"War Bull – Million-Impact Hammer!!!"
With overwhelming momentum, the gigantic fist smashed forward like a massive siege ram, hurtling straight toward Mafia Victor!
"The game is over, Mr. Pippin."
A faint smile appeared on Mafia Victor's face.
He raised his left hand high, extending his index finger toward the sky before slashing it sharply downward.
"Metal Zipper – Steel Chain Fingers (Sticky Fingers)!!"
With a flick of his hand, the tip of Mafia Victor's index finger stretched outward infinitely. A golden zipper shot forward with a piercing whistling sound, slicing through the air like a razor-sharp whip blade toward Pippin's incoming punch.
BZZZZT! BZZZZT!
Contrary to Pippin's expectations, the thin zipper blade did not shatter upon impact.
Instead, accompanied by that eerie buzzing vibration, the chain blade tore through his massive fist like paper, cleaving it cleanly in half!
Blood sprayed everywhere.
Muscle fibers and pale bone were clearly visible at the severed cross-section.
"AAAAAARGH!!! My hand… my hand… damn it!!! Impossible!!!"
The enormous minotaur clutched his severed limb and roared in agony.
He couldn't believe it.
Why?!
This was just a seventeen-year-old brat!
He had eaten the Devil Fruit less than three minutes ago!
What kind of monster was this?!
The crowd that had been watching from afar had already scattered like frightened birds.
Only Colonel Crone of the Marines remained standing in place, a bead of cold sweat sliding down his temple.
He knew the legend of the Chain-Chain Fruit well. The Marines considered both the fruit and its former user a disgrace.
Yet this young man had developed its power to such a terrifying degree.
If Crone had seen correctly, Mafia Victor had just separated the tip of his index finger using a zipper, leaving only a single row of teeth before extending it infinitely.
The strange buzzing sound came from the zipper teeth spinning at high speed—creating a destructive effect similar to a chainsaw.
What Colonel Crone didn't know was that Mafia Victor had eaten the Chain-Chain Fruit less than five minutes ago.
This level of talent could no longer be described as genius.
Calling him a monster would be more accurate.
Mafia Victor… what a terrifying man.
If such talent were used for evil, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Colonel Crone didn't even realize that he had subconsciously begun referring to Victor as a man rather than a boy.
On the battlefield, Pippin—gravely wounded—panted heavily.
Yet instead of losing his fighting spirit, his rage only intensified.
"Victor… you bastard… you had your eyes on the Chain-Chain Fruit all along, didn't you?"
His bloodshot eyes burned with fury.
His body swelled even larger than before. The black leather jacket covering his upper body tore apart under the pressure of his expanding muscles, and the steel-like purple bristles on his body stood upright.
"But you should never have provoked me!"
"Even the king of beasts would avoid an enraged bull!"
"Right now… I am invincible!!!"
Mafia Victor curled his index finger slightly.
The zipper rapidly retracted, restoring his finger to its normal state.
"Too insignificant…"
Victor sighed as he gazed at the nearly mindless beast before him.
"Mr. Pippin… you are far too insignificant."
"There are countless powerful figures on the vast seas. A petty gang leader like you—content to rule a small corner without ambition—dares to call himself invincible?"
"Don't make me laugh."
Victor's eyes became more serious than ever before.
"Mr. Pippin, I will not remain in the West Blue forever."
"And you…"
"…will be the first stepping stone on my path."
"Come."
"Just as you wished. Let us decide this with a single clash."
"Hahaha… arrogant brat!"
Pippin's body had expanded to a terrifying seven meters tall.
The massive clouds of steam pouring from his nostrils obscured his face, leaving only two glowing crimson eyes visible.
The two stopped talking.
All their attention focused solely on each other.
Pippin's left fist—large as a millstone—bulged with veins.
Meanwhile, a faint metallic sheen appeared over Mafia Victor's right fist.
In an instant—
The ground beneath both of them exploded simultaneously.
Two figures—one enormous, one small—collided head-on.
"War Bull – Ultimate Killing Roar!!"
"Metal Zipper – Chainsaw Finger Gauntlet!!"
The moment their fists collided was like a cannon shell exploding.
A violent shockwave burst outward, shattering nearby windows as it spread across the street.
A deafening sonic boom followed, kicking up clouds of dust and debris.
Drip… drip…
Drops of blood fell onto the ground.
Pippin, now reverted to human form, swayed before collapsing heavily onto the street.
His entire left arm—from elbow to hand—was gone.
The wound was a mangled mess of flesh and bone, as if it had been repeatedly shredded by a chainsaw.
Mafia Victor slowly straightened up and rolled his right shoulder.
Aside from his slightly pale complexion, he appeared completely unharmed.
Colonel Crone stepped closer to the battlefield.
He saw that Victor's right fist was covered by a metallic gauntlet formed from zippers, the teeth still vibrating rapidly like a spinning chainsaw.
Was the Chain-Chain Fruit really this terrifying?
No.
The terrifying thing wasn't the Devil Fruit.
It was Victor himself.
Not only had Victor mastered the fruit's power, but in terms of raw strength and physical ability he had completely overwhelmed "War Bull" Talma Pippin.
Should I eliminate this threat right here in the name of justice?
Before Colonel Crone could decide, hurried footsteps sounded behind him.
Two men dressed in black rapidly approached the battlefield.
The one in front was a tall middle-aged man with long green hair tied into a ponytail. He wore gold-rimmed glasses and carried a flintlock pistol at his waist.
The other was a short, stout man with an unremarkable appearance. He walked slightly to the side of the green-haired man, his sinister eyes filled with danger.
"Well now, Mafia boy… did we interrupt your little bonding moment with your boss?"
The green-haired man's voice was sharp and unpleasant. He casually drew his pistol and aimed it at Mafia Victor, who stood motionless.
"I never expected the legendary useless fruit to be developed to this level."
"You truly deserve your reputation—Mafia Victor, the man who single-handedly crushed six officers of the Suleiman Family."
Since defeating Talma Pippin, Mafia Victor had been staring thoughtfully at his right hand.
Only after the green-haired man finished rambling did he finally look up at the two newcomers.
"'Gun-Tail Snake' Suleiman Shaon, and 'Bandit' Capone Bege. A pleasure to meet you both."
Victor calmly took out a handkerchief and wiped his right hand, speaking with the casual politeness of a host receiving guests.
"Please forgive us. The Coral organization has some urgent matters to settle at the moment."
"If you don't mind waiting a moment, I'll properly entertain you once I'm finished here."
So it's those two…
The moment Colonel Crone heard their names, he immediately recognized them.
The green-haired man, Gun-Tail Snake Suleiman Shaon, was the leader of the Suleiman Family, a hereditary criminal syndicate controlling the underworld of more than ten towns—including Katsuri Town.
Nicknames rarely lied.
Suleiman Shaon was a Snake-Snake Fruit user, specifically the Needle-Tail Snake form, and he was an exceptionally skilled gunman.
Cold-blooded, stingy, addicted to alcohol and women—he was practically the definition of social scum.
The short, stout man beside him was Bandit Capone Bege, leader of the rising Capone Gang.
The Marines knew little about his ability other than that it was a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit with excellent defensive capabilities.
Capone Bege was equally dangerous.
His personal hobby was beheading defeated enemies and collecting their heads as trophies.
Clearly, the two gangs had joined forces to wipe out the Coral organization while it was weakened by internal conflict.
But the timing of their arrival was suspiciously precise…
"Hehehehehe… Mafia boy, stop pretending!"
Suleiman Shaon's long forked tongue slid from the corner of his mouth like a venomous snake.
"Since Capone and I are here today, we never intended to let you leave alive."
"You—and Coral—will obediently become nourishment for our gangs!"
Beside him, Capone Bege lit a cigar and took a few slow puffs before exhaling a thick cloud of smoke.
A cold smile formed on his face.
"That's right."
"If you can't work for me, then you must be destroyed before you grow into something troublesome."
"Oh—and I should thank you for helping us eliminate that muscle-headed brute Talma Pippin."
"When he goes berserk, he's quite troublesome."
Mafia Victor smiled and shook his head.
He tossed the handkerchief aside and turned fully to face the two uninvited guests.
"Looks like you two didn't come with friendly intentions…"
He raised his voice slightly.
"Time to get to work, Perona."
"Hehehehehe~~ I'm here!"
A playful laugh echoed from above Suleiman and Capone.
They looked up.
Floating above them under a small parasol was a petite pink-haired girl.
Round Two.
Two versus two.