." Shalria burst into laughter.

"Brilliant." Saint Ni and Saint Rosward had also arrived after hearing the news. Nearly all the Celestial Dragons were now interested in this little diversion. Saint Rosward was Saint Charlos and Shalria's father. He particularly enjoyed taming vicious slaves and had a special fondness for collecting slaves who had once been pirate captains.

"As expected of Saint Rosward's beloved daughter. She's far better than my Sanming." Saint Ni grinned viciously. "No matter what they choose, this will be entertaining! If they eat the Snake-Snake Fruits, they'll spend the rest of their lives locked in cages or sent to the beast arena."

"After all, only slaves who choose to betray their family can transform into truly useful slaves." Saint Rosward said excitedly. "Will it be collective death, or betrayal? Transform yourselves! If you don't want to die miserably, become a little more useful! At the very least, you must entertain us! Give them weapons!"

Cairns looked helplessly at the Boa Sisters. There was no way for him to stop this. This was a grand gathering of the Celestial Dragons, and more than twenty CP0 agents were present. No one could ruin their fun.

The Boa Sisters were shoved into the arena, fully equipped with armor, with a blade stuffed into each of their hands.

With a thunderous BOOM, Shalria personally struck the enormous bronze gong and cried excitedly, "Begin, Boa Sisters from Amazon! Whoever obtains the Love-Love Fruit will embark on a brand-new life, using her beauty to gather all her master's boundless affection!"

Marigold said, "Sister, you need the Love-Love Fruit. Sandersonia and I will eat the Snake-Snake Fruits."

Sandersonia's face turned deathly pale. "I don't want to become an ugly freak!"

"What are you talking about? Don't decide that on your own!" Hancock shook her head. "Do you think I can accept the two of you sacrificing your beauty? I don't need the Love-Love Fruit. You two decide who will eat it."

"Sanda!" Marigold said. "Didn't we agree just now that our eldest sister would eat the Love-Love Fruit?"

"That was your decision! I'd rather die than become an ugly freak!" Sandersonia shook her head desperately and screamed.

The Celestial Dragons became as excited as if they had been injected with blood. Infighting! The three sisters were really fighting among themselves!

Shalria yawned. "Do you think you have time to discuss this slowly?"

As the rumbling gate opened, a pack of starving hounds was released. The three sisters screamed together and scattered in every direction as the dogs chased them.

"Don't be afraid!" Hancock fought the pack of hounds with her shield and blade. One arm and one leg were bitten, but she desperately cried, "Mari, help me hold back the dogs! Sanda, go eat the Love-Love Fruit! This is the only way!"

Sandersonia abandoned her two sisters and charged toward the platform where the Devil Fruits rested.

"Sanda, get back here!" Marigold flew into a rage and hurled her shield at Sandersonia, knocking her to the ground.

"Mari, come help me!" Hancock cried in agony. "I can't hold on anymore! Sorry, Mari, let Sanda go!"

Sandersonia ran to the platform, several dogs close behind her.

To the astonished gazes around her, Sandersonia did not grab the Love-Love Fruit, but one of the Snake-Snake Fruits!

"You animals could never understand, could you?" Sandersonia glared hatefully at the surrounding Celestial Dragons and took a huge bite of the Devil Fruit. The nauseating taste sent all the hounds chasing her scattering in every direction. "Ugh—!" Sandersonia clutched her throat and collapsed, rolling across the ground in agony.

"No!" Hancock understood at once.

"Sister, this was what Sanda and I agreed on. If we simply let you eat the Love-Love Fruit, you wouldn't eat it. At least one of us three sisters can be saved."

Marigold turned and ran toward the platform, but her feet were suddenly swept out from under her. Hancock knocked her to the ground.

"You are my most beloved sisters!" Hancock desperately raced toward the platform. She had to eat the other Snake-Snake Fruit before Marigold could reach it.

Marigold suddenly struck the back of Hancock's head with the flat of her blade and shouted, "The Snake-Snake Fruit is mine!"

Blood poured from Hancock's head. With a cry, she tore off one of the dogs biting her and smashed it into the ground, then severed another dog's head with a slash. Covered in blood, she lunged forward and tangled with Marigold.

Marigold actually kicked Hancock away with all her strength, raising her blade as she screamed, "Sister! Don't stop me!"

The vicious dogs barked wildly, and the Celestial Dragons' blood boiled as they cheered in unison. Blood sisters were fighting, blades flashing as they battled to the death—but not over the Love-Love Fruit. They were fighting over the Snake-Snake Fruit! This was far too entertaining! Only relatives with deep affection for one another could put on such a spectacle!

"Wuu..." A sound that was like a cry and like a sob reached them. Hancock and Marigold turned back after just one glance, and both were terrified senseless.

Sandersonia had already lost her human form. Her face had grown larger than a tabletop, and everything below her waist had turned into a snake's tail. Her enormous tail lashed the ground like a steel whip. Her sea-blue eyes had become oily green serpent eyes, and a long forked tongue flicked constantly from her mouth!

"She changed! She changed! Hahaha!" The Celestial Dragons were beside themselves with excitement. The thrill of watching a beautiful young girl become a monster, along with the despair in her eyes—the desperate gaze of someone who wanted to die—made them all delirious with pleasure.

Sandersonia's pupils narrowed as every dog barked at her. Her emerald hair surged like waves, gathering into the horrifying shape of countless giant snakes. In her terror, her snake hair twisted in Chaotic Dance beyond her control.

"I feel awful!" As Sandersonia spoke, her tongue flicked incessantly. Her body convulsed violently, and her long tail curled into a knot, writhing painfully. Her snake hair lashed out, instantly biting the dogs that leaped at her and lifting them overhead in a wild dance, drawing excited gasps from the surrounding Celestial Dragons.

"Anaconda Fruit! Hahaha, it looks pretty good!" Shalria was thrilled beyond measure. A little girl's head had grown so huge, her body had expanded dozens of times over into something more than ten meters long, and she could even turn her hair into snakes. She looked extraordinarily ferocious. This was so thrilling—ordinary people probably could not achieve such an effect.

The dogs barked madly. Sandersonia swung her long tail, and a howling gale rose. The steel-whip-like snake tail sent the pack rolling across the ground. In the blink of an eye, the maddening barking vanished.

"Sanda!" Hancock let out a miserable cry, her heart torn apart. Sanda, who loved beauty so much, had become like this.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Sandersonia looked at her shadow on the ground, raised her enormous snake tail and waved it, then reached up to touch her own face. Unable to control herself, she began to scream.