"War Ox: Million Impact Hammer!!!"
With overwhelming momentum, the giant fist, like a heavy siege hammer, hurtled directly towards Victor!
"Game over, Mr. Pippin."
A slight smile appeared on Victor's face. He raised his left hand high, extended his index finger, and then sharply swiped downwards.
"Metal Zipper: Sticky Fingers!!"
With the flicking motion, Victor's index finger extended infinitely, a golden zipper making a sharp tearing sound as it whipped like a blade towards Pippin's incoming fist.
Vwoom!!! Vwoom!!!
The slender zipper-blade did not shatter on impact as Pippin had expected. Instead, accompanied by a strange buzzing sound, the blade carved through Pippin's fist, splitting it in two!
Blood splattered everywhere! The muscles and white bone at the severed point were clearly visible!
"Waaahhh!!! My hand... my hand... Damn it!! Impossible!!!"
The massive Minotaur clutched his severed hand, roaring in agony. He couldn't believe it! Why?! Just a seventeen-year-old kid! He had only eaten a Devil Fruit three minutes ago!! This monster!!
The distant crowd had long since scattered like frightened birds, but Marine Captain Krone remained rooted to the spot, a bead of cold sweat trickling down his forehead. Of course, he knew the legend of the Zip-Zip Fruit. The Marines considered both the fruit and its previous user a disgrace. He never imagined this young man could utilize the Zip-Zip Fruit to such an extent.
If he hadn't seen wrong, Victor had separated the tip of his index finger using a zipper, leaving only a single row of teeth that extended infinitely. The strange buzzing sound was the result of the zipper teeth rotating at high speed, creating a Chainsaw-like destructive effect.
Captain Krone didn't yet know that Victor had only eaten the Zip-Zip Fruit less than five minutes ago. Such talent could no longer be described as genius; calling him a 'monster' wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Victor, what a terrifying man! If such talent were used for evil, the consequences would be unimaginable!
Captain Krone himself hadn't realized that he had subconsciously referred to Victor as a 'man' rather than a 'youth'.
On the battlefield, the severely wounded Pippin gasped for breath. Far from losing his will to fight, his fighting spirit was further ignited.
"Victor... you bastard, you were eyeing the Zip-Zip Fruit all along, weren't you, huh?"
Pippin's eyes were bloodshot, and his body had expanded even further. His black leather jacket was completely torn by his swollen physique, and his steel-needle-like purple bristles stood on end.
"But you shouldn't have angered me! Even the king of beasts wouldn't dare provoke an enraged bull! Now, I am invincible!!!"
Victor hooked his index finger, and the zipper rapidly retracted automatically, restoring his finger to its original state.
"Too insignificant..." Looking at the fierce beast, almost completely devoid of reason, Victor sighed. "Mr. Pippin, you are truly too insignificant."
"There are countless strong individuals across the vast seas. And you, a small-time gang leader content to stay in one corner with no ambition, dare to call yourself 'invincible'? Don't make me laugh!"
Victor's gaze became more serious than ever before. "Mr. Pippin, I won't stop at the West Blue, and you will be my first stepping stone. Come on! As you wish, a head-on confrontation, one strike to decide the Victor."
"Hmph hmph hmph... Such boastful talk from a mere brat!" Pippin's body had swollen to a monstrous 7 meters. The large amount of white steam spewing from his nostrils blurred his face, leaving only two points of crimson light from his eyes.
The two no longer exchanged words, their entire focus concentrated on each other. Pippin's left fist, like a millstone, bulged with veins, while a metallic gleam faintly appeared on Victor's right fist.
Instantly!
The ground beneath their feet simultaneously shattered, and the two figures, one large and one small, instantly converged!
"War Ox: Fatal Horn Roar!!!"
"Metal Zipper: Chainsaw Knuckles!"
The moment their two fists collided, it was as if a cannonball exploded. A violent shockwave rapidly spread outwards, shattering the surrounding windows, followed closely by a dull sonic boom that stirred up a large cloud of dust.
Drip... Drip...
Drops of blood fell to the ground. Pippin, reverted to his human form, swayed and then collapsed. His left arm, from the elbow to the hand, had completely vanished, the wound a bloody mess, as if repeatedly cut by a Chainsaw.
Victor slowly straightened up, flexing his right shoulder. Aside from a slightly pale complexion, he appeared to have no injuries.
Marine Captain Krone took a few steps closer to the battlefield and noticed that Victor's right fist was covered by a metal gauntlet formed from zippers, its surface teeth still vibrating at high speed like a Chainsaw.
Is the Zip-Zip Fruit's offensive power really this terrifying? No, it's not the Zip-Zip Fruit that's terrifying, it's Victor himself. Not only in the application of his fruit's ability, but even in terms of strength and physique, 'War Ox' Talma Pippin was completely suppressed by this man.
Should he eliminate this potential threat for justice right here?
He hadn't yet formulated a plan when he heard hurried footsteps behind him.
Two black-clad men rapidly approached the battlefield. The first was a tall, middle-aged man with green hair tied in a ponytail. He wore gold-rimmed glasses and had a flintlock pistol tucked into his waist. The other was an unremarkable short, stout man, who walked not far from the green-haired man's left, his sinister eyes radiating danger.
"Vik, are we interrupting your happy time with your boss?"
The green-haired man, whose face was etched with ill intentions, spoke in a shrill, piercing voice. He smoothly drew the flintlock from his waist and aimed it at Victor, who stood motionless.
"I never would've thought that even the legendary useless fruit could be developed to this extent by you, little Onii-chan. Truly worthy of being Victor, who single-handedly defeated six executives of our 'Suleiman Family'."
Since defeating Talma Pippin, Victor had been thoughtfully examining his right hand. It wasn't until the green-haired man jabbered on with a bunch of nonsense that he finally looked up at the two newcomers on the battlefield.
"'Gun-Tailed Serpent' Shahm Suleiman, 'Evil Bandit' Capone Bege, a pleasure to meet you both," Victor said, slowly pulling out a handkerchief to wipe his right hand, his tone as gentle as if he were receiving guests at home. "Please forgive us 'Coral' for having some urgent matters to attend to at the moment. If you don't mind waiting a moment, I'll properly entertain you both once we've finished here."
So it's them!
Marine Captain Krone immediately recognized their identities upon hearing their names.
That green-haired man, 'Gun-Tailed Serpent' Shahm Suleiman, was the leader of the 'Suleiman Family' gang. This was a hereditary gang that controlled the underworld of over ten towns, including Katsuri Town.
There are only misnamed people, never misnamed nicknames. 'Gun-Tailed Serpent' Shahm Suleiman was a user of the Animal-Animal Fruit, Needle-Tailed Snake model, and he was extremely skilled with firearms. He was cold-blooded and stingy, and also fond of alcohol and women, truly a byword for 'social scum'.
And that short, stout man, 'Evil Bandit' Capone Bege, was the leader of the 'Capone Gang', an emerging syndicate in recent years. The Marines knew very little about his abilities, only that he was a Paramecia user with excellent defense. This Capone Bege was no easy target either; his hobby was beheading defeated opponents and collecting their heads.
It seemed these two gangs had allied to take advantage of 'Coral's' internal strife and wipe them out. But such precise timing... it seemed it must be...
"Hee hee hee hee... Vik, stop playing coy!" Shahm Suleiman's long, forked tongue flicked out from the corner of his mouth, like a venomous snake. "Capone and I came today with no intention of letting you leave alive. You, and 'Coral', will simply become nourishment for our gangs, hee hee hee!"
Capone Bege, standing nearby, lit a cigar, took a couple of drags, and then exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, a cold smile on his face. "Indeed. If you cannot be used by me, then I must destroy you completely before you grow too strong. Oh, and thanks for helping us get rid of that muscular brute, Talma Pippin; he was quite a handful when he went crazy."
Victor smiled and shook his head, casually discarding the handkerchief. He turned to face the two uninvited guests directly.
"It seems you two aren't here for a friendly visit... Time to get to work, Perona!"
"Horohorohoro~~ Coming!" A sweet Gigggle echoed from above Suleiman and Capone's heads. They looked up to see a small figure holding a parasol floating above them.
Round two!
Two on two!
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