Bang, bang, bang—! ! !
Catarina Devon, embodying the Nine-Tails, charged straight into the expansive forest, demolishing numerous sturdy trees in her path and forcefully clearing a large open area.
Puff--! ! !
Catarina Devon swiftly got back on her feet, glared fiercely at Atlas hovering in the air, and spat blood onto the ground.
Her body rapidly shrank, transforming into... an unattractive girl with animal ears. A few tufts of fur adorned her cheeks, her limbs still resembling animal claws, and nine thick tails swayed behind her.
Human-Beast form! !
She had clearly sensed that maintaining her beast form left her vulnerable to being pummeled by that man.
Even though this state significantly enhanced her strength and resistance in combat, the sensation of being a punching bag wasn't pleasant at all.
"Marine, don't push your luck."
She bared her fangs and spoke with venom in her voice.
Little did she know, this guy possessed enough power to send her flying from the battlefield even in her formidable beast form. Her earlier threats now seemed rather absurd.
Clang! ! !
Atlas maintained an indifferent expression, drawing Kaminari from his waist once again. The blade gleamed with a clear, cold light, casting dancing arcs in the space.
"The secret of Ittoryu: One snap of the finger contains twenty moments; One moment contains twenty thoughts; One thought contains ninety instants; One instant contains nine million births and deaths!"
Catarina Devon's expression underwent a drastic change, and she couldn't help but unleash a stream of curses within her mind.
'This maniac!! What a complete and utter lunatic!!'
She suddenly regretted why she had rushed to this rundown place without considering the danger.
Despite receiving constant updates about him since his release from prison, she didn't truly grasp the extent of his power until now.
As for defeating Whitebeard?
Truth be told, even though Whitebeard held the title of the world's strongest man, it was only after her time in the Impel Down that he gained full recognition among the pirates at sea. She had never crossed paths with Whitebeard before.
She had no sense of understanding of him, now recognized as the world's strongest after defeating Whitebeard.
Consequently, there was an unavoidable air of disdain and arrogance. Regardless of how formidable he might be, there was still a chance to evade.
However, reality cruelly contradicted her assumptions.
She couldn't even discern the opponent's speed clearly! ! Even with the aid of observation haki, it proved futile if her body couldn't match up!
Swish! !
The blade twirled, and a potent Haki enveloped the arm and extended to the back of the blade.
Catarina Devon felt a shiver down her spine. Instinctively, she cloaked her entire body in armament haki, and her once narrow pupils instantly shrunk to the size of a needle tip.
She seems... paralyzed? ! !
No need to hold back on saving armament haki now!
"Senkiri Issen (Thousand cuts in one flash)!!"
The muttered words reached her ears distinctly, and Catarina Devon suddenly found herself frozen in place, attempting to turn her head to catch a glimpse of the figure that seemingly appeared behind her at an unknown moment.
Yet, she discovered she couldn't move an inch, no matter what!
Swish! ! !
A noise akin to the tearing of fabric suddenly resonated through her body, and then—
Tsk-tsk-tsk-! ! !
Countless wounds materialized, and scarlet blood sprayed out as if it were given away for free.
The armament haki enveloping her entire body appeared to be nothing more than an ornament, rendering it completely ineffective.
After all, armament haki also varies in levels.
And what Atlas possessed was precisely the highest tier of Armament Haki!
Bang! ! !
Following a brief standoff, Catarina Devon could no longer sustain the resistance and crumpled to the ground, seemingly devoid of the strength to put up a fight.
"Ah? Can't handle a little chop?"
Atlas turned around and sheathed his sword, gazing at the fallen Catarina Devon with a hint of skepticism in his eyes.
Is this woman... so feeble? !
Despite employing the highest level of armament haki in his attack, the enemy shouldn't have succumbed so swiftly, especially as a user with the abilities of a mythical beast.
Could it be that she hasn't awakened yet?
Developing a Zoan Devil Fruit can be considered the simplest among the three types. It merely requires enduring, enduring, and enduring some more.
However, awakening is not that straightforward, particularly for mythical beast species, where the difficulty skyrockets.
Shaking his head, Atlas paid no mind to whether the other party was feigning death or not. He advanced, severing her limbs with his blade, causing blood to splatter.
"Snort!!"
In her unconscious state, she couldn't help but groan from the intense pain. She twitched a few times and then fell silent once more.
Seemingly entirely at the mercy of others.
"In this situation, I won't hold back."
Subsequently, Atlas firmly seized her hair and pulled her toward the warship, indifferent to the jolts against the ground.
In any case, the opponent is a mythical beast, so there's no need to worry about accidental death.
As for any unpleasant experiences, he couldn't be bothered.
However, what escaped his notice was that, as Catarina Devon was being dragged away, a tail quietly detached in place.
The journey wasn't lengthy, and with a clear path formed, Atlas reached the entrance of the village where Smoker and the others were stationed.
"Brother Atlas, is this Catarina Devon?"
The trio scrutinized her closely and suddenly grasped the situation.
No wonder that Nine-Tails fox looked so unsightly.
"Yes, sticking to the old rules, shackle this woman. Zoan types won't die; you can be a bit rough."
He casually tossed the unconscious Catarina Devon to the three of them, then began making his way to the boat.
"What about these villagers?"
In response to the inquiries from behind, Atlas paused and remarked, "Let them rest for a while. We'll depart when they wake up to avoid any encounters with ferocious beasts."
"But..."
Furrowing his brow, he sensed that something was amiss, and then he activated his observation haki once again.
A scene suddenly flashed in his mind.
—A tail emitting potent life fluctuations!
Though not overt, there were subtle ripples.
"Interesting. No wonder she managed to escape Akainu's clutches. She could conceal her aura, making it undetectable even to those who saw it."
Having just used his observation haki to investigate, the Catarina Devon he brought back was undoubtedly authentic, possessing the same life essence! !
In the heart of the forest, a red and white fox tail lay undisturbed on the disheveled grass, showing no signs of anything amiss.
Snapped! !
At that moment, a gleaming military boot materialized out of thin air and descended upon it.
Still no movement!
"Ha! So that's it. No wonder you can be so elusive. It seems there's a trace of soul aura in each of your tails.
Even though I don't know when you switched the package, you can't escape my scrutiny."
Empowered by the Sheep Talisman, Atlas possesses a unique sensitivity to things like souls.
It quickly became evident that what he had just brought back was merely a tail from the opponent in disguise.
This was because one of the Nine-Tails fox's abilities involved housing a portion of its soul in each of its tails, enabling it to survive critical moments by severing its own tail! !
"Damn Marine..."
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Read 35 chapters in advance in Patr*on: patr*on.com/Cosmic_Kaminari