"Punch it flying? A mountaintop?"
Perona asked blankly, "Is that something a living creature can do?"
Merlin chuckled lightly. "When you see it one day, you'll understand."
Perona blinked, but quickly put the thought aside. She looked at the ancient demonic corpse, Oars, and sighed, "How are you going to transport such a huge corpse?"
Merlin smiled. The shadow beneath him spread out until it merged into Oars' shadow under his feet. Soon, Merlin's shadow assimilated and took control of Oars' shadow.
As he mentally controlled Oars' shadow, Oars' corpse suddenly moved.
Bang! With a muffled sound, the layer of ice freezing Oars instantly shattered.
Suddenly seeing a sky-covering mass of ice blocks crashing down, Perona screamed in panic, "Ahhh!" But immediately, these ice blocks passed through her spirit body, then were blocked by the shadow curtain rising around Merlin.
At this moment, Oars stood up, his whole body emitting creaking sounds of old metal friction. Merlin looked at the huge shadow beneath Oars' feet. As his stamina consumed, he controlled the shadow to shrink. Simultaneously, Oars' corpse began to shrink along with it.
Finally, at a height and size of about three meters, Merlin slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air. For now, this degree of compression was the limit.
The permanent modification of the shadow was synchronously fed back to Oars' corpse. At this moment, Perona's mouth gaped wide enough to fit a watermelon. Her eyes widened as she stammered at Merlin, "Shadow ability can do this too?"
Merlin glanced at her, the corners of his mouth lifting into a smile. Then the shadow beneath his feet stretched.
Immediately after, Merlin's body size enlarged proportionally. In the span of a breath, Merlin had the size of a giant.
At the same time, the clothes on his body and Zanye also enlarged proportionally.
Merlin felt the rapid consumption of stamina in his body at this moment, as well as the surging sense of power emerging simultaneously.
Looking down at the two women who now looked like mice at his feet, Merlin chuckled lightly. "This ability to change physical form... you two should be able to do it too."
As his words fell, Perona blinked. Her spirit body suddenly grew proportionally, soon becoming the same size as Merlin.
At this time, ice and snow spread, and Monet's figure also surged in size. However, she was a proportional giant made of ice crystals and snowflakes.
For a time, three giants appeared in the valley. Merlin laughed loudly. "Haha! Isn't this interesting?"
Laughter echoed in the valley. Monet and Perona joined in with crisp, melodious cheers. A moment later, the three returned to their original forms.
Merlin controlled Oars' shadow and walked outward. At noon the next day, the three returned to where the ship was docked at the port.
As soon as they returned, Pink came up to meet them. Seeing Merlin, Pink narrowed his eyes and said, "Doffy called me the day before yesterday. He said he has already arranged for people to come and excavate the rare metal veins here.
"We probably need to stay here for a while."
After hearing him out, Merlin looked at the several large ships that had arrived and docked nearby. He nodded slightly. "Got it! But tell your people to be quick. After all, I don't know if Tsuru and the others will suddenly decide to come looking for us on a whim.
"By the way, tell Doflamingo and the others to keep Tsuru occupied during this time.
"Don't let Tsuru and her group have any free time to turn their attention to me."
"Mmh." Pink nodded. "Doffy and the others are already doing that.
"We aren't stupid."
"Good!" Merlin smiled. Then, looking at Baby 5, Merlin asked, "Have you eaten lunch?"
Baby 5 shook her head. "I was just planning to go buy some in town!"
Saying this, Baby 5 asked, "Big Brother Merlin, have you guys eaten?"
"Want to go together?" Merlin asked her. Baby 5's eyes lit up instantly. "Okay, okay!"
Soon after, the four of them went to a restaurant in town for a hearty meal and brought a portion back for Pink.
On this ice and snow island, in the snow mountains not far from the town—near the former Snow Demon stronghold—there was a rich vein of platinum-group precious metals. Inside that vein were super precious metals like Iridium (Ir) and Osmium (Os).
These two precious metals had always been necessities for the forefront of scientific research, and the World Government had always offered bounties for them.
Doflamingo had personally told Merlin that if the harvest of these precious metals was bountiful this time, he could promise Merlin another Devil Fruit as remuneration.
This was also a way for the Donquixote Family to reciprocate Merlin's favor of killing Snow Demon Storm.
This time, the Donquixote Family brought professionals plus over a hundred laborers for exploration, mining, and processing.
Pink went to inspect the mine every day, while Merlin took Monet, Perona, and Baby 5 to the snowy beach not far from the island shore for arduous combat training.
Merlin's role here wasn't mining, but simply strategic deterrence. His main function was to prevent others from coveting the mineral wealth here.
While Merlin led them in peaceful training here, the sea was turbulent. Doflamingo continued to draw the attention of Tsuru and Crocodile.
Clashing with them from time to time. Meanwhile, Tsuru also became suspicious.
On this day, watching the Numancia Flamingo getting further and further away on the distant sea, hesitation flashed in Tsuru's eyes at the bow of the warship. She said to Gion beside her, "Still can't contact Moria?"
Gion nodded. "Ever since we parted that time, there has been no news of him. However, the latest intelligence says his ship seems to have appeared near the Country of Ice."
Tsuru raised an eyebrow slightly. "That guy went to find Oars' corpse.
"Really doesn't keep his word!
"By the way, what about that kid?"
Hearing this, Gion's face instantly darkened. She couldn't help but look down at her collarbone, where a long, narrow vertical scar remained, though healed.
Every time she looked in the mirror while bathing, she would grit her teeth in anger at this scar.
"Don't know. Ever since they parted that time, that bastard Merlin hasn't appeared again."
"I have a bad feeling." A thoughtful look flashed in Tsuru's eyes. "I suspect Moria might be in trouble."
Gion narrowed her eyes, involuntarily thinking of Merlin's ability. "Maybe it's really as you think, Sister Tsuru.
"Moria has lost contact. The only time the call connected, it was that little ghost girl named Perona. Maybe he was really taken out by that kid."
Speaking of this, shock flashed in her eyes. After exchanging a glance with Tsuru, she said, "Probably nine out of ten!"
Tsuru narrowed her eyes slightly. "What exactly are the two of them plotting?
"And recently, Doflamingo's actions have been abnormal too.
"Usually, he avoids me like a mouse seeing a cat, but lately, he appears near us from time to time."
Using Moria's death as an anchor point, Tsuru suddenly felt that Doflamingo's recent behavior was abnormal.
"I'll go find Sengoku. He has an undercover agent with the Donquixote Family. I want to know what exactly they are planning."
Gion watched Tsuru leave, then glanced at Teresa on the deck, who was training hard in Rokushiki and Haki. Relief flashed in her eyes.
From this day on, Tsuru's pursuit of Doflamingo became lax.
To create opportunities for the undercover agent.
After maintaining this state for quite some time, Doflamingo and his group also began to relax.
On this day, an encrypted call reached Admiral Sengoku at Marine Headquarters. After listening... this intelligence was passed to Tsuru's desk.
After reading the fax, Tsuru's face became very grave. Gion, on the sofa in the office, couldn't help sitting up straight, unable to resist clicking her tongue. "That idiot Moria really got taken out. How embarrassing!"
Then she added, "It's been about three months since that day. The intelligence says Merlin is supervising the mining of those precious metals in the Country of Ice.
"And the mining is now in its final stages. If we rush over now, can we still catch him?"
Tsuru thought for a moment. "About right. Let's go take a look then!
"Call Crocodile along. That guy is getting impatient too."
Hearing this, Gion chuckled lightly. "After all, this mission has been going on for quite a while!
"If we're fast, we can get there in about half a month. Hope we make it in time."
In the blink of an eye, it was July 18th.
Early morning.
Although it should be summer in the outer seas, here it was still covered in snow.
Counting fully, they had stayed in the Country of Ice for three and a half months. This period wasn't long, but not short either.
It was enough for the synchronization rate of Merlin's Demon Form to reach 100%.
After the synchronization rate reached 100%, Merlin's physical strength improved significantly.
It could be called a permanently existing Zoan Awakening state.
At the same time, the synchronization rates of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit and Clear-Clear Fruit also reached 43%.
Two special specialties were already in hand.
[Shadow Control]: By equipping the Shadow-Shadow Fruit, you have obtained the ability to freely manipulate and control all shadows and their phenomena.
[Transparency]: By equipping the Clear-Clear Fruit, you have obtained the ability to turn yourself or any person or object your body touches transparent.
And it wasn't just these two special specialties; Merlin's two skill specialties had also transformed.
[Master Level Demon God Visualization]: Struggle and calamity are your innate instincts. You possess a heart of struggle and the will of a Demon God. By visualizing the Demon God in your heart and confronting it, tempering your spiritual will, your self-spirit's resistance to external interference will be moderately increased.
Just as Merlin instinctively felt, when the Demon Form's synchronization rate reached 100%, the Zoan Awakening brought a confrontation of consciousness within the Devil Fruit. But this consciousness had no effect on Merlin, and thus, [Demon God Visualization] naturally transformed successfully.
Not only this visualization specialty, but during Merlin's training with Monet and the others...
Through Rokushiki and his own dynamic and static force, he naturally comprehended a [Beginner Level Taijutsu] specialty.
Moreover, with the training insights during this period, from a commanding height, the level of this Taijutsu specialty broke through the basic level in one fell swoop, reaching [Master Level].
[Master Level Taijutsu]: Through the combination of movement and stillness, your understanding of physical combat techniques has become first-class.
At this moment, standing by the closed window in his room, heavy snow was falling outside.
The cold wind howled.
The equipment slot appeared before Merlin. He looked at the synchronization rates of the three equipped items.
With a thought, he "consumed" the Clear-Clear Fruit. Under the brilliant blue glow, the origin power of the Clear-Clear Fruit was consumed.
Soon, the fourth equipment slot was generated.
In this instant, Merlin instinctively understood what he had gained with the appearance of the fourth equipment slot.
It was Primary/Secondary Authority.
It was the authority to freely decide which equipment would be primary and which would be secondary during equipment synthesis.
Understanding this, the corners of Merlin's mouth lifted slightly. "Not bad!"
Immediately after, Merlin focused on the equipment in the first two slots. With a thought, a message emerged.
[Compatibility: 85%]
During this time, Merlin had discovered that as the synchronization rate of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit increased, its compatibility with the Demon Form also became higher.
Merlin had roughly analyzed the specific growth index. It likely boiled down to the four different stages of acquiring specialties via synchronization rate.
For acquiring specialties, the probability was highest at the four stages of 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% synchronization rate.
Totaling four stages. Dividing the Shadow-Shadow Fruit's current synchronization rate by 4, plus the existing 75% compatibility, roughly equaled the current compatibility value.
"Should be like that."
Merlin thought so, but didn't hesitate. Sensing the abundant stamina in his body, he confirmed.
[Synthesize]
The Shadow-Shadow Fruit was powerful. It could control shadows—entities closely related to one's soul, like a stand—and the coverage of shadow manipulation was vast.
It was fully qualified to be synthesized with the Demon Form.
At this moment.
A brilliant blue halo bloomed in the equipment slot. The two items began to merge under the constraints of the equipment slot's rules.
Merlin quietly experienced the changes in the equipment slot, instinctively understanding the collision and fusion of the two origins.
The constant consumption of stamina.
Until it was almost bottomed out.
The synthesis in the equipment slot was completed.
Merlin looked at the image in the equipment slot. It was a figure like a Demon God with horns on its head, black flames wrapped around its body surface, and covered in strange patterns. At this moment, tentacle-like shadows spread everywhere from the feet of this figure, and behind it, there was a pitch-black shadow covered in flames, standing back-to-back.
Merlin narrowed his eyes slightly. While keeping the name of the Demon Form unchanged, he comprehended the information transmitted from the equipment slot.
[Name: Human-Human Fruit, Model: Demon]
[Effect: After equipping, grants you the ability to transform into an Oni (Ogre/Demon) and wield calamity and shadow. Calamity and shadow follow each other like a body and its shadow; the medium of calamity is shared with shadow.
You are born an Oni who wields calamity and shadow. Your will is the mandate of calamity and shadow.
However, at the same time, you will also possess a restriction from nature (PS: This restriction is integral to this origin power; it can be "weakened" but cannot be erased).]
[Synchronization Rate: 1%]
[Evaluation: A peculiar Devil Fruit origin power ingeniously born from the fusion of three supernatural Devil Fruit origins under your equipment slot.]
Sensing the surging power in his body, a thoughtful look appeared in Merlin's eyes. Calamity and shadow, following like a shadow. In this moment, Merlin instinctively understood the release of calamity.
It could already be released through his shadow.
This would not only become increasingly secretive but also harder to detect.