"ROAR—!"
The tiger lunged, fangs gleaming, saliva dripping from its massive jaws. A wave of stench washed over Foxxy as the beast pounced.
Foxxy leapt left at the last second, the tiger's claws slicing the air where his body had just been.
With one smooth motion, he grabbed the machete at his waist. His left hand curled into the orchid-finger pose, his entire being on high alert.
The tiger crouched low, pacing, its murderous eyes fixed on him.
Foxxy's heart slowed. Every muscle tightened. He could feel danger pressing against his skin — sharp, suffocating, real.
One man. One tiger.
A deadly face-off.
The tiger struck first.
A blur of fur and muscle — claws swiping like a blade.
Foxxy dodged by a hair's breadth, countering with a swift swing of his machete.
The tiger didn't take the hit; the scar on its face still stung from Foxxy's earlier encounters.
It backed up, tail dragging across the ground, then sprang forward again with renewed ferocity.
Before transmigration, Foxxy would've fainted from fear.
But now? He still felt fear, yes — but he wasn't the same coward he used to be.
He was a Devil Fruit user.
A blue man with a cheat.
Left hand raised — the orchid-finger flashed.
A pink ring of slow-moving light drifted toward the tiger.
Girly in color, incongruent in source — it made the scene strangely absurd.
But the tiger knew that beam was deadly. It immediately darted right, circling Foxxy instead of charging head-on.
Its cruel eyes gleamed with something like disdain.
The pink beam was slow — too slow.
The first time it was caught off guard, but after that, it learned.
This tiger dominated several kilometers of forest because of that terrifying intelligence.
Smug in its cunning, it leapt to Foxxy's right.
Claws poised to carve him into pieces.
In its mind, victory was already certain.
It could already imagine this annoying little human lying broken beneath its paws.
"Whoosh!"
But in that split second, Foxxy switched hands —
The machete ended up in his left hand.
His right hand snapped up, forming the orchid-finger again.
A Slow-Slow beam shot out —
Right into the tiger's face.
The world stuttered.
The massive beast froze mid-leap, eyes widening in shock as its body hung in the air like a poorly animated puppet.
"Young tiger, you're still too green."
Foxxy walked up casually and tapped the tiger's frozen face with the machete.
His own eyes gleamed with smug satisfaction.
"Since you've worked hard these days, I'll let you off.
But seriously — brush your teeth. Your breath is toxic."
Pinching his nose, he backed away, waiting.
3… 2… 1.
Snap.
Time resumed instantly.
The tiger crashed headfirst into the dirt, eating soil before it even had a chance to roar.
It scrambled up, baring its fangs at Foxxy — but didn't come closer.
"Alright, time's up. I'll come bother you again tomorrow."
Foxxy waved and dashed into the forest, vanishing in a heartbeat.
The tiger stared for a long moment.
Then, tail tucked between its legs, it turned and bolted into the deeper forest.
It was planning to move.
Embarrassing as it was, that human was growing stronger every day.
It couldn't win anymore.
Foxxy had no idea of the tiger's decision.
He was too busy thinking.
A Dangerous Realization
Something was off.
The Slow-Slow Fruit couldn't slow a target's thoughts.
Only physical movement.
This was a problem.
He thought of Conqueror's Haki — a power that worked on spirit, mind, and will.
A true king's disposition.
If he encountered someone with Conqueror's Haki in the future, how would he fight them?
Of course, Foxxy didn't realize he was overthinking things.
The odds of meeting a Conqueror's Haki monster by chance were practically zero.
And even if he did — by then he wouldn't still be this weak.
Plus, he'd only been training for a month.
He was still a kid.
But he couldn't stop worrying.
He mulled over it again and again.
Until—
He looked up.
Thick black smoke billowed into the sky.
His face changed instantly.
That smoke came from the direction of the village.
A terrible premonition struck him.
Foxxy broke into a sprint.
Hell Arrives in the Village
A pirate crew had landed. No one even knew when their ship appeared on the shore.
A skull flag snapped in the wind.
Forty armed pirates stormed the village, cutting down anyone in sight.
There were no warnings, no negotiations — just killing and plundering.
"Hahaha! Kill them all! Take everything!"
A scar-faced brute bellowed orders.
Behind him, pirates wielded blades, laughing as they slaughtered unarmed villagers.
"Abis!"
Kot, clutching his wife's hand tightly, lay on the ground. Their son had already fallen in a pool of blood. Kot himself had been kicked by a pirate — several ribs broken, breath shallow.
A hideous pirate grabbed Abis by the arm.
Kot forced himself up, blood spilling from his lips.
"Let her go!"
His courage burned bright for one last moment—
Slash.
A blade flashed.
Kot's head flew off and rolled across the dirt like a ball.
Blood spurted from his neck as his body collapsed.
"Ko—Kot…!"
Abis screamed, tears streaming.
Women across the village suffered similar horrors.
The men fought, but against seasoned killers, they stood no chance.
Chaos.
Fire.
Blood.
Hell.
Foxxy Arrives
"Whoosh…"
A pink Slow-Slow ring flashed —
The hideous pirate froze instantly.
Foxxy lunged out from behind cover, swinging his machete with all his might.
A deep cut opened across the brute's neck.
Blood oozed out slowly, unnaturally sluggish.
Foxxy kicked the man aside, grabbed the trembling Abis, and dragged her into a broken hut.
Through a crack in the wood, he watched the pirate collapse.
When the Slow-Slow effect ended, the man died before he could even scream.
Fortunately, the chaos outside kept others from noticing.
Foxxy's breathing hitched.
The courtyard outside was a nightmare — Kot's headless body lay on the ground, blood pooling beneath it.
His severed head had rolled until its empty, bloodshot eyes stared straight into Foxxy's hiding place.
"Ugh—!"
Foxxy gagged, bile rising in his throat.
His hands shook uncontrollably.
This was the first time he had killed a man.
A real person.
Not an animal.
Not a monster.
A living human being.
Even after 40 days in this world, he wasn't mentally prepared for this.
Not truly.
He thought he had adapted.
He thought he was ready.
But reality was harsher.
Bloodier.
Crueler.
He wasn't ready.
He still needed time…