Landing on the Island

Chapter 76: Landing on the Island

Clear-Clear Fruit, Paramecia-type Devil Fruit.

It was Sanji's dream to find the 'All Blue', but the Clear-Clear Fruit shattered his dream as Absalom had consumed it.

As for Absalom himself... well, can he even be considered a human anymore?

After undergoing Hogback's modifications, he possessed a lion's jaw, elephant skin, and the combined strength of a bear and gorilla, weighing a total of 300 kilograms. He was a hybrid of a beast and a human.

Chimera? No, an incomplete Chimera.

In front of Rodney and the others, Absalom revealed his true form. He wore a white rounded hat resembling a blue-patterned jar on top, had long golden hair, a slender figure, and a lion's mouth, which seemed quite out of place. He wore a black suit and could break free from the steel wires, but he couldn't escape Robin's hands.

Perona sensed the tissues in Absalom's body and curiously remarked, "It's strange. His body clearly contains animal tissues, not human, but there's no rejection. This is beyond what medicine can achieve, right?"

"Haha, this is the work of Dr. Hogback. Why can't I break free? Woman, let me go. Oh, you're so beautiful!" Absalom's eyes sparkled with hearts when he saw Robin and Reiju. This lecherous guy would have licked Robin's face if he had seen her bathing...

Thinking of this, Rodney's anger rose. He hadn't even seen her yet, and this guy already acted as lecherous as a dog.

"Don't worry, there are many abnormal things in this world, and anything can happen," Rodney said as he walked up and spun two shurikens in his hand. He then stabbed them into Absalom's shoulders on both sides, disabling his arms.

"Ah ah ah!!!"

Absalom screamed in pain as the shurikens pierced into the bones of his arms and shoulders, causing excruciating pain.

"Such a weakling like you turned yourself into this state with just 300 kilograms of strength. Pathetic." Rodney clicked his tongue and said, "Tell me, what's the situation with Moria now?"

"I-I won't betray Master Moria! Never!" Absalom stubbornly said.

Moria treated his subordinates quite well, and they were all loyal and respectful to him. The fact that Absalom and Perona addressed him as "Master" showed that much.

"You're quite a stubborn guy. You're nothing more than an obedient puppet in front of me, not someone stronger. I didn't want to resort to this."

Rodney released his Genjutsu, and Absalom's eyes lost their luster, falling into the illusion.

"Now, tell me about Moria's current situation."

"Master Moria is currently recuperating."

"Recuperating?"

"Yes, Dark King Rayleigh injured him. His left arm was cut off. Dr. Hogback reattached it, but he can't use it for the time being."

"I see." 

Rayleigh had made Moria lose the use of one arm, which meant his combat strength had been significantly reduced. Dealing with him would likely require less effort. Rayleigh had really been a great help.

"What about Oars' body?"

"Oars' body hasn't been activated and is still stored in the freezer."

"Very well, go die on your own then."

With that, Rodney had Robin release her powers, and Absalom freed himself from the steel wires before jumping down from the Black Pearl.

Splash!

Without even struggling, he effortlessly sank into the sea.

The other three fell silent. If they remembered correctly, Devil Fruit users would drown in the sea... unless...

"What is the Captain's ability?" Lester asked.

"It's Ninjutsu." Sister Slug kindly answered, "By using chakra, which is a type of energy, in combination with hand seals, various miraculous techniques can be achieved."

"Well, Sister Slug, there are quite a few abnormal things in this world, and anything can happen," Rodney smiled.

Though the mist had also affected his Sharingan somewhat, he could still see quite a bit within it, like the twisted figures of the zombies approaching.

"I remember they are weak against fire. Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"

Accurate fireballs hit the zombies, setting them ablaze. In the mist, one after another, figures writhed and emitted flames.

"Let's go. I'll clear the way!"

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Although he hadn't burned many people with the Great Fireball Technique, he knew it was a convenient skill for clearing paths. Stepping on the scorched ground left by the Great Fireball, Rodney and Robin strolled through it as if it were their own backyard.

Halfway through, Rodney suddenly stopped and created a Shadow Clone, handing it the Seastone handcuffs.

"Please take care of it."

The Shadow Clone smiled and said, "Sure, but how are you going to deal with it?"

"We'll talk about it later."

"Alright." The Shadow Clone dove into the ground, employing Earth Release to escape.

"Captain, what did you do?"

"It's nothing. I just asked him to take care of a big trouble for me. Diving into the ground was just to avoid being noticed; otherwise, the plan would fail."

Rodney said, "Robin, instead of looking for Moria right away, how about we find an unscrupulous doctor first?"

"I'll follow your lead, Captain, but do you have the confidence to defeat Moria? He's a veteran Warlord of the Sea, after all."

"Don't forget what happened to Crocodile. I have a way to deal with him, but it cost me quite a bit to obtain it."

Remembering the nearly 3,000 mission points he had exchanged for the technique, he felt a little heartache. However, being able to deal with Moria made it worth it. He would make up for those points later.