Dier leaped out of the barrel, his electrified fist smashing toward the soldier holding the fruit.
"Dier, stop moving!!"
The King urgently shouted, trying to halt his actions.
Bam! Bam!!
The Silver-Armored Soldier was sent flying by the punch.
Dier didn't pause for even a second, sprinting toward the throne.
The distance between them was barely a dozen steps.
"Dier, don't—mmph..."
The King, with his eyes tightly shut, was about to issue another command when five fingers were shoved into his mouth.
"Old bastard, didn't see this coming, did you?"
Dier's face twisted into a snarl as he forcefully gripped the King's tongue with his fingers.
In that split second, he had accomplished three things:
Leaping out of the barrel, eating the fruit, and using tiny bolts of lightning to rupture his eardrums.
He wasn't originally an Ability User, so seawater had no effect on him—the first step was effortless.
Eating the fruit boosted his stamina, giving him the strength to punch the Silver-Armored Soldier away.
Though it added a weakness, he wasn't afraid. He could just hypnotize others into believing he wasn't afraid of seawater.
At worst, he could acquire a low-tier Underwater Breathing Ability to ensure safety if he fell into water.
As for rupturing his eardrums, it was to block commands.
The King had once said he couldn't control Dier through thought alone—he needed verbal commands.
So as long as Dier couldn't hear, he might avoid being controlled.
A small perforation in the eardrum would only cause hearing loss, but to completely block commands, a small cluster of crackling lightning now buzzed in his ears.
As for his hearing? He wasn't worried.
Even ordinary people could heal given time, and as a Zoan-type ability user, his recovery would be even faster.
He admitted there was an element of gambling, but fortunately, he'd won.
Winner takes all—losers die!
Crunch!
He rained down furious punches, smashing the King's skull.
Splatters of red and white stained the throne, reeking of nauseating blood.
Dier shook his hand and spat out a torrent of flames, igniting the mangled remains on the throne.
The animal pelts draped over the throne made for perfect fuel.
This bastard could absorb life force to rejuvenate himself—who knew if he had some resurrection trick up his sleeve?
Best to burn him until not even ashes remained.
"AAAAHHH!!"
"WAAAHHH!!"
"OOOAAAGH!!"
Screams erupted as a staff member charged toward the throne, fists swinging wildly.
"Go to hell!"
Dier kicked the attacker away, his face dark as he scanned the surroundings. The surveillance staff were swarming toward him like rabid dogs.
Was this the King's final command, or was the King not truly dead?
He couldn't tell, but he knew it was time to run—Silver-Armored Soldiers were flooding in through the doors.
"Let's test this legendary Mythical Zoan."
Feeling the surge of power within him, a glint of excitement flashed in his eyes.
Enhanced stamina and formidable recovery were standard for Zoan-types, let alone the top-tier Mythical Zoan with its array of unique abilities.
Boom!
Flames erupted around his fist as he drove it into someone's gut, knocking them to the ground.
One of the Flame Devourer's abilities—control over flames, capable of scorching the earth and leaving the land barren.
A Silver-Armored Soldier thrust forward with a spear, its tip glinting coldly, poised to pierce through his skull.
Unfazed, Dier opened his mouth and bit down, snapping off the spearhead—then swallowed it.
At the same time, he threw another punch, electricity crackling as the Silver-Armored Soldier was left paralyzed and incapacitated.
Flame Devourer's core ability—eating! An extraordinary capacity for consumption!
Anything with a physical form could be devoured.
What he ate would convert into energy, replenishing the Ability User's stamina or enhancing their physique.
As Dier understood it:
If his health wasn't full, it would restore HP. If his health was full, it would slowly increase his maximum HP.
No wonder the King had said there was no need to wait—as long as he kept eating nonstop, even a pig could become the Marshal of Heavenly Canopy.
Seeing enemies still pouring in, he attempted to transform into his Beast Form, preparing to force a breakthrough.
As everyone knew, most Zoan-type Beast Forms were massive.
His hair suddenly grew wildly, his white locks soon cascading down to his waist.
His height also shot up from that of a 1.6-meter disabled person to a 2-meter-tall second-class cripple.
Then the transformation stopped.
"This is way too half-assed, damn it!"
Dier's lips twitched as he couldn't help but complain inwardly.
Apart from his hair and height, no other part of his body had changed.
No wings, no cool scales, no handsome horns.
"There exists a monster with strikingly handsome features, indistinguishable from a human, known as Flame Devourer."
Recalling the King's words when introducing the fruit, he had no choice but to accept this harsh reality.
Fortunately, his current strength was sufficient.
Without the King's command, the Dier clones' attacks were chaotic, often resulting in friendly fire.
He snatched a spear, channeled his lightning power into it, and began his breakout.
First, escape the surveillance room, then find Robin and Hina, and finally flee the island.
After escaping, he'd report to the Marines, claiming there were villains here attempting to overthrow the World Government.
Meanwhile, in the guest room.
Robin and Hina had also begun their escape.
The two soldiers previously guarding them had roared and left, giving the two an opportunity.
Hina activated her ability to create a Black Spear, hopping over to stab through the water barrel.
Once the seawater had drained, Robin used her ability to remove the chains binding Hina, who then freed Robin in turn.
"What should we do now?"
"Should we jump out the window? Will there be enemies outside?"
Hina gripped her Black Spear tightly, her expression tense.
Sneaking out of an enemy's castle—she'd only read about such things in stories.
In contrast, Robin remained much calmer. She cautiously peeked her head out the door to assess the situation.
Their guest room was on the second floor, with a corridor outside leading to a spacious first-floor hall.
She activated her ability, extending arms and eyes to survey the surroundings comprehensively.
She noticed everyone was rushing toward a certain room on the first floor, leaving the entire second floor deserted.
Robin initially felt relieved—no one around would make their escape easier.
But upon closer thought, there were no other outsiders in the castle besides the three of them.
"Dier!"
She gasped, rushing out of the room, intending to head downstairs to find Dier.
Before she could descend the stairs, however, she spotted a 2-meter-tall Dier, covered in blood, bursting out of a room at the lower left corner.
"Dier!! Over here!!"
Robin called out urgently while crossing her arms to activate her ability.
Multiple arms linked together, forming a rope that extended from the second-floor corridor down to the first-floor hall.
"You can't pull me up!"
Dier kicked over a Silver-Armored Soldier and roared:
"Chains, find me chains!"
Robin nodded vigorously and rushed back inside, linking two chains together.
"Hina, come with me, help pull this!"
"Okay, Hina understands!"
Working together, the two women strained to pull Dier up.
Crack!
Once steady on his feet, Dier wasted no time explaining. He scooped up both women and smashed through the window to escape the castle.