Lay On My Young Master's Fur And Stay Still! Master Ben Is About To Exert His Strength! (2/5)

As Finn's mind registered the system's notification, a voice echoed within him:

"Ding! You've captured 5 cadres of the Donquixote Family! Reward: 100 years of life. Claim now?"

Finn raised an eyebrow, considering his options.

"After claiming, does the count reset?" he asked.

"Yes, after settlement, the count resets," replied the system.

Finn clicked his tongue, unimpressed. "Well, that's lame. Forget it—let's keep accumulating."

"Ding! Reward rejected. Total number of Donquixote Family cadres captured: 5."

Turning his attention to Violet, Finn asked, "Are there any other Donquixote Family members in the palace?"

Violet shook her head. "No, there's a championship in the arena today. All except the factory guards have gone to watch."

"Arena, huh," Finn mused. "Let's head there."

As the group exited the palace and moved across the King's Plateau, the ground ahead suddenly bulged.

"No! It's Gladius' ability! His power makes things explode!" Violet warned, her voice tense.

Tashigi, ever sharp, was ready. Her sword gleamed as she drew it swiftly.

Clang!

With a single stroke, a wave of energy sliced through the rising earth. The explosion that followed was blown away by the sheer force of her attack.

"Show yourself!" she demanded, eyes locked on the horizon.

From behind the debris, a figure emerged—a tall man in a blue trench coat, metal gears decorating his attire. It was Gladius, the man with the Explosive Fruit powers.

"Buffalo's fall was enough of a signal," Gladius said icily. "Violet, with your ability, you must've known about the port incident. So why didn't you inform the family? Have you betrayed us?"

He touched his helmet, which began to swell unnaturally.

"Watch out!" Violet shouted. "That helmet's about to explode! The fragments are lethal!"

Tashigi, unshaken, stepped forward, her blade once again glowing with energy. With another powerful swing, she unleashed a crescent-shaped wave that surged towards Gladius, carving the earth as it went.

Boom!

The helmet detonated, but Tashigi's sword strike was unstoppable, shredding the fragments and driving right into Gladius's chest.

Thud.

Gladius hit the ground hard, blood seeping through his coat. "Damn it," he hissed, clutching his wound.

Suddenly, a deep rumble shook the ground.

"What now?" Finn muttered.

Violet's face turned pale. "It's Pica! He controls stone with his Devil Fruit. This is bad!"

As she spoke, the very earth beneath their feet rose, as if the entire King's Plateau were coming to life. Slowly, it formed into a colossal stone giant with Pica at its core, staring down at the group with glowing, menacing eyes.

"My God! It's enormous!" Tashigi exclaimed.

A voice boomed from the giant's mouth, sounding almost comical, but its power was undeniable. "Dancing Stones!"

The ground erupted with massive stone pillars, each sharp as a blade and aiming to impale them all.

"Jump!" Finn ordered.

The group leapt into the air, narrowly avoiding the deadly pillars. Those who couldn't jump high used their enhanced abilities from the pills Finn had provided. But the threat wasn't over yet.

From high above, Gladius's voice echoed again: "Mine Explosion!"

The stone pillars began to swell, ready to burst.

"Clever," Finn remarked, genuinely surprised by the teamwork between Gladius and Pica. This wasn't something he'd seen in the original timeline, but then again, this world wasn't just a comic anymore.

"Bro, should we teleport the female soldiers out of here?" one of his lieutenants suggested.

"Teleport? Are you kidding me? Letting them teleport would be humiliating for me," Finn replied with a smirk.

Without warning, Finn's body began to grow. Chakra surged through him as he activated the Advanced Multiplication Technique. In seconds, his body expanded to nearly 20 meters tall.

"Climb onto me!" Finn commanded.

The female soldiers didn't hesitate. Some clung to his shoulders, others grabbed onto his clothes or legs. With over 500 soldiers hanging from him, Finn activated the technique again.

Advanced Multiplication Technique: 1000 times!

Rumble!

The earth trembled as Finn's size skyrocketed, turning him into a towering giant that dwarfed even Pica's stone form. The female soldiers clinging to him were now like ants on a mountain.

"Master, this is ridiculous…" Tashigi muttered, standing atop Finn's shoulder as if she were on an island.

"Smelly brother, you've outdone yourself this time," Robin added, chuckling in disbelief.

Pica, once the dominant force, now looked like a mere dwarf in comparison to Finn's massive form.

"What… what kind of monster is this?!" Gladius shouted, blood still dripping from his wounds as he stared up at Finn, his face pale with terror.

Finn clenched his fist, now the size of a mountain itself. "Get ready," he warned, his voice rumbling like thunder.

With one swift motion, he brought his colossal fist crashing down on Pica, the ground shaking as if the world itself had been struck.

The battle had taken a turn no one expected—and Finn stood at the heart of it, towering over the chaos like an unstoppable force of nature.