Skill 3: Human-Beast Form
The third ability of the ancient Zoan fruit manifested in Elric's mind like instinct made tangible. He could immediately transform into a hybrid state—powerful lower limbs, razor-sharp talons, enhanced jaw strength capable of crushing steel. In this human-beast form, his strength, defense, stamina, recovery, and speed would double again from his already enhanced humanoid stats.
Elric stared at his system panel, completely stunned.
He had known that Zoan-type Devil Fruits, especially the ancient species, provided dramatic boosts to physical capabilities. But this? This was beyond his wildest expectations.
His physical strength value had jumped from 300 to 3,300 in an instant.
Two hundred times the physical strength of an average human being.
And this was just the beginning. This was only at Level 1, in his humanoid form, without activating the hybrid transformation, without using the full beast form, and without leveling up the fruit's abilities any further.
What would he become after a few upgrades? The thought sent a thrill down his spine.
Animal-type Devil Fruits were truly terrifying. Compared to this explosive growth, the increases from the basic Physical Strength Fruit seemed laughable—child's play.
Running the Calculations
Elric's mind immediately began calculating what his new power level meant for his existing abilities.
Operation Fruit — Shambles: Over 600 uses in normal form before his energy would drain completely.
Magma Fruit — Magma Fist: Over 100 full-power attacks before exhaustion would set in.
Glaring Fruit — Emotional Perception: He could keep it activated constantly for an entire day without rest.
Glaring Fruit — Clairvoyance: Hours of continuous use without any trouble.
Magma Elementalization: The energy loss was now almost negligible—hard to even quantify.
The conclusion was undeniable: he had effectively unlimited Devil Fruit stamina now. As long as he didn't intentionally waste power on foolish displays, he simply wouldn't run out of energy.
His abilities had transformed him from a powerful human into something closer to a walking natural disaster.
Beyond the raw numbers and combat calculations, Elric found himself genuinely excited about the Allosaurus abilities themselves. The thought of transforming into a massive prehistoric predator to fight other superpowered beings filled him with satisfaction.
A ten-meter Jurassic beast stomping across battlefields, crushing enemies beneath ancient claws—the mental image was perfect.
He couldn't wait to test his new strength. His fingers itched to activate the transformation immediately.
But first, there was something else that needed his attention.
Elric paused, reaching into his spatial storage. His fingers closed around something smooth and warm—the ability crystal he had obtained from the mutated double-headed centipede back in the supermarket.
He had been too preoccupied with rescuing Rachel and Lily to use it at the time. Now seemed like the perfect moment.
As he withdrew the crystal, it pulsed with an inner light, energy swirling visibly within its translucent surface.
The reaction was immediate.
"What is that…?" Erin's voice came out barely above a whisper, trembling with something between awe and desire.
She stared at the crystal with wide eyes. "I can feel it. It's helpful to my ability somehow."
Now she saw this crystal, and every supernatural instinct she possessed screamed at her: This thing is valuable. This thing can make me stronger.
She wanted it. Badly.
The desire was almost physical, a gnawing need in her chest. But she didn't dare ask for it. Not yet. Absolutely not yet.
This man had nearly burned her alive just two hours ago. Even if she was technically "his woman" now—whatever that meant in this apocalyptic hellscape—it was far too early to start asking him for favors.
Better to wait. Better to observe his patterns and moods. Better to secure a solid place by his side first, earn some trust, prove her usefulness.
The Uncomfortable Truth.
A realization hit Erin like a physical blow, and she couldn't ignore it no matter how much she wanted to.
This man was terrifying, incredibly powerful, rich in supplies, possessed spatial manipulation abilities, and clearly had access to items that could enhance supernatural powers.
The strategic calculation was simple: if she stayed close to him and played her cards right, she could benefit enormously. She could grow stronger, survive longer, maybe even thrive in this nightmare world.
But if she angered him, made one wrong move, pushed too hard—
She would die.
It was that simple.
And then there was... the bathroom incident.
Erin's ears burned red at the memory. She hated that she remembered every detail so vividly. She hated even more that it had been—unexpectedly, confusingly, frustratingly—good.
A phrase from her past surfaced unbidden. Someone had once told her, back when she had first come out: "You only think you like girls because you haven't met the right man yet."
She had dismissed it as ignorant nonsense at the time. Homophobic garbage from people who couldn't understand.
Now, after what Elric had done to her in that bathroom, the way her body had responded despite her mind's protests—
She wasn't so sure anymore.
Her heart was in chaos. Her entire sense of identity felt scrambled.
"No, no, no—absolutely not!" she thought frantically, shaking her head. "I still like girls! Beautiful girls! Pretty girls only! I do NOT have feelings for a man! I refuse! This is just—just physical reaction! Biology! Meaningless!"
She continued shaking her head violently, as if the physical motion could dislodge the uncomfortable thoughts from her brain.
Elric paused mid-examination of the crystal, distracted by movement in his peripheral vision.
He turned to see Erin—who had been leaning comfortably against his shoulder just moments ago—now tossing her hair and shaking her head like a malfunctioning toy.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked bluntly, one eyebrow raised.
His Glaring Fruit ability was still active, and the emotional aura hovering above Erin's head flickered chaotically between different colors: pink shyness, deep red goodwill, and confused gray uncertainty. Her emotional state was a complete mess, contradictory feelings swirling and clashing.
Elric frowned slightly, his analytical mind drawing a simple conclusion.
"This woman's emotions are extremely unstable."
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