Looking at the unfamiliar, beautiful figure before him, Zephyr's voice gradually deepened.
It was one thing for Reynold not to make a move, but even Nami and Hancock were nowhere to be seen.
Had he really fallen to the point of fighting nameless nobodies?
"Zephyr, defeat Rebecca first before you spout such nonsense."
Reynold chuckled and shook his head.
The Rebecca from before might not have been Zephyr's opponent.
But the current Rebecca, possessing two Imperial Arms, made the outcome of their battle uncertain.
"Hmm?"
Zephyr focused, and a hint of interest appeared in his eyes as he looked at Rebecca again.
Rebecca gazed at Zephyr, her brow slightly furrowed.
This famous legendary veteran now gave her a feeling of being in his twilight years.
As Captain had said, after so many bone-deep blows, the once spirited Admiral had now become disheartened, resorting to such a suicidal method to achieve his goal.
Buzz!!!
Amidst a series of roars, the massive crusher began to turn.
Rebecca immediately composed herself, exhaled a turbid breath, and decisively pressed the Imperial Arms: Transformation of the Beast King on her waist.
Reynold watched with anticipation. Rebecca's pink long hair gradually turned golden yellow, similar to a lion's mane. A white lion's tail grew behind her. Although other parts of her body showed no obvious changes, her overall posture and movements clearly combined some characteristics of both human and feline beasts.
"It's not over yet!"
Rebecca let out a soft cry and activated the Wing Teigu: Mastema again.
Like a curtain falling from the sky, a pair of huge white wings suddenly unfurled from behind Rebecca.
When the wings spread, they were like sky-covering canopies, capable of generating powerful air currents with a casual flap.
The feathers on their surface were distinctly layered, gleaming with a cold luster, their edges like sharp blades.
"What... what is this?!!!"
Zephyr stopped in his tracks, staring at the massive, sky-obscuring wings before him, utterly shocked.
He was knowledgeable and understood many Devil Fruits in the sea.
Even if he hadn't seen some, he had at least heard of them.
But Rebecca's physical transformation completely exceeded his understanding.
He couldn't think of any Animal-type Devil Fruit that could simultaneously possess the characteristics of both a lion and a bird.
"What... what is this??"
"Is she also a Devil Fruit User?"
"Those wings must be over ten meters long, right??"
"Don't just stand there, let's take her down together!!"
After a brief moment of surprise, the NEO Marines aimed at Rebecca and pulled their triggers.
Countless streams of fire erupted, creating a series of whistling sounds as they shot towards Rebecca.
"Child's play!"
Rebecca's eyes were cold. She flapped her wings and soared. As her massive wings unfurled, countless feather blades shot out, attacking Zephyr and the NEO soldiers.
"Quickly, defend yourselves!!"
Zephyr's face changed drastically, and his pupils behind his sunglasses contracted sharply like needles.
Such a large-scale attack, even with just one round of firepower, would cause heavy losses to his men.
However, his warning came too late.
The tranquility of the sea was utterly shattered by continuous, tragic screams.
"You lost!"
A bright sword light and a green figure crossed paths.
A gruesome wound immediately appeared on Binz's chest, extending from his shoulder to his abdomen, with a large amount of blood gushing out.
After a brief struggle, Binz's eyes rolled back, and he fell into a pool of blood with a thud.
The giant vines he controlled lost their power and gradually returned to their original state.
"Phew."
Baby-5 returned to her human form and calmly lit a lady's cigarette for herself.
In this battle, she was ultimately the victor.
"Ah!!!"
On the battlefield not far away, a horrific scream suddenly echoed.
Baby-5 looked intently and couldn't help but gasp.
Shuuzo, known for his physical combat, was covered in black, goosebump-inducing bumps all over his body.
His once robust body now resembled a tattered sack.
After Koala broke through Shuuzo's Haki defense, countless Killer Bees swarmed him; the scene can be imagined.
"You lost!"
Koala kicked Shuuzo in the face.
A broken body flew out, eventually falling into the sea and slowly sinking.
"Not bad."
Koala waved her hand, dispelling the terrifying Killer Bees that surrounded her.
The power of this Devil Fruit far exceeded her imagination.
At the same time, on the icy battlefield not far away.
"Phew."
Monet exhaled a breath of icy air and walked towards the pristine white figure standing motionless.
Ain was covered in ice and snow.
She struggled to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt as if a mountain was pressing down on them.
Even her consciousness was gradually fading.
She recalled the beautiful time she spent training with Teacher Zephyr at Naval Headquarters.
She also remembered the gruesome, bloody scene of pirate attacks during missions with her teacher, which remains a nightmare in her heart to this day.
Everything, like a slideshow, flashed through her mind.
"Sleep. When you wake up again, everything will be over."
Whether it was an illusion or reality, after this sentence appeared in her mind, Ain completely fell into a coma.
Monet sighed softly, picked up Ain by the waist, and flew towards Reynold.
The ice and snow world behind them gradually melted.
At this point, Zephyr's three capable subordinates were all defeated.
Zephyr's eyes were bloodshot, and he watched this scene with fury.
His three beloved disciples, who had willingly abandoned their lives to leave the Marine with him, two were dead, and one was captured.
He had wanted to go and support them midway, but facing Rebecca, he truly felt powerless.
"Zephyr, you're old."
The massive wings stirred up gusts of wind that stung Zephyr's skin.
But constantly maintaining an Armament Haki armor was a great test of his stamina.
Rebecca somewhat disappointedly put away her Beast King Transformation; with Zephyr's current strength, it was clearly overkill.
Just the Ten Thousand Li Flight, enhanced with Haki, was already enough to overwhelm him.
Screech!
Screech!
Dozens of dark feathers successively grazed Zephyr's chest, creating a shower of sparks.
Thump, thump, thump!
Under the powerful impact, Zephyr staggered, constantly retreating.
Rebecca's eyes narrowed, seizing the opportunity.
The dark wings, imbued with Armament Haki, instantly slashed like a several-meter-long blade, cutting a terrifying bloodline across Zephyr's chest where the Haki had just receded.
Zephyr's face turned pale, and he immediately spat out a large mouthful of blood.
That bone-deep wound almost severed all his vitality.
Even the crusher on his right arm showed cracks, as if foreshadowing the imminent end of his decaying body.
"Cough, cough, cough, cough... I can't deny I'm old... cough, cough."
Zephyr propped the crusher on the ground, struggling to keep himself from falling.
Sensing the continuous loss of vitality in his body, a self-deprecating smile instantly appeared on his face.
The nameless nobody he had looked down upon just moments ago had, in no time, pushed him to the brink.
"This day... cough, cough... has finally come."
Zephyr coughed intermittently, and an almost imperceptible hint of determination flashed in his eyes.
From the day he, disheartened, left Naval Headquarters and stole the gunpowder rocks, he had already prepared for death.
He just hadn't expected this day to come so quickly.
What surprised him even more was that he had, by a twist of fate, been defeated by Reynold.
"Hahahahaha... cough, cough... Reynold, do you think you've already won??"
Zephyr, ready to die, suddenly grinned and burst into laughter, looking up at the sky.
"Even if I can't destroy the world, taking you down is a win!"
As he spoke, Zephyr took out a container he carried with him. After opening it, it revealed a glass vessel containing a dark purple substance.
gunpowder rocks, whose power, when detonated, could rival ancient weapons.
One gunpowder rock (explosive) was enough to destroy an island.
"Is that gunpowder rocks?"
Rebecca, who was about to deliver the final blow to Zephyr, suddenly stopped, her expression extremely solemn.
Before this, Reynold had already educated them about it.
She also knew how terrifying the power of gunpowder rocks would be once detonated.
"Hahahahaha! It's too late to be afraid now!!"
Zephyr laughed, his palm gradually turning dark.
Let these evil pirates be buried with him!
"Die, old man!!"
Whoosh!
In a flash of lightning, a ghostly green sword light streaked across, directly severing Zephyr's left arm at the root before he could crush the gunpowder rocks.
With a crackle, a silver-white electric arc flashed. Reynold steadily caught the gunpowder rocks and then stored it in his system warehouse.
"Reno!!!"
Zephyr's left arm was gushing blood, and he was drenched in cold sweat from the pain.
But at this moment, his heart was filled with even more hatred!
He hated that Reno had once again ruined his plans!
Not only had he failed to destroy the New World, but he couldn't even kill Reno.
"Zephyr, you are no longer suited for this world. Rest in peace!"
As soon as Reno's words fell, his dark wings flashed like lightning.
The next second, a head with wide, unwilling eyes was sent flying high into the air.
Zephyr's muscular body crashed into a pool of blood with a thud.
"He's dead! They killed Master Zephyr!"
"Damn it! Let's fight these guys to the death!"
"Fight my ass! Run, now!"
"..."
Grief, anger, and fear filled the hearts of the few dozen remaining NEO soldiers.
Watching Zephyr die before their eyes, everyone panicked.
"Wings of God!"
Arrows of feathers struck again, slaughtering all the remaining dozens!
The entire NEO army, except for Ain, who had fallen unconscious, had no survivors.
"Baby-5!" Reno called out softly.
Baby-5 understood, picked up the giant cannon behind her, aimed, and fired.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
The cannon barrels continuously spewed fire, and cannonballs the size of people ripped through the air, firing one after another.
In an instant, flames shot into the sky, and several ships burst into roaring fires.
After all this was done, Baby-5 put away her giant cannon, leaped, and returned to the airship.
The flames illuminated everyone's faces crimson, and the ships gradually began to creak and crack.
"Let's go."
Reno took one last glance, then controlled the airship and departed safely.
The fire continued, and carried by the currents, the ships gradually disintegrated.
"Rebecca, that move you just did was so beautiful."
"Rebecca, what was that wing behind you called?"
"..."
As soon as they returned to the living room, Rebecca was surrounded by Nami and The girls, chattering non-stop.
They were instantly mesmerized the moment they saw the Thousand Sunny spread its wings.
"H-how can I be as amazing as you say?"
Rebecca's face flushed, and she waved her hand, a little embarrassed.
"What about me? What about me?"
"Was I amazing just now?"
"Did you see what my Killer Bees did to Shuuzo??"
Seeing that The girls' attention was all focused on Rebecca, Koala pouted, a little jealous.
Hancock and the others were stunned for a moment, then recalled the dense, ugly Killer Bees from earlier, and their trypophobia kicked in.
The girls forced a very reluctant smile and said perfunctorily, "Cough, cough, cough, Koala was amazing too."
"Exactly, exactly, your Devil Fruit Ability is also good."
"Koala, keep up the good work."
"Rebecca, let's talk about your Imperial Arm. Did you not use Beast King Transformation just now?"
"..."
Seeing how casually The girls praised her, Koala stomped her foot in anger.
"Where's Ain?"
Just then, Reno and Baby-5 walked in from outside the door.
"Reno, Sister Monet took her into the room."
Shirahoshi whispered in response from the side.
Reno nodded slightly and walked straight towards the room.
Inside the room, the ice and snow on Ain's body had melted, and her body had been wiped dry.
Her breathing gradually became steady and powerful.
Reno thoughtfully covered her with an extra blanket and, while he was at it, planted a Slave Mark in her mind.
Ain respected Zephyr immensely, even willing to sacrifice her life for him.
Such a loyal fan couldn't be swayed by mere persuasion.
When in doubt, directly apply a Slave Mark.
Simple, crude, and effective.
[Congratulations, Host, for successfully recruiting crew member Ain. Do you wish to claim the reward?!]
The system's notification sound followed immediately.
"Claim it immediately." Reno responded without hesitation.
[Congratulations, Host, for successfully obtaining the reward—Paramecia-type • Electro-Electro Fruit!]
Annotation:
: The user can freely control and generate electricity, release small currents to numb the enemy's nerves, causing them to lose mobility, and also release powerful electric beams, powerful enough to destroy a small building.
: The user can construct a powerful electromagnetic field with themselves as the center.
Within this field, the user can freely control all metal objects within it, combining them at will.
: The electromagnetic field can effectively interfere with the enemy's perception.
: The user can convert and utilize their own or surrounding electrical energy.
For example, converting electrical energy into thermal energy to release high-temperature currents, 4.8 converting electrical energy into kinetic energy to gain powerful explosive force.
They can also absorb electrical energy from the environment to replenish their own lacking energy.
: The user can create multiple clones composed of electrical currents. These clones possess a certain degree of autonomous combat ability and can even take damage for the user at critical moments. After a clone is destroyed, it will transform back into electrical current and return to the user's body.
: This Devil Fruit has been optimized by the system and has no side effects.
: If not consumed by the Host, the Devil Fruit Ability can be shared with the consumer.
"Not bad."
After reading the detailed annotation, Reno nodded with a hint of satisfaction.
In fact, his Weather-Weather Fruit also contained electrical elements.
But from beginning to end, he had primarily focused on developing lightning, cloud, and wind elements.
As for other elements, he had only dabbled slightly and had not delved into deep-level development.
Although the electrical element was not weak, compared to the more destructive wind and lightning elements, it was still slightly inferior.
Putting the Devil Fruit into his system warehouse, Reno immediately walked out of the room.
"Reno!"
"Captain!"
"Reno!"
"..."
Seeing Reno walk out, The girls greeted him one after another.
Reno nodded in response to each of them.
"Captain, where are we going next?" Robin asked.
"Wano Country!"
Reno blurted out immediately.
Killing Zephyr and recruiting Ain was just a small interlude on his way to Wano Country.
Now that the matter was resolved, it was time to enter the main plot and recruit the five beautiful women living in Wano Country.
"Wano Country? Is that the territory of Yonko Kaido, the governor of the Beasts Pirates, who is known as the strongest creature in the world?"
"Captain, is Kaido really as powerful as the rumors say??"
"Hahahaha... When you meet him, you'll know if you fight him."
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