The scan results quickly appeared:
[Attributes]: Strength: SSSS-, Agility: SSS+, Defense: SSSS-, Spirit: SSSS-
[Possessed Abilities]: SSSS-level Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki), SSSS-level-minus Ryūki Karin (Dragon Aura Scales), SSS+-level Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki), SSS-level Ryū I (Dragon Might)
[Devil Fruit / Special Ability]: Nomu Nomu no Mi (Devour-Devour Fruit) – fully awakened
[Overall Strength]: SSSS
Creed hadn't intended to check at first, but once he did, he couldn't help being shocked.
He knew the king of Drum Kingdom, Wapol, possessed the Baku Baku no Mi (Munch-Munch Fruit), which could devour and fuse all kinds of substances.
The highly popular, wildly in-demand "Wapol Metal" that later flooded the market was his masterpiece.
So what was the relationship between this Nomu Nomu no Mi (Devour-Devour Fruit) and the Baku Baku no Mi (Munch-Munch Fruit)? Just thinking of the Munch-Munch Fruit's properties made Creed instinctively wary.
However, his surprise was quickly overshadowed by delight.
Because on Aegis's body, there were several powerful abilities that he could extract.
SSSS-level Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki).
SSSS-level-minus Ryūki Karin (Dragon Aura Scales).
And Ryū I (Dragon Might).
Since Creed could now enter Shinryu Mōdo (Divine Dragon Mode), those two dragon-related abilities were particularly important for him.
"System, extract his Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki). Once that's successful, move on to Ryūki Karin (Dragon Aura Scales) and then Ryū I (Dragon Might)!"
Creed immediately ordered the system.
He had tried extracting Kaido's SSSS-level Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) in the past, but his own foundation had still been too shallow and the extraction time too long, so it had ultimately failed. Now that such an opportunity had presented itself, there was absolutely no way Creed would let it slip by.
"This Aegis really came at just the right time."
Creed stared at him without making a move. Every second he could drag things out was another second earned; he had to get these abilities today, no matter what.
However, he certainly didn't intend to show the same mercy to the other Marines.
Boom!
He struck out with his left hand into empty air. Pale, clear cracks in space instantly extended outward in all directions.
As those clear fissures spread, heaven and earth themselves began trembling violently.
But this tremor had a clear direction; it wasn't like earlier, when it had blasted out indiscriminately across all sides.
"Kong!"
At first, Aegis thought Creed was attacking him and immediately raised his guard. He hadn't expected Creed to feint toward him and then strike elsewhere, making him shout out in shock.
Creed's target was not Aegis at all, but the fresh forces led by Kong that were just about to enter the battlefield and start reaping heads.
Boom, boom, boom!
Far off on the sea, the surface suddenly surged up and down wildly. The difference in height between the peaks and troughs reached one to two hundred meters, as if the ocean had been cut into uneven layers.
Not only that, but colossal waves rose one after another. The seawater churned in all directions, up, down, left, and right in pure chaos, forming massive whirlpools that spun madly.
In an instant, Kong's fleet was scattered. The ships swayed violently, all falling into deadly peril.
"Damn it!"
Kong leapt to the prow, looking out at the scene below and in the distance, his brows knitting into a huge "川".
In just a few seconds, his fleet was already on the verge of sinking.
Creed's monstrous power was enough to make anyone despair.
The Gura Gura no Mi (Tremor-Tremor Fruit) truly lived up to its title as the Devil Fruit that could destroy the world.
"Marshal Kong! What should we do?!"
Cold sweat streamed down his adjutant's forehead as he shouted in panic.
On the other ships, the officers were all sending urgent requests for instructions, adding to his confusion.
One wrong decision here and it could mean the total annihilation of the entire fleet.
The reappearance of the Gura Gura no Mi (Tremor-Tremor Fruit)'s power—and this time, it was targeting the entire fleet under Marshal Kong—sent the global broadcast's popularity soaring yet again.
Many people were marveling at how terrifying the Tremor-Tremor Fruit truly was, while others were quietly wondering if this meant Whitebeard was indeed already dead.
On Whale Island, the old man watching the TV screen wore an expression of absolute disbelief.
"Gurararara… Creed, brat, when did you copy my fruit's power without me even noticing? You really are something."
Whitebeard was still drinking, but his grin looked genuinely pleased.
Creed's performance today was simply too dazzling.
In a hazy way, he even saw a reflection of his younger self in the boy.
Back then, he too had fought such decisive battles against the powers of the era, defeating one strong enemy after another and laughing proudly over the seas.
The title of "World's Strongest Man" had been earned through battles just like this, one victory at a time.
"Old man…"
Marco, standing beside him, looked anything but pleased.
The power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit was his father's signature ability—how had that damned Creed managed to copy it too?
Even so, deep down, he had to admit how ridiculous Creed's rumored Copy-Copy Fruit really was.
It was entirely possible that the world's strongest Devil Fruit was actually Creed's Copy-Copy Fruit.
Just thinking about the fruits Creed currently possessed was enough to give anyone chills.
The Goro Goro no Mi (Rumble-Rumble Fruit), giving him control over lightning.
The Ope Ope no Mi (Op-Op Fruit).
The Hie Hie no Mi (Ice-Ice Fruit), giving birth to his chilling Ice Sword Intent.
The Pika Pika no Mi (Glint-Glint Fruit).
And now even the Gura Gura no Mi (Tremor-Tremor Fruit)…
"Gurararara, Marco. Isn't this a good thing? At least in Creed, I can see a continuation of myself. It's just a pity that brat refused to become my son."
Whitebeard sighed slightly, but then something else came to mind.
"Has that brat Ace still not sent any news?"
When it came to carrying on his mantle, Ace was the true heir. With no word from Ace recently, Whitebeard was increasingly on edge.
Perhaps he really should have listened to that red-haired brat back then and recalled Ace first.
"I heard he was heading for Banaro Island. I've already sent Vista and the others after him."
Marco thought for a moment before replying.
To recall Ace this time, he hadn't just dispatched Fifth Division Commander Vista. The other division commanders had been anything but idle; they were all out searching along the routes Ace was likely to take.
But the news they were getting back was deeply worrying.
Blackbeard had left the Whitebeard Pirates not long ago, and in a short time had gathered a group of powerful, vicious criminals to form the Blackbeard Pirates. They had been undefeated so far, and their infamy in the New World was growing rapidly.
For Ace to face such a pirate crew alone was insanely dangerous.
"…Didn't think he could copy it to this extent. My time with this power is almost at its end."
A moment later, Whitebeard's entire focus returned to the TV screen, his expression stunned.
With a single strike from nowhere, Creed had made the shockwaves bypass Aegis entirely and slam instead into Kong's fleet hundreds of miles away. The finesse of that quake surpassed even his earlier net of spatial fissures that had bound Akainu.
This was true, deep-level world-shaking.
"At this rate, it won't be long before he completely masters the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit."
Whitebeard let out another sigh, his voice tinged with a faint loneliness.
Like an aging master who'd finally found someone to inherit his legacy, there was a vague sense of his life's wish being fulfilled.
Marco saw this look on his face and felt his eyes burn.
His father's illness was getting worse by the day. How many more years he could hold out was a huge question mark.
"Maybe… I should go and beg that Creed."
Deep in his heart, he made up his mind.
His own medical skills were excellent, but compared to Creed, who held the Ope Ope no Mi (Op-Op Fruit), he was still at least one entire tier lower.
For the past several centuries, everyone who'd inherited the power of the Ope Ope no Mi had become the world's greatest surgeon without exception.
What Marco had no way of knowing was that, in Creed's eyes, the Ope Ope no Mi was far from his most important fruit—and he hadn't even bothered to awaken it yet, much less use it to save someone like Whitebeard, whose illness had long since progressed beyond saving…
Just as Kong and the other Marines were falling into panic and helplessness, utterly at a loss…
(End of Chapter)
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