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"Honestly, to deal with a mere Navy Admiral like you, I didn't really need to go this far. Poisoning you was overkill…"
On a frozen, desolate island—
Looking down at Aokiji, Shaka spoke calmly, his tone light and unbothered."It's just your bad luck, I guess. You just happened to run into me… and became the perfect test subject."
In one hand, he held a golden Buddhist staff.The other side of it had transformed into something monstrous—a terrifying eight-headed serpent, baring its fangs like a wild beast ready to pounce.
Each giant head had bulging bloodshot eyes and gaping maws.Some looked like they were laughing, some excited, some furious—each one had a different twisted expression.But all of them were locked onto Aokiji with fierce, hungry eyes.
This was the power of the Snake-Snake Fruit, Mythical Zoan Type: Yamata no Orochi form.And it wasn't just about having eight lives—poison was one of its core abilities.
Once bitten, the venom would inject into the victim's body.Even a single drop was enough to cause excruciating pain, trigger uncontrollable hallucinations, and slowly rot the flesh from the inside out until death.
It was only because Aokiji, being a Navy Admiral, had insanely tough physical endurance and strong Haki that he managed to resist the effects so far.Anyone else? Dead on the spot.
"Oh, and by the way," Shaka added, "I mixed something extra into the venom.""Haki alone can't purge this poison."
He gave the Six Paths Staff a little shake—The ferocious serpent instantly shrank back, merging seamlessly into the staff again.It returned to its normal golden form, like the terrifying scene just now was just an illusion.
Shaka didn't care if using poison was considered dirty or dishonorable.His goal in battle was simple: kill the enemy—no matter how.Honor was a luxury.
Especially after what he'd been through…
Once, he had a massive bounty on his head by the World Government. They hunted him down like a wild dog.
He'd been shot in the back while walking down the street, poisoned while trying to eat at a restaurant, bombed while going to the bathroom, and even attacked in his sleep.Even gifts from civilians he'd saved came laced with deadly toxins.
It wasn't just bounty hunters and greedy civilians—Even the World Government's CP agents and ruthless Marines were constantly after his life, willing to do anything to take him down.
If it weren't for his own mastery in medicine—and the natural ability to hear people's inner thoughts and sense good from evil—he'd probably be dead a thousand times over by now.
And thanks to his Mythical Zoan: Great Buddha form, he had resistance to poisons, curses, and all sorts of dark forces.That's what kept him alive.
So honestly?This wasn't even that bad.
It was just Aokiji's unlucky day—He just happened to become the guinea pig for Shaka's newly developed poison.
"Damn it…"
Aokiji, clearly in pain, was struggling just to stay standing.He looked awful but somehow forced himself up.
"Hm? A familiar face?"
Suddenly—
Shaka sensed something.His brows lifted slightly, a curious smile forming.
"Bastard Shaka… STOP RIGHT THERE!!"
A furious voice echoed from a distance.
A striking, still-beautiful figure surged in from the far side of the island—Her speed was unreal.
As she arrived, the plants all around suddenly came to life, like they had minds of their own.They broke through the thick layers of ice and charged straight at Shaka like mad.
Shaka smiled calmly."You're late, Tsuru."
"Shaka, you bastard…"The woman's expression turned from shock to fury when she saw Aokiji's condition.
In a flash, countless plants came alive—lashing out at Shaka with deadly precision.Giant ones sprouted up, forming two massive fists, jet-black with Armament Haki, slamming toward him without mercy.
"Hey now, Tsuru—this is how you say hi after all this time?"Shaka didn't even flinch. He clearly saw it coming.
He didn't move.
Instead, the Yamata no Orochi opened its massive jaws again.All eight grotesque serpent heads bloomed like evil lotus flowers, revealing pitch-black cannons inside.
Aimed straight at the incoming plants—"Path of Hell: Orochi Form – Buddha's Flame Lotus!!"
A blinding, furious blaze exploded forward—Swallowing everything in front of him in fire.
The raging flames swept over everything like a crashing tidal wave, swallowing up all the incoming plants in an instant.
Even those two massive, root-anchored plant fists—brimming with overwhelming dominance—were completely blocked by that terrifying blast of fire.
Crackling... sizzle...
The fire roared.
Flames shot skyward, thick black smoke rolling up like storm clouds.
The intense heat mercilessly melted away the thick layers of frost, completely vaporizing them into nothing.
In just moments, the entire area had turned into a scorched, smoking wasteland—devastated and messy beyond belief.
The sight sent shivers down anyone's spine.
Rustle... rustle...
After a long silence...
Amid the heat and haze rising from the charred ruins...
Flowers and grass began to grow—vibrant blossoms of all colors blooming in the rubble.
A single seed sprouted before your very eyes, quickly growing roots and breaking through the ground...
Then slowly transformed into the graceful figure of a tall, beautiful woman.
"You... you haven't changed one bit, have you? Still reckless as ever—charging in without thinking of the consequences!" Tsuru stared at the young, handsome man standing there, looking just like he did all those years ago, her expression mixed with emotion.
Seeing the man who once haunted her thoughts for decades suddenly appear again—alive and well—brought her a flicker of happiness...
But the moment her eyes fell on Aokiji—covered in blood, face pale and bruised, one leg completely severed—her rage flared up again, teeth grinding in frustration.
A Navy Admiral, crippled. This wasn't just some minor incident.
This was the kind of thing that could shake the entire world.
Whoosh...
With a flick of her right hand—
Fresh green sprouts burst from the ground, quickly twisting into long vines.
They shot forward, gently wrapping around the badly wounded Aokiji...
And pulled him over to her side.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru!"
Seeing this scene unfold, Hina couldn't help but cry out.
She hadn't expected the legendary woman of the Navy, Vice Admiral Tsuru—the one known for her strength and wisdom to rival any man—to actually show up.
And judging by her attitude... she seemed to know Shaka pretty well too.
"Hmm, looks like you've got yourself a Logia fruit now," Shaka said with a relaxed smile. "You're way stronger than you used to be."
He gently reverted his Kannon Demon-Slaying Sword back into its original six-ringed staff form and crossed his arms casually.
Looking at her—no longer the bold, sharp young officer he remembered, but now a beautiful and composed woman full of grace and maturity—he chuckled softly.
"I heard you turned down the offer to become an admiral, again and again. Honestly, I was a little surprised..."
He wasn't wrong.
He had already learned all this through a bit of... "close contact" with Navy Captain Hina.
He didn't just get the scoop on Tsuru's background as the Navy's top strategist—he also picked up plenty of info on the shifting tides of power over the past few decades.
Over fifty years ago, during his travels through the South Sea, he happened to pass through the Kingdom of Taya and stumbled upon a Logia-type Devil Fruit—the Forest-Forest Fruit.
Eventually, he gave it to Tsuru—who at the time was one of the Navy's rising stars. Despite technically being enemies, the two had developed a deep mutual respect and... a complicated connection.
Thanks to the fruit, Tsuru's strength skyrocketed.
She didn't quite reach the level of Sengoku or Garp, but with that kind of power and her relentless dedication, she wasn't far behind either.
About thirty to forty years ago, when "Iron Fist" Garp—already hailed as a hero of the Navy—refused multiple times to become an admiral...
The then-Fleet Admiral, Kong, strongly pushed for Tsuru to take the position instead.
After all, through countless battles and years of experience, she had already proven herself worthy—more than capable of standing alongside the monsters ruling the seas.
But in the end, Tsuru—just like Garp—turned it down.
She didn't want to become a direct subordinate of the Celestial Dragons.
Otherwise, this woman—this legendary strategist of Navy HQ—would've already become an admiral long ago... and one of the rare female admirals in the history of the Navy at that.
"....."