"Failed awakening?"
Allen couldn't help but feel stunned.
He hadn't considered this possibility. He originally thought it was just a Hercules beetle that had eaten some model of the Human-Human Fruit, which explained why it acted like an animal.
Thinking about it carefully, the Jailer Beasts in Impel Down were also examples of failed Zoan awakenings. Their wills had been completely consumed, reducing them to humanoid beasts acting purely on instinct. This situation was quite similar.
"Exactly. Devil Fruit awakening is a higher stage of mastery that only a very small number of people on the sea can achieve," Heracles nodded, slowly explaining to the confused group.
"Among the three main categories of Devil Fruits, Zoan awakenings are the most perilous. Because the fruits contain the wills of the animals, they slowly strip away the user's personality."
"Those with weak wills can be completely swallowed by this will during the awakening process, ultimately becoming walking shells for the Devil Fruit. That is why Toruno was reduced to this state."
"You might find it hard to believe, but twenty-six years ago, he was a world-renowned, top-tier entomologist," Heracles sighed with a tone of regret.
Hearing this, the crew's expressions grew complicated.
Recalling the grotesque, neither-human-nor-bug Hercules beetle they had seen earlier, it was hard to imagine that a top scholar had turned into such a monstrosity.
Suddenly, they felt a bit of pity for him.
*Crunch, crunch.*
Buchi shoved potato chips into his mouth, making crisp crunching sounds. He blinked blankly. "So he's a gourmet who eats bugs? Interesting."
Everyone fell silent.
"This doesn't concern you anymore. Go play somewhere else," Allen said.
"Oh, oh, then I'm gonna go catch giant horned beetles! Hehe, let's go, Lasso."
"Woof!"
Clutching a bag of potato chips, Buchi grinned and left with the Dachshund gun.
The group turned their attention back to Heracles. Allen thought of a pressing question and couldn't help but ask, "That Mythical Type, Model: Proteus... could you tell me about its abilities?"
"Ahem, I knew you would ask that! That is the dream ability of every biological researcher!" Heracles crossed his arms over his chest and proudly raised his head.
"In legends, Proteus was an old man of the sea who could foresee the future and possessed an infinite capacity for transformation. He was known as the shapeshifting god."
"If there is a perfect lifeform in this world, it must be the user of the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Proteus."
"It allows the user to transform into any creature, or even fuse the traits of multiple organisms. Scholars call it the 'Blueprint of Life.' Toruno relied on this very ability to become the world's number one entomologist," Heracles said, his tone tinged with pride.
Hearing this, Robin seemed to recall something and spoke up. "Proteus... I think I've heard some scholars mention that name. The Proteus Rampage Incident that happened in the South Blue many years ago... are you talking about him?"
"Oh? Twenty-six years have passed, and to think someone still remembers that incident." Heracles couldn't help but take another look at Robin before confirming, "That's right. The culprit behind the Proteus Rampage Incident, which destroyed three towns in the Forest Kingdom of the South Blue, was Toruno, who had lost his mind after a failed awakening."
"So it really was him..." Robin's gaze darkened slightly as she fell deep into thought.
She had heard scholars mention this incident when she was a child in Ohara.
The Forest Kingdom in the South Blue was rich in biological resources and served as a holy land for many biologists.
Due to that massive incident twenty-six years ago, many scholars were forced to leave, and a few of them eventually made their way to Ohara.
It was only later, after she entered the Tree of Knowledge, that she heard this story from the scholars.
"Rumor has it that after the incident broke out, the Marines dispatched warships to investigate, only for them to be completely wiped out. Later, the Marines sent a Vice Admiral to lead a team there, but unexpectedly, that ended in failure as well."
"It wasn't until Headquarters Admiral Zephyr personally intervened that the rampaging Proteus was successfully subdued, allowing the Forest Kingdom to be rebuilt. I never expected him to still be alive," Robin said, her tone filled with awe as she pondered the past.
This revelation made Allen take the matter seriously. Twenty-six years ago... Zephyr shouldn't have even been fifty yet.
Doing some quick mental math, he figured this must have happened after Zephyr's family was murdered. Zephyr had wanted to resign, but his superiors persuaded him to stay. Thus, he retained his rank as Admiral but stepped back from the front lines to train new recruits.
Although Zephyr's spirit had taken a massive blow at that time, his physical capabilities were still at their absolute peak—the prime of his life.
To survive an encounter with Zephyr from that era, that damn bug truly had some skills.
Of course, this was probably due to his incredible flying abilities. Allen had already witnessed it firsthand; the creature's flight speed was absurdly fast.
Bringing up the past caused Heracles to sigh, his tone growing heavy. "Although Zephyr suppressed him back then, Toruno possessed ever-changing abilities and ultimately managed to escape the Forest Kingdom."
"That was also when I set sail as a botanist. I searched for his tracks while navigating the seas, and after a three-year voyage, I finally arrived here."
"You have to understand, with his ability to freely transform into any creature, he might instinctively turn into a species with an extremely long lifespan to survive indefinitely."
"To ensure the disaster that struck my homeland never repeats itself, I've stayed on this island for twenty-three years. While researching Pop Greens, I've also been constantly searching for a way to end him once and for all."
Emotion flickered in Heracles's eyes. Even after more than twenty years, the catastrophic images of roaring flames and agonizing screams from that day still vividly replayed in his mind.
"I didn't expect you to have such a backstory. Living here alone for over twenty years... it's amazing you could endure that kind of loneliness," Sanji remarked in admiration.
Heracles crossed his arms, took a step forward, and proudly puffed out his chest, raising his head high. "My life is far richer than you can imagine. This is merely a trivial part of it."
*'I don't know about the rest, but you sure know how to act tough,'* Allen couldn't help but mock inwardly. He then pressed on, "By the way, do you know if he has a nest or something? He stole a Devil Fruit from us not long ago, and he must have hidden it by now."
Since Toruno was already an ability user, it meant he couldn't eat another Devil Fruit.
The fact that he was still alive meant the fruit was definitely still intact.
If Toruno could escape from Zephyr, Allen figured he had even less of a chance of taking the creature down, but he at least had to get that fruit back.
"A Devil Fruit? I see. Perhaps that was the reason for his sudden rampage," Heracles said thoughtfully.
"Although Toruno has completely lost his self-awareness, he usually maintains the form of a Hercules beetle, which was his favorite insect when he was human."
"Hercules beetles possess immense strength, but they are docile herbivores and generally don't exhibit brutal behavior. However, when his life is threatened, Toruno instinctively transforms into other creatures to deal with external dangers."
"I'm afraid that when he was preparing to eat the Devil Fruit, the subconscious warning from his brain stimulated him, causing him to suddenly go berserk. Incidents like this have happened before."
Heracles gazed deep into the forest, his voice grave. "The next time you see him, I fear he will no longer look like the creature you remember."