The giant lion slammed its powerful limbs against the ground, its muscular body moving with astonishing speed, lunging at the nearest target—Rukia Kuchiki.
Nami turned pale at the sight.
But recalling the overwhelming strength of Rukia and the others, her fear quickly subsided.
If they could freeze an entire sea, a mere beast was nothing.
Rukia's expression remained calm as she slowly gripped her Zanpakutō, Sode no Shirayuki.
Whoosh!
Rukia's figure flashed, weaving past the lion's claws with ease. Without even releasing her Shikai, she slashed her blade violently across the lion's abdomen.
Slash!
Blood gushed from the wound, and through the gash, the lion's writhing internal organs could be seen.
The lion let out a pained roar, its eyes wide with shock as it stared at Rukia.
It had expected a small snack, but instead found itself bitten by something wrapped in lethal poison.
After eating the Devil Fruit, the lion had gained intelligence on par with humans.
After being severely injured by Rukia, it became cautious, no longer attacking recklessly.
Seeing the lion make no further move, Rukia did not rush to finish it off either.
Oguro, observing closely, noticed something odd—the wound inflicted by Rukia was slowly clotting, even beginning to heal.
"Huh? An Zoan-type Devil Fruit should enhance physical capabilities, but it shouldn't be this ridiculous," Oguro murmured, a hint of doubt crossing his face.
Then his expression changed.
"Could it be… this lion didn't eat a normal Zoan-type fruit?"
The thought barely formed when the lion let out an enraged roar, its body swelling once again.
Two sharp fangs shot out from its upper and lower jaws, each the length of a human arm. They gleamed with a deadly chill, as sharp as a famed sword.
"Whoa… it's an Ancient-type!"
If he guessed correctly, this was the Neko Neko no Mi, Ancient-type, Lion Form!
"Damn, that pirate got lucky! If he sold this in the Grand Line, it would fetch at least five hundred million Berries!" Oguro muttered.
Unfortunately, the pirate hadn't been lucky enough to sell it before dying at Kurekku's hands.
Once the fruit's powers activated, the lion's body became even more formidable. Though the wound didn't fully heal, the bleeding had stopped.
Feeling the surge of power within, the lion instantly regained confidence. Its gaze locked on Rukia.
This little pest had inflicted such severe damage on it. If it didn't tear her apart, it couldn't satiate its rage.
Roar!
The cave trembled as the lion reared onto its hind legs.
Oguro knew this was the Zoan-type beast-human form, the strongest hybrid state of a Devil Fruit user.
Thud!
The lion's massive feet struck the ground, doubling its speed as it charged at Rukia again. Its claws swung with mountain-splitting force toward her head.
But Rukia, light on her toes, blinked out of sight and reappeared behind its neck, slashing with Sode no Shirayuki.
Spray!
Blood erupted from the lion's neck. It hadn't even noticed how Rukia vanished and reappeared.
In pain, the lion leaped and crashed into the cave ceiling, sending a shower of rocks crashing down.
Oguro frowned.
The lion's thrashing risked collapsing the cave.
"Rukia, finish this quickly!"
Oguro didn't want to be buried here.
Hearing Oguro's order, Rukia focused, chanting her Shikai command.
"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!"
She tapped the blade on the ground four times. A terrifying chill instantly condensed along the edge of her sword.
The lion's keen instincts sensed danger. It turned and bolted for the cave entrance.
Rukia, however, remained standing in place, raising Sode no Shirayuki and pointing it at the beast.
"Tsugi No Mai: Hakuren!"
Whoosh!
A torrent of pure white frost swept through the cave, freezing everything in its path.
The lion, caught at the entrance, froze solid. Its body turned into a massive ice sculpture, still standing on two legs in a fleeing posture, lifelike and imposing.
As expected, there was still a huge gap between its strength and that of its true form.
Oguro thought silently, If he had this level of power and speed, Kurekku wouldn't have had half his body frozen.
With the Devil Fruit gone, Oguro planned to leave.
Nami, however, couldn't resist the scattered treasure and persuaded Rukia and Rangiku Matsumoto to help her gather as much gold and Berries as possible. She insisted that after so much effort, they couldn't leave empty-handed.
Oguro shook his head helplessly but let them do as they wished.
Ding!
Unexpectedly, the system issued a notification.
"A powerful unclaimed soul has been detected. Absorb it?"
Oguro froze.
A powerful unclaimed soul?
What the hell was that?
Through the system, Oguro saw a black, mist-like shape rising from the lion's head.
"Is… this its soul?"
At first, Oguro thought it was just the lion's soul.
Then he realized something was off.
The black soul radiated an aura of evil and curses, unlike any normal spirit.
Suddenly, Oguro's eyes lit up.
"Could it be… the Devil's soul inside the Devil Fruit?"
Rumor had it that every Devil Fruit housed the soul of a devil, granting the eater incredible powers.
Now, it seemed the rumors were true.
"System, how do I absorb this?" Oguro asked eagerly.
"There are two options: First, absorb directly into the system. Soul quality determines the level of reward."
"Second, absorb into a chosen object. That object gains a corresponding special ability."
Oguro's eyes gleamed.
So this was essentially stealing a Devil Fruit's powers.
Normally, when a Devil Fruit user dies, the fruit reappears randomly somewhere.
But the system could intercept it directly!
Another idea struck him.
"System, if I absorb this soul into a fruit, would it become a Devil Fruit?"
The system analyzed briefly, then replied:
"Yes! The host can also consume the Devil Fruit at any time to exchange for system rewards."
Perfect!
Oguro clenched his fist in excitement.
He could both keep the rewards and give the Devil Fruit to someone else if needed—a double win!
Oguro plucked a random fruit from the forest.
"System, absorb the soul into this fruit!"
The Devil's soul poured into the fruit under the system's guidance.
The fruit's surface twisted, finally taking the familiar shape of a Devil Fruit.
"Not only did I uncover the secret of the Devil Fruit, I also got a bonus! Heh, this was worth it."
From now on, every time he killed a Devil Fruit user, he could obtain another Devil Fruit.
"By the way, what reward does this Devil Fruit provide?" Oguro asked, curious.
"Ding! Detected: Neko Neko no Mi, Ancient-type, Lion Form. Can be exchanged for one epic-level lottery ticket!"
***
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