-Real World: Onigashima, Beast Pirates Headquarters-
The massive fortress that served as the Beast Pirates' stronghold had fallen into unusual silence as hundreds of devil fruit users watched the Sky Screen's display with rapt attention. What they were witnessing challenged every assumption they had made about power scaling and the fundamental limitations of Zoan-type abilities.
"Incredible!" Queen's voice boomed across the assembly hall, his corpulent frame practically vibrating with scientific excitement. "Is this the true potential of Rumble Ball enhancement five years from now?"
The plague-loving scientist had always prided himself on augmenting his ancient Zoan abilities with mechanical modifications and chemical weapons. His approach to combat was fundamentally technological—using external tools to compensate for what he perceived as the inherent limitations of purely biological enhancement.
But watching Chopper's Monster Point form survive Baby 5's devastating explosion had forced him to reconsider everything he thought he knew about Zoan development.
I've been approaching this completely wrong, Queen realized with growing excitement. Instead of supplementing my devil fruit with technology, I should have been pushing the fruit itself to its absolute limits.
"Look at that defensive capability!" he called out to his subordinates, pointing at the Sky Screen where Chopper's burned but standing form dominated the battlefield. "Stronger than steel plating! More resilient than military armor! This is what pure biological enhancement can achieve!"
Throughout the fortress, Beast Pirates members who had consumed artificial SMILE fruits found themselves fantasizing about acquiring Rumble Balls for their own use. The little yellow pills represented everything they had been seeking—a method to dramatically enhance their abilities without years of training or lucky encounters with rare devil fruits.
"If we could get our hands on those enhancement drugs..." one of them murmured, his partially successful SMILE transformation having left him with an awkward hybrid of human and elephant features. "Imagine what we could become."
"Boss Kaido should capture that reindeer," another suggested with growing enthusiasm. "Force him to mass-produce those pills for our entire crew. With enhancement like that, we could expand our territory across the entire New World!"
Even the Tobi Roppo—the six strongest fighters below the All-Stars—were not immune to the appeal of such dramatic power increases. Despite their already formidable abilities, the prospect of achieving Monster Point-level enhancement was too tempting to ignore.
The potential for rapid strength multiplication, X-Drake thought with tactical appreciation. If the Beast Pirates could acquire that technology, our military capabilities would increase exponentially within months rather than years.
The implications were staggering. An entire crew of Monster Point-level combatants would represent a force capable of challenging the World Government itself, let alone competing with other Yonko crews for territorial dominance.
-Real World: Drum Island-
On the snow-covered peaks of Drum Island, Dr. Kureha watched the Sky Screen's display with growing concern etched across her weathered features. Despite her reputation as the "witch" of the island, seeing her adopted grandson pushing himself to such extremes filled her with maternal worry.
"Chopper," she whispered to the mountain wind, taking a long drink from her ever-present bottle. "Is this really the pirate life you wanted to pursue? Fighting battles where you have to sacrifice your body to protect others?"
The old doctor's sharp eyes could see details that others might miss—the way Chopper's massive form trembled with suppressed pain, the careful positioning he maintained to shield Robin from additional attacks, the gradual degradation of his defensive capabilities as the battle wore on.
He's pushing Monster Point beyond safe parameters, she diagnosed with clinical precision. The transformation puts enormous strain on his cardiovascular and muscular systems even under ideal conditions. Maintaining it while severely injured...
"Dr. Kureha?" Dalton's voice interrupted her medical analysis as the island's acting leader approached through the snow. The former guard captain looked exhausted, dark circles under his eyes speaking to sleepless nights spent dealing with World Government investigators and diplomatic complications.
"Chopper has found good friends," Dalton continued, settling beside her to watch the Sky Screen. "I hope their bond is strong enough to prevent the end of the world that the broadcasts keep hinting at."
The responsibility weighing on his shoulders was visible in every line of his posture. Since King Wapol's death at the Robot's hands, Dalton had been forced to navigate increasingly dangerous political waters as various factions sought to exploit Drum Island's strategic position.
"Hiruluk, you magnificent quack," Kureha murmured to herself, remembering the eccentric doctor who had first brought Chopper into their lives. "You always said that medicine was about giving people hope. I didn't expect you to adopt a child who would grow up to risk everything for strangers."
-Broadcast-
The massive form of Chopper's Monster Point swayed dangerously, his entire body trembling from the accumulated damage of Baby 5's explosion. Burns covered most of his hide, several fingers had been completely destroyed, and one of his great antlers hung in shattered fragments. But his eyes remained focused, his protective stance over Robin unwavering despite the obvious agony.
"Robin, are you okay?" Chopper's voice rumbled with concern that completely overshadowed his own suffering. "It hurts so much, but I need to know you're safe!"
He carefully raised his intact hand, revealing Robin curled safely in his palm. The archaeologist appeared unharmed—her clothes showed no signs of burning, her breathing was steady, and she seemed to have avoided the worst effects of the thermal blast that had devastated everything else in the immediate area.
He absorbed the entire explosion with his own body, Robin realized with growing horror as she took in the extent of his injuries. He could have died to protect me.
"Chopper, you're hurt so badly," she said, her voice thick with guilt and determination. "I'm going to make these bastards pay for what they've done to you."
The fury in her tone was unlike anything her crewmates had heard from the usually composed archaeologist.
Her hands moved with practiced precision despite the emotional turmoil, activating her Hana Hana no Mi (Flower-Flower Fruit) with deadly intent. Delicate pink petals began sprouting from Buffalo and Baby 5's bodies, beautiful harbingers of imminent violence.
Two arms materialized behind each target with surgical precision, immediately wrapping around their necks with crushing force. The technique was simple, direct, and absolutely lethal—no flourishes, no hesitation, just the mechanical efficiency of someone who had learned to kill quickly and quietly.
"How could this be... No..." Buffalo's voice came out as a strangled whisper as the arms tightened around his throat. Despite his titan enhancements and years of combat experience, he found himself completely unable to break free from Robin's supernatural grip.
His face began changing color as oxygen deprivation set in—first red from exertion, then purple from lack of circulation. The fat executive's eyes bulged with panic as he realized he was facing imminent death with no means of escape.
"Buffalo... let me go... let go!" Baby 5's superior combat training and physical conditioning allowed her to resist longer than her partner, but even she found herself unable to overcome the inexorable pressure of Robin's technique.
The main combatant of their partnership, Robin noted with cold analytical precision. She'll require a different approach.
Baby 5's survival instincts kicked in with desperate creativity. Rather than continue struggling against an unbreakable hold, she transformed her entire body into explosive compounds—a technique that would certainly injure her, but would also force Robin to release her grip or risk being caught in another detonation.
The explosion that followed was smaller and more controlled than her previous "Little Sun" technique, but it served its purpose. The blast wave destroyed the flower-spawned arms while launching Baby 5 clear of the immediate danger zone.
Buffalo wasn't so fortunate. With his partner's explosion providing no protection and his own abilities offering no defense against strangulation, the user of the Kuru Kuru no Mi (Spin-Spin Fruit) died exactly as Robin had intended—quickly, quietly, and without ceremony.
When the smoke cleared, Buffalo's body lay motionless on the blood-stained snow, his neck bearing the clear impressions of finger marks where Robin's spawned arms had crushed his windpipe. The first Donquixote Family executive had left the stage permanently.
"Buffalo... wake up, don't scare me like this," Baby 5's voice carried a mixture of grief and desperate denial as she crawled toward her childhood friend's corpse. The maid who defined herself through being needed by others had just lost one of the few people who had ever shown her genuine care.
They grew up together, Robin observed with clinical detachment, studying Baby 5's emotional breakdown with the same analytical mindset she applied to ancient texts. Childhood bonds create the strongest psychological trauma when severed violently.
But Robin felt no sympathy for the grieving woman. These people had chosen to serve a system that perpetuated slavery, oppression, and systematic cruelty. Whatever personal relationships existed between them didn't absolve them of responsibility for their crimes.
I'm a bad woman, she acknowledged without guilt or regret. And they don't deserve mercy.
Pink petals began sprouting around Baby 5's position as Robin prepared to finish what she had started. The maid's grief made her an easy target, her attention focused entirely on Buffalo's corpse rather than the ongoing battle.
But before the deadly arms could fully manifest, a barrage of thick, viscous projectiles shattered Robin's flower constructs with disgusting efficiency. The attacks came from Trebol, the highest-ranking executive present, who had apparently decided that passive observation was no longer an option.
"Robin, you killed one of our family members," Trebol's voice carried the wet, unpleasant quality of someone with chronic nasal problems, but underneath the comical delivery lay genuine menace. "You and your partner are going to pay with your lives."
The Beta Beta no Mi (Stick-Stick Fruit) user launched a sustained barrage of adhesive mucus that struck Chopper's massive form with surprising force. The giant reindeer, already weakened by his injuries, found himself dragged to the ground by the supernatural traction created by Trebol's ability.
"What the hell—" Chopper's confused protest was cut short as he crashed into the snow-covered floor, his enormous weight creating a crater that sent debris flying in all directions.
The adhesive properties of Trebol's mucus made escape nearly impossible. Every attempt to tear away the sticky substance only resulted in more of his fur and hide being trapped by the expanding adhesive web.
"Chopper, be careful!" Robin's warning came just as a new threat materialized from the swirling snow above them.
Monet descended from the concealing blizzard in her full harpy form, her surgically modified body combining human intelligence with predatory bird instincts. The Yuki Yuki no Mi (Snow-Snow Fruit) user had been waiting for exactly this opportunity—when Chopper was immobilized and vulnerable to close-quarters assault.
She slammed into the giant reindeer's head with tremendous force, her eagle talons finding purchase in his fur while her modified beak began tearing at his exposed hide. Unlike her previous long-range attacks, this assault was personal and vicious—the kind of close-combat brutality that her aerial form was specifically designed for.
Two massive monsters locked in melee combat, Robin realized with growing alarm. I can't help without risking injury to Chopper.
The battle between the transformed combatants was primal and savage. Monet's talons ripped through Chopper's fur while her supernatural cold began freezing his blood from within, each bite and scratch injecting arctic temperatures directly into his circulatory system.
For the first time since his transformation, Chopper—a creature naturally resistant to cold—began experiencing the discomfort of genuine hypothermia as Monet's power attacked him from the inside out.
Robin found herself forced to retreat from the massive combat zone, her light clothing providing no protection against the supernatural cold radiating from the two fighters. Her combat effectiveness continued degrading as the temperature dropped, making precise devil fruit techniques increasingly difficult to execute.
I'm becoming a liability rather than an asset, she realized with bitter frustration. My abilities are too dependent on fine motor control to function effectively in these conditions.
"Where are you looking, Devil Child?"
Trebol's voice came from directly behind her, far closer than should have been possible given his size and apparent physical limitations. The executive had used the distraction of the monster battle to position himself for a killing blow, moving with stealth that belied his slovenly appearance.
Before Robin could react or defend herself, a stream of mucus erupted from Trebol's mouth with the force of a high-pressure hose. The disgusting substance struck her body and clothing, coating her in a layer of adhesive material that smelled of industrial chemicals and organic decay.
Flammable, her analytical mind realized with horror as she recognized the chemical signature. The mucus contains accelerants.
The scepter lighter in Trebol's hand ignited with mechanical precision, the small flame looking deceptively harmless compared to the devastation it was about to unleash.
Robin's body was instantly ignited by the unsuspecting mucus, which was rich in flammability and burned the archaeologist into a torch, leaving a gorgeous scenery in the snowy scene.
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