Yes.
Vinsmoke Weevil, the enormous monster standing before them, was a Devil Fruit user.
And just as Judge had said, his ability was extremely unusual.
Although it was a Zoan-type Human-Human Fruit, its basic abilities didn't include the transformations and physical enhancements normally associated with Zoans. Those powers did exist, but they could only be activated after challenging an opponent to a "duel" and winning.
In that sense, the fruit's ability actually resembled a Paramecia more than a Zoan.
But...
"For this monster, that Devil Fruit couldn't be a better fit."
Tiger had already figured it out.
They had only exchanged a single attack, but that was enough for him to be almost certain that Vinsmoke Weevil, just like Edward Weevil before him, possessed physical strength and vitality far beyond anything a normal person should have.
What made Vinsmoke Weevil even more terrifying was that he wasn't merely a stitched-together monster. His body contained the Lineage Factors of three of the world's greatest monsters, Kaido, Big Mom, and Whitebeard.
The Thunder Bagua and Spear of Elbaf he had just used lacked Haki and Devil Fruit powers, but aside from that, their raw destructive force was probably not far behind the originals.
That monstrous physique, combat ability, and terrifying vitality were already formidable enough. Add the adaptability granted by Germa's Lineage Factor modifications, then pair all of that with this Devil Fruit...
It was practically a perfect combination.
"Whoever came up with this pairing really knew what they were doing."
Even Tiger had to admit it. Buckingham's "Life Stitch" had something genuinely unique about it.
Just then...
"Tiger..."
Judge's voice reached him again.
Strangely enough, the ruler of Germa had been gravely wounded for some time and looked as though he could die at any moment. Yet ever since Vinsmoke Weevil appeared, Judge seemed to have found a sudden burst of strength.
Far from fading, his eyes were becoming sharper by the second.
It was as though there was still something he absolutely had to accomplish before he died.
"I want... to ask you for something."
He struggled to look toward Tiger.
"Ask me?" Tiger scoffed. "If you're asking me to save your life, let me remind you, we're enemies."
There wasn't the slightest trace of sympathy in his voice.
And he had every reason to feel that way.
After learning that Judge and Buckingham were the ones responsible for making Edward Weevil one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea and causing the Mont Blanc Island incident, Tiger had come here specifically to kill them.
"I know." Judge gave a cold laugh. "I'm not going to survive. And I wasn't planning to ask you to save me."
He looked over the devastated remains of Germa, every breath rasping painfully from his chest.
Everything he had spent his entire life building had been destroyed in the battle. He knew there was no chance of him walking away alive.
But even so... he couldn't die yet.
"Bakin's Life Stitch hasn't reached the level of a 'perfect stitch.' The agony caused by stitching corpses together, combined with the instincts left behind in those bodies, creates a primitive and chaotic consciousness. That makes the resulting creature difficult to control."
"So, to make sure it could function as a proper weapon, I... 'cough, cough'... used Lineage Factor technology to place a restriction on it."
"Inside that monster is a 'control center.' Only from there... can it be completely controlled."
Judge spoke in a low voice.
"Oh?" Tiger raised an eyebrow. "You're telling me Buckingham is inside it?"
"No!" Judge somehow found the strength to lift his head sharply and stare Tiger in the eye. "That control center can only be operated by a cyborg of the Vinsmoke family."
"The person inside is Reiju!"
He clenched his teeth as he spoke, blood seeping between them.
"Reiju?" Tiger was genuinely surprised.
"Yes... I don't know what method Buckingham used, but..."
Judge raised one hand.
Tiger saw the device he was holding. A pink line representing Reiju was flashing across its display.
"This is Germa's life detector. It works on the same principle as a Vivre Card... Reiju is nearby."
Judge stared firmly at Tiger. "She's inside that monster!"
"I have to save her."
But Judge clearly understood that this alone wasn't much of a reason for Tiger to help him.
So...
"You said your leader, 'Star Lord'... ordered you to kill Buckingham and me, then retrieve something from us, didn't you?" Judge struggled to get the words out. "If it's something the two of us possess, I can probably guess what your leader wants. And that's exactly why... you need to help me."
He opened his mouth and told Tiger something.
Behind his mask, Tiger's brow slowly furrowed.
"..."
He stared at Judge, clearly doubting whether what he'd just heard was true.
"Everything I told you is true! You have to help me. In exchange, you can have whatever you want. Everything Germa possesses... even our lives, if that's what it takes!"
Judge's expression twisted almost savagely.
"No matter what happens, Germa absolutely cannot... 'cough, cough'..."
Tiger fell silent as he watched him.
But at that exact moment...
'BOOM!'
The ground shook violently once more as Vinsmoke Weevil's massive body burst up from beneath the earth.
"DUEL!"
His roar sent the surrounding dirt and sand trembling. The naginata, kanabo, and curved blade in his six hands were raised at the same time.
Then...
"Crescent Slash!"
"Great Virtue Wise King!"
"Spear of Elbaf: Might of the Nation!"
All three heads roared together.
And then the attacks came crashing down.
The naginata unleashed a crescent-shaped slash. The kanabo tore through the air with a deafening howl, while the Spear of Elbaf sent out a booming shockwave. Just like before, every single attack from this monster carried enough destructive power to shatter a mountain or devastate an island.
Yet as the attacks came toward him, Tiger merely raised one hand again.
"Fine. It's troublesome, but if it's necessary to carry out the Leader's orders..."
He didn't seem concerned about the incoming attacks at all. Instead, he was still responding to Judge's earlier request.
'Bzzz...!'
Without warning, the gravity around them changed again.
"Idiot!"
Seeing this, Buckingham's mocking laughter echoed from inside Weevil, growing even more arrogant.
She knew exactly how the Gladiator Devil Fruit worked. Once a duel was declared, the two participants could only affect each other through close-range physical combat.
And Buckingham was certain of one thing.
'This Tiger guy's ability is terrifyingly powerful, but it's clearly a long-range type. There's no way it strengthens his actual body.'
To her, Tiger's actions were proof that he had no idea how Weevil's Devil Fruit worked.
Which meant...
She could already picture the outcome: Tiger, full of confidence, being hacked into four pieces by Weevil.
"It's over! The ability I chose for Weevil is unbeatable!"
"Hohohoho~! Let the highest-ranking officer of the Twelve Zodiac die here and become the first step in my conquest of the seas!"
She burst into laughter.
But in the very next instant...
Her laughter died in her throat.
Because...
'BANG!'
As Tiger raised his palm, Weevil's attacks stopped for the briefest moment.
Then, exactly as before...
They rebounded.
And that still wasn't the end of it.
Tiger gently clenched his raised hand.
'Bzzz...!'
An unprecedented gravitational force descended from every direction, instantly locking down all six of Weevil's arms along with both of his legs.
"AAAAARGH!"
Weevil let out an instinctive scream of pain.
He had already begun adapting to Tiger's gravity earlier. But the gravitational force crushing him now wasn't merely twice as strong as before.
It was on an entirely different level.
[Vector Enhancement: Supergravity Field]
"I-Impossible!"
"Weevil wasn't even touched! How can your ability affect him?!"
Buckingham cried out in disbelief.
She couldn't understand it. Could the Antoria "Gladiator" Devil Fruit she had obtained actually have been a fake?
"I already told you." Tiger smiled. "This place... is my domain."
As he spoke, his gaze shifted toward Weevil.
Or rather, beyond Weevil.
Across the entire Germa Kingdom.
To everyone else, there was nothing left throughout the kingdom except shattered walls and ruins. But through Tiger's eyes, countless tiny transparent particles were floating everywhere around them.
Dust.
[Sand-Sand Fruit Lv. 4: Can generate enormous quantities of sand and dust, and control all surrounding sand, dust, and airborne particles.]
[Clear-Clear Fruit Lv. 5: Can make objects transparent so they neither absorb nor reflect light. After Awakening, transparent objects can even lose their sense of presence, making them nearly impossible to detect.]
Yes.
Even among all the Fusion Devil Fruits Roy currently possessed, the Push-Pull Fruit was absurdly powerful. It combined offense and defense, had tremendous versatility, and almost no obvious weaknesses.
Almost.
There was one limitation.
Like the Vector Devil Fruit from which part of its ability originated, it worked best through direct physical contact. Saint Pierre, the owner of the Vector Devil Fruit, had overcome that weakness through a suit of armor built with ancient technology.
Tiger had found a different solution. And it was the one he was displaying right now.
That was right.
The mountains he had brought over at the very beginning of the battle had never been meant simply to trap Germa. Their true purpose was to make sure that Germa, a mobile kingdom with no real natural soil of its own, would have enough dirt and sand for massive quantities of dust to fill the air.
And thanks to the Clear-Clear Fruit, none of it could be detected.
But that wasn't all.
[Push-Pull Fruit Lv. 5: The user can attach the fruit's power to weapons or other objects. Such objects are treated as extensions of the user's body and can be used as mediums to activate the ability.]
Yes.
Vinsmoke Weevil's ability had activated exactly as intended. As long as Tiger's actual body never touched him, Tiger's power indeed shouldn't have been able to affect him.
But...
"Wherever my domain reaches..." Tiger smiled. "...my body reaches as well."
(End of Chapter)
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