At the bow of the Chris, a few officers and crewmates gathered, all staring at the commotion aboard the Saint Florent.
Leaning forward, peering out curiously, Arlan clicked his tongue. "Looks like the fight's gotten pretty intense. They're all down in the lower decks now."
Oliver shot him a sidelong glance and sighed, "With Captain's strength, tearing that ship apart would be child's play. What's there to be surprised about?"
Backan, his eyes as wide as saucers, rumbled, "We... should... maybe go... take a look? Seems... awful quiet over there..."
"Let's not," Gorbo said solemnly, patting Backan's thick arm. "If we accidentally get caught in the Captain's shockwave... well, if we survive, that's fine. But if not, we'd have no one to blame but ourselves."
At Gorbo's warning, Backan immediately deflated. He knew all too well how monstrous their new Captain's strength was. Even with his massive frame, taking just one punch would leave him reeling in agony, unable to even cry out properly.
"Hey, big guy, you're tough! Why don't you go check it out for us?" Millie and Mina teased in unison, their eyes gleaming with mischief.
"N-no way!" Backan jumped like he'd been electrocuted, tucked his head in, and plopped down onto the deck.
"If you're not going, then stay put. If we get caught up in the Captain's fight, getting injured or killed would be our own damn fault," Oliver said, waving them all down with an air of authority befitting a proper first mate.
"I'll strangle you! I'm the first mate!" Arlan fumed, lunging at Oliver and grabbing him by the throat, shaking him furiously.
"L-let go, you lunatic!"
"Overthrowing me, were you?! I'll kill you, you backstabbing traitor!"
"Let go! I'm warning you, I'll fight back!"
"Bring it on! You think I'm scared?!"
Inside the third floor of the Saint Florent's lower decks—
A giant black paw slammed into Aeridar's head like a gust of wind, sending him flying straight into an empty storage room with a tremendous crash.
"Huff... Huff... D-did I... take him down?"
Elver, who had transformed into a colossal bear, panted heavily. His legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the floor, propping himself up with trembling arms. His body rapidly shrank as the brown fur retracted into his skin. In no time, Elver was back to his human form—a bloated figure, rolls of fat trembling all over his body, sweat pouring down in sheets, quickly soaking the ground beneath him.
Pushing away the broken timber that had fallen on him, Aeridar staggered out of the wreckage, clutching his aching head. His vision swam, and as he shook it off, the black surface of his forehead gleamed with a faint metallic sheen.
"Phew... That was close. Thought I was done for," Aeridar muttered, patting the spot he'd hardened with Armament Haki. Grimacing, he rubbed where Elver's paw had smacked him. "Damn, that hurts. Even running on fumes, you still pack a punch... As expected of a Zoan user."
"Huff... Huff... Huff... You... you monster... stop bluffing... you bastard," Elver gasped in shock, staring at Aeridar, who looked virtually unharmed. Hearing his mocking tone, Elver roared and charged.
"Hahaha!" Aeridar threw his head back and laughed. "Look at you, turning into a giant bear—between the two of us, who's really the monster?"
Indeed, compared to Aeridar's relatively normal human form, Elver's bear transformation looked far more monstrous.
"Heh... you've got a sharp tongue," Elver sneered, pushing himself off the ground and wiping the blood from his mouth. "Then what does that make you? A monster wearing human skin?"
"Who cares?" Aeridar tilted his head, smiling lazily. "You've been to the New World. You should know—the term 'monster' is just a compliment for the strong."
"Hahahaha..." Elver suddenly laughed, but the sound was bitter. Then his laughter stopped dead as he glared wide-eyed at Aeridar. "You... you call surviving in the New World playing?! You've got no idea what you're talking about, you ignorant little brat!"
"What else would you call it?" Aeridar's gaze turned chillingly indifferent. His cold stare made Elver's blood run cold.
Compared to his previous life, this one was infinitely more liberating. He didn't have to bow or scrape to anyone. If someone didn't like him—or if he didn't like someone—then fists would do the talking. He could even live out the dream of a martial arts hero, settling grudges freely. Two words: absolute freedom.
Facing that gaze that seemed to regard the world with utter contempt, Elver suddenly felt a visceral fear. It was the same gut-wrenching terror he had once felt in the New World—the day he witnessed Donquixote Doflamingo laughing joyfully as he wiped out an entire pirate crew and destroyed a town. That bone-deep chill he thought he'd never experience again...
"You... you're insane..." Elver muttered hoarsely. "To think... my Crimson Man-Eating Flower... would end up being your stepping stone." He laughed bitterly at himself.
Straightening his battered frame, Elver roared as he grew once again, shifting back into a colossal brown bear. Roaring, he lunged at Aeridar with all his might.
"If you're going to use me as a stepping stone, then show me you have the guts to step over me!"
"Come on then!" Aeridar bellowed back, bracing himself. "I'll personally send you on your way!"
A shockwave erupted as they collided, the resulting blast blowing away everything around them. The floor cracked beneath their feet, even exposing the steel plates hidden beneath the wood.
Elver's massive bear paw turned jet black with hardened Haki, slamming straight into Aeridar's chest.
But Aeridar's chest was already coated in a hardened metallic sheen. When the paw struck, a tremendous metallic clang rang out, shaking Aeridar's entire body. His chest threatened to cave in, blood surged up his throat—and his body was sent flying backward.
Yet even as he was blasted away, Aeridar grabbed hold of Elver's paw, dragging the bear along with him.
The sheer force of their fall shattered the floor, sending cracks spider-webbing outward. Aeridar held Elver's paw in a death grip with one hand. With the other, he spread his fingers wide, palm facing Elver's massive head.
Grinning through bloodied teeth, Aeridar whispered, "This time... it's over."
"N-No...!" Elver's eyes widened in terror, staring helplessly at the palm pressed against him.
With a slight flex of Aeridar's hand, a monstrous shockwave burst forth. The air itself trembled, a blinding white blast erupting across Elver's upper body, ripping through the corridor.
From the cells lining the hallway—
"What the hell was that?!"
"Was that... a shockwave?!"
"Damn it, don't let it hit us too!"
Chaos exploded as the shockwave tore through the prison wing. The fierce winds that followed sent prisoners scrambling for cover, some flattened against the walls, others clinging desperately to whatever they could find, their shrieks lost in the storm.
Debris flew everywhere. Walls cracked. The whole floor was left in utter disarray, a battlefield caught in the aftermath of a monster's brawl.
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