Chapter 27: The Furious Marines
Boom... Boom...
Crackle... Crackle...
"Vice Admiral Modi!!!"
"Damn giants..."
"These bastards, fight them to the death!!!"
Flames raged on, turning the entire area into ruins. The Marines shouted in despair, their faces filled with hopelessness and anger, while some bravely charged ahead.
Crack... crack...
"Nice work, Gerd!"
"Damn Marines, now you know the strength of the giants!"
"How dare you deceive us!"
"Die!!"
In contrast, the giant warriors were full of morale and excitement. They showed no mercy, cutting through the Marines like they were chopping vegetables, utterly overwhelming them. The battle was entirely one-sided.
"Phew... Master, I need to recharge with some fire!"
Prometheus, having unleashed a fierce assault on the enemy, flew weakly over to Gerd after absorbing the remaining flames in the area.
"Good job, Prometheus! You did well," Gerd praised him, smiling as she looked up at Zeus and Hera. "You both did great as well!"
Delighted by Gerd's praise, the three Homies beamed with joy. Gerd then stepped into the fiery ruins, spotting Vice Admiral Modi, who had been reduced to a charred wreck, barely clinging to life and unconscious. Without hesitation, she grabbed him and extracted his soul.
For a skilled user of the Soul-Soul Fruit like Gerd, extracting the soul of an unconscious, defenseless target didn't even require the use of the Soul ability.
Shush...
At that moment, El, having reverted to his human form, descended from the sky, landing within the fortress. His powerful observation Haki locked onto the remaining living Marines. His eyes narrowed as he stomped his right foot forcefully on the ground.
"Deep Forest Emergence!"
Boom... Boom...
Countless green shoots burst from the ground, rapidly growing into enormous vines that swept toward the Marines, binding them and tossing them in front of Gerd.
"Gerd, they're all yours."
"No problem..." Gerd smiled as Zeus and Prometheus transformed into their terrifying battle forms, hovering on either side of her, guarding their master. The once innocent-looking girl now appeared like a demon from the underworld, striking fear into the remaining Marines, who had just witnessed the terrifying powers of the Homies.
"Life or Death?"
Activating her Soul-Soul Fruit power, Gerd's soul intimidation caused the Marines' souls to start drifting out of their bodies, as if they were being ripped away. Terrified, some screamed, "Life!" while others, trying to appear brave, muttered, "Death..." But it didn't matter what they chose. The moment they showed any fear, Gerd—like a grim reaper—mercilessly reaped their souls.
Even some of the nearby giant warriors, watching from a distance, felt a chill run down their spines.
"Ahhh..."
Soon enough, with El's help, the surviving Marines—whether intact, missing limbs, unconscious, or fatally wounded—were all dragged over by the vines, which seemed to have a will of their own. Gerd continued to use her Soul-Soul Fruit ability, steadily collecting their souls and storing the gathered soul energy for future use.
---
Meanwhile, far away in the first half of the Grand Line, inside the majestic Marine Headquarters...
"What? The G-12 base has been attacked?" The current Fleet Admiral, after receiving the report, turned pale with both shock and anger. "Damn it! What are those giants from Elbaf trying to do? Have they gone mad?"
"There are over a hundred giants. Modi definitely won't be able to hold off the G-12 base. Immediately order the nearby Marine bases to send reinforcements as fast as possible!"
"And inform Admiral Hark at the G-5 base to head there at once!"
But the Fleet Admiral knew all too well that the G-12 base was too far away. There was no way reinforcements would arrive in time. By the time the Marine fleet got there, the battle would be long over.
"Understood!"
Just after hanging up the Den Den Mushi, an adjutant rushed into the office and saluted the Fleet Admiral before handing over several photos and a file.
"Fleet Admiral William, these are photos and documents that were sent by G-12 before they completely lost contact. The intelligence department has just finished compiling the information."
"Hmm? What kind of creature is this?"
Fleet Admiral Hammens William furrowed his brow as he examined the photos, one of which showed a feathered, imposing creature with two pairs of differently colored wings, surrounded by lightning.
"A snake that's not a snake... a bird that's not a bird... A Mythical Zoan user, perhaps?" Despite the creature's odd appearance, he didn't dare underestimate it. The image alone made it clear that this was a rare and powerful Zoan-type Mythical Beast.
"Yes, according to the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, this seems to be the Mythical Zoan model of the Snake-Snake Fruit: Quetzalcoatl form," the adjutant reported seriously. "It is said to control plants and possess the ability to manipulate the weather, including summoning wind and rain."
"A Quetzalcoatl form? Is this person a giant?"
"The intelligence suggests otherwise. Based on reports from the World Government's CP division, about six months ago, a young boy—about ten years old with giant blood and Lunarian blood—was seen arriving at Elbaf and staying there."
The adjutant pointed to the figure in the photos. "And if you look closely, you'll see that, although Quetzalcoatl is only supposed to have one pair of wings, this creature also has another pair of black wings, along with a flame at the back of its head—clear traits of a Lunarian."
"You're telling me he's a Lunarian?"
The Fleet Admiral raised his eyebrows. For centuries, the World Government had issued massive bounties on Lunarians, ordering the Marines to search for any remaining members of the tribe and either capture or kill them. The Lunarian race was nearly extinct. And now, a survivor had emerged, not only as a Lunarian but also as a Mythical Zoan user.
"Based on the intelligence we've gathered, his name is Kukulkan El," the adjutant explained, gesturing to the dossier. "He's the same Lunarian-Giant hybrid that we and CP had been hunting in the first half of the Grand Line five or six years ago."
"His father was a Lunarian, and his mother was a giant. Both died from severe injuries sustained in battles while resisting Marine forces. Their deaths caused heavy casualties on our side, including two vice admirals."
Pausing for a moment, the adjutant continued, "At the time, Kukulkan El was only three years old, but he was so traumatized by his parents' deaths that he awakened a powerful Conqueror's Haki, knocking out most of the Marine forces."
"He then used his Lunarian ability to fly and escaped into the Calm Belt. Since it was the territory of large Sea Kings, our forces had to give up the chase."
"After several months of searching, CP agents scoured the surrounding sea areas but found no trace of him. They assumed he had died in the sea. But now it seems he must have stumbled upon a safe haven in the Calm Belt and survived."
"He crossed the Red Line and made his way to Elbaf half a year ago."
Fleet Admiral Hammens William, after hearing this, opened the dossier, which contained several pages of information and two photos. The first photo showed a three-year-old child with oversized proportions, wings on his back, and flames behind his head—clearly resembling El. The second photo showed El as he appeared now, drenched in sweat while training in the village of Elbaf. This image had evidently been taken in secret by Sister Carmel and handed over to the World Government.
"Hmm, so he's the one who slipped through the net all those years ago?"
The Fleet Admiral frowned as he looked over the two photos and read through the files. His expression grew serious. "He's definitely a terrifying monster. If we leave him unchecked, he'll become a massive threat."
A three-year-old who had awakened Conqueror's Haki, possessing both Giant and Lunarian bloodlines, and now a rare Mythical Zoan user... The potential he displayed was far too dangerous to ignore.
"But never mind that for now..."
Setting down El's file, the Fleet Admiral's face grew stern as he issued a new order. "We've maintained peaceful relations with the giants of Elbaf for a long time, and they've never gone mad like this. Immediately get in touch with the giant vice admirals at Marine HQ and find out if they know anything about this!"
"Also, have the Intelligence Department and CP figure out exactly what's going on!"
"Understood, sir!"
~~~
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