"A slash... got deflected?"
"Incredible..."
Not far away, Lily and Witt widened their eyes in astonishment, unable to believe what they had just witnessed. El had effortlessly deflected such a powerful slash with his bare hand, something unimaginable.
"That kind of invulnerable body is just outrageous!" Gerd muttered under her breath.
She had worked hard to master the flying slash technique, and even skilled warriors from the giant race would struggle to withstand it. Yet, El had casually swatted it away without a scratch or any hint of damage.
"The Soul-Soul Fruit really is an all-purpose ability," El remarked, looking at the elegant and confident Gerd wielding her long-handled scythe. He raised an eyebrow and smiled, "I didn't expect you to not only master the Six Powers but also to unleash such powerful flying slashes so quickly."
Typically, it wasn't easy for giants to learn the Six Powers because of their massive size. El usually didn't expect giants to take up these techniques. However, Gerd was different from other giant warriors. As a user of the Paramecia-type Soul-Soul Fruit, she had taken El's suggestion and infused the souls she collected into her muscles, nerves, and organs.
This allowed her to not only easily grasp a variant of the "Life Return" technique but also to heal her injuries rapidly. Even while resting, the souls within her body continued to train and strengthen her muscles. As long as she replenished her energy and compensated for the stamina loss, it was like she was constantly training without stopping, gaining results at a much faster rate than anyone else.
This "cheat-like" ability allowed Gerd's strength to skyrocket, giving her a body far more powerful than veteran giant warriors. She had even mastered the Six Powers, something most giants struggled with, thanks to her tireless efforts. Even the elders, like Mountain Beard and Waterfall Beard, had remarked that she might one day master the legendary Elbaf spear techniques that their race prided themselves on.
As El often said to her, "You're like a fully developed cell, ready to train yourself."
This "broken" ability of hers was essentially a training hack, leaving Linlin, Hajrudin, and others envious.
"Hehe, I only recently figured out this new technique..." Gerd said, standing tall with pride.
But then she sighed and shrugged, "Unfortunately, it still wasn't enough to make you retreat even half a step, you monster!"
It was something that often frustrated her. No matter how hard she trained, she could never seem to catch up to El. She could only watch him from behind, his strength always out of reach. And it wasn't just El—Gerd even struggled to keep up with Linlin, another natural-born monster.
"Keep working hard, you'll get there eventually," El said with a smile, patting Gerd on the head in reassurance.
"Hmph, don't lie to me! I'm not a kid anymore!" Gerd puffed her cheeks in mock annoyance, but her crescent-shaped eyes and subtle smile revealed she enjoyed El's attention.
"Gerd, you're amazing!" At that moment, the green-haired giantess Lily ran over, her eyes full of admiration as she gazed at Gerd. "That slash was incredible!"
While Gerd couldn't shake El, it didn't mean her strength wasn't impressive. She was up against El, a true natural-born monster. Even without using her Soul-Soul Fruit, Gerd's speed and strength had reached a level far surpassing 90% of the giant warriors.
"Wow, Gerd, you've gotten stronger and stronger!" Witt chimed in with a sigh, looking at the young giantess with a mix of respect and disbelief. "I remember when I first joined the Fallen Angel Pirates, you couldn't even beat me without using your Devil Fruit powers!"
When Witt had first joined, being a newly adult giant warrior, Gerd wouldn't have stood a chance against him without relying on her Soul-Soul Fruit or the assistance of her Homies like Zeus and Prometheus. But now, even without them, she could easily overpower him.
"Oh, I'm still far from being that strong!" Gerd said modestly, although the smile on her face showed she was genuinely pleased by the compliments from both Lily and Witt. Any lingering frustration from earlier had vanished.
There was no need to compare herself to El or Linlin, she reminded herself. As long as she grew stronger and contributed to El's grand ambitions, that was enough. As long as she didn't fall behind, she was content.
"Gerd! When I grow up, if we combine forces, we'll be invincible!" Lily exclaimed excitedly, grabbing Gerd's hand with enthusiasm.
"You better work hard for that, then!" Gerd said with a smile, patting Lily's head.
A year ago, the Hell Trading Company had acquired a rather odd Devil Fruit from the black market—the Paramecia-type Pile-Pile Fruit. After careful consideration, El had given it to Lily. The reason was simple: the fruit had a unique ability.
Unlike the Clank-Clank Fruit, which allowed the user to merge non-living objects like steel or stone with their body to enhance their combat abilities, the Pile-Pile Fruit worked exclusively on living beings. It was more of a support-type ability, allowing the user to merge with other living creatures to increase their strength.
And notably, the Pile-Pile Fruit could also fuse with someone with special abilities. During the fusion, the user could wield multiple abilities. Since Homies, like Zeus and Prometheus, were technically living beings created from Devil Fruit powers, Lily could fuse with them if she wished.
El had even tamed a powerful bird from the Calm Belt to partner with Lily, allowing her to fuse with it and unleash devastating attacks in battle.
~~~
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