"The Devil Fruit Encyclopedia... I'd really like to see it."
Dispelling the Haki from his head, Benson licked his lips, his expression indifferent, tinged with hatred. "The Cold-Cold Fruit... You know, when I ate this fruit as a child, I was mocked. They thought it was just a useless ability that only emitted cold air. And they often played tricks on me, throwing me into the water. That feeling of not being able to control your own life, I'm sure you've experienced it too."
As he spoke, Benson's entire body radiated a biting cold.
Water was inherently a Devil Fruit user's weakness; falling into water rendered one powerless, leading to drowning.
As a child, he was tormented this way by his brothers, almost dying several times. It was no wonder he harbored such hatred and plotted in the shadows.
"So you wanted to kill them too?" Vito looked at Benson, who stood amidst the ruins, a certain understanding dawning in his mind.
"Kill them? No, no, no. The one I truly wanted to kill was my father, the King." Benson shook his head, a wicked smile spreading across his face. "Though I didn't personally slay that old geezer, the person I bribed used the Black-Line Flower poison I painstakingly acquired to kill him. The result is the same."
"You poisoned Dasco XI?!" Vito was aghast, a chill enveloping him. Patricide! What a heinous crime! This atrocity was almost the ultimate evil.
"Heheheh... Hahahaha..." Benson started with a low chuckle, but his laughter grew louder and louder, until he was clutching his face, roaring with mirth. "That old geezer gained his throne by killing his own brothers, but he said I was most like him. Do you know what that means? Hahahaha... He suppressed me, watched others bully me, thinking I should just be a useless prince. He even explicitly told me that nothing in this country belonged to me! Hahahaha..."
Lowering his hand, Benson laughed wildly, a hysterical, crazed expression on his face, like a madman consumed by his own delusions.
"This entire family..." Vito was at a loss for words.
"The strong! Only the strong can obtain everything! He wouldn't let me have this country, so I'll overthrow this country! He said I was like him, so I'll send all my brothers to their deaths too!" Benson spread his hands, his expression unrestrained and wild.
"Madman..." Vito's lightning flickered on and off. His emotions surged, and though his expression was obscured by his beast form, it surely wasn't pleasant.
Patricide! Fratricide! Overthrowing a nation! How many people did he intend to kill, how much blood did he intend to shed in this country?
"Heheheh... Much better now. You're actually quite a good listener." Benson shed his crazed expression, giving a nervous chuckle, his tone chilling. "As a reward, I'll make your death less painful."
These thoughts had been buried deep within Benson's heart; he hadn't even shared them with his closest subordinates. After hiding them for so many years, releasing them all at once made him feel much clearer, as if a great burden had been lifted, his body even feeling a bit lighter.
Rumble!
The ruins suddenly exploded, sending countless bricks and stones flying. Benson abruptly crossed a hundred meters in an instant, charging straight forward.
"They say pirates are the craziest, but I think you, a prince, are no different."
Vito snorted coldly, lightning surging around him. His massive body, surprisingly agile, shifted, bringing him before Benson with the swiftness of lightning.
Boom!
Rumble!
Rumble-rumble-rumble!
White airwaves erupted, forming a massive current that swept through the surroundings, like a shockwave, forcefully tearing everything nearby into the air.
Benson was enveloped in chilling white mist, and combined with his golden hair and handsome appearance, he seemed like a descending deity. With a wave of his hand, the ground was covered in frost, as if he meant to drag the sky and the land back into a frigid winter.
Meanwhile, Vito, transformed into a Thunder Basilisk, was like a ferocious beast controlling lightning—rampaging lightning serpents, immense brute strength, and a steel-like body, wantonly destroying everything around him. He more closely resembled a villain, though as a pirate, he was indeed an antagonist.
One man and one beast fought furiously.
The vast Second Training Ground was utterly ruined, covered in frost or scorched black, riddled with claw marks and craters.
...
Outside the Royal City.
Whether Casey's forces, or those of Byrd, Bolton, or even Benson's subordinates, countless soldiers and knights frantically fled.
For ordinary people like them, the two fighting inside were absolute monsters. Their sword swings unleashed slashes that tore the earth apart, and their punches created shockwaves that annihilated everything. Could this truly be caused by two humans?
They, as ordinary people, had never witnessed such an exaggerated battle. Only monsters in human skin could possess such terrifying power.
Oliver, with his twin swords, mingled with the surging crowd, arriving at the spacious plaza in front of the Royal City. The plaza was already packed with tens of thousands of soldiers and knights. Though belonging to different factions, their shock prevented them from engaging in further combat.
Hum!
A sharp, clear white light, accompanied by a soft hum, swept horizontally towards Oliver's neck, as if to decapitate him.
Clang!
A fierce, ear-splitting metallic crash echoed, sparks flew, and the immense force caused all the bricks and stones on the surrounding ground to churn. A visible ripple of air erupted, instantly knocking nearby people off their feet, creating a large empty space.
"Ah! What now?!"
"Whoa, what's happening?!"
"Are they all monsters?!"
"Damn it, here we go again!"
"..."
Against the powerful airwaves, even knights in full metal armor were inevitably thrown for several tumbles, let alone soldiers in half-iron or leather armor. Already shaken, they were nearly scared to death.
Oliver held his Nagamitsu with one hand, parrying a sharp, gleaming cross-shaped sword. The sword's guard was encrusted with diamonds of various sizes, extraordinarily luxurious, making it look less like a weapon of killing and more like a work of art.
The person holding this artistic longsword was a purple-haired youth with hair slightly lighter than Abel's, clad in black plate armor. He was tall, nearly three meters, handsome, with fair skin, sharp brows, and piercing eyes. His demeanor was imposing, yet not overly oppressive.
"The famous sword, 'Valkyr,' bounty of 210,000,000 Berries, Black Knight Roldy Limmings, are you preparing to declare war on us?" Oliver asked indifferently, gazing lazily at the man before him.
"One of the 50 Skillful Grade Swords, Nagamitsu, a fine blade." Limmings pressed his 'Valkyr' against Oliver's Nagamitsu, admiring the pale-blue katana before him, paying no mind to Oliver's tone.
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