Chapter 29: Stealing Victory

Vulcan was bruised, furious, and—worst of all—humiliated. After barely escaping the beast in his first attempt, he spent hours nursing his wounds and replaying the encounter in his mind. The beast had toyed with him, like he was some fly buzzing around its head. But in the midst of his frustration, an idea had formed—a crazy one, but the more he thought about it, the more sense it made.

The beast had only reacted when he attacked it. Each time Vulcan struck, it would wake up and toy with him. But when he wasn't attacking, it had largely ignored him. This realization led to a wild hypothesis: maybe the creature didn't care unless it felt threatened.

Vulcan grinned, his confidence returning. He had a new plan.

Now, crouching low at the edge of the clearing, Vulcan watched as the massive beast lay curled up once again, its heavy breathing creating small tremors in the ground. The Devil Fruit, glowing faintly from where it rested between the beast's paws, looked tantalizingly close.

Carefully, Vulcan began to sneak forward, his movements exaggeratedly slow. His naginata was strapped to his back, but he had no intention of using it just yet. The beast's rhythmic breathing continued, its chest rising and falling, completely unaware of the Marine recruit closing in on its precious treasure.

As Vulcan reached the creature's paws, he stifled a chuckle. His theory was working. The beast hadn't noticed him at all.

"Too easy…" he whispered under his breath, reaching out to grasp the Devil Fruit. His fingers wrapped around the strange, swirling fruit, and he gently lifted it from between the beast's claws.

Still nothing. The beast remained blissfully asleep.

Vulcan couldn't help himself—his grin widened. Holding the fruit close, he slowly began backing away, his confidence growing with every step. He had outsmarted the beast! No need for a long, grueling battle. Just a little cunning, and the fruit was his.

As he took another step, his boot came down on a twig, snapping it loudly.

Vulcan froze. The beast's eyes twitched, its ears flicking in his direction. His heart hammered in his chest, but after a long, agonizing pause, the creature merely let out a soft growl and shifted slightly, falling back into a deeper sleep.

"Close one," Vulcan muttered under his breath, wiping sweat from his brow. He took another careful step, the fruit still secure in his grip.

Then he had an idea—a terrible, brilliant idea.

Vulcan stopped, looking down at the Devil Fruit in his hand, a mischievous glint appearing in his eyes. His grin turned sinister as he glanced back at the sleeping beast.

It had toyed with him, made a fool out of him. This was the perfect opportunity to return the favor. A little payback.

Without hesitation, Vulcan slowly reached over his shoulder and grabbed his naginata. His eyes never left the beast as he moved with deliberate slowness, his heart racing with anticipation. The beast remained asleep, oblivious to the vengeful plan forming in Vulcan's mind.

"Let's see how you like this, you overgrown furball," Vulcan muttered.

He circled around the massive creature, creeping toward its rear end, his smile growing wider with each step. The creature's massive body lay sprawled out, its tail curled lazily around its side.

Vulcan raised the naginata, positioning the sharp end of the weapon just over the beast's exposed backside. He paused for just a second, considering the sheer absurdity of what he was about to do. But the thought of getting revenge on the beast that had made a fool of him was just too satisfying to resist.

With a wicked grin, he shoved the naginata forward with all his strength.

The beast let out a deafening roar of shock and pain, its body jerking upright as it scrambled to its feet. The ground shook violently as the creature leapt into the air, its eyes wide with panic. Its massive form thrashed around wildly, trying to dislodge the naginata from its rear end, howling in a mix of rage and humiliation.

Vulcan barely managed to dodge one of its flailing limbs as the beast spun in frantic circles, its roars echoing through the jungle. Trees were knocked over, the ground split, and boulders were tossed aside as the creature's frantic tantrum wreaked havoc on the clearing.

"Yeah, that's what you get for playing with me!" Vulcan shouted, laughing as he narrowly dodged another swipe of the beast's claws. The creature's eyes locked onto him for a brief moment, pure fury burning in its gaze, but before it could charge at him, it stumbled forward, still desperately trying to get rid of the naginata.

Not waiting for the beast to recover, Vulcan took his chance to slip away. He darted into the jungle, dodging the beast's wild thrashes as it continued to tear through the clearing. The sound of its angry roars echoed behind him, but Vulcan was already gone, disappearing into the dense trees.

He sprinted through the jungle, the Devil Fruit clutched tightly in his hand, his body moving purely on adrenaline. His heart was pounding in his chest, and laughter bubbled out of him uncontrollably.

"That was... amazing!" he shouted to himself, the thrill of the moment coursing through him.

By the time he reached the spot where Garp had left him, the jungle had fallen silent again. The beast's roars were distant now, fading into the background as Vulcan leaned against a large boulder, catching his breath.

He looked down at the Devil Fruit in his hand, the strange swirling patterns almost glowing in the dim light of the jungle. It felt... strange. He had heard stories about these fruits, about the power they could grant. But was he really ready for that?

Sitting down near the shoreline, Vulcan stared out at the sea, the sound of the waves crashing gently against the rocks helping to calm his mind. He twirled the fruit in his hand, contemplating its strange power.

"Do I eat it?" Vulcan muttered to himself, his voice soft as the adrenaline finally began to fade. "What if it's not worth it? Or worse, what if I turn into something ridiculous?"

His gaze drifted back to the sea, watching the horizon, deep in thought. He knew what Devil Fruits could do, but their powers were unpredictable. And there was always the risk of losing the ability to swim—something Garp had warned him about.

Still, the potential power was tempting. The idea of becoming stronger, of gaining an edge over the monsters and pirates he'd face in the future, gnawed at him.

He sighed, holding the fruit up to the light. "Well, whatever happens, at least I didn't go through all that trouble for nothing."