The shadowy figure wasn't very large either. Though Yamato couldn't see his face, she could tell from his presence that he was about her age, with no more than a two-year difference.
Yamato was only twelve, and this person seemed no older than fourteen at most.
The shadowy figure appeared surprised when he noticed Yamato, but he immediately moved faster, reaching for the glass dome containing the watch.
"Stop!" Yamato yelled, rushing forward and swinging her blade in a technique reminiscent of Raimei Hakke (Thunder Bagua). However, given her current skill level, it was more like Raimei Shigakke (Fourfold Thunder Bagua).
The powerful strike disturbed the air, forcing the shadowy figure to withdraw his hand, realizing that Yamato's strength was no small matter and couldn't be ignored.
Her slash passed through the space where his hand had been, releasing a dark power that had an intensely evil, corrosive nature.
Seeing that she was relentless in her pursuit, the shadow instinctively unleashed a form of psychic energy. Yamato didn't know what was happening, but it felt as though her head had been struck by a massive hammer, an invisible force crashing into her.
"Ugh!" Yamato coughed up blood as she was sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground. In disbelief, she looked at the shadowy figure and gasped, "Someone from the World Government?!"
?!
The shadow's eyes widened, and a surge of killing intent erupted from him. Another wave of psychic energy shot forth.
Even though it couldn't be seen, Yamato could feel the immense power closing in. She knew it was telekinesis—a power known only to a few, such as the Nameless on Roger's ship or agents of the World Government.
Over the years, the World Government had trained many psychics, individuals with supernatural powers that had amazed the world. Their abilities were so versatile that many envied their convenience, and some even regarded them as nearly omnipotent.
Even Yamato, who rarely ventured out, had heard about them. The force that had just struck her was undoubtedly telekinesis, confirming that this shadowy figure was indeed an agent of the World Government.
But why was someone from the World Government here? And why were they trying to steal the Omnitrix?
Yamato was full of confusion, but this was her first mission from Lord Oden, and she couldn't afford to fail!
In her merged state with the shadows, Yamato let out a roar. She activated her Devil Fruit powers, instantly transforming into her Hybrid Beast Form!
The Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Okuchi-no-Makami's hybrid form!
Zoan-type Devil Fruits have three forms: human, beast, and hybrid. The hybrid form is the most powerful, combining the strengths of both human and beast. But in Yamato's case, her transformation was unique.
Merged with Kozuki Oden's dark shadow power, Yamato's hybrid form had changed. Her body turned pitch black, and a strange mask appeared on her face, one of the masks Oden had given to his Shadow Army Generals.
With the mask, Yamato looked like a fearsome demon, and the black blade in her hand seemed to burn with dark flames. With a powerful swing, she cut through the telekinetic force, splitting it in two as it blasted in opposite directions, distorting the steel doors made from special materials.
Yamato was shocked, but she pressed forward, knowing that to defeat a psychic, close combat was necessary!
However, to her surprise, the shadowy figure was not only a skilled telekinetic but also a formidable martial artist. As Yamato charged with her slash, the figure quickly moved in as well, closing the gap even faster!
Soru!
The shadowy figure instantly appeared in front of Yamato and followed up with a Rankyaku (Storm Leg) infused with telekinetic force. Yamato couldn't react in time and was struck in the head by the blow.
Yamato screamed in pain, her head spinning as she was sent flying again.
The shadowy figure scoffed and used his telekinetic power to shatter the glass dome containing the Omnitrix, pulling the device toward him.
If he could, he would have killed Yamato to eliminate the witness, but there wasn't enough time. The gunfire and explosions outside had quieted down, and more people were pouring in.
Gritting his teeth, the shadowy figure grabbed the Omnitrix and unleashed a powerful telekinetic blast that knocked Yamato into the crowd of soldiers flooding in through the door.
The figure himself ducked behind a counter to hide.
"Don't let him escape!"
The large number of soldiers rushing in was knocked down by the impact of the Yamato being hurled at them, but even more, soldiers continued to charge in. They didn't fire their guns, wary of the vital data and research materials inside the lab.
Instead, they advanced cautiously, and some of them quickly moved to restrain Yamato. But when they reached the counter where the shadow had hidden, they were met with an unbelievable sight.
There was… no one there?!
Several kilometers away from the battle lab, the shadowy figure suddenly appeared in a courtyard. Gasping for breath, he leaned against a wall, relieved to find that no one was around.
Was that… teleportation?!
But that's impossible. The only person known to possess teleportation abilities was Nameless from Roger's crew, and there's no way Nameless would have joined the World Government.
There are some superhuman Devil Fruits that grant teleportation, but no one has eaten such a fruit yet, at least as far as the world knows.
But what the shadow had just used was teleportation. How was that possible?
It was no mystery, though, as teleportation was one of the abilities gained from the Psychic Training Box.
The Psychic Training Box could grant users one of three abilities: telekinesis, x-ray vision, or teleportation.
This shadowy figure had gained teleportation through the box, although he referred to it as Pandora's Box.
Though most World Government psychics only mastered telekinesis, two notable exceptions had recently emerged: Lucci and Monet!
Both of them had exceptional talent in telekinesis and, by some stroke of luck, had also gained the ability to teleport. However, their teleportation was far from perfect, requiring a long delay before each jump and draining significant energy.
Compared to Nameless from Roger's crew, they were still lacking, but the World Government was pleased with their progress nonetheless.