Watching Zephyr abandon the ships and charge straight for Red Leaf Island, Vice Admiral Kadar could only gape in disbelief.
The ships hadn't even reached the shore yet, and the highest-ranking officer on board had already gone rogue? And for what—a bunch of low-level, nobody pirates? Did the Navy really need an admiral personally leading the charge?
"Get the warships moving toward Red Leaf Island's port immediately. Relay Admiral Zephyr's orders to the other vessels," Kadar barked, resigned. With Zephyr gone, he had no choice but to take command. After all, aside from the admiral, he was the highest-ranking officer present.
A pirate with a bounty of 20 million Berries didn't faze Kadar much—but the truth was, on these three ships, at least eighty percent of the crew were ordinary, barely trained recruits. If anything went wrong, the blame would fall squarely on him.
Meanwhile on Red Leaf Island, Wood gripped his sword tightly, its blade still dripping with blood. Around him lay the bodies of fallen Iron Arm Pirates, lifeless and scattered. Roughly twenty or thirty of them—nearly half the pirate crew—now lay slain.
Wood himself was far from unscathed. Countless cuts and bruises marked his body, and his left arm hung uselessly at his side. The bone was clearly shattered. In the world of pirates, such injuries could heal quickly—but for now, his combat effectiveness was undeniably limited.
He swung his right hand, shaking the blood from his blade to prevent his fingers from slipping on the handle. Across from him, Cook glared with pure fury, itching to tear Wood apart with his bare hands.
Cook, too, was not in great shape. The prolonged fight had sapped most of his stamina, and a deep slash across his right eye had caused massive blood loss, weakening him considerably. Yet despite the pain, his hatred for Wood burned far hotter.
Once, the Iron Arm Pirates had sailed from the South Sea with dreams of conquering the New World. But now, barely into the first half of the Grand Line, a greenhorn kid had nearly annihilated his entire crew on a tiny island.
"You slaughtered half my crew," Cook growled, teeth clenched. "You think my damaged eye and near-exhausted body make me powerless? Don't be naive, kid. Restraint isn't something only you know. Today, you'll witness the true forbidden powers of the sea!"
Wood had originally intended a quick, decisive fight. The Red Leaf Island residents, upon seeing his injuries, had spontaneously formed a defensive group to help. But ordinary townsfolk armed with rakes and axes could not possibly match seasoned pirates. Even though they outnumbered the Iron Arm Pirates, casualties mounted instantly.
Wood had hoped to end the fight swiftly to aid the civilians, but Cook's words made him pause. The pirate captain clearly had a hidden trump card.
"The forbidden power of the sea… could it be—?" Wood's suspicion was confirmed as Cook's body began to change.
Skin that should have been human sprouted short fur. His already towering frame shot even higher in mere moments, muscles smoothing under the fur, but his arms and legs grew massively thicker. His mohawk remained, but his rugged face now resembled that of a bipedal animal.
A kangaroo.
"Tch… a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user…" Wood muttered under his breath.
Cook's expression brimmed with pride. He had planned a boast, only to find Wood already knew about Devil Fruits and had correctly identified the type.
"That's right," Cook confirmed. "A forbidden power of the sea, granted by a Devil Fruit, leaves its user abandoned by the ocean. Mine is the Zoan-type Mouse-Mouse Fruit—Kangaroo Form. Zoan fruits amplify the user's physical capabilities, and kangaroos are naturally skilled in striking. You know what that means, don't you?"
Wood nodded. He was familiar with Devil Fruits. Unlike the backward South Blue, the Grand Line's inhabitants had a much broader understanding of such powers and did not gasp at every ability.
Zoan Devil Fruits typically have three forms: normal, hybrid, and full beast. Cook, a mere 20-million-Berry rookie pirate, likely hadn't developed the fruit to its full potential. Yet the revelation alone threw the already chaotic battle into further uncertainty.
In his hybrid kangaroo form, Cook leapt explosively toward Wood. His muscular arms, encased in iron gauntlets, swung a fist through the air with terrifying force.
BOOM!
The punch shattered the ground. A few strands of Wood's black hair whipped upward as he simultaneously dodged several meters away, watching the cracked, web-like fissures spread across the earth with unease.
Using his Devil Fruit, Cook's leaps and strikes were far more powerful than before.
"Tch… my stamina's already this drained? In peak condition, that punch would have split your head wide open," Cook gritted, glaring at the crater his gauntleted fist had carved into the ground. Previously, in this form, a full-power punch had been enough to destroy a Navy corvette.