"Although the archaeologists of Ohara could not decipher the message on the stele, they eventually guided the man to a certain place. Soon after, the man returned to his residence and told his friends about the few remaining fragments of the broken stele."
"Oh! Someone actually deciphered it!" Vic now realized that besides Ohara, there were other people who could decipher the Poneglyph. Zero didn't say where it was; he didn't know if the person hadn't revealed the location or simply didn't want to tell Vic, and just glossed over it with a single sentence.
"The most complete Ancient Script that have survived have been translated. The records say that there was a kind of fruit at that time that could grant special superpowers if eaten."
The list also included the names of some superpowers, some of which overlapped with the abilities of several current Devil Fruit. Zero's tone and expression were already quite certain.
"So, the broken stone tablet records the Devil Fruit from that time, just with different names than they are now!"
Vic knew that the Ancient Script was used at least eight hundred years ago, which meant that Devil Fruit already existed in the era when the stone tablet was erected, but people at that time didn't call them by that name. As for what they were called, that information on the broken tablet has been lost.
His friend speculated that the fruit, whose name was lost to written records, must have been the Fruit of the Devil.
Furthermore, while some superpowers were introduced, no obvious commonalities among those who ate Devil Fruits were recorded. His friend argued that such an important characteristic as the inability to swim after eating Devil Fruit couldn't possibly be omitted from the description.
It should have been recorded after the fruit's description, but instead, it went straight into a description of its superpowers. This is clearly illogical, so that person believed that the Devil Fruit of that time did not have the property of being afraid of seawater.
Zero paused at this point, seemingly finding the statement absurd.
"That makes sense! After all, fear of seawater is a very important thing. Since the information here is coherent and there are no missing details, shouldn't such important information be placed after the ability description?"
People back then probably wouldn't have been so careless about the important points. After all, it was inscribed on a stone tablet, so it would have been more concise and focused on the essentials. Therefore, it's still possible.
Vic analyzed the limited information available to him and shared his own views.
"However, many people don't think so, believing that there should be some information at the beginning or end, but the stone tablet is too damaged to find that part."
Because in this era, no Devil Fruit, once eaten, would make one immune to seawater, and that person had absolutely no other evidence to convince others.
This story only circulates among a small group of people; very few know about it. I don't know if there are any people with the ability to not be afraid of seawater. You might really just have a physical talent! An enviable talent!
Zero seemed to contradict his initial hypothesis in the end, but Vic kept Zero's words in mind.
"You're no match for me in terms of speed. Use any other tricks you have, or you'll miss your chance."
As Vic spoke, he slapped his scabbard with his palm, making his meaning clear: it's up to you whether you can make me draw my sword; he was blatantly saying you might not be qualified.
Zero's eyebrows twitched when he heard Vic's words and saw Vic's actions!
So what if he's faster, more Haki, and has more refined swordsmanship? What's there to be arrogant about? I didn't grow up without getting beaten up; I'm capable of taking a beating. But this is really infuriating, and it wouldn't be right not to fight back.
Zero talked for a while, which took up some time. Now that he has recovered a lot, there is no visible injury. It's not surprising that the injuries were originally internal.
But now he was in much better spirits. He left a cloud of dust behind him and disappeared. When he reappeared, he was already holding Shigan and stabbing it towards Vic's handsome face.
Vic slightly swayed his head to dodge, and seeing Zero's anxious expression as he pricked his thirty-odd fingers without succeeding and still didn't give up, Vic applauded Zero.
Two large slaps landed simultaneously on Zero's left and right cheeks. The sound of the clapping was so loud that Zero's ears were ringing and his head was spinning.
Zero forgot to retract his outstretched fingers, and Vic instantly grabbed his arm and executed a super over-the-shoulder throw. Vic used considerable force, and the entire ground was shattered by Zero's body.
Zero felt as if his body was sinking into the ground, about to fall into eternal sleep, but a strong urge to vomit brought him back to consciousness.
Zero spat out a mouthful of blood, which then dripped back and smeared all over his face.
Zero didn't fall like that. Instead, he straightened his waist, propelling his entire body upside down into the air. One of his legs lashed out like a steel whip toward Vic's head, but Vic blocked the kick with his arm while remaining completely still.
Zero's other leg immediately kicked out, but Vic continued to block with the same hand. Zero used the recoil from Vic's arm to get away from the pit where he had just been lying. Vic did not choose to pursue.
After landing, Ling didn't immediately attack Vic. Instead, he tore off a piece of his clothing to wipe the blood off his face, his eyes fixed on Vic's unguarded black figure.
After wiping away all the blood, Zero's body began to swell. The enlarged body tore through his suit jacket, revealing his bluish-gray skin. Protrusions appeared on his nose and forehead, slowly turning into two horns, one long and one short. His appearance became more and more like a rhinoceros, and finally, he did indeed become a rhinoceros.
However, Zero did not stop changing and directly transformed into Human-Beast Form. The two horns, one long and one short, remained its main features. The area around the horns became human facial features, and the surface of its body was still bluish-gray, as if covered with a layer of leather armor, making it durable and resilient.
"You're too strong, new recruit. If I hadn't transformed like this, I probably wouldn't have had a chance at all. Actually, I don't really like this version of myself. Although this form gives me powerful defense and vitality, I still don't like it."
Maybe I do have a rebellious heart. Come on, let's see if this form of me can force you to draw your sword!
Zero didn't reveal what fruit he ate after transforming, which was obviously not important. He just wanted Vic to draw his sword; perhaps that was his last act of pride.
"So he still has a trump card! It's Zoan, and it seems to have enhanced defense and attack. I still have a chance to draw my sword."
Vic said calmly that he wasn't very clear about the characteristics of this fruit, but he knew some of the characteristics of rhinoceroses. Thick skin, sharp horns, and strong vitality are common characteristics of Zoan, so this fruit could probably give Zero an boost in these aspects.
"Iron Tekkai "
After Vic finished speaking, Zero immediately covered his hands, feet, and the long horn on his nose with Armament Haki. Unlike Vic, he didn't go to the extravagance of dyeing his entire body black, but only covered the areas that needed it, showing that he was more frugal Vic.