'Cover Story: Chopper and the Quack Doctor Vol. 13: "Why Does Researching Medicine Keep Causing Explosions?!"'
'The quack doctor was constantly being chased around by angry people, and Chopper always watched from afar. Seeing the strange little reindeer following him everywhere, Hiriluk generously invited him to visit his home, but Chopper didn't seem to like him and always refused. One day, Hiriluk continued the experiment he'd left unfinished in his cave home. Suddenly...
'BOOM!'
The flask in his hand exploded, startling the reindeer peeking through the window so badly that his antlers nearly sprang off his head...'
---
"That's...?!" Sentomaru stared with wide eyes.
"It seems your ability really doesn't work against him..." The blind swordsman smiled faintly.
With a flick of his Guardless Tachi, another wave of gravity surged forth. The out-of-control 'Ruiner OR72' was hurled into the air. Powerful gravity from multiple directions instantly converged upon it, crushing and twisting the steel cyborg into an unrecognizable mass, twisted metal, broken pipes, torn flesh, crushed bones, and blood. It became a grotesque lump that no longer resembled anything human.
A trace of sorrow appeared on the blind swordsman's face as he let out a heavy sigh. 'Turning living people into weapons... Can that really be called justice?'
---
'They're pretty greedy...' B.I.B. studied the grotesque mass suspended in midair by Fujitora's Gravity-Gravity Fruit.
The World Government had apparently tried to combine the Logia powers of Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru into a single cyborg weapon. Had it failed because the abilities couldn't coexist, or because the test subject itself wasn't suitable?
Perhaps they eventually realized only Kizaru's Glint-Glint Fruit was practical to reproduce as laser weaponry, or perhaps the project only truly advanced after Bartholomew Kuma voluntarily became a test subject.
Watching the blind swordsman and Sentomaru carry away the floating remains, B.I.B. quietly considered the possibilities.
Speaking of cyborgs... it couldn't help thinking of that pervert from the Straw Hat Pirates. Even before joining the crew, Franky already possessed the technology to breathe fire. Besides his flamethrower, he also had his signature 'Strong Right', a compressed-air attack.
Fire, wind, light, ice, magma... many of the world's bizarre technologies seemed to correspond to phenomena that already existed within its power system.
B.I.B. raised one hand, and a flame ignited in its palm. Within its glowing eyes, memories flashed by in rapid succession: the Minks' Electro, former Snake Princess Tulip's wind abilities, the Devil Fruits of the three Admirals, the Flame-Flame Fruit, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, and even Fish-Man Karate and its control over water.
After the two-year training, Franky had also learned to fire lasers. And just as always, his energy source remained... cola.
Cola converted into lasers, into flames, and into compressed-air attacks. 'Technology... elements... energy conversion? Mass-energy conversion?'
---
'Bang!'
Viscount Chick's impossibly long leg swept across like a whirlwind, followed immediately by a thrust from his sword. Robin effortlessly dodged, her Armament Haki-coated palm slapping the blade aside.
"At this level, it's no wonder you couldn't defeat Poppy. BON~"
"..."
Robin gracefully stepped aside, avoiding another kick from those absurdly long legs. With a flick of her hand, flower petals bloomed before the sail decoration on her shoulder bag. They formed a beating heart, and the sail opened its mouth and swallowed it.
Another heart immediately bloomed from flower petals, then another, and another, more than ten times in succession. Inside the "workshop" within the little castle hidden in her bag, over a dozen fresh, beating hearts belonging to Viscount Chick lay neatly arranged.
"...?!!!"
Viscount Chick had just begun another sword swing when unbearable agony suddenly pierced through his chest, a literal heart-wrenching pain. His face twisted in agony as he froze in place.
'Not good!'
Looking up, he saw Jolyne Cujoh calmly aiming a pistol at him. Without the slightest hesitation, she pulled the trigger.
'Bang!'
Robin had rarely used the pistol Hancock had given her, but today, she did.
'Pfft!'
The bullet pierced Viscount Chick's body. Once again, he exploded apart like a shattered egg. Smoke drifted lazily from the pistol's barrel as Robin tucked it back into her bag and turned to leave.
Behind her, his voice rang out once more. "Your biggest mistake... wasn't taking my Devil Fruit."
The soul-egg reformed once again. This time, Viscount Chick evolved into 'Count Rooster', sporting a pair of pure white wings. His aura was noticeably stronger than before, and his voice had also become much deeper.
"Jolyne Cujoh..."
Robin smiled faintly before glancing back. "I think that's only because... I'm simply not interested in Zoan Fruits. Give up. You can't beat me."
"That may have been true just now..." Count Rooster shouted as he lashed out with another powerful kick. "But things are different now!"
His long leg shot toward Robin,
'BANG!'
Another leg, almost identical to his own, intercepted it from the side.
"What?!" Count Rooster stared in utter shock. Another 'him' stood beside him. "This is, ?!"
Robin gave him no time to think. Using her 'Hana Jizai: Count Rooster', she controlled the duplicate to swing its sword. One clean slash, and Count Rooster was cut in half across the waist.
'Splurt!'
A puddle of soul-like egg yolk spilled onto the ground, wriggling as it landed. 'Egg... chick... rooster...' Robin wondered to herself. 'What's next? I have to admit... I'm a little curious.'
'Whoosh!'
A dagger shot straight toward Robin's head. She tilted her head ever so slightly, and the blade grazed a few strands of her hair before embedding itself into a stone by the roadside.
Robin looked toward its owner. It was Poppy, the short, grinning assassin who had attacked her earlier. His body was covered in wounds, yet he had somehow managed to get back on his feet.
"Heeheehee... Jolyne Cujoh, I didn't expect you to be this capable. Even Count Rooster couldn't beat you..." Poppy cackled through his bruised and bloodied face.
At the same time, the puddle of soul-like egg yolk writhed and reformed, turning back into the original Baron Tamago. He stared uncertainly at the other 'Count Rooster' standing beside Jolyne Cujoh, his own duplicate. "Jolyne Cujoh... what kind of Devil Fruit power do you have?!"
"..." Robin said nothing. Behind her sunglasses, her eyes settled on the smaller Den Den Mushi in Poppy's hand.
Despite his swollen face and bruises, Poppy's grin only grew wider. "Didn't see this coming, did you? I've got another Den Den Mushi! Heeheehee... You're afraid Mama will find out about this, aren't you? Heeheehee... But it's too late. I've already contacted home! You should've killed me right away, Jolyne Cujoh! Heeheehee..."
"Poppy!" Baron Tamago, still wary of the duplicate standing beside Robin, raised his sword. "Do 'not' underestimate her! BON~"
Poppy snickered. "It's because I 'don't' underestimate her anymore that I called for backup! Heeheehee... Do you know who's coming? One of the Four Sweet Commanders... Lord Snack! Heeheehee... He's a terrifying man. You could even say he has one of the trickiest Devil Fruit abilities in the entire Charlotte Family!"
"That's enough, Poppy." Baron Tamago carefully watched Robin's expression.
But Poppy ignored him. "He'll make both you... and that Giorno Giovanna who's hiding who-knows-where while leaving his woman all alone... suffer the cruelest torment imaginable! Heeheehee... Mama hates losing face more than anything! Lord Snack will make sure the two of you get a proper welcome..."
"That's enough, Poppy!!" Baron Tamago roared.
Robin let out a quiet sigh and slowly crossed her arms. "You can threaten me all you want. You can say you'll torture me, and I won't care." She paused. "But..."
"Heeheehee! But what? Just because we threatened, " Blood still running down his face, Poppy suddenly froze.
A massive arm, several meters long, burst from the ground beside him and seized his head.
'BOOM!'
It smashed him straight into the earth.
"But..." Robin's expression remained calm. "...you shouldn't have threatened Giorno."
Cold sweat poured down Baron Tamago's face as he watched the duplicate beside Robin dissolve into a storm of flower petals. The petals didn't disappear; instead, they multiplied, rapidly gathering into a gigantic figure over six meters tall. It was an unmistakable silhouette, one so familiar and so terrifying.
"Whitebeard..." Despair filled Baron Tamago's eyes. "No... That's impossible... Jolyne Cujoh... who are you?"
He immediately turned to run, but the moment he spun around, his legs nearly gave out. Behind him... stood 'three more Whitebeards'.
Four towering Whitebeards. Their eyes were empty, and each held an enormous naginata. Baron Tamago's face fell into utter despair as the four Supreme Grade blades swung down together.
'BOOOOOOM!!'
An unimaginable explosion of black-and-red Haki lightning erupted, tearing straight into the sky.
---
Interest Island had descended into complete chaos, with smoke and flames rising everywhere.
Meanwhile, B.I.B. drifted straight toward the beach. Robin's presence had been here only moments ago, and after searching around carefully, it finally spotted a Den Den Mushi almost perfectly camouflaged against the sand.
It floated inside the Den Den Mushi's castle. Robin was there, her hair still damp from a recent bath, relaxing on the sofa while reading through books she'd collected on the island. A steaming cup of coffee rested on the table beside her.
"Have they left?" Robin looked up, naturally referring to the blind swordsman and Sentomaru.
B.I.B. nodded. '"I found a Poneglyph..."'
Robin closed her book. She looked at the armor's empty hands and immediately realized it hadn't brought the stone back; it had simply memorized everything written on it.
'"Also..."' The Stand looked toward the outside of the castle. '"The original body is back. He's already getting close."'
The discovery of another Poneglyph and the news that Liam had returned filled Robin with joy. The gloom she'd felt after killing people earlier gradually melted away, replaced by a lighter mood.
"Then let's translate it while we wait for him," she smiled.
---
Paradise , Calm Belt
Amazon Lily Island
Inside the palace of the Women's Kingdom, Sandersonia and Marigold hurried through the hidden passage. As expected, in the valley where the Poneglyph was stored, they found that beautiful figure whose back alone was enough to make anyone lose their heart.
"Elder Sister!" Sandersonia called out.
"It's the Marines," Marigold said, stopping to catch her breath. "Warships have arrived..."
The not-so-famous stone sculptor, Boa Hancock, never stopped carving. Without even turning around, she replied calmly, "Why are you making such a fuss? According to the agreement, if they're more than three kilometers away from Kuja Island, ignore them. If they're within three kilometers... ignore them too. Just sink them."
"No, Elder Sister!" Marigold hurriedly waved her hands. "They brought a message..."
After hearing what it was, Hancock suddenly spun around. She bit her red lip as a rosy blush spread across her fair cheeks, making her look every bit like a young girl overwhelmed with happiness.
"Really?"
(End of Chapter)
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