Victor closed his eyes, sensing the new power surging within him.
There was no awkwardness; instead, it felt like an innate talent, a part of him. Victor felt this power was like another one of his arms. But before he could further investigate the Devil Fruit's abilities, an unpleasant voice interrupted him.
"Hey, Victor! Is the Zip-Zip Fruit really that amazing? Show us a demonstration!"
The speaker was 'Three-Fingered Fox' Dam, a tall, dark-skinned man with sharp metal finger guards on his left index, middle, and ring fingers. He was the one who had suggested using the Zip-Zip Fruit as a reward.
Dam believed his strength was second only to Boss Pippin, so he deeply resented Victor, who had just arrived and usurped his title as the gang's top fighter. This time, he was eager to see Victor make a fool of himself. Ideally, Victor would lose his temper and lash out, giving Dam an opportunity to properly teach the brat a lesson!
Victor opened his eyes, coldly glancing at 'Three-Fingered Fox' Dam, then looked at Boss Pippin.
Boss Pippin, lounging on the sofa and casually smoking a cigar, had no intention of intervening.
Clearly, he was planning to enjoy the show.
Victor showed a playful smile and turned back to Dam: "Mr. Dam wants a show? Watching is less fun than participating, wouldn't you agree? Care for a little game?"
Boss Pippin, exhaling a puff of smoke, raised an eyebrow at Victor's words.
This kid has some bite to him, huh? Interesting. Let Dam teach him a lesson, rein him in a bit.
Meanwhile, 'Three-Fingered Fox' Dam, far from being angered by Victor's challenge, was delighted. This is exactly what I wanted; Victor can't stand being provoked. He strode forward, rolling his shoulders with a sneer, "Vik, let's go outside and play. Uncle Dam will make sure you..."
Before Dam could finish, a fist appeared before his eyes! He only had time to raise his arm to protect his face when he felt as if he had been hit head-on by a full-speed rhinoceros. An unimaginable, immense force shot through his arm!
The next second, the bar's stone wall crumbled, and Dam, along with shattered stone and splintered wood, was blasted into the air!
Dam, airborne, was dizzy, and his arm felt completely numb. But before he could react, a powerful pull at his chest violently dragged him towards the ground! Immediately after, a second heavy punch landed squarely on Dam's head!
Crack! Crack! Crack!
With a series of dull, rapid bone-breaking sounds, Dam wobbled and then fell straight down at Victor's feet, a pool of blood quickly spreading beneath him.
Boss Pippin's face darkened. Other subordinates, less skilled, might not have seen it, but he had! When Dam was blasted into the air, a long zipper appeared on his chest, and the other end of the zipper was in Victor's hand!
Dam was like a yo-yo in a child's hand, effortlessly toyed with by Victor until he died.
Hmph hmph hmph... Alright, Victor, I admit I underestimated you. But the Zip-Zip Fruit's auxiliary use ends here. When it comes to raw strength, I'm far superior to you!!
Boss Pippin kicked away the luxurious round table in front of him. Victor nimbly leaped to dodge the flying table and smoothly jumped out onto the street outside the bar.
The onlookers in the distance felt the ground beneath their feet tremble repeatedly. A massive figure within the smoke-filled bar continuously stretched and expanded.
With footsteps growing stronger and stronger, a Giggantic beast, standing 5 meters tall, appeared from the broken bar wall.
This was an incredibly massive Minotaur-like monster. Boss Pippin's usual black jacket and jeans were stretched to their limits. The parts of his body not covered by clothing were covered in steel-needle-like purple bristles, and two sharp, black horns stretched towards the sky. Most terrifying were his blood-red eyes.
'War Ox' Talma Pippin, Animal-Animal Fruit, Bison Model!
"Victor! Do you really think you can defeat me?" The Minotaur, like a colossal tower, snorted white steam from his nostrils, roaring in a deep voice, "Considering your usual obedience, I'll give you one chance. Kneel and repent! Otherwise, die!!"
Facing the Minotaur, who was three times his size, Victor's response was no longer his usual calm, but carried a biting chill: "Then I'll answer you directly, Talma Pippin. From today on... the leader of 'Coral' will be replaced!"
"Victor!!" Pippin let out an enraged roar, lowering his head and aiming his massive, sharp horns at Victor, then charged fiercely.
"War Ox: Impact!!"
The ground trembled as if an earthquake had struck. The Giggantic Minotaur, with unparalleled momentum, instantly charged towards Victor, intending to crush him into a pulp!
"Possessing a treasure without knowing its worth... your understanding of Devil Fruits is far too shallow, Pippin!"
Just as he was about to be hit by the charge, Victor, as if pulled by marionette strings, smoothly shifted several meters to the right, narrowly dodging the powerful collision.
Among the crowd of onlookers, Marine Captain Krone, in plain clothes, narrowed his eyes. He keenly noticed small sparks appearing beneath Victor's feet during his bizarre sideways movement.
This kid... is he using Pippin as a practice dummy for the Zip-Zip Fruit? Although Talma Pippin isn't wanted, the Marine branch, after discussion and research, concluded that if Pippin were to become a pirate, his inherent strength alone would warrant a bounty of at least 40 million Berries!
Isn't he afraid of messing up? What a audacious child...
Pippin smashed through two houses before finally stopping his charge. Just as he was about to turn his head to look for Victor, he suddenly felt a strong gust of wind from his left.
Pippin instantly raised his arm, and with only a slight sway of his body, easily blocked the heavy punch. He was about to return the blow to Victor, but found that Victor had moved back ten meters with that strange sideways movement.
"Victor, you brat! Will you just float around like a ghost?!"
"Oh? It seems Mr. Pippin doesn't like this move of mine, eh? I call it 'Metal Zipper: Spark Pilgrimage'. Isn't it quite fitting?"
As he spoke, Victor easily dodged several more of Pippin's heavy punches.
Again, tiny sparks flickered at Victor's feet. Pippin finally realized that when Victor dodged, two golden zippers appeared on each of Victor's shoes and the ground beneath, their pull-tabs interlocking and locking. The ground zippers seemed to zip up automatically. It was this zipping motion that allowed the kid to move around rapidly like a ghost, dodging his attacks.
Pippin was battle-hardened, and his combat instincts were extremely sharp. In a flash, he devised a countermeasure. He raised his bull's hoof and stomped it fiercely onto the ground!
BOOM!!
The ground cracked, and cobblestones shattered and flew!
Victor stumbled, losing his footing, and the zippers beneath his feet also vanished.
Heh heh heh... as expected! No matter how much of a genius this kid is, he only ate the Devil Fruit three minutes ago. How could the coordination between the Devil Fruit's ability and his body achieve such delicate balance so quickly!
Pippin seized the opportunity, channeling all his strength to unleash a powerful right punch at Victor!
"War Ox: Million Impact Hammer!!"
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