Chapter 9

"Beast!"

The terrifying aura of a primordial beast filled the depths of the cave, the无形的压迫感几乎凝结成了实质。

Even with Cui Ze's large heart, he felt a large amount of cold sweat instantly break out all over his body, his back drenched in sweat, a completely instinctive reaction of intelligent beings facing ultimate danger!

"Boy..."

Kaido's bull-like eyes quickly scanned the cave, instantly grasping the situation he needed to understand. His deep voice boomed like rolling thunder, causing dust from the cave ceiling to fall.

"Do you know where the thing in that empty box went?"

Kaido had no time to chat with this weakling who seemed as insignificant as wild grass.

A few minutes ago, in his Qinglong form, Kaido used the fruit's power to unleash a massive "Tornado Bad Wind," summoning thunder and gale-force winds to directly attack the ancient town where the explosion occurred, targeting the group of new Navy recruits who had entered the town.

To protect the seeds of elite Navy soldiers, Zeff was forced to abandon Kaido and leave the sky battlefield.

Kaido finally found the opportunity to break free from Zeff's constant纠缠 and free his hands to do his own business.

Muzan's two children!

Muzan's two fruits!

He wanted them all!

However, Kaido was also very clear that the "Tornado Bad Wind" was not a difficult problem for someone at Zeff's level, so his time was very tight.

Originally, Kaido was determined to get the two ancient animal-type Devil Fruits!

But now it seemed that something had gone wrong...

One of the treasure chests was empty...

'If the heart is as clear as ice, the sky will not collapse...'

Facing the Pirate Emperor's question, which seemed amplified by a megaphone, Cui Ze frantically recited the "Ice Heart Sutra" in his mind. He tried to maintain a tragic and mournful expression, pretending to be calm.

"I don't know."

"Oh?"

Kaido lightly said "oh" and took a small step forward.

This damn oppressive feeling!

Cui Ze almost instinctively drew the weapon, a nail hammer, from his waist. He held the rough wooden handle with both hands, placing the sharp, blood-stained nail head in front of his body.

"Is... this your weapon?"

Cui Ze only heard the first "this" before his vision blurred. A giant fist, as large as a millstone, struck his head like a black lightning bolt.

The nail hammer, raised instinctively, only held for an instant before being shattered by a single punch, turning into a pile of flying metal and wood fragments, like willow fluff scattered in the air.

Bang!

The iron fist, unimpeded, struck Cui Ze's head. The scene in his vision rapidly receded, becoming a chaotic blur of light.

Then, with a "boom," Cui Ze was thrown into the cave wall, dust flying everywhere, his bones almost shattered by the impact.

One punch and he was finished...

Feeling the intense pain spreading throughout his body, Cui Ze's mind turned dark—dark—dark—

Wait?

I'm not dead?

After being hit by Kaido's punch, I'm actually not dead?

The "Iron Head" characteristic of the "Wild Body" quickly flashed through Cui Ze's mind.

What he thought was a peculiar ability turned out to be his lifeline at this moment!

Moreover, the talent description of the "Wild Body" specifically mentioned the "Blank—Ancient—Blank" information.

Does this mean...

The "Wild Body" ability is not yet complete?

It can still be enhanced by fishing for other animal-type Devil Fruits?

Can it continue to gain new, law-level characteristics like "Iron Head"?

Feeling no major injuries, Cui Ze, who was embedded in the wall and couldn't be pulled out, started to drift in thought.

However, while he was lost in thought on the wall, Runti and Pegwan, who were in the cell, almost screamed at the sight of Cui Ze's "pitiful dead face."

The man who had just brought warmth to the siblings was killed by the "Tattooed Dragon Giant" with one punch...

Runti bit her lip hard, and Pegwan clenched his fists, both siblings glaring at Kaido with hatred.

"Weak and useless emotions!"

Kaido's perception was extremely sharp, but he didn't care, just giving a cold snort.

What he cared about more was the whereabouts of the two ancient Devil Fruits!

"Did your dead father Muzan tell you how many Devil Fruits he left before he left?"

Kaido could confirm that the "dead" guy he just "killed" was not a Devil Fruit user, at least not an animal-type Devil Fruit user.

The soil on the two small treasure chests was very fresh, clearly having been dug up not long ago.

If anyone in the cave had eaten a Devil Fruit, in such a short time, they would still be adapting to the animal-type ability.

In other words, they would definitely undergo some degree of animal transformation!

Kaido, who had personally eaten the "Qinglong Fruit" and seen many of his subordinates consume animal-type fruits, was very experienced in this regard.

So there were only two possibilities.

First, before Kaido entered the cave, someone else had entered and taken the Devil Fruits!

Second, the damn Muzan had really only left one, but lied about having two!

The former was impossible!

No one could avoid the detection of a Four Emperor's Observation Haki!

So it was most likely the latter...

Runti instinctively wanted to turn her head to look at Cui Ze, but the precocious little girl knew that if she made this move, it wouldn't end well.

"I don't know!"

Runti stiffened her neck, staring at Kaido, and said word by word.

"I only know that my father left some treasure there, and I wanted to get that person to take it out and let us go..."

Kaido fell silent.

The atmosphere in the cave became incredibly tense.

Just as Runti thought the "Tattooed Dragon Giant" would do something terrible...

"Waaaah!!"

Kaido suddenly burst into tears, tears as large as a human head splashing onto the cave floor, raising dust and mud.

"Muzan! You damn guy! How dare you lie to me!!

"How will you repay me for the ancient Devil Fruit (real electronic sound)..."

Runti stared in shock, her mouth wide open, "This guy... can't be an idiot, right..."

Pegwan, equally speechless, quickly tugged at his sister's sleeve upon hearing her "unintentional words."

My sister!

My dear sister!

Even天然呆 isn't this stupid!

Kaido's emotions changed rapidly.

Or rather, his Observation Haki had sensed a familiar presence approaching, and time did not allow him to continue "indulging in emotions."

Kaido flicked his finger, and a flame cloud like a snake extended, "grabbing" the remaining "Spineback Dragon Fruit." He then walked to the cell, and with a light squeeze of his hand, the iron bars, as solid as a fortress, were twisted into a tangled mess.

Just as Runti and Pegwan stepped out of the broken cell, the cave suddenly shook violently.

Boom!

Boom!

"Kaido! Kaido!"

Continuous explosions and angry shouts echoed from outside the cave, as if someone was using the mountain as a punching bag.

Kaido, holding the "Spineback Dragon Fruit" in his left hand, had not yet responded.

Cui Ze, who had been pretending to be dead, fell off the wall due to the continuous shaking.

Plop!

"I C—"

Cui Ze, who was thinking about how to combine the Devil Fruit with the "Wild Body" characteristics, suddenly fell to the cave floor.

He instinctively wanted to curse, but immediately shut his mouth.

The scene was quite awkward.

"Boy, you're actually not dead?"

Kaido's slightly surprised voice reached Cui Ze's ears, who was lying on the ground.

"Cui—Cui Ze! You're still alive!" Runti exclaimed in surprise, and Pegwan's face lit up with joy.

"Almost dead! Almost dead!"

Realizing he couldn't hide it, Cui Ze reluctantly got up from the still shaking ground.

"I'll find a quiet place to die far away as soon as Captain Kaido leaves!"

Runti and Pegwan's shoulders shook, their faces showing a mix of wanting to laugh but not daring to.

"Boy, you have quite a lot of guts!"

Kaido narrowed his eyes, observing carefully. This weakling, apart from a slightly disordered aura, had not been seriously injured by the headshot.

Strange constitution...

Kaido's eyes suddenly narrowed, and a powerful Conqueror Haki spread out from him, causing black and red arcs to appear in the air, looking terrifying.

"Truly... quite a terrifying... aura..."

Cui Ze felt a heavy weight on his shoulders, as if suddenly carrying a giant mountain. His teeth chattered under the pressure of the Conqueror Haki.

To reduce the pressure from Kaido's Conqueror Haki, Cui Ze's chest heaved as he used the "Beast Breathing" technique to inhale a large amount of oxygen, enhancing his physical abilities.

At the same time, Cui Ze "swoosh" pulled out the "Sun Wheel Blade" from his waist, gripping the hilt tightly to gather his strength.

The power of "Beast Breathing" spread through the Sun Wheel Blade, and a misty white vapor rose from Cui Ze's body. The bright white blade slowly turned into a beautiful blue-gray color, with a thin layer of mist.

"Is that a color-changing blade? Are you a samurai?"

Kaido raised an eyebrow, and the power of his Conqueror Haki suddenly intensified.

"Clownish tricks!"

"Is, is that so?"

To resist Kaido's Conqueror Haki, Cui Ze's face turned red, and veins bulged on his neck. His words were broken and disjointed.

However, this high-pressure stance, like a spark, ignited the accumulated dissatisfaction, anger, and brutality in Cui Ze over the past few days!

Bearing the pressure of Kaido's Conqueror Haki, Cui Ze's mouth slowly filled with the sweet taste of blood, but instead of complaining, he gave a sinister smile to the Four Emperor.

"Then when Kozuki Oden almost killed you with one sword, what 'clownish tricks' did you use to win?"

Kaido's eyes instantly turned blood-red, cold and devoid of human emotion.

A dragon has a reverse scale, touch it and die!

"Boy! You're asking for death!"

Cui Ze's smile was bloody, "I've been giving you a head start all along! Pitiful worm!"

Swoosh—

The giant mace "Hachizai" sliced through the air, creating a howling sound, the sharp wolf teeth gleaming with a terrifying light.

In his rage, Kaido had unleashed his full strength, determined to smash the insolent brat's head like a watermelon!

This time, Cui Ze's instinctive reaction couldn't save him.

The speed of Hachizai far exceeded the limits of Cui Ze's nervous system. The massive, black, and hard mace didn't even register in his vision before it struck his forehead!

Bang!

Cui Ze felt a sharp pain in his neck, as if his head was about to be separated from his spine.

Under the unparalleled strength of the half-beast Kaido, Cui Ze was like a meteor, directly smashing into the deepest part of the cave.

The cave floor, fragile like paper, instantly cracked and shattered.

Cui Ze's body continued to sink, being driven deep into the mountain.

He heard a continuous rumbling, his vision pitch black, not knowing how many meters of rock he had shattered, or how deep he had fallen.

In a daze, Cui Ze lifted his head, seeing a Qinglong being chased away by Zeff.

The Qinglong's left claw held two ghost children, the older one holding a gray-blue long sword, secretly trying to peel the Devil Fruit in his fingers.

"Sword!"

Before completely losing consciousness, Cui Ze's mind only flashed with these few scattered words.

"Kaido!"