Fight for it?
The two looked at each other and nodded. Since the Boss had spoken, then a fight it was. Bellamy led them onto the deck. "Just one rule: no hitting vital spots."
"Begin."
The moment he finished speaking, Muret immediately launched an attack.
"Shave."
"Finger Pistol."
It was an unhesitatingly swift offense. Muret's choice was somewhat surprising to everyone. But Ross wasn't afraid of her in the slightest; they were all on the same ship, and everyone knew each other's capabilities. How strong was Ship's Doctor Muret? He was perfectly clear on that.
"Iron Body." Ross directly activated Iron Body. Bellamy had taught them all the Six Powers and various other martial arts. Based on each person's aptitude, they had chosen different paths. And Ross's best-trained technique was precisely Iron Body. He had put in painstaking effort on this move. Almost in the span of a breath, all the muscles in Ross's body tensed up.
Muret's Finger Pistol tore through the air, instantly jabbing his abdomen, yet it only left a faint red mark. This finger strike had barely broken Ross's skin; it couldn't even be considered an injury.
"Again."
Muret, of course, knew that fighting like this gave her no chance of victory, but her choice of a swift offense was born out of desperation. Among the Six Powers, her best was Finger Pistol, while her worst were Iron Body and Paper Drawing. Her defense was poor, and her evasion was no better; thus, a quick offensive was her only option. Either the opponent went down first, or she did. From the very beginning, she had no other choice.
Bellamy stood to the side, gently shaking his head. They had only exchanged one move, yet the outcome was already obvious. In a battle of this level, a heaven-defying comeback was almost impossible.
"Not too bad, all things considered." Their current level was roughly equivalent to that of Marine recruits scouted from the Four Blues, who then underwent two years of intensive training at Marine Headquarters to become elites. Such Marine elites would graduate having mastered one or two of the Six Powers. After participating in a few actual battles, they could immediately attain the rank of Sergeant. They had originally been just ordinary people; to possess such strength after being rigorously trained by Bellamy for two years was genuinely quite impressive.
As Bellamy had predicted, the battle ultimately proceeded without any surprises. No matter how Muret attacked, Ross just stubbornly defended his entire body. When her stamina began to falter, Bellamy directly called a halt to the fight. "That's enough." There was no need to continue; the result was already clear.
Muret clenched her fists unwillingly, her heart filled with grievance. But a loss was a loss; Bellamy would absolutely not show her any favoritism. She could only accept this outcome. Strong was strong, weak was weak; unwillingness changed nothing.
Bellamy directly tossed the Devil Fruit over. "It's yours, Ross."
Ross caught the Devil Fruit and, without hesitation, took a bite. This was the legendary Devil Fruit! For a street punk like him, such a treasure was something he wouldn't even dare to dream of. He never thought that after following Boss Bellamy, he would obtain one so easily. This fellow had clearly forgotten the blood and sweat he had poured out over the past two years. Without those efforts, how could he possibly have gained Bellamy's recognition?
Ross didn't even bother to peel it, grabbing the banana-like fruit and biting right into it. Instantly, a taste dozens of times more disgusting than excrement exploded in his mouth.
"Ugh… Bleurgh!" This sudden, immense assault on his senses nearly made Ross vomit the Devil Fruit back out. Bellamy clamped a hand over his mouth, forcibly shoving the banana-like fruit further in.
"No wasting it."
At this moment, Bellamy and Drake simultaneously broke into schadenfreude-filled grins. The taste of a Devil Fruit was truly beyond words.
"Moo!!"
After the fruit went down, a cow's moo suddenly erupted from Ross's mouth. Immediately after, Ross's body began to change rapidly. Greyish-black skin, long ox horns, hard hooves.
"It really is a Zoan! I guessed right. Could it be an Ox-Ox Fruit?" Initially, Bellamy thought it was some kind of bovine animal, but as the transformation continued, the more he looked, the more something felt off. "Why are those two horns growing on his nose and forehead?"
When Ross completed his full transformation, a giant black rhinoceros appeared on the deck.
"Moo… Boss."
"It's the Rhino Fruit, Model: Black Rhinoceros."
"I could already tell." Bellamy slowly circled Ross's new form. "Not bad."
"Rhinos are good. Thick-skinned and durable." Among common Zoan types, the Rhino Fruit was considered top-tier. Large physique, great strength, thick skin, and two hard, long horns. It was just a bit cumbersome, but that didn't matter. For a Zoan, as long as it was tough enough to take a beating, that was what counted.
"Develop this fruit well. It has a lot of potential after Awakening." Common Zoans were the easiest fruits to Awaken. Once Awakened, the user's vitality and defensive power would increase to an exaggerated degree. When Bellamy said it had potential, he genuinely wasn't just trying to console Ross. In fact, for an ordinary person like Ross, without the determination and willpower to reach the pinnacle of the world, eating a common Zoan fruit was truly the best choice.
" Ross, stand still.' Ross, in his black rhinoceros form, looked rather dopey. Upon hearing the Captain's command, Ross stomped his feet a few times and began to shake his head.
Bellamy went to his room, fetched a flintlock pistol, and fired several shots point-blank at Ross's thick hide. Bang, bang, bang! After a few shots, Ross was completely unharmed. Not bad, his defensive power had indeed greatly improved. "Drake, go bring a cannon over." The old-fashioned cannons on the ship, although they rarely used them, were still kept on board.
Soon, Drake brought out a cannon and fired it directly at Ross's body. The black rhinoceros stood firm on the deck, not dodging or evading, and took the cannonball head-on.
"Moo!" Ross roared in pain and took half a step back. It seemed the cannonball had still hurt him. Bellamy walked closer, examined the spot hit by the cannonball; there were only some scorch marks, and the injury wasn't severe.
"Zoans really are good." One fruit down, and the physique immediately improved – the effects were instantaneous.
"Alright, change back."
Ross shook his body again. The massive black rhinoceros form began to rapidly shrink, and a burly man in tattered clothes appeared on the deck.
"Boss, I feel full of power right now!"
"Getting cocky already?" Bellamy didn't even want to burst his bubble. Ross would understand soon enough. A black rhinoceros animal form was too cumbersome; he was destined to spend the rest of his life getting beaten up. Just like Jack the Drought – relying on a thick hide, getting thrashed by everyone daily.
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