Wang Xiao, confident in his Devil Fruit ability, grinned and charged forward first.
Activating his Devil Fruit ability, his body transformed into a solid fortress-like structure, complete with doors and windows that opened to reveal rows of cannons protruding from within.
This left many of the other Pirate Crew members in awe.
"What a miraculous ability! Tiny figures and cannons are emerging from his body, but how powerful can something so small be?"
"Don't underestimate him. A Captain of a powerful Pirate Crew is never as simple as he appears on the surface."
"With all three Captains attacking together, they should be able to withstand Ye Yu's Slash, especially since it was delivered with just one hand."
...
Wang Xiao let out a low roar: "Castle Blast!"
Instantly, a barrage of cannonballs fired from the cannons. At first, each cannonball was tiny, no larger than a black sesame seed, but as they traveled a certain distance from his body, they suddenly expanded to their normal size, raining down in a dense volley.
This spectacle made the onlookers' eyes light up.
"Truly extraordinary."
"No wonder he claims to be an army all by himself. This ability is incredibly powerful, especially since advanced firearms have disappeared and can no longer be manufactured. With this ability, he's formidable."
"Perhaps his weapons are even more powerful than modern firearms."
...
Suddenly, the sound of explosions filled the air. In front of Ye Yu, flames erupted as dozens of cannonballs detonated, their destructive force surging toward him.
Facing this, Ye Yu sneered. The Strong-Strong Fruit ability belonged to Capone Bege, one of the Supernovas in the world of pirates. Despite his age, Capone Bege was among the weakest unless he transformed into his full castle form, which enhanced his defense. Otherwise, he was nothing special.
With a single slash, Ye Yu effortlessly dissipated the explosive force of the cannonballs. The flames and smoke from the explosions were instantly swept away.
Wang Xiao, standing behind, widened his eyes in disbelief. His attack had been so easily neutralized, and Ye Yu's Slash seemed to have lost none of its power.
"My turn!"
The user of the Cat-Cat Fruit, Lion Form, leaped into the air. A majestic lion's roar echoed as he opened his mouth wide. With the roar, a visible shockwave rippled out, rapidly surging forward.
"Lion's Roar Wave!"
Ye Yu raised an eyebrow. This Devil Fruit hadn't appeared in the world of pirates yet. Given the current progress, many Devil Fruits remained undiscovered.
The Slash cut through the shockwave as if it were nothing. Seeing the Slash approaching, the lion-man raised his arms and swiftly swung them, his claws extending like blades.
"Lion Meteor Slash!"
Instantly, a flurry of sharp blade-like strikes shot out, crisscrossing to form a dense net of blades.
After executing this, he breathed a sigh of relief, believing he could neutralize the Slash. However, the net of blades disintegrated. His eyes widened, his pupils contracted, and he quickly dodged, but not entirely. As he turned to the side, the Slash grazed his chest, causing blood to spurt out. With a cry of pain, he fell from the sky into the sea.
"Captain!"
A Non-Ability User crew member, skilled in swimming, immediately jumped into the water to rescue him.
Gongsun Long's expression changed. He felt the Slash's power was still overwhelming but signaled to himself to stay calm. Opening his mouth wide—far beyond the normal range a human could—he spewed out a chaotic assortment of objects.
The materials included various discarded steel, hard objects, rebar, steel blocks, and even diamonds.
As he spat them out and activated his ability, these materials began to reorganize and condense, merging into something entirely new. In the blink of an eye, they formed a new alloy that didn't exist before, boasting even greater hardness and defensive capabilities.
The other crew members watched with gleaming eyes.
"Is this the power of the Munch-Munch Fruit?"
"This is our Captain's prowess, but it's still early days. We're far from seeing the full potential of the Munch-Munch Fruit."
"Believe it or not, in the future, our Captain will be able to swallow and attack, then spit out everything he's devoured. He'll consume all the defeated Ability Users and possess their powers. With countless Devil Fruit abilities combined, our Captain will undoubtedly become the strongest!"
...
This made many realize that the Munch-Munch Fruit had immense development potential, with countless possibilities.
The new alloy reassembled in front of him, and Gongsun Long felt somewhat reassured, believing it could completely block the attack. To be extra cautious, he peeked his head out from behind the alloy wall and opened his mouth wide, spewing out pistols, cannon barrels, shells, grenades, bullets, and more.
These firearms quickly gathered and reassembled, forming a high-tech weapon that had never existed before—a Laser Cannon. A powerful beam erupted from it with a deafening roar, charging straight toward the Slash.
The beam collided with the Slash, resulting in a sudden explosion that filled the air with blinding flames.
Gongsun Long confidently declared, "The Slash must have been obliterated."
Wang Xiao furrowed his brows slightly, his gaze filled with greed and regret.
"It's a shame that when I entered, the Munch-Munch Fruit had already been chosen by him. Otherwise, I would've definitely picked this ability. Its potential for development is truly immense."
Even Ye Yu's eyes lit up, though he wasn't entirely surprised. After all, the Munch-Munch Fruit was indeed a formidable Devil Fruit. It was just that Wapol from the Pirate King world was too weak, wasting its potential.
The strength of a Devil Fruit naturally depends on the fruit itself, but the user is equally important. Clearly, Gongsun Long also focused on developing his own abilities with the fruit.
Clang!
Gongsun Long's eyes widened in shock as the Slash, still resonating with a metallic hum, broke through the flames with undiminished force. He quickly ducked behind the new alloy.
Bang!
Crack!
The Slash struck the white alloy wall, pausing briefly before slicing through it. Sparks flew in all directions, accompanied by an ear-piercing screech that forced many to cover their ears. The sound was even more grating than nails on glass.
Crack!
A sudden shattering sound echoed as the hard alloy was completely cleaved apart. Seeing the Slash coming, Gongsun Long's body rapidly transformed into a humanoid figure composed of various alloys.
While he dodged swiftly, the Slash still struck him, severing his steel arm, which fell into the sea. With a scream, Gongsun Long also plunged into the water, and the crew quickly jumped in to rescue him.
Wang Xiao's eyes widened. Thanks to the two captains in front of him who had momentarily blocked the Slash, he had a chance to escape. Although he managed to dodge, the proximity still left him grazed by the attack's edge. His clothes were torn, and a bloody gash appeared on his body. With a cry of pain, he landed on the deck in a disheveled state.
The faces of all the crew members turned pale.
"The Slash is coming!"
"Quick, counterattack!"
"It's too late!"
...
They had initially thought that the three captains would be enough to handle the situation, but they hadn't expected the Slash to remain unbroken.
From the moment the slash was unleashed to its arrival, the counterattacks from the three captains, though described in many words, happened in the blink of an eye.
With a thunderous crash, one ship was struck and directly cleaved in half, sending many people flying. Wang Xiao was furious because it was his ship that had been cut.
Ye Yu landed on the bow of the Ba Yu Pirate Crew's ship, his gaze icy, his voice resonating with Haki.
"I'm here to claim the treasure now. If you want to fight, come at me. They'll be under my protection for the time being, so feel free to try your luck."
Instantly, the crew of the Transvestite Pirates, as well as those from other medium and low-tier pirate crews, lit up with admiration. He
was too cool, too powerful.
"I'm willing to hand over a third of my treasure as protection money!"
"Me too!"
(End of Chapter)