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Azure Dragon's Power
The Azure Dragon Fruit was of critical importance and could not be mistaken. With this realization, Hikaru no longer hesitated and calmly instructed, "Wait here. Don't do anything rash. Just wait for my signal."
"Yes!" Shura responded hastily, keeping his head bowed. When he looked up again, Hikaru had vanished.
The research institute's outer shell was constructed of metal. Hikaru didn't even need to use his door powers; he could easily transform into lightning and navigate freely within the structure.
While absorbing electricity from the research institute, he politely asked personnel for directions and discovered the location of the artificial Azure Dragon Fruit.
Moments later, Hikaru reached a secret room without encountering any resistance.
He effortlessly slaughtered the CP guards surrounding the secret room. In a flash of lightning, the true form of the artificial Azure Dragon Fruit came into view.
The apple-shaped Devil Fruit featured coin-like ring patterns on its surface. At the fruit's base, a mischievous stem twisted and curved. The fruit was securely contained within a glass case.
In truth, Zoan-type Devil Fruits concerned Hikaru the most, because in this world, Zoan-type Devil Fruits could be consumed by inanimate objects.
Of course, he was familiar with this phenomenon.
He personally knew of five instances. Mr. 4's beloved gun, Lassoo, had eaten the Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Dachshund, while Spandam's sword, Funkfreed, had consumed the Zou Zou no Mi.
Even more extraordinary was Punk Hazard where he currently resided. Caesar's pet was a gigantic creature resembling slime. Originally a gelatinous poisonous gas, it had consumed the Sala Sala no Mi, Model: Axolotl, transforming into its current form.
In Wano Country, the teapot in Tama's house had eaten the Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Tanuki.
There was even a cannon that had consumed the Alpaca-type Devil Fruit - Alpacacino (whose master was Shuzo, a subordinate of Admiral Z), capable of imbuing cannonballs with Haki!
In each instance, the inanimate objects that consumed Zoan-type Devil Fruits gained consciousness and intelligence, even understanding human language.
All evidence pointed to one conclusion: Zoan-type Devil Fruits possessed a "will" of their own!
When Luffy awakened his Nika form, was he possessed by another entity? Or was he influenced by Nika's will? Was he still Luffy?
[The concept of possession originates from ancient Taoism, appearing in works like Zou Arc, where even those who lived virtuous lives could possess others. Naturally, as a "shonen manga," Oda wouldn't depict it exactly this way.]
Hikaru's mind raced with these thoughts. He calmed himself and gripped White Thunder in his hand. First, he needed to confirm whether his White Thunder could absorb the artificial Devil Fruit's power. If not, all his planning would be for naught.
In the next moment, the glass case flew open, and White Thunder enveloped the artificial Azure Dragon Fruit in an instant.
The answer was...
Yes, it worked!
Hikaru sensed the fruit's power in his grasp. After a moment's hesitation, he resolutely absorbed the artificial Azure Dragon Fruit's power!
He reasoned that such immense power within his reach was worth the risk. He could only trust that White Thunder would identify the "will" within the Azure Dragon Fruit as a drawback and eliminate it!
After several breaths, an overwhelming force erupted within Hikaru's body.
"This power... hehehe... HAHAHAHAHA~"
Hikaru laughed wildly, his Conqueror's Haki bursting forth uncontrollably. His laughter and domineering aura seemed to resonate with each other, shaking the secret room to the point of collapse.
No—it was crumbling down!
Massive chunks of ceiling crashed down with deafening noise. Hikaru continued laughing as he transformed into a ferocious Eastern dragon!
His dragon form was so colossal that it collapsed and crushed most of the research institute!
The length of his dragon body stretched at least several thousand meters!
[I've researched extensively—some sources claim 1000 meters, while most suggest Kaido's dragon form exceeds 5000 meters. Judging from what we saw in Wano, it might be even longer! Otherwise, wouldn't Wano Country be smaller than villages in our world?]
[Ultimately, the exact measurement isn't crucial. Just know that Hikaru's dragon form is immense.]
Screams and wails rose from below. People were already stunned by his Conqueror's Haki before being swept aside by Hikaru's massive dragon body. The most unfortunate ones claimed they saw the Pirate King Roger himself!
Even the priests and divine soldiers awaiting orders outside the research institute were affected, the fierce winds throwing them from their mounts.
"Is that... Kaido?"
"Something's not right... Kaido's dragon form was blue!"
"Calabash" Van Bock and "String Master" were more fortunate. Though crushed by the dragon's body, they survived. However, their lower bodies were reduced to unrecognizable bloody masses.
Hikaru paid no attention to any of this. He simply wanted to test his dragon powers and discover their capabilities.
He opened his dragon maw and used Observation Haki to lock onto a massive creature on the island—a fire dragon!
"Divine Dragon Explosive Breath!"
BOOOOOM!
The afternoon sky suddenly brightened as an unstoppable pillar of fire, resembling a laser beam, erupted from Hikaru's dragon mouth.
The distant fire dragon had been flying freely through the sky when it was struck by this vicious surprise attack.
The column of fire engulfed its enormous body, consuming it entirely. The intense heat instantly reduced it to ashes, leaving not even bone fragments behind.
Only its innocent eyes, which contained its soul, blinked in the realm of death, as if to ask: "Where am I? Is this still Punk Hazard?"
BOOOOM!
The fire column continued its path, eventually striking the boundless ocean and vaporizing a vast area of seawater.
As the water vapor rose, it was swept up by the resultant waves and violently crashed back against Punk Hazard. The priests could feel the scorching heat on their faces.
The Mera Mera no Mi? Could it be that powerful? Of course, Hikaru wasn't targeting Ace—after all, the young man didn't have much time left.
The experiment continued. Hikaru swiped his dragon claws and targeted the giants hiding behind distant tall mountains—the "Snow Mountain Brothers," Lock and Scourge!
"Divine Dragon Wind Cutter!"
An extremely sharp wind blade formed between Hikaru's claws, whistling through the air and leaving strange marks in the void.
"WOOOOO..."
The wind blade was so sharp that it sliced through mountains and rocks, cutting the "nimble" Lock and Scourge in half, leaving deep bloody wounds that gushed crimson.
The agonized cries of Lock and Scourge echoed throughout Punk Hazard, causing everyone focused on Hikaru's dragon form to shudder with dread!
The pair were orcs from Snow Country, wrapped in furs with amazing defensive capabilities. Standing over 40 meters tall, they towered half a body length over average giants.
However, to the extraordinarily massive Hikaru, such differences were no longer worth measuring.