"You bastards! I'll tear you to pieces!"
Otto roared, his rage exploding at Arlan and the others' mocking. In an instant, his massive frame blurred into motion, becoming a shadow hurtling straight at Arlan.
Truth be told, Otto, even in his beast form, retained most of his rationality, he just lost his temper more easily. But both his strength and speed had more than doubled. And in the world of combat, that kind of amplification was monstrous. The current Otto could utterly overpower his non-transformed self, maybe even finish him with a single blow.
Take speed, for example. Imagine a sprint: one person runs 100 meters in 9 seconds, another in just 4.5. That's not a race, it's a vanishing act. You'd never catch them. Ever.
As for strength? Ask anyone who's arm-wrestled: even a small gap in power can't be overcome by effort. But a doubling? You wouldn't last a second.
That's why Aeridar's interest in whoever had modified Otto's body wasn't just idle curiosity, it made perfect sense.
"Not bad speed," Arlan remarked coolly. His Observation Haki wasn't the sharpest, but Otto's telegraphed rush was easy enough to dodge.
Arlan spun smoothly to the side, evading Otto's wheel-sized battle axe. Then, with a swift, elegant motion, he launched a lightning-fast spinning kick right into Otto's chest.
A deafening blast erupted. Acrid black smoke and searing flames engulfed Otto's huge body.
The shockwave hurled Otto backward. He slammed into the ground, bounced once, then again, rolling and tumbling for dozens of meters before finally crashing through a wall, bringing it down in a cloud of rubble.
"W-What the hell?! An explosion?! Is that a Devil Fruit?!"
"One hit... He knocked the captain away with just one hit?! Are all their officers this strong?!"
The crewmates of the Dorot Pirates stared in disbelief. None of them had expected this lone man to be this powerful.
"Cough, cough..." Otto knelt amid the wreckage, his body scorched and trembling. One hand braced against the ground, the other clutching his bloodied chest. He spat out a mouthful of blood and growled, "D-Damn it... this bastard..."
Even Otto himself was dazed. It felt like the man had predicted his attack, dodged it with ease, and then launched a counterstrike so fast, he couldn't even react.
Aeridar approached slowly, each step deliberate. He looked down at the scorched and battered Otto with a faint chuckle. "Heh~ Your opponent is me. My crewmates aren't as patient as I am."
Otto snarled, eyes locked onto Aeridar. With a furious roar, he sprang up, crossing over ten meters in a single bound, aiming a savage punch straight at Aeridar's head.
But as the fist neared, Aeridar's head simply tilted to the side, effortlessly evading the blow. The powerful gust generated by Otto's punch rippled through his hair.
"Damn it, again!" Otto growled, withdrawing his fist, frustration etched deep into his face.
"You're in such a hurry," Aeridar murmured, his voice almost playful. "I guess I'll return the favor now."
As the words left his mouth, Otto suddenly lunged again, this time targeting Aeridar's chest with a heavy blow.
But Aeridar's fist shot out just as fast, colliding with Otto's in a direct, crushing impact.
Their fists met, and a shockwave burst outward from the epicenter. The air rippled violently from the force, creating waves of distortion visible to the naked eye. The ground beneath them cratered instantly, the blast wave sweeping outward in a destructive circle.
"Strong, huh." Aeridar's eyes flickered with surprise, Otto's raw strength even surpassed Backan's.
"He blocked it?!" Otto's pupils shrank, disbelief flooding his face. That punch had been his all-out effort, and it had been stopped cold.
With a flash of murderous intent, Otto brought up his other hand, clawed and ready. His sharp talons glinted, aiming to rip a hole right through Aeridar's chest.
His vision blurred. Aeridar was gone.
Before Otto could register what happened, a dark shadow streaked past him, and he was struck with bone-crushing force, sent flying sideways like a ragdoll.
A nearby fountain shattered as his body slammed into it, exploding into shards that shot in every direction.
"We're gonna get caught in it!"
Dozens of bystanders were caught in the blast zone, shrieking as they scrambled away, some bleeding from flying debris.
"Guh!" Otto, half-buried in the wreckage, vomited blood. His neck felt broken, and his vision spun with dizziness.
Back where Otto had stood, Aeridar lowered his raised leg and gave his neck a slow twist. "Heh. You're pretty sturdy. You'd make a decent punching bag."
Otto spat more blood, staggering upright. His eyes had turned crimson, glowing with unrestrained killing intent.
"I'm going to kill you... I'm going to kill you..."
He muttered darkly, dropping to all fours. His bulging muscles twitched wildly, and the brown fur across his body stood on end like the quills of some massive, monstrous porcupine.
A deafening roar exploded from his throat, shaking the air itself. Shockwaves rippled visibly across the space around him.
With a sudden blur, Otto launched himself forward, his enormous body propelled by all fours, slicing through the wind like a missile. The street vanished behind him in an instant.
"This speed... he's nearly breaking the sound barrier!"
Feeling the howling wind of Otto's charge, Aeridar's brows arched. He was mildly impressed.
His fist clenched, veins bulging along his arm. And then—
He struck. A single punch. Straight into the air.
A guttural rumble, deep and primal, like a beast on the hunt, ripped through the air.
Then boom, the atmosphere itself buckled.
The air condensed violently at a single point, churning like a storm, before it detonated outward in a deafening shockwave that surged forward with unstoppable force.
Otto's eyes went wide in disbelief, bloodshot and bulging. He had no time to dodge, no time to resist, just enough for a howl of unwilling fury before the blast caught him like a leaf in a hurricane, sending his body hurtling through the air like a broken scarecrow.
The shockwave tore down the street in its wake. Stone and timber shattered like glass, buildings collapsed into themselves. In an instant, half the block was obliterated, reduced to rubble and swirling dust that blotted out the sky.
"Oh no... Boss Otto!!"
"That bastard... what is he?! A monster?!"
"No way... no way something human could unleash a shockwave that strong!"
Otto's crew stood frozen, stunned into silence by the devastation before them. Not one of them had ever seen anything like it, someone who could level half a street... with just three punches.
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