As Hanafuda's head fell deep into the ground below,
Zishu didn't pause for even a second. Taking a step forward, he entered the pocket dimension.
Inside the pocket dimension were some water and food that had been prepared beforehand. Zishu grabbed them and started eating as he continued moving toward the final battlefield.
"Sure enough, the combination with the Multiplication Devil Fruit is reasonable. Even without using Giant Soldier's Hand, Zishu can now deal with some powerful opponents with tremendous vitality and physical strength."
As he advanced, rocks and barriers along the way were casually cleaved apart by slashes. Beneath the mask, Roy silently analyzed the situation.
Yes.
When Roy created the clones, he naturally understood their strengths and weaknesses very clearly.
Take Zishu, for example…
Just as Roy had expected, he was the perfect Hitman.
If a specific King needed to be assassinated, no matter how many guards the target had, Zishu could ensure the target's death with ease.
Against people like Cracker and Snack, who were powerful but had obvious weaknesses, Zishu could handle them without difficulty.
However, this clone also had a very clear weakness.
When facing opponents one-on-one who possessed extremely strong vitality and overwhelming physiques, Zishu didn't really have a very good way to deal with them. So after unlocking a new slot, Roy chose to add the Multiplication Devil Fruit to compensate for this weakness.
This Devil Fruit, obtained from the great pirate Byrnndi World in Impel Down, was unquestionably powerful in terms of destructive force.
In fact, Byrnndi World's nickname was "World Destroyer."
"The only unique issue is that using the Multiplication Devil Fruit consumes far more stamina than the Flower-Flower Fruit (Hana Hana no Mi) and the Severing Devil Fruit. Also, because of his physical limitations, the quality of Zishu's Ryuo (Flowing Sakura) is relatively weaker. After the next slot unlocks, it would be best to make up for that weakness." Roy muttered to himself inwardly, but he wasn't anxious.
On the contrary, at this moment he actually felt a sense of satisfaction as a creator.
Watching the clones gradually grow stronger was, in itself, a kind of enjoyment.
While he was thinking, Zishu had already arrived at the final underground cavern.
Through the pocket dimension, he could clearly see the man sitting in the hollow ahead, a robust man wearing half of a clown mask.
Unlike Cracker and Hanafuda,
Drug Peclo was not rampaging around destroying things, nor was he searching everywhere for Zishu.
He was simply leaning against a rock with his head lowered, as if he had fallen asleep.
"Major Undertaker," Zishu murmured.
Among the three targets in this operation, this was the one whose abilities he had initially been the most uncertain about.
However, through Inu, he had already confirmed the opponent's Devil Fruit ability.
It was an extremely troublesome ability. That was also the reason he had chosen to deal with this man last.
"First, I need to confirm one thing." Muttering softly, Zishu aimed at the King of Hitmen and lightly pointed a finger.
"Ryuo (Flowing Sakura) — Infusion."
"Severing: Shadow Assault — Fivefold ×10 Speed!"
He didn't hold back at all, immediately activating the maximum acceleration of the Multiplication Devil Fruit.
In the next instant…
"Buzz!!"
From beneath the rock where the Hitman King was sitting, enormous black blades wrapped in Ryuo (Flowing Sakura) surged upward. Like gigantic spider legs, they snapped upward at a speed the naked eye could barely capture.
"Shhk!"
The sound of blades piercing flesh rang out as blood sprayed into the air.
The Hitman King's arm, head, and body were almost instantly cut apart.
"Bang!"
The shattered corpse fell silently into the quiet darkness of the underground cavern.
With just a single strike, the battle seemed to be already over.
But…
"…"
Zishu showed no sign of relaxing. He simply stood quietly inside the pocket dimension, seemingly waiting for some kind of change.
In fact, he didn't have to wait long.
Soon…
"Buzz!!"
In the pitch-black underground, a light began to shine.
It was sunlight.
This should have been something unbelievable, how could sunlight exist at such a deep underground location?
The answer was…
"Finally… it's here." A low voice sounded out.
It came from Drug Peclo's severed head. The grotesque clown mask was smeared with bright red blood, yet he stretched out his tongue and licked the blood from his lips, as if savoring its taste.
At this moment, the light was erupting from the scattered fragments of his body.
As the sunlight burst forth, the severed muscles, bones, and even internal organs began intertwining like vines, rapidly reconnecting with each other.
In the blink of an eye, "Major Undertaker" had reappeared within the underground cavern.
Beneath the surface of his skin, it seemed as though sunlight was flowing inside his body, forming dazzling golden patterns.
Seeing this scene, Zishu's expression grew solemn.
"As expected…"
He looked at the resurrected figure, and in his eyes appeared the information that Inu had previously analyzed.
[Devil Fruit user detected: "Drug Peclo."]
[Devil Fruit confirmed: "Special Paramecia - Sunflower Devil Fruit." Parsing and storing in the "Devil Fruit Encyclopedia."]
[Devil Fruit Ability - Can absorb and store light energy, granting the body immense strength and extraordinary regenerative abilities.]
[Ability Levels]
[LV3: Can sense the location of the sun. The body can absorb light energy, and under sunlight all physical attributes are greatly enhanced. Unlock cost: 1.8 billion Beli.]
[LV4: Deep Devil Fruit development. The body's cells can store light energy, though the storage speed is slow. Even without sunlight, the stored energy can be used for combat. When sufficient light energy is available, it can be consumed to gain extreme vitality. Eternal unlock cost: 30 billion Beli.]
[LV5: Devil Fruit Awakening —-Incarnation of Light. Absorbs and detonates all stored light energy along with surrounding light energy, entering the "Solar State." For a short period, the user gains near-immortal characteristics and tremendous power. However, after use the body enters a weakened state for a certain time. Eternal unlock cost: 11 billion Beli.]
Yes.
"Major Undertaker" Dracula Drug Peclo was also a Devil Fruit user.
Moreover, the fruit he possessed was an extremely rare Special Paramecia-type Devil Fruit. That was why, at the very beginning of the battle, Zishu chose to bring this least-understood Hitman King deep underground.
Aside from hiding the traces of the battle, a large part of the reason was also to limit the opponent's abilities.
The earlier slash had already proven that the opponent's regenerative ability was indeed as terrifying as the Devil Fruit description suggested.
However, Zishu clearly had no interest in talking with him.
Without hesitation, he raised his hand again.
"Severing - Thousand Blades!"
Another thunderous wave of slashes tore Drug Peclo's body apart once more.
The blood that burst out again announced it clearly… The final battle in this deep underground cavern…
Had officially begun.
(End of Chapter)
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