Bang!
The bullet instantly pierced the guardrail and shot into the sea.
Chomp!
Blood dripped as a single finger was plunged into Parodi's heart.
"The weak can only obey the strong." Aeridar slowly pulled out his finger and lightly flicked the blood from it.
"Urgh..." Parodi's mouth opened, but no sound came out.
"Parodi-san!"
Golaru cried out in alarm.
Thump!
Parodi's body swayed and fell to the deck.
"Parodi-san!" Golaru yelled, his eyes turning bloodshot. "You bastard! I'll kill you!"
With a savage cry, Golaru took a big step, charging forward as his body swelled, transforming into a three-meter-tall chimpanzee.
"A Zoan-type user, is it... How grotesque," Aeridar said, his face expressionless as he glanced at his opponent, completely unfazed.
"Gorilla Fist: Monkey King's Fury!!"
The massive monkey leaped into the air, the muscles on its thick arms bulging as if to tear through the very air as it brought them down with a powerful smash.
Rumble!
With a massive crash, countless wood splinters flew outward. The bow of the ship sank violently as the stern shot up, and a powerful gust of wind kicked up a large cloud of dust.
"Damn it!"
Standing at the edge of the bow, a four- or five-meter-wide hole had appeared on the deck in front of Golaru. Fine cracks radiated out from it in every direction.
Whoosh!
Bang!
A black blur suddenly flashed by, striking Golaru's chest with a violent blow.
"Gah!"
He felt as though his heart had been blown to pieces. With a surge of intense pain, Golaru spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying, smashing heavily into the main mast.
Rumble!
The main mast snapped and fell. Golaru's body was caved into the deck, which was now riddled with a dense web of fine cracks.
"Your business may be big, but your combat ability is pathetic. The Komodo Merchant Guild? Hmph. Do you really think you're safe just because you're backed by the World Government? How laughable," Aeridar said, standing in the exact spot where Golaru had been, a look of contempt on his face.
"Rokushiki: Rankyaku." Aeridar lifted his leg and kicked the air.
A blue-white slash flew rapidly through the air, heading straight for Golaru.
'Shit! I'll die!' Golaru's beastly instincts screamed at him, and he felt his scalp tingle with intense danger. He quickly rolled to the side to dodge.
Rumble!
There was a deafening sound.
"Ahhhh!"
"My hand!"
Amidst blood and screams, a long, narrow crack tens of meters long appeared on the deck. Even the ship's structures were sliced clean in half.
"The Rokushiki of the World Government!" Golaru recognized the technique.
Blood dripped from Golaru's mouth, and he managed to stand up, then touched his chest. He thought to himself, 'Three broken ribs. I can't beat him.'
Though he didn't consider himself a good person, Golaru's duty as the chief bodyguard was to protect both Chairman Parodi and the cargo. Now, with Parodi dead before him and the cargo still at risk, he couldn't bring himself to run away.
"Die!"
While Golaru was distracted, Aeridar appeared before him like a ghost and threw a punch in the air.
Rumble!
An impact wave burst forth, enveloping Golaru and sending him flying.
The impact wave continued to extend, shattering the deck and causing the ship's buildings to collapse. The ship was in complete disarray.
In the wreckage at the stern, a monkey covered in wounds was buried under various pieces of wood, steel, and other debris.
The gravely wounded Golaru felt a burning sensation throughout his body, accompanied by a tearing pain. Unnoticed by anyone, his wounds were healing at a visible rate.
"Ahhh!" Golaru let out a bloodcurdling scream, as if he couldn't bear the waves of pain wracking his body.
Thump... thump... thump... thump...
A sound like a giant heartbeat echoed.
"Hmm?" Aeridar, who was about to turn away, frowned. He felt a sound that had been faint moments ago suddenly grow louder.
Rumble!
"Roooar!"
The debris exploded, sending countless planks and steel bars flying. A monkey nearly four meters tall appeared before Aeridar, its crimson eyes filled with a horrifying fury and killing intent.
"Whoa, whoa... This is..." Looking at the body that was now completely free of wounds, Aeridar seemed to have figured out what was happening.
"Awakening... Yes, a Zoan-type Awakening!"
"Rooooar!"
The response to Aeridar's words was a beastly roar that shook the entire area, even generating powerful gusts of wind.
Thump, thump, thump, thump...
The monkey hammered its chest, then charged forward, its heavy footsteps cracking the thick deck.
"Is this... a failed Awakening? Hmm... not a complete failure, either." Aeridar was intrigued. The monkey's eyes held nothing but ferocity and killing intent, with no trace of humanity left.
Rumble!
Carried by a sharp gust of wind, the monkey's punch slammed down, creating a large hole in the spot where Aeridar had just been.
"Just as I thought. He only knows how to throw punches without thinking." Aeridar stood with his arms crossed on the ship's guardrail.
There was no technique, no proper way of putting power into the punch. The opponent was simply relying on its raw strength, throwing punches like a beast.
"Rooooar!"
The monkey roared and threw another punch.
Boom, boom, boom, boom...
The broken ship continued to shake. The monkey that Golaru had become chased Aeridar, smashing the ship apart as if trying to demolish it. Yet, it couldn't land a single hit on Aeridar.
"It's my first time actually seeing a Zoan-type Awakened user," Aeridar said, observing the creature with curiosity.
There aren't many Devil Fruit users in the world, and even fewer who have awakened their abilities. Aeridar himself was an awakened Paramecia-type user.
However, even for Zoan-types, which are considered easier to awaken, there are many who fail. That's why Awakened users are so rare and are usually world-renowned powerhouses.
Golaru's current state was like that of the four Jailer Beasts in Impel Down; his ability had awakened successfully, but he had lost his humanity, making it a half-Awakening at best.
"Rokushiki: Rankyaku!"
Aeridar swept his leg, kicking out a blue-white slash.
Chomp!
The high-speed vacuum slash struck the monkey's chest. Blood splattered, leaving a long, narrow wound nearly a meter long.
The wound was deep, about two or three centimeters, and blood flowed from it like water from a tap.
However, Aeridar noticed that the long wound on the creature's chest was healing at a visible rate.
"Rooooar!"
The monkey roared in pain, climbing back to its feet with a renewed, even more ferocious aura.
"Interesting. This body might be useful to take back to Dalt and the others for research. After all, an awakened user's body is a great research subject." Aeridar nodded in satisfaction, as if he had just found a valuable product he wanted.