The two CP0 Agents disguised as Redfield and the Baroque Butler didn't even manage to send a message before they were exposed and captured.
The World Government's undercover operation had just lost two CP0 elites cultivated for years.
"Captain! Here are their transponder snail!"
"Wonder if we can feed the World Government false intel."
Kiel Bastard had fished several special transponder snail off the half-dead CP Agents.
"Won't work. Agents always exchange codes."
"Precisely to stop hijacked snails from spreading fake news."
Maron, West Blue's Mafia boss, knew the drill.
"Then beat the code out of them!"
Stussy narrowed her eyes—this was her specialty.
"These are World Government CP tools; if you think you can crack them, be my guest."
Maron puffed his cigar impassively. If those CP puppets broke that easily, they wouldn't be the Government's shadow hand.
"Even if I can't, Fang Huo's seven star demon sword will!"
Stussy smiled confidently; with the Government planting moles and the Gorosei descending to hunt Fang Huo, he had to be furious by now!
Fang Huo must be livid!
"Don't kill them—wait till Fang Huo gets back to deal with them."
Rocks was equally furious; the Red Line Island fiasco had wiped out the Baroque clan and nearly cost Fang Huo his life.
A total disaster!
If they didn't hit back after repeated World Government strikes, they'd be seen as pushovers.
They had to wipe out a few Marine Branches and rob several heavenly tribute shipments!
And if any Celestial Dragons showed up—slaughter a few!
After tamping down his rage, Rocks followed Fang Huo's advice and headed for Little Garden to find the two giant Captains.
To see if they could recruit them.
—Meanwhile, in Drum Island's snowy forest—
Fang Huo was in a foul mood; he'd inadvertently caused the death of count red, Patrick Redfield.
Honestly, he hadn't meant to.
Who knew the Government would act so fast and so ruthlessly, exterminating the Baroque clan and replacing them with CP Agents.
All to infiltrate the Rocks Pirates!
'Sorry, count red—I snatched your Vampire Fruit and got your family killed.'
'I'll avenge you.'
Fang Huo sighed, guilt gnawing at him.
But he quickly shook it off.
Blame the Government's cruelty and the Baroque clan's bad luck.
Perking up, Fang Huo flew among the towering trees and released six soul worms, rapidly sensing Devil Fruit energies.
He scoured the snowy forest at break-neck speed.
Moments after he passed, an old woman stepped out from behind a giant trunk, stunned.
It was Dr. Kureha, who'd entered the woods to gather herbs.
"What's that guy doing—searching for something?"
She saw six eerie soul flames around the stranger—something she'd never witnessed.
Some kind of Devil Fruit power?
Fang Huo moved too fast for her to make out his face.
Yet at another gathering spot she again saw that streaking figure.
She guessed he was hunting for something.
But she had no wish to provoke an unknown.
She deliberately avoided him—only to run into him again at a new site.
Kureha cursed under her breath.
She almost thought he was stalking her.
Only when she returned to ground he'd already searched did the encounters stop.
Fang Huo's nonstop flights spawned a ghost-story about a terrifying phantom haunting the forest.
Many Drum Kingdom hunters now dared not enter.
Five days later—
Fang Huo's eyes were bloodshot; his temper was ready to blow.
He hadn't found the Gulp-Gulp Fruit, nor any Human or Ox fruit either.
"Could those fruits not exist yet—still inside some ability user elsewhere in the world?"
He was going mad, yet Silver Axe and Golden Lion Shiki were still flailing around the North Blue gathering rumors without even pinpointing an island.
At least on Drum his odds were higher.
Rocks had reached Little Garden and was trying to subdue the two giant Captains.
But Dorry and Brogy were pure warriors who'd rather die than serve.
Rocks switched tactics and began befriending them instead.
Now the whole Rocks crew, Newgate included, sparred and socialised with the giants.
Rocks seized the chance to let rookies like Maron train.
Every Executive had to master both basic Haki colours.
On the twenty-fifth day Fang Huo finally sensed a wisp of Devil Fruit energy inside a herd of savage Snow Hippos.
These beasts were even more short-tempered than the Violent Raboons.
In Drum Kingdom Snow Hippos caused more fatalities than Raboons.
"It better be the Gulp-Gulp Fruit!!"
Eyes red, Fang Huo dove into their territory and followed the soul flame's pull.
The hippos roared, jaws gaping as if to swallow the intruder whole.
"Scram!"
Fang Huo unleashed Conqueror's Haki and knocked out scores of them.
Heart pounding, he rushed to a towering tree within the herd's turf.
"Please—not a Hippo or Ox fruit!"
The pull grew stronger as he landed on a thick branch.
There it was: a purple-black fruit shaped like a snarling mouth.
"No wonder Wapol loves hippos—he found his Gulp-Gulp Fruit right in their turf."
Elation soared as he grabbed it, but a soul flame shot into the fruit.
Before he could admire it, the fruit shrivelled up.
His white soul flame morphed into a purple-black, big-mouthed critter—hippo-like yet different.
"The Gulp-Gulp Fruit power is mine!!"
Information from the soul flame confirmed it: the Paramecia Gulp-Gulp Fruit.
His fourth Devil Fruit ability had appeared.
"Let's test it!"
Guiding the Devouring Familiar back into him, Fang Huo opened wide and bit off a branch.
In an instant his body turned into wood.
That was the fruit's devour-process-and-merge ability.
From now on he could become whatever he ate—even forge new alloys.
"Shichiseiken, you're getting a much cooler makeover…"
—