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One Piece: I Will Wipe Out The Tenryubito!
Sini's face was flushed with exertion, struggling under the sheer force of his opponent.
To save his life, he pleaded hurriedly, "I admit defeat! Spare me, and I will return the stolen items. That man probably didn't tell you, but what I stole was a treasure map. And I've found the 'treasure'. It's in the hole I just dug up. You can go check if you don't believe me!"
A treasure map?
Treasure?
In such a situation, Abel didn't entirely doubt the truth in Sini's words, nor did he fully believe them.
But he had indeed seen Sini rummaging around, shouting excitedly that he had found it.
"I'm not lying to you!"
Feeling the increased pressure of Abel's grip after hearing his words, Sini grew desperate.
"I know."
Abel's calm response left Sini utterly stunned.
"So, aren't you letting me go?"
"Sorry, but I'm keeping the items, and you're staying."
"You!"
There was another thump!
An infuriated Sini was hurled against the wall, sliding down heavily and coughing up blood.
Abel understood an important principle - if you don't remove the roots while weeding, the grass will grow back when the spring wind blows.
Did he expect that if he let Sini go today, he would not hold a grudge and seek revenge in the future?
Only a naive fool would believe such a thing.
Moreover, if one could solve a problem once and for all, why gamble on the other's goodwill?
Seeing Abel striking decisively again without any intention of letting him off, Sini was finally provoked into showing his fierce nature.
"So, you're pushing me into a corner. Let's see who dies first!"
Suddenly, Sini abandoned his previous swift tactics, opting for a brutal strategy of trading blows.
While Abel's speed at this point exceeded his own, it wasn't fast enough to completely dodge all of Sini's attacks while striking simultaneously.
In a matter of seconds, both opponents' attacks connected, causing blood and flesh to fly.
"Ah!"
Sini let out a scream as his right hand was severed by Abel.
Although he also took this opportunity to inflict additional wounds on Abel, it wasn't worth it!
Because Abel had the upper hand the entire time. If Abel attacked, Sini could retaliate; if Abel didn't, Sini was helpless.
Facing the thrust aimed at his heart, Sini, seemingly driven to madness, didn't evade. He extended his claws, attempting to perish with Abel.
Thwack!
Sini's outstretched arm was swatted away by Abel's other hand, followed by a squelching sound.
Abel's sharp sword instantly pierced Sini's chest.
A torrent of fresh blood gushed from Sini's mouth, but the madness in his eyes didn't fade.
"You think you've won? My claws are smeared with the deadly venom of the King Cobra. Join me in hell, kid!"
His initial hiding behind a pillar was not only to avoid gunfire but also to poison his weapons.
By now, after such a long fight, the poison had certainly spread with his blood. Even if there were an antidote, it was too late.
However, as he forced himself to stay conscious, hoping to witness the genius fall before him, Abel seemed entirely unaffected and said:
"Ever heard of White Town? Experience what real pain feels like."
"Oh, and by the way, use a different poison in your next life. The King Cobra's venom isn't strong enough."
As Sini was bewildered by Abel's words, he suddenly felt unbearable pain all over his body.
At first, he tried to endure it, but soon he couldn't help but scream in agony.
"What have you done to me, what have you done?! Ahhhhhhh, kill me, just kill me!"
As Sini wailed on the ground, Abel's gaze remained unfluctuating. In a matter-of-fact tone, he stated a brutal fact, "The sword strike earlier could have pierced your heart, but I deliberately missed your vital spot."
"Do you know why? It's not just your weapon that's poisoned; my sword is too, and it's even stronger and more potent!"
"The pain! It hurts so much, I'm dying! Kill me, please kill me."
At this point, Sini could hardly hear anything, the pain induced by the 'plague' effect was more intense than childbirth.
Moreover, it wasn't sporadic. It was waves of continuous, overwhelming pain.
Seconds later, the screaming finally stopped.
Sini was dead.
Whether he died from pain or poison was unknown, but his final corpse was an eerie, pallid white.
As for Abel, he merely sustained minor superficial wounds.
The venom from Sini's King Cobra was not inadequate. Rather, Abel had used it previously to evolve his "Heart of the Specter" ability, which made him immune to such toxins.
Even if Sini had used a different venom of comparable strength, the outcome would've been the same.
Thanks to his food-cell-generated toxin resistance, Abel could now largely ignore many types of poison.
At worst, he'd just feel uncomfortable for a few days.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have taken such a risk.
He speculated that if he continued evolving in this manner, he'd eventually become entirely immune to all types of toxins. Then he would be the perfect counter to the warden of Push City!
After cancelling his Specter state, Abel quickly resumed his human form. His waist-length hair began to break off, blowing away with the wind, only leaving his original length behind.
Luckily, the side effects of "Heart of the Specter" had considerably reduced after one evolution. Even occasional usage didn't cause him too much concern.
Ignoring Sini's corpse, he first went to examine the place Sini had smashed open.
He lit an ordinary cigarette and threw it in, discovering that it was still burning, and seemingly not dangerous.
Thus, he decisively jumped down.
About a minute later, Abel emerged with an undisguised look of excitement on his face.
Originally, he hadn't held any expectations for the 'treasure' Sini had mentioned. But surprises often came when least expected!
"Who would've thought that someone hid a Devil Fruit here and even created a treasure map?! This is beyond strange!"
Indeed, after some searching, he found a hidden compartment below, inside which was a box. Upon opening it, to his surprise, he found a bright yellow Devil Fruit!
And judging by its shape and patterns, it seemed to be a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit.