Chapter Text
As I stood across from Bear King, a thought occurred to me. This is actually the perfect training exercise.
The man was just "hard." If I used Haki, I could probably end this in a single blow. Since his attacks were limited to simple brawling, I could block anything he threw just by using Iron Body. (I had, unfortunately, forgotten about his heat-based attacks at that moment.)
I decided to make this a training session for my Observation Haki. I’d focus entirely on dodging.
I slammed my mace into the sand with a heavy thud.
"What’s this?" Bear King growled. "You’re putting your weapon aside against me?"
"A weapon’s a waste on the likes of you," I retorted. "I’ll take you on with my bare hands."
"Guehahahaha! Don’t look down on me, brat!"
He swung. A right, then a left, followed by a massive overhead hammer strike. Given his massive frame, the blows carried weight, but they were painfully slow. Forget using Haki—I could have dodged these with my eyes closed.
I reached out and caught both of his massive wrists.
"What’s wrong, 'King'? Is that giant body of yours just for show?" I yawned, making sure to open my mouth as wide as possible to maximize the insult. "I'm actually getting sleepy over here."
I let go of his arms and closed my eyes.
"Why, you arrogant little...!"
His movements sped up. Right, left, right, right, hammer-down, left, right, right, left, right, overhead—
I wove through the air, guided entirely by the "voice" of his intent through my Observation Haki. Slip, slide, duck. It was working.
Right, right, left, right, left, hammer-down— "HOT BOILING SPECIAL!"
Wait— HOT!
A searing heat blasted into my side, and the sheer force of the explosion sent me skidding across the beach. I snapped my eyes open to see Bear King’s right arm glowing a dull, angry red.
"Guehahahaha! Did you see that?! That’s what you get for napping in the middle of a fight!"
"You're a Hard-Hard Fruit user! Since when can you produce heat?!" I demanded, genuinely caught off guard.
"Hmph! It’s steel, boy! Who said I couldn't turn myself into red-hot, molten steel?!"
He was kind enough to explain it, even if he tried to punch my head off immediately afterward. I couldn't afford to let those red-hot fists touch me again.
"Long-range Fist Cannon: Quad Salvo! And—Tempest Kick: Crosswind!"
I fired off a barrage of pressurized air punches followed by a cross-shaped flying slash from my legs to force him back.
"Gah! What annoying tricks! But that weak crap won't work on me!"
He was right; the air pressure barely dented his hardened skin. I kept firing the Fist Cannons, but I started tweaking my form. I visualized the way my muscles snapped when I used the Tempest Kick. I fired again. Then again.
Click.
My mental image finally aligned with the physical sensation.
"How about... THIS!"
I snapped my arm forward, not in a punch, but in a slicing motion.
SLASH!
It didn't cut his body, but a diagonal rent appeared across the front of his coat. I’d done it. I had replicated the Tempest Kick with my arms. Since it wasn't a kick, I decided to call it the Scythe Weasel.
The key was speed. If I could do it with my bare hands, I could definitely do it with a blade. I drew the mass-produced katana from my waist and held it in a high overhead stance.
"I told you, attacks don't work on me!!" Bear King roared, charging across the sand like a runaway tank.
I used Iron Body to add weight to my frame, maximized my downward swing speed, and pulled the blade back even further than a standard stance.
"Magnificent Slash: TEMPEST FLASH!"
I swung with a force that broke the sound barrier.
CRACK!
The katana shattered into a thousand shards, unable to withstand the pressure. But the resulting shockwave—a wall of compressed air—hit with the force of a hurricane.
BOOM!
The entire landscape in front of me was obliterated.
+++
I... hope I don't get in trouble for this, I thought, staring at the absolute disaster I’d just created. The terrain was gouged out, and the beach looked like it had been hit by a meteor.
Luckily, I’d been practicing a fair distance from my base, so my food and shelter were intact.
Looking around, I noticed that Beauty Queen and Banjack had vanished. The rest of the small fry had retreated as well. As for Bear King, he was lying face-down in the sand, motionless.
I grabbed my mace and cautiously approached him, giving him a few pokes with the tip. No response.
"Rest in peace, man. Don't come back to haunt me," I muttered, clasping my hands together. In this world, the dead don't always stay dead, and that’s a terrifying thought.
I couldn't just leave the body there, so I dragged his massive frame to a nearby clearing. I noticed he was carrying a heavy-duty pistol. I’ll take that, I thought. Finders keepers.
Since I didn't have a shovel, I decided to practice my new move some more.
"Scythe Weasel! Linked Scythe Weasel! Octo-Salvo Scythe Weasel!"
I fired a barrage of air slashes into the ground, realizing it was more of a "quantity over quality" technique. Once the hole was deep enough, I rolled Bear King’s body in and covered it with dirt. I rolled a massive boulder over the grave for good measure and offered a final silent prayer.
As I headed back to my camp, picking up discarded pirate weapons along the way, I sat down to finally eat. I looked at the pile of fruit I’d gathered earlier.
Nestled among the tropical fruits was something that hadn't been there before. It had a distinct swirl pattern, a sickly color, and a shape I recognized instantly.
A Devil Fruit was sitting right there.
"What? Why the hell is there a Devil Fruit in my food pile?"
I knew for a fact it wasn't there when I gathered the fruit. My mind raced through the possibilities. Wait... did Bear King just die?
In the original story, when the "Axolotl" died at Punk Hazard, a nearby apple transformed into the new fruit. That meant when a power user died, the ability transferred to the nearest compatible fruit. This was the Hard-Hard Fruit.
"So... do I eat it?"
The Pros: I’d become a power user. As some guy in the manga once said, there are no weak fruits, only weak users. It might even make the higher-ups notice me more.
The Cons: I’d gain a massive weakness. I wouldn't be able to swim, and I’d be vulnerable to Sea-Prism Stone. Plus, if the higher-ups "noticed" me, they might see me as a threat or a target rather than an asset. Most importantly, it might interfere with The Plan.
Hmm...
"Alright, I’ve decided."
I knew Devil Fruits didn't rot. I’d memorize its shape, hide it, and then check the Encyclopedia once I got back to a Marine base. I’d learn all the necessary Marine techniques first, and only then would I decide if I should eat it.
As I began looking for a box to stash it in—
THOOM! THOOM!
The sound of heavy cannon fire echoed across the island.