Chapter 90: Tri-Force Demonstration: Life or Death!
THUD!
As Vice Admiral Harmo's body fell to the ground, Roy slowly landed.
Looking at the massive crater spreading across the ground and the broken trees surrounding it, he nodded silently, then continued walking deeper into the forest.
"The power is good, but... still not quite right."
As he walked, he frowned slightly. "Where did I go wrong?"
Muttering to himself, he recalled the scene he had just witnessed.
It was the moment Harmo used the 'Spear of Elbaf'.
In Roy's mind, every detail of that strike was vividly replayed.
The muscle changes, the body movements, the bulging veins, even the redness of the skin caused by accelerated blood flow—details almost invisible on a normal human, but clear as day on a Giant.
Of course, an ordinary person couldn't memorize all these details.
But Roy could.
[Human-Human Fruit LV5: Gain the limit of normal human intelligence.]
"I didn't expect the Human-Human Fruit to have this use."
He muttered internally, feeling his previous judgment of the fruit was too hasty.
"It's a pity Vice Admiral Harmo only used it once... I need to find someone else to practice on."
Just as Roy was thinking this...
The countdown above him continued to tick down.
[Devil Fruit User 'Sora' discovered]
[Confirmed Devil Fruit: 'Paramecia · Reverse-Reverse Fruit'. Analyzing and saving to Fruit Encyclopedia.]
[Fruit Ability: Can reverse the properties of physical objects. Ineffective on living flesh. Reversal itself causes no damage.]
[Effects by Level]
[LV3: Gain full fruit effect. Can reverse the properties and mechanisms of physical objects. Liquid becomes solid, solid becomes liquid. Requires 500 Million Berries for Unlock.]
[LV4: Fruit Deep-Dive Development. The concept of 'reversal' broadens. Even the taste of food and the properties of medicine can be reversed. Requires 1.5 Billion Berries for Permanent Unlock.]
[LV5: Fruit Awakening · Reversal Corridor. Ability affects the surrounding environment, freely controlling the reversal of objects within range. Requires 8 Billion Berries for Permanent Unlock.]
[Analysis Progress: 0%]
"Hm?"
The voice from the Encyclopedia perked Roy up.
He immediately switched to his "Five Senses Enhancement" loadout and picked up sounds from the surroundings.
"Over there!"
With a leap, he headed toward the source of the sound.
As the analysis progress began to move, Roy saw two people.
The area was clearly battle-scarred.
But the fight was already decided.
"Hehe... truly trash."
In the center of the battlefield.
A winged Sky Islander wrapped in bandages lay on the ground.
It was 'White Wing Knight' Hasmod.
The ground around him had turned into a muddy swamp, trapping his body.
Beside him, his spear had melted into a puddle of blue liquid.
Standing over him, a sinister man with a long tongue mocked him coldly.
"White Wing Knight? Just trash from a non-human race."
"Trash like you daring to appear before me, the guardian of the great Celestial Dragons... makes me sick."
He spat, his voice filled with pride.
Yes—he was Sora, Vice Commander of the Holy Land Patrol, the 'Shield of the Celestial Dragons.'
A loyal dog of the Celestial Dragons, he despised all other races.
"I heard your Sky Guard is full of trash like you, which is why you were attacked and couldn't do anything about it, right?"
He sneered.
Then, his venomous tongue continued. "Oh, not just you... Except for those living in the Holy Land, everyone else is trash too."
"Marines, National Guards... all trash. Recently, that 'Zodiac' even stole the Celestial Tribute, angering the great World Nobles!"
A few sentences revealed the origin of his nickname, 'Vile Tongue.'
"We... are not..."
Hasmod struggled to speak.
But Sora stomped on his face.
"Hah!?"
Sora sneered. "What do you mean 'not'? The guy who attacked you was a Sky Islander too, right? And..."
He waved his hand, and the mud turned into blades, slicing off Hasmod's bandages, revealing hideous scars.
Branching red marks and burns covered his entire body.
Roy recognized them instantly—Lightning scars.
"..."
Roy frowned, a guess forming in his mind.
Meanwhile...
"Look at you... I heard your Sky Guard lost over 500 men that day? In the end, a big shot from Mary Geoise had to come personally to deal with the intruder..."
When Sora said this, Hasmod growled.
"Shut up!"
He glared angrily, memories of that nightmare three years ago flooding back.
The lightning falling from the sky, the sneering figure, and his dead comrades.
But most importantly...
"After so much sacrifice, we caught him!"
"But that guy from Mary Geoise just took him away, along with the interrogators and the files, and never came back... Bastard! Bastard!"
He roared.
They had captured the enemy, interrogated him, and were about to execute him.
But he was taken away, along with all witnesses and records. To this day, Hasmod didn't even know the enemy's name!
He had asked the Commander of the Sky Guard, but received no answer.
It was as if his fallen comrades had never existed. As if the humiliation suffered by the Sky Islanders and the Sky Guard over the past three years was deserved.
"I came to the Tri-Force Demonstration to wash away this shame!"
He shouted.
But the next moment...
"You trash!"
With a roar, Sora's spikes pierced Hasmod's body, eliciting a groan of pain.
"That lord from Mary Geoise is someone even I am not qualified to meet... How dare a mongrel like you call him 'that guy'!?"
Sora ground his teeth.
Then, he grinned savagely. "It doesn't matter—the Tri-Force Demonstration is life or death... After saying that, don't expect a quick death."
Just as he was about to torture Hasmod further...
"What a coincidence."
He heard a voice.
"Who!?"
He turned instinctively.
Roy walked out of the forest.
"Roy Amos!?"
As a fellow participant, Sora recognized Roy instantly, his expression changing drastically.
Clearly—after the first two rounds, most participants were wary of Roy's strength.
Sora was one of them.
So...
"Why... why are you here?"
He tried to calm himself. "I have no intention of fighting you—the rule is to survive for three hours. Fighting is meaningless."
He said.
"'Vile Tongue' doesn't sound very vile right now."
Roy grinned, continuing to walk toward Sora.
"You're right, the rules say that. But... it's just a coincidence."
Sora didn't understand. "...What? What coincidence?"
What is this guy talking about?
But in the next moment, he knew.
Because...
"Coincidence means..."
"First, I happen to have a question for Mr. Hasmod here."
Roy raised his hand level with his chest. "Second, I happen to need a punching bag."
"And you happened to appear in front of me."
He grinned.
His eyes held a piercing chill.
"Tell me—isn't that just too coincidental!?"
As the words fell.
Sora saw... Roy's fist flying toward him.
"And you said one thing right."
"Tri-Force Demonstration... Life or Death!"
☆☆☆
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