"Weevil!"
"What is it?"
Hearing Ren's question, the not-so-bright Edward Weevil froze in confusion. His expression was still fierce, but his actions halted mid-swing.
"Did you eat a Devil Fruit in the past?"
"Ah… I think so… My mom said I ate something called the Self-Healing Fruit!"
Upon hearing that, Ren's brow furrowed deeply. His gaze swept over the stitched scar circling Weevil's neck, and his heart trembled.
Did this guy… really have the power to instantly regenerate himself?
"Wait a minute—was this guy's head actually chopped off before?!"
The realization struck Ren like lightning. His battle spirit blazed even hotter, surging through his eyes like wildfire.
If Edward Weevil had indeed consumed the Self-Healing Fruit, then his monstrous endurance made perfect sense.
After all, Devil Fruits could evolve and be trained. Maybe Weevil had developed his fruit to boost his strength and speed as well.
Just like the Saiyans in Dragon Ball—each time they were critically wounded, they'd rebound even stronger.
And in a world like this, where Devil Fruits exist, freakish abilities like this were hardly out of the question.
"Excellent. Since you're so cooperative… let's keep fighting!"
Ren grinned and burst forward again like a bolt of lightning.
Their clash resumed in full force.
The naginata came down. Ren's iron fist met it with a thunderous blow.
CLANG!
Blade and fist collided with equal power.
But under their feet, the ship's deck split apart again—this time forming a chasm more than ten meters long.
Through the cracked floor, the ocean below was faintly visible. The ship was a wreck.
Not that Ren cared. He was having the time of his life.
Another heavy punch whipped through the air, howling like a hurricane.
BOOM!
His fist struck Weevil squarely in the head. A sickening crack rang out, like a skull being crushed.
But Weevil, who might've had his head severed before and lived, just shook it off like nothing had happened.
Ren felt a chill creep up his spine.
He took advantage of Weevil's dizziness and gave him a powerful kick, sending the brute flying.
"Damn it… this guy's like an immortal cockroach!"
Ren cursed under his breath. His strength was already at the top-tier Warlord level—but dealing with an enemy that wouldn't die was giving him a headache.
He stomped into the air, sending a white shockwave rippling outward.
Then he raised a single glowing finger.
"Laser Finger Gun!"
A brilliant beam of energy shot forth—condensed from the power of the Glint-Glint Fruit and fused with the precision of the Six Powers' Finger Gun technique.
SHHHK!
The golden light pierced through Weevil's chest, leaving behind a smoking, bloodied hole.
Ren lowered his hand, staring at his opponent in surprise.
Before his eyes, the gaping wound began to close.
Not even three seconds passed before it had fully regenerated—leaving behind no scar, no mark, nothing.
"…Holy crap. That's terrifying. This guy's recovery is on Majin Buu levels!"
Ren's face twisted. Enemies like this were the worst.
Now he understood how even someone like Zephyr had lost an arm to this freak.
Enraged by the wound, Weevil roared and threw a powerful punch.
Whoosh!
It passed right through Ren's afterimage.
Using the speed of the Glint-Glint Fruit, Ren had already moved out of range.
Though unharmed, his expression had grown serious.
Weevil's self-healing really was monstrously strong—even if his neck were chopped off again, he might still regenerate.
This was going to be a long fight.
Ren stomped down hard again. The deck shattered. The entire ship trembled.
With explosive force, Ren surged forward and reappeared right in front of Weevil.
"I'LL KILL YOU!!"
Weevil howled, naginata locking onto Ren's body like a predator.
He slashed horizontally.
CLANG!
Ren's iron fist struck with thunderous speed, catching the naginata mid-swing.
Twisting his body, his Armament Haki spread across his limbs. He spun, then unleashed a brutal roundhouse kick straight at Weevil's skull.
BOOM!
A massive blast erupted on impact. Gale-force winds swept outward, and Weevil's head was smashed downward—slamming into the deck and forming a crater a hundred meters wide.
With that devastating blow, Ren leapt back and stood on the crater's edge, expression cold and eyes locked on the pit.
Chunks of iron plating tumbled down as smoke and dust swirled.
From within that crater, like an unkillable cockroach, Weevil rose again.
"This is insane. Is this guy truly immortal? Now this is going to be a problem. Ren, don't let your guard down!"
Far away, Zephyr—who was already overseeing the cleanup—had been watching the entire battle unfold.
His heart pounded in his chest.
What kind of monster was this? How could anyone tank so many hits and keep coming?
It wasn't fighting. It was cheating.
Wounds healed instantly. No matter how heavy the damage, he always got back up.
He was the absolute worst kind of opponent.
The kind you could never kill—only delay.
And worst of all?
Whitebeard Jr. had no intention of letting them walk away.
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