"Can you really outlast me?"
The essence of this battle had shifted—it was no longer about brute strength but about who would exhaust their stamina first.
While Cracker's ability consumed energy to create his Biscuit Knights, Alastor likely used even more stamina to destroy them. Just like Straw Hat Luffy in the original timeline, it might take hours—possibly even eleven—to decide the victor.
At this rate, the outcome wasn't guaranteed.
But Cracker didn't know about Alastor's unique advantage. Thanks to his system, Alastor could recover stamina and heal injuries by consuming food. And weren't the Biscuit Knights just… ready-made snacks?
The moment Alastor saw the knights, a cunning idea formed in his mind.
He licked his lips, glanced at the supremely confident Cracker, and said with a sly smile, "Alright, let's see who tires out first."
Cracker sneered, his expression filled with disdain. "You Beasts Pirates are all fools—too reckless to realize when you've met your match."
Believing Alastor was overconfident, Cracker wasted no time. He commanded over a dozen Biscuit Knights to close in on him.
The knights surrounded Alastor, forming a tight circle and cutting off any escape route. Cracker's strategy was clear—trap him and crush him, leaving no room for maneuver.
But Cracker forgot one thing: the ground may have been blocked, but the sky was still wide open.
With a powerful Geppo (Moon Walk), Alastor leaped into the air, defying Cracker's expectations. Then, using Soru (Shave), he teleported behind one of the Biscuit Knights and unleashed a devastating punch.
Boom!
The knight shattered into powder on impact.
"Huh?" Cracker's confident smirk faltered. He hadn't anticipated that Alastor would be proficient in the Six Powers technique.
Still, he wasn't worried. With a casual clap of his hands, the destroyed Biscuit Knight reassembled itself in mere seconds.
"I told you, my biscuits are endless. You'll tire out long before I do!" Cracker taunted.
Alastor ignored the mockery, analyzing his previous strike.
"The haki flow wasn't controlled well," he mused to himself. "It pulverized the biscuit entirely, making it inedible."
Determined, he struck again, teleporting behind another Biscuit Knight. This time, the knight crumbled into smaller chunks, slightly better than powder but still not ideal.
Alastor kept at it, smashing knight after knight, refining his control over his haki with each hit. Finally, on the fifth attempt, the Biscuit Knight broke into perfectly sized chunks—small enough to eat in one bite.
A grin spread across Alastor's face. "Got it. This is the sweet spot!"
Meanwhile, Cracker observed, convinced that Alastor's stamina was finally running out. Seeing him pause after destroying only five knights, Cracker burst into laughter.
"What's the matter? Out of steam already? How pathetic. This fight is over."
Alastor turned to him, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Oh, I assure you, things are about to get interesting."
Cracker's laughter stopped abruptly, his gut tightening with unease.
His suspicion turned to disbelief when he saw Alastor pick up a biscuit chunk and take a bite.
Crunch.
The sound of Alastor's chewing echoed through the battlefield.
"This has no flavor," he remarked casually. Then, with a mocking grin, he called out, "Hey, Cracker, can you add some seasoning next time? Maybe a bit of sugar?"
Cracker's jaw dropped. He stood frozen, unable to process what he was seeing. Alastor wasn't just destroying his knights—he was eating them.
"What… What the hell are your teeth made of?!" Cracker shouted in disbelief.
His biscuits were infamous for their extreme hardness, enough to break ordinary teeth. Even Luffy had needed Nami's help to soak the biscuits in water before eating them. Yet here was Alastor, chomping down on them like they were crackers at a tea party.
Alastor flashed a dazzling smile, his teeth glinting in the sunlight. "Sorry, I was born with strong teeth."
In truth, Alastor's durability extended to every part of his body—including his teeth—thanks to his system. But he wasn't about to reveal that to Cracker.
Cracker's expression twisted with frustration. "Fine! Let's see if your body is as tough as your teeth!"
He commanded the remaining Biscuit Knights to accelerate their assault, their swords gleaming as they slashed toward Alastor.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
But Cracker's confidence wavered as he noticed something alarming: the knight Alastor had eaten wasn't regenerating.
Recreating a Biscuit Knight from scratch required significantly more stamina than repairing one, and Cracker didn't want to waste his energy unless absolutely necessary.
Then, to his horror, he discovered that Alastor's body was just as unyielding as his teeth.
Cracker's sword strikes landed with force, but Alastor barely flinched. His grin widened, a glint of triumph in his eyes.
"Is that all you've got?" Alastor taunted, stepping forward unscathed.
For the first time in the battle, Cracker felt a twinge of fear. This wasn't the opponent he thought he could easily overpower.
And it was clear now—this wasn't going to be a battle of attrition. It was a battle of wits and resolve. And Cracker was beginning to realize he might have underestimated his opponent.
The long sword failed to pierce through but only managed to scratch a thin layer of Alastor's skin!
[The host receives slight damage. Defense +4.]
Thanks to the energy replenished from the biscuit he had just eaten, even the scratched skin quickly healed, leaving no trace of the injury.
Alastor chuckled.
"Injured to increase defense while healing by eating biscuits—can anything be more perfect than this?"
His gaze shifted to Cracker, but this time it wasn't with hostility. Instead, Alastor looked at him like a treasure trove, rubbing his palms together with a grin.
"Come on, Biscuit Man. Don't just tickle me with these weak attacks."
Cracker swallowed nervously. The man in front of him was truly a monster, but there was no turning back now.
"Don't get cocky, you bastard!" Cracker growled, his pride stung.
He decided to get serious, coating the Biscuit Knights' long swords with Armament Haki. With a roar, he activated his signature move:
"Roll Pretzel!"
The black long sword began spinning at incredible speed, resembling a drill as it aimed for Alastor's body.
Alastor didn't underestimate the attack. He knew Cracker's Armament Haki was formidable—it had even damaged Fourth Gear Luffy in the original timeline.
Rather than trying to block all the strikes, Alastor chose to dodge most of them. Only two swords managed to land.
[The host receives moderate damage. Defense +15.]
Cracker smirked triumphantly. "Your body may be tough, but even it isn't invincible against my Armament Haki!"
The Biscuit Knights didn't relent, attacking continuously. Within minutes, several bloody gashes had appeared on Alastor's body.
[The host receives moderate damage. Defense +15.]
[The host receives moderate damage. Defense +12.]
Meanwhile, the system notifications continued to chime.
Alastor grinned to himself. "Just about time to recover."
As the Biscuit Knights lunged again, Alastor dodged with ease, leaving them striking at empty air. With a burst of speed, he reappeared behind one knight, his fist wrapped in Ryou (advanced Armament Haki).
Boom!
The knight shattered into biscuit chunks of perfect size. Alastor wasted no time, scooping the pieces into his mouth and devouring them.
Thanks to his remarkable appetite, the entire knight was gone in less than five seconds.
The wounds on Alastor's body began to heal visibly, the bloody gashes closing up as if they had never existed.
Cracker's jaw dropped.
Now, he understood. Alastor wasn't just eating his Biscuit Knights to mock him. The man was recovering his injuries and draining Cracker's energy at the same time.
"What kind of freakish ability is this?" Cracker muttered, disbelief etched on his face.
Even among Zoan-type Devil Fruit users, no one had such a bizarre recovery mechanism.
Realizing the implications, Cracker's confidence wavered. If Alastor kept healing while he himself drained his energy creating new Biscuit Knights, the battle was as good as lost.
Worse still, once Alastor ate a Biscuit Knight, it couldn't be restored, forcing Cracker to expend even more stamina to create replacements.
Cracker's face darkened. He had to change his approach.
An idea struck him. If he could restore the Biscuit Knights faster than Alastor could eat them, he might stand a chance.
Cracker's Biscuit Knights could regenerate quickly—faster than the time it had taken Alastor to eat the last one.
Determined, Cracker clapped his hands, ready to implement his plan.
Slap! Slap!
The shattered Biscuit Knight began to reassemble itself immediately.
Alastor raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you want to race me?"
He drew the Shusui, its black blade gleaming ominously.
"Let's see how you keep up with this."
"One-Sword Style: Ghostly Wind Slash!"
A powerful gust of wind burst forth as Alastor swung his blade. The shockwave scattered the broken biscuits directly into his waiting hands. Without hesitation, he shoved the pieces into his mouth and swallowed—whole.
Cracker's eyes bulged in disbelief.
"You… you swallowed it whole?!"
The sheer hardness of Cracker's biscuits was no joke. Even if Alastor's teeth could crush them, there was no way his throat and stomach could handle such abuse—or so Cracker thought.
Alastor wiped his mouth with a grin. "Don't underestimate me, Biscuit Man. My stomach's just as tough as the rest of me."
For the first time, Cracker felt genuine fear. The opponent in front of him wasn't just strong—he was a nightmare.