"Still want to fight?"
Zephyr stood firm, his arms crossed. Surrounding him, Urdaha, Matthew, Exdeath, and the other six men were either kneeling or lying prone, all visibly panting. It was clear they had no strength left for continued battle.
"Damn it, Z..." Urdaha clutched his stomach where Zephyr had punched him, his eyes blazing with fury. Unfair! Even though Zephyr was stronger than him, his tactic of only stepping in at the last minute to reap the benefits infuriated Urdaha to no end.
In fact, it wasn't just Urdaha, Matthew, and Exdeath; some of the watching pirates were also quite annoyed by Zephyr's behavior. If it were a minor character, it would be fine, but for someone of Zephyr's standing within the crew to resort to such a cheap trick created a massive contrast. It was like how a famous person's misdeed tends to cause more outrage than a commoner's.
"It seems there are no more objections."
Zephyr shook his head, walked to the high rock, and placed the pitaya-like Titan Fruit to his mouth. Under the jealous eyes of Urdaha and the others, he bit off a piece. After swallowing, he tossed the remaining large chunk onto the ground, where the Titan Fruit dissolved into the soil.
Whoosh!
An indescribable surge of power suddenly erupted from Zephyr's body. His already rugged physique visibly absorbed the earth's strength at an accelerating pace, rapidly swelling.
"It is the Devil Fruit that is said to be 'Unbeatable as long as the user stands on the ground.' Titan is also the name of an ancient mythological giant."
By the time Beckman finished his explanation, Zephyr's body had expanded to a size comparable to Wolf. He was covered in a thick layer of mud, though his outline was vaguely recognizable beneath the earthen shell.
Standing at the castle window, Alucard barely recognized the rock giant's appearance as Zephyr and slightly curled his lips. "He would go to such lengths? Zephyr..."
"It would be a pity not to challenge a legendary Fruit when we see it," Ivalis said, drawing his saber, once Shanks' prized possession, now his own.
With his saber drawn, Ivalis invited Beckman. "Beckman, fancy a little warm-up?"
Beckman, who had already placed a new piece of bamboo in his mouth, thought for a few seconds after hearing Ivalis's suggestion. He drew the long flintlock pistol tied to his waist. "Perfect. It's been a while since I had a proper fight."
With two powerhouses, each comparable to an Admiral, making their move, everyone else wisely kept their distance from Ivalis and Beckman.
The two former Red-Haired Pirates executive officers charged toward the newly Titan-transformed Zephyr. Zephyr, in his Titan form, unleashed a punch that felt like a mountain flood, making the fight look like a mouse challenging an elephant.
However, at the moment of collision, Ivalis and Beckman blocked Zephyr's overwhelming punch with their weapons, displaying their own immense strength. After a stalemate lasting about five seconds, Ivalis and Beckman were ultimately forced back, crashing into a pine tree and a large rock, respectively.
"He actually sent Beckman and Ivalis, who are not much weaker than Admirals, flying with a single punch..."
"What incredible power! Truly worthy of being a Mythical Zoan, the same type as Buddha Sengoku."
"'Unbeatable as long as the user stands on the ground'... I'm starting to understand that phrase."
The members of the Immortal Pirates watching on the ground expressed constant astonishment, shaken by the initial display of Zephyr's power. This was only his first use; how terrifying would he be once he fully mastered it in the future?
Bang!
Seeing Zephyr's world-destroying appearance, Urdaha couldn't help but pound the ground hard with his fist. If not for Zephyr, he would be the one possessing this power now!
While Zephyr had gained the potential for a breakthrough, he also incurred the displeasure of quite a few people who felt that his method of waiting until the end to seize the Fruit was dishonorable.
Yet, due to the sheer power of the Titan Fruit, within just four months, Z's bounty soared past 800 million Berries, rapidly approaching that of Alucard's most trusted subordinate, Empress Boa Hancock.
At the same time, the Government, the Beasts Pirates, Tesoro, and the other parties who had competed for the Titan Fruit at Sabaody Archipelago all realized that the missing Fruit had been eaten by Zephyr.
A small question remained, though: Zephyr was present at the time. If he had eaten the Fruit earlier, why did he show up at all?
However, these were now minor details not worth investigating. All they needed to know was that the strength of the Immortal Pirates had grown once again.
However, while the entire world held this belief, at the Revolutionary Army's headquarters, Baltigo, the leader Dragon, who had escaped Impel Down six months prior with the help of his subordinate Ivankov, voiced a starkly different opinion: The Immortal Pirates can be defeated.