Boom! Boom!
The heavy footsteps came to an abrupt halt, and 'Gluttony' turned its huge head suspiciously, golden eyes gleaming with doubt. "Hey—?"
Even if it was merely an earring forged from pure gold, the weight and luster carried immense value.
It was the only one who managed to strike the lantern fish during the entire battle, never once being swept aside by the titanic Sea King.
Moreover, it was getting faster and faster!
"Huh?" Carl raised an eyebrow, feeling the sharp uptick in Gluttony's energy. "Let me go?"
"Cut? Alright." Carl placed his right hand on the hilt of Sakura Ten, and invisible sword intent condensed around it, sharp enough to split the air.
Although the amount of pure gold recovered was small, it still resembled the size of a football—already a tremendous harvest.
Just as Carl returned to the Marineford office and began issuing orders to collect and refine various resources, his thoughts remained on the material he had just retrieved.
Although the raw materials used to create 'Gluttony' included two actual Devil Fruits—
"嘤嘤——" Little Yamato, standing near the window, gazed out at the vast sea. Small red and white horns atop her head vibrated subtly, releasing faint energy waves.
As the distance between them shortened, both Gluttony and the giant lantern fish slowed their movements.
In a sea zone where resources overflowed to their limits, this was the inevitable clash.
It paused for just a second—then the enormous dragon body of 'Gluttony' tore through the powerful ocean currents, hurtling straight towards the massive lantern fish!
The turbulence rocking the surrounding sea gradually settled down.
Earlier, Caesar Clown had provided Gluttony with significant bio-energy during its transformation process, allowing it to evolve this far.
"Why is this thing here…?" Carl muttered to himself. "No, wait—this creature… I seem to recall it appearing among ancient giant Sea Kings recorded in old Calm Belt expeditions…"
"Yin—" Gluttony's low rumble echoed over the waves.
On the islands bordering the Calm Belt, many civilians and even stationed Marines felt the shockwave through the earth itself.
It was as if a piece of iron-clad fortress had fallen into the sea.
Even now, Bartholomew Kuma—who Carl planned to recreate—had not yet arrived from Sabaody.
Lantern fish!
A deadly predator among Sea Kings. And Momonosuke's artificial Devil Fruit—a copy of Kaido's Azure Dragon ability—had given birth to Gluttony, a monstrosity in its own right.
Because this lantern fish species didn't rely on active combat strength. Simply existing at that size, in the Calm Belt, made it unrivaled.
A massive black-and-gold slash swept across the golden lantern, sending dazzling sparks underwater.
"Yin—" Gluttony's wide dragon eyes stared dead ahead, bloodthirsty and focused.
It wasn't just preying on small fry. Even mighty sea beasts it encountered occasionally ended up inside its endless stomach.
"What happened?!"
Only devouring—and constant devouring—filled its instincts. Within its belly, an infinite cavern of absorption formed, a fake but terrifying 'gate of truth.'
Carl's pupils narrowed sharply as his Observation Haki locked onto the intense struggle under the sea. His figure vanished instantly, stepping onto the dome of the Marineford harbor building.
How long has it been?!
In front of Gluttony's body, a massive glowing sac—the 'lantern'—shimmered with dazzling gold.
"Cut!"
The existence standing atop the oceanic food chain revealed its true terror.
Carl blinked in slight disbelief at the dragon's enormous eyes. "You're telling me… you swam all the way here, killed something some big guy caught?"
It made sense.
Along its journey, Gluttony had slain an ancient Sea King and looted its glowing lantern pouch, dense with precious pure gold!
Large chunks of flesh were shredded from the lantern fish as Gluttony savagely attacked.
Hovering above the ocean, Carl stared at the epic clash below. "What are you holding?"
To Gluttony, the sea held no taboos. Everything that moved was prey.
However, pure gold could not be weighed by ordinary standards…
Without hesitation, it instinctively unleashed endless devouring.
Carl had already begun planning how to collect the necessary materials to further refine the 'Bear'—Bartholomew Kuma's reconstructed version.
Eventually, Gluttony crossed from the Calm Belt straight into the Grand Line!
The giant lantern fish sensed the incoming threat too late. Its massive body lurched violently, and a cavernous maw opened wide to swallow Gluttony whole.
Instead, Gluttony dove, serpentine body cutting through the sea like a black-and-gold blade.
This savage instinct—to swallow, consume, absorb—was ingrained into its very soul.
Soon, all that remained before it was the detached, glowing 'lantern' pouch.
On its rampage, no fish, no beast—no matter the size—survived.
Gudong.
Splash—
Under this cataclysmic pressure, ordinary humans seemed pathetically fragile.
In truth, Gluttony no longer resembled a Devil Fruit user; it had evolved beyond normal limits.
Where on earth had it found such a colossal piece of gold?
Boom!
Suddenly, a deep dragon roar echoed across the distant sea.
'Gluttony' gripped the golden 'lantern' pouch in its claws and swung it toward Carl like a gift offering.
A terrifying aura was approaching fast—one even larger, stronger, and closer to its kind than anything encountered before!
"What happened?!"
In the depths, Gluttony devoured its spoils leisurely, indifferent to the chaos around it.
Onshore, Carl narrowed his eyes, pupils flashing red light as he murmured, "Not bad… It seems dragons are naturally adapted to water after all."
It felt like stepping into a different dimension entirely!
Roar!
The titanic creatures fought by using their sheer size and unstoppable force to crush each other.
Flashes of dazzling golden light illuminated the deep.
"Alright, let it frolic in the sea a little." Carl waved casually and turned toward the central Marineford building.
This creature was unmistakably a Sea King—one of the largest types recorded, even bigger than the Calm Belt standard.
"Pure gold…" Carl mused aloud, watching the rich light radiate from the 'lantern' pouch.
This lantern fish was easily bigger than a mid-sized island!
Rather than eat the treasure, Gluttony held the lantern firmly and began swimming back toward Carl.
"Roar—"
The ocean boiled. Wave after monstrous wave surged outward, overwhelming the surroundings.
Rip—
Momonosuke's artificial Azure Dragon model, Kaido's real Uo Uo no Mi Mythical Zoan form, and now this—Gluttony—represented the next step.
The chaos didn't last long.
Soon, Gluttony dove straight into the twin Calm Belt regions.
"Yan—!"
The king of the sea had returned!
Despite shrinking slightly, Gluttony's immense presence remained undiminished.
"If you really bring that thing back here," Carl muttered, "the whole building might collapse."
Each giant Sea King was a mobile natural disaster in itself!
Deep within the Calm Belt, the battle between Gluttony and another towering titan was reaching its peak!
Moreover, Gluttony required no breath. Its body ran purely on the matter it absorbed.
Just one bite—and it could swallow an entire island!
Gluttony hesitated briefly, then charged forward, eager for its next meal.
In the ocean's vastness—
Too many gigantic beasts!
The [Devour] ability allowed Gluttony to store nearly unlimited material energy without any burden.
Cautiously observing its next opponent, Gluttony noted that although it was smaller than the lantern fish, its special ability gave it a significant advantage.
Rip—
In this world, it was impossible for anyone to remain unmoved at the sight.
Meanwhile, back at Marineford, Carl sorted through the treasure trove of rare items he had signed in over the years, deciding which components would suit the Bear's refinement.
As the battle intensified, the shockwaves spread across ever-wider regions.
At Marineford's outer walls—
"Well?" Carl murmured, scanning the turbulent sea beyond the harbor. "Maybe you should go play too?"
Huge currents parted, and enormous shadows loomed beneath the waves.
The lantern's pouch had been split neatly down the center.
Golden light flooded the ocean floor.
Though Gluttony couldn't outmatch the lantern fish purely in size or strength, its devouring abilities tilted the balance.
When it was originally crafted, 'Gluttony' had undergone full decomposition and reconstruction—embedding it with terrifying abilities.
"Hmm…" The massive dragon form froze in place as if sensing something even stronger approaching.
With a quick glance across the horizon—
That 'bear,' combined with other upgrades Carl envisioned…
One massive bite at a time—Gluttony was devouring creatures larger than itself without so much as a bulge appearing on its scales.
Yet, just as it was finishing its feast—
From the deep waters, an even greater pressure surged.
Outside Marineford—
His gaze swept across the crimson-hued ocean. "Don't wreck the building!" Carl barked sharply.
Gluttony freely swam the seas, unhindered and ever faster.
Already, it was drifting away from Marineford's shores toward the Calm Belt again.
This thing could practically live forever!
The entire sea was thrown into chaos.
Gluttony had somehow made a round trip through the Calm Belt in a matter of hours!
Carl had expected it to be strong—but this…
Boom!
A flash of insight flickered in Gluttony's eyes—but it didn't immediately devour the next target.
It was just… too fast.
Originally, the Calm Belt wrapped the Grand Line's core region, functioning as a giant moat.
In an instant, Gluttony's figure soared out beyond the port, suspended proudly above the raging sea.
"Well?"
A tidal wave of blood spread outward, dyeing the sea red.
Roar!
Panic-stricken shouts echoed from the humans watching from the island.
Carl's mouth twitched. "The big guy you mean… isn't that one of the largest types of Sea Kings?"
At Yamato's playful footsteps, the entire Marineford square trembled slightly.
Suddenly, a subtle but powerful ripple spread outward—
This was the [Devour] ability flaring up again.
With a light stomp, Gluttony disappeared into the horizon—
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