Chapter 52

Beard had always been known as a formidable fighter, skilled with both fists and blades. His reputation preceded him as a martial arts master.

His custom dagger was like an extension of his arm, embodying his swordsmanship. His explosive punches were equally deadly. And then there was his trump card - the High-Frequency Fruit power.

This combination of skills made Beard a force to be reckoned with. He'd even made a name for himself in the New World. But fate can be cruel, and he had the misfortune of crossing paths with Loya - someone even more versatile than himself.

The fight was intense. Loya's pseudo-dragon transformation caught Beard completely off guard. The sudden surge of draconic power overwhelmed him, leaving him dazed and confused. It wasn't until he felt the searing pain of being impaled that his mind snapped back to reality.

Faced with Loya's unexpected power-up, Beard felt a mix of shock and fear. But he wasn't some rookie - he was a hardened pirate who'd lived through countless battles. Even fear couldn't extinguish his fighting spirit.

"When two warriors meet on a narrow path, the braver one wins," Beard thought. 'That's true in any world.'

He steeled himself for a fight to the death.

"Ice Dragon's Roar!" Loya bellowed.

Beard had barely broken free from the previous assault when he found himself engulfed in an icy maelstrom. Countless razor-sharp ice shards tore into his flesh. His blood froze mid-air, turning into crimson ice crystals. The magical vortex howled around him, its cold intense enough to freeze steel and shatter rock. Beard's flames were snuffed out in an instant.

His strongest attack didn't even make a dent in Loya's onslaught.

The sound of ice rapidly forming filled the air. The building that had somehow survived their battle so far was now beyond saving - it had been transformed into a giant ice sculpture.

"This can't be happening!" Beard cried out, struggling against the freezing tempest. But as the biting cold invaded his body, his limbs began to freeze solid. He was as fragile as glass now. When he tried to raise his arm, it shattered at the shoulder, the fragments immediately shredded by the swirling ice.

In his final moments, Beard could barely process what was happening. "Defeated by some rookie?" he thought incredulously. With his last ounce of strength, he looked up at Loya hovering above.

"So the Navy's got monsters too now?" he muttered. "This sea is about to get real crazy."

The icy storm slammed Beard into the ground. But it didn't stop there - the relentless barrage of ice shards bored through stone and soil, carving out a seemingly bottomless crater where Beard had fallen.

A violent explosion rocked Big Snail City, sounding like muffled thunder. In its wake, massive ice crystals erupted from the ground, forming towering ice trees over ten meters tall.

"Another quake? You've got to be kidding me!" Aludo grumbled, desperately clinging to a wall. He had his hands full with exhausted children hanging onto him for dear life.

Suddenly, a nearby building - already damaged by artillery fire - began to collapse. A massive chunk of stone, easily weighing several tons, plummeted towards Aludo and the kids.

Instinctively, Arldo prepared to use his Iron Body technique to shield them. But he quickly realized it wasn't just about him anymore. The children clinging to him and the refugees following behind - they'd all be in danger.

"Damn it all!" Aludo cursed, his eyes bloodshot with frustration. Having the power to save himself but not others left a bitter taste in his mouth.

For a split second, a dark thought crossed his mind - should he just save himself? But he immediately shook it off. "No way in hell," he muttered.

Out of nowhere, a figure appeared above them. The newcomer's mace transformed mid-air, becoming a black dragon that smashed into the falling debris.

BOOM! The massive rock shattered into harmless pebbles.

Aludo's jaw dropped. "Mingde? Since when can you use Moon Walk?"

Mingde stumbled as he landed, clearly still getting used to the technique. Fangs, his sentient weapon, roared, "Is that really what you're focused on right now? Get those kids out of here!"

Startled by Mingde's tone, Aludo shot back, "Tch, what's the big deal? It's just Moon Walk. I'm already working on Shave!"

Mingde took a deep breath, fighting the urge to whack some sense into his friend.

As Aludo led the children to safety with some Navy soldiers, Mingde used Moon Walk to get a better view. He surveyed the frozen ruins, concern etched on his face.

"Loya must be over there," he thought. "I wonder if Tony made it. That idiot has no clue how to act like a rookie! Where the hell did he run off to?"

Without wasting another moment, Mingde headed towards the icy battlefield.

Meanwhile, Tony was having a rough time. He looked awful - pale as a ghost, drenched in cold sweat, and stumbling through the streets of Green Leaf Town like he had the worst hangover of his life.

Every now and then, he'd spot a member of the Dora Pirates. They were clearly on edge, glancing around nervously but trying not to draw attention to themselves.

The reason for the Dora Pirates' fear became clear if you looked behind Tony. The entire block was littered with bodies - both pirates and civilians from Green Leaf Town. Anyone who got in Tony's way met a swift and brutal end, regardless of who they were. Severed limbs and debris painted a grim picture of his rampage.

The sword in Tony's hand seemed to have a life of its own. Strips of flesh, about as thick as a thumb, wrapped around the blade. Though it looked like muscle tissue, it was razor-sharp and as hard as steel. The pirates had watched in horror as Tony used this living sword to cleave a ten-story building in half with a single stroke. The cut was impossibly smooth, and the burst of sword energy split the nearby street in two, tearing into the very earth itself.

"Hey, isn't the captain in that direction?" whispered a pirate, hiding behind a wooden cart. He nodded towards Tony's path.

"You want to go warn him? Be my guest," his companion replied. "It's the only way to the mayor's house. Unless you fancy climbing over rooftops."

"On second thought, forget I said anything," the first pirate mumbled, his throat suddenly dry.

But it was too late. Tony had heard them.

In a flash of blue-white energy, the sword lashed out. The first pirate's head was severed before he could even scream. The second was cut down at the chest in the same fluid motion. Then, as quickly as it appeared, the sword energy vanished.

The stench of blood filled the air. Tony glanced at the carnage, his face an emotionless mask. "Your chatter was getting on my nerves," he said flatly, sheathing his sword and continuing his slow march forward.

But Tony's calm exterior was a lie. Inside, he was terrified. He'd only meant to capture the pirates for questioning - their voices had been too loud to ignore. But before he could even form the thought, his body had acted on its own, slaughtering them with that impossible sword strike.

It felt like another version of himself had taken control - one with his thought patterns but amplified bloodlust. The precise control over the sword energy, making it vanish instantly after the kill, was beyond anything he'd ever imagined possible.

What horrified Tony most was the realization that this "other self" had been indiscriminately killing civilians. People who needed help, who were waiting for rescue - he'd cut them down simply for being in his way.

"What kind of monster have I become?" Tony's inner voice screamed, drowning in despair. The disconnect between his actions and his intentions was growing wider by the moment, and he felt powerless to stop it.