Chapter 86: A Fruitful Harvest and a Deepening Duel
Major General Jock Ian's [Five Senses Severance] skill, it seemed, was only effective against humans. Non-human animals remained outside the scope of this terrifying control.
With her senses heightened by [ZONE Mode], Peacock's reactions were lightning-fast. The moment she saw the "Pegasus" Stronger take flight, her Whip-Whip Fruit ability activated. Her combat whip cracked against a massive boulder nearby.
Crack!
Instantly tamed and commanded by her whip, the boulder was launched through the air, propelled by the whip's force, and smashed squarely into Stronger's hindquarters.
Thump!
The horse, focused solely on escape, was caught completely off guard. It tumbled from the air, crashing down into a tangled mass of giant roots.
"It can only fly? It has no real combat ability?" Peacock mused, a little surprised. "It couldn't even dodge an attack like that."
She shook her head, considering whether to capture the Pegasus. A mount that had consumed a Devil Fruit was a rare prize. Furthermore, flight-capable fruits were among the rarest of all.
Neigh! Neigh!
...
After being struck down, Stronger struggled back into the air, seemingly unharmed. Peacock hadn't held back, yet the horse showed no visible injuries. Its defensive capabilities were clearly far superior to those of an ordinary Zoan user.
"Hehe, what an interesting mount!" Peacock grinned. "A flying horse... could it be a Mythical Zoan? It's kind of cute. I can't bring myself to kill it."
She pushed off the ground, leaping lightly into the air.
Crack!
Crack!
Two precise flicks of her whip later, Peacock landed smoothly on Stronger's back, seizing its reins.
Once mounted, the Pegasus began to circle in the sky, its eyes seeming to form little hearts. Its whinnies were no longer cries of fear, but rather joyful sounds of submission. It had been thoroughly tamed by the power of Peacock's Whip-Whip Fruit, becoming a docile and "friendly" steed.
…
[Ding!]
[Congratulations to the host for the successful defeat of the "Blackbeard Pirates' Sniper," "Supersonic" Van Augur!]
[Enhancement Points Obtained: 600 points!]
[…]
[Congratulations to the host for the successful defeat of the "Blackbeard Pirates' Helmsman," "Champion" Jesus Burgess!]
[Enhancement Points Obtained: 450 points!]
[…]
[Congratulations to the host for the successful defeat of the "Blackbeard Pirates' Navigator," "Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Dove" user, "Devil Sheriff" Lafitte!]
[Enhancement Points Obtained: 800 points!]
[…]
[Congratulations to the host for the successful defeat of the "Blackbeard Pirates' Doctor," "Sick-Sick Fruit" user, "Death God" Doc Q!]
[Enhancement Points Obtained: 950 points!]
[…]
[Current Accumulated Enhancement Points: 3765 points!]
[Friendly Reminder: You can perform one enhancement for every 1000 points...]
On the main battlefield between Jock Ian and Marshall D. Teach…
BOOM!
A fist imbued with monstrous force sent Teach flying backward. He crashed through three massive tree roots before the Haki-infused impact finally dissipated.
[Five Senses Severance] had not taken full effect on Teach. As expected, his Haki strength and mental fortitude far exceeded that of an ordinary man. Though he was not yet a dual-Devil Fruit user, relying solely on the Dark-Dark Fruit and his Haki prowess still placed Teach firmly within the ranks of high-tier combatants.
Listening to the system's prompts, Jock Ian couldn't suppress an excited smile. It was as if a brand new door had opened before him!
It turned out that when his allies, enhanced by his power, defeated enemies, the system also credited him with the achievement!
This meant that the more powerful allies he had, the stronger he himself could become... A new path to power had revealed itself.
The Blackbeard Pirates' ill-fated visit had not been in vain. Ian had witnessed another profound application of his system and abilities.
"It hurts! It hurts so much!" Teach writhed on the ground, clutching his chest. "What kind of monstrous strength is this? It hurts worse than the beatings from Pops!" His eyes widened in shock and fury. "The reports in the newspapers... they're all lies! How could a guy who struggled with Jack hit this hard?! Damned World Government! Damned Marines! Can't you report anything truthfully?!" He glared at Ian. "That ability that weakened my senses just now... Is that really the Zoan-type... Human-Human Fruit? You little brat... you must be a Mythical Zoan user! How could the Human-Human Fruit possess such a broken ability?!"
Teach was reeling. He was encountering abilities that defied all his understanding of Devil Fruits.
Although the Dark-Dark Fruit couldn't grant intangibility like other Logia types, it could absorb and nullify damage, making the user nearly impervious. The trade-off was that the pain experienced during absorption was multiplied far beyond normal levels.
Teach glanced around, and his rage intensified. His proud crew members had been instantly slaughtered by Ian's subordinates. Less than a minute into the battle, he was the only one left standing!
This was a true crisis. A greater crisis than even when he had murdered Thatch and fled the Whitebeard Pirates. The unknown, terrifying power wielded by the man before him struck fear directly into his heart.
"Not so easy to kill after all, huh? That special Paramecia-type fruit is really a pain..." Ian commented coolly. "Hey, Teach. Looks like all your nasty little friends are dead. You should start thinking about your last words."
If he wanted to land a decisive blow on Teach, simply manipulating his senses wouldn't be enough. This man was not one to surrender easily in the face of adversity.
Gurgle... Gurgle...
From the moment Ian had struck him, a vast quantity of dark matter had begun to seep from Teach's body, spreading across the battlefield. Ian had noted it immediately.
Dark Vortex!
Teach was releasing a massive wave of darkness, covering a large area. Anything or anyone touched by this darkness would be swallowed, pulled into the void, and instantly compressed and crushed. It was a fearsome application of his fruit's power, like a miniature black hole, possessing a law-defying, destructive force.
Seeing this, Ian's subordinates, who had been positioned around the periphery of the fight, immediately converged, moving to a safer distance to observe the escalating confrontation between the two powerhouses. The battle was far from over.