Chapter 27
After calming Hancock, he sat down for a moment, thinking carefully about his next move. He decided to take Hancock and her sisters to a hotel and leave them there safely while he went to look for Rayleigh or Shakky's bar. Once he found one of them, he planned to bring the sisters to speak with Shakky.
Having made that decision, he took the money he had seized from the traffickers and gave a bag full of funds to the other slaves, allowing them to return home safely.
Then, taking Hancock and her sisters with him, he headed toward the hotel. Upon arriving, he rented a room and settled them in, explaining that he needed to go out and take care of some urgent matters, but that they could take a bath and rest while he was away.
Hancock and her sisters agreed without hesitation and went to bathe.
As he left to take care of his tasks, the protagonist activated the Shadow power — inspired by the style of Shadow from the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 movie — a dark and stealthy aura surrounded him. With the fast speed and silent steps characteristic of Shadow, he headed to one of those auctions he had seen earlier in an anime.
Once there, he hid in a dark corner, staying concealed, patiently waiting for Rayleigh to appear or for something interesting to catch his attention. He observed carefully, but nothing seemed particularly valuable or intriguing. The auctioneer presented various weapons — knives, swords — but none were extraordinary enough to spark his interest.
Then, an arrogant and smug voice caught his attention. He turned his gaze to a large and imposing man who arrogantly carried a small and fragile man on his shoulders.
That imposing man was Byrnndi World, the known user of the devil fruit Moa Moa no Mi — the fruit Arthur needed the most. Not because it was part of some greater plan, but for one simple reason: Arthur wanted Black Maria as his wife.
But there was a problem — the size. Arthur wasn't the least bit interested in shrinking Black Maria. After all, what's the fun in having a giant wife if he couldn't sleep comfortably nestled between her huge breasts or rest between her massive buttocks?
Therefore, this fruit was unique. It granted the ability to increase only his "tool" without enlarging his whole body — a perfect blessing for someone
who's small but wants to date a giant. So this guy was standing between Arthur and his sexual happiness.
Arthur looked around, noting the absence of any Celestial Dragons, which meant he could launch his attack without hesitation.
He activated the combined power of Shadow and the Viltrumite strength he possessed. With lightning-fast reflexes and overwhelming strength, Arthur threw a devastating single punch, aiming to eliminate his opponent instantly.
However, he underestimated the opponent's instinctive reflexes. The man managed to cross his arms, partially blocking the blow, though the impact still sent him flying backward with massive force. As he crashed through houses and debris, destruction followed in his wake, the raw power shaking the area.
The opponent coughed up blood but managed to get back up. With a scowl, he asked if Arthur had offended him or if he had walked into the wrong place.
Arthur responded calmly, his gaze piercing:
"You're just carrying something I desperately need. You were unlucky to be the one holding it."
Byrnndi World scoffed: "Is that so? Then I guess I'm the unlucky one."
Without hesitation, Byrnndi World unleashed the true power of the Moa Moa no Mi. His body surged with energy, his strength and speed increasing rapidly, threatening to overwhelm Arthur.
But Arthur, with Shadow's incredible speed and Viltrumite reflexes, observed every move as if time itself slowed. Reading the attacks with precise calculation, he found an opening and delivered a devastating hook punch.
The strike sent Byrnndi flying high into the sky.
Without wasting a moment, Arthur took flight in pursuit. Suddenly appearing above the enemy, he delivered a powerful axe kick aimed directly at Byrnndi's face.
The blow landed perfectly, and the impact sent him crashing into the ground, creating a massive crater due to the collision's force.
Arthur descended swiftly, approaching the fallen enemy. Though injured and beaten, Byrnndi was still breathing.
Arthur murmured to himself, "As expected from the pirate world… taking a beating like that and still breathing."
Stepping closer, Arthur activated his devouring power, focusing solely on extracting the power of the Moa Moa no Mi while carefully avoiding consuming its accompanying curse.
However, he quickly realized the curse was bound to the power itself, following it relentlessly.
Remembering his second ability, Arthur skillfully used it to separate the curse from the fruit's power, leaving the curse lingering in Byrnndi's body.
To test the power, Arthur made his left hand grow five times its normal size, watching it swell dramatically.
Satisfied with the result, he struck the final blow, killing Byrnndi.
Arthur left the battlefield quickly, wanting to be gone before the Navy could arrive.
With a satisfied smile, Arthur thought, "Black Maria, my beautiful giant… your husband is coming to get you."
Fueled by that thought, he activated his speed once more and headed toward Shakky's bar.
After a few seconds of running, he spotted the bar and stood outside the door, wondering whether he should go in now or return to fetch Hancock first.