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Without a doubt, the figure that suddenly appeared was familiar to all three of them.
He was the reason they had gathered there.
The Twelve Zodiac
"Zishu!"
He was right there on the island, beside them.
"You really live up to your reputation for being elusive, you bastard," Cracker said with a ferocious grin. "And that Devil Fruit user from earlier is called 'Inu'?"
That code name alone spoke volumes.
The one who had masqueraded as "Miss Spider" was actually a high-ranking officer of the Twelve Zodiacs who had never appeared at sea before.
"Looks like our plans have been completely exposed, huh?" Hanafuda, with his arms crossed over his chest, glanced at Drug Peclo beside him.
"..."
At that moment, Major Undertaker clenched his fists tight. Beneath his clown mask, his eyes burned crimson, his teeth were clenched, and his face was twisted into a terrifying grimace.
He was consumed by rage, and he was so furious that he couldn't speak.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
In the next instant, the three figures vanished from their positions.
Bang!
Cracker's massive frame erupted with overwhelming power as he swung his giant blade down toward Zishu's head with savage force.
Roar!
Hanafuda instantly transformed into his beast form, his enormous dragon tail lashing out toward Zishu's abdomen with terrifying speed.
Clang!
Drug Peclo's scythe emitted a blinding radiance as it hurtled toward Zishu's neck.
The combined Haki of the three nearly shook the entire cavern.
But...
Shhh.
Zishu merely glanced at them and whispered, "Quiet down."
As he spoke, three doors materialized in midair and instantly swallowed the trio's attacks.
With a single step, Zishu vanished into thin air.
The next moment...
Bang!
Countless blades erupted from every corner of the cave.
"It's his ability!"
"It's just as troublesome as the rumors say!"
Hanafuda and Cracker immediately frowned upon seeing this.
Indeed, even now, there was no consensus on the exact nature of Zishu's power. However, rumors had spread based on the traces left by his assassinations.
It was said that the Great Officer of the Twelve Zodiacs could move through the air and conjure blades from thin air to strike enemies beyond their line of sight. Therefore, they instinctively activated their Haki Cover to defend against imminent attacks.
But...
Hm!?
In the next moment, their expressions twisted in shock.
Because...
Slash!
To their astonishment, the blades erupting from every corner of the cave weren't targeting them... but rather, they were targeting the... ground!
Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!
Under their wide-eyed gaze, countless slashes sliced through the cave's rock walls and boulders as easily as through liquid.
And then...
"!!!" *3
In mere moments, the trio realized that the visible sky through the cave's ceiling was rapidly receding.
Suddenly, they felt weightless... they were falling!
Though they stood firmly on the ground, they were now plummeting underground. If anyone had been able to witness the changes occurring deep within the island, they would have been horrified.
Centered around the cave where the three stood, massive hands were carving through the island's interior.
The ground, sliced open by forces like blades, softened and folded like paper. Then, it was kneaded and reshaped by those gargantuan hands.
In that instant, the entire island transformed into an enormous "Mountain Block," folding and shifting endlessly in the hands of the player known as "Zishu."
Remarkably, however, no matter how the interior contorted, the island's exterior stubbornly retained its original appearance.
It was precisely under these circumstances that the foundation of the island beneath the cave was completely hollowed out. This caused the trio to plummet ceaselessly underground until they reached the lowest level of the island.
And hot on their heels:
Boom!
Boom!
Layer upon layer of "mountain blocks" were stacked relentlessly, blocking the sunlight and severing the trio's view of the surface world. The ground beneath their feet was fragmented and walled off by massive earth barriers.
By the time they finally crashed into the subterranean depths,
The three of them had been completely separated.
...x3
Staring at the dramatically altered landscape around them, they were etched with disbelief.
"What exactly is this guy's ability?"
They couldn't comprehend what was happening.
...
Meanwhile, above ground, Zishu stood in the now completely hollowed-out mountain cave.
Beneath his mask, his eyes tracked the changes displayed on the luminous screen.
[Fusion Devil Fruit: Judgment Devil Fruit LV5].
[Fusion Materials: Dice-Dice Fruit LV4 + Scissors-Scissors Devil Fruit LV5].
[Devil Fruit Ability: Simultaneously combines the abilities of two Devil Fruits. Grants the body's physical strength and blade transformation effects from the "Slash-Slash Fruit," along with the cutting and slashing capabilities of the "Scissors-Scissors Fruit."]
[Additional Fusion Devil Fruit Ability: Free Judgment.]
[You can select different "modes" for your slashes, divided into "Judgment," "Severance," and "Annihilation."]
[Judgment: Capable of severing any inanimate solid matter and reshaping its form. Even Haki-enhanced materials can be easily cut through; however, only the outer layers are affected, leaving the internal structure intact. Cut objects will regenerate after a short period.]
[Severance: When facing living beings, this mode significantly enhances the damage dealt by slashes, allowing them to pierce the body's surface and destroy its internal structure.]
[Annihilation: A Devil Fruit Awakening effect that allows you to sever non-physical entities and energy, completely obliterating their internal structure. This mode consumes vast amounts of stamina.]
Yes, the technique Zishu was using was Judgment, an ability granted by his Fusion Devil Fruit, the Judgment Fruit. By combining it with the Flower-Flower Fruit (Hana Hana no Mi), he could reshape the entire island's terrain at will.
The technique was called:
"Void Slash: Judgment – Island Blocks."
"I tried to control it, but there's bound to be a slight disturbance. It should be fine, right?"
After completing this feat, he looked toward the cave exit and murmured softly to himself.
Then, he stepped out.
A door materialized out of thin air on the ground. Zishu leaped through it, diving into the underground depths.
Simultaneously, outside the island:
Rumble!
Miss Spider stood outside the cave, sensing the tremor beneath the island.
The tremor wasn't massive, but it wasn't insignificant, either.
Therefore...
Brrr-brrr.
Brrr-brrr.
The Den Den Mushi suddenly rang in her hand. Miss Spider showed no sign of panic as she looked at the device.
Nine fox tails swayed behind her, their colors constantly shifting. The three most extraordinary tails suddenly dissolved into strands of fox fur cascading from her back.
Then, an extraordinary phenomenon occurred.
As the fur hit the ground, a swirling cloud of iridescent smoke rose from it.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
The swirling smoke coalesced, and three figures materialized from thin air: "Hanafuda," "Cracker," and "Drug Peclor."
Miss Spider... no, Inu, watched this unfold, remaining completely impassive.
"This time, it cost me a fortune," She murmured.
The luminous screen of the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia was clearly visible in her eyes:
[Fusion Devil Fruit — Dog-Dog Fruit, Thousand-Faced Nine-Tails Form LV5].
[Synthesis Materials: Dog-Dog Fruit, Nine-Tailed Fox Form LV5 + Clone-Clone Fruit LV3."]
[Devil Fruit Effect: Simultaneously combines the abilities of two Devil Fruits, granting an additional enhancement to the Dog-Dog Fruit's Nine-Tailed Fox Form's imitation form change ability.]
[Effects at Each Level:]
[LV3: Gains all Devil Fruit effects. Can incarnate as the Mythical Beast "Thousand-Faced Nine-Tailed," acquiring a Zoan Form transformation that significantly enhances all physical attributes. By touching another person's body parts, can freely transform into them, even if the target is wearing armor or clothing. Can Log their appearence even when the target is armored or clothed.]
[ LV4: Devil Fruit Deep Development ] [ - After Form Change, can copy the target's life force and gain a portion of their memories, up to a maximum of one month. ]
[ LV5: Devil Fruit Awakening·Thousand-Faced Fox - Gains the unique Awakening transformation of a Zoan Fruit, with flames swirling around the body. Can achieve a 'Perfect Form Change'. After Form Change, can obtain the target's abilities and physical attributes, but in a weakened state. ]
[Additional Fusion Effect - Nine Tails, Nine Aspects ]
[Both the main body and each fox tail can store one 'Perfect Form Change'. The fox tails can split and transform independently. If a fox tail clone is defeated, the corresponding tail will disappear and regrow as a new tail without a stored Form Change after three days. ]
[ Whether it's a fox tail or the main body, only one transformation can be maintained at any given time. ]
[Unable to Replicate Self]
"Level 5 of the Nine-Tailed Fox Devil Fruit, plus Level 5 of the Scissors-Scissors Devil Fruit, plus Zishu's Devil Fruit... Almost the entire second installment from the Revolutionary Army and the Baroque Works profits went into this." Inu murmured, her gaze drifting toward the distant coastlines.
As she spoke, the Awakening of two Devil Fruits and the basic enhancement of another had nearly drained Roy's hard-won financial stability.
But without a doubt, if this experiment succeeded...
"It will all be worth it."
Murmuring to herself, she finally answered the still-ringing Den Den Mushi.
Click.
As the Den Den Mushi connected, an urgent voice immediately crackled through the speaker:
"Lord Spider, what was that tremor just now? What happened?"
"Big Mom and the Hanafuda people are in a frenzy! What should we do?"
Having inherited Miss Spider's memories, Inu recognized the speaker as one of the leaders of the Hitmen guarding the perimeter.
Clearly, the earlier tremor had caused widespread panic outside.
But...
"It's nothing. Probably just a seaquake," Inu said calmly, her gaze drifting to Hanafuda and Cracker beside her, and then to Drug Peclo standing beside her.
With serene composure, she stated the 'facts': "The meeting went smoothly. Nothing happened."
(End Of This Chapter)