Chapter 9: The Forbidden Power of the Sea...

Seeing Zephyr suddenly leave them behind and charge straight toward Red Maple Island, Rear Admiral Kadaru was dumbfounded.

The ships hadn't even docked yet, and their highest-ranking officer had already run off alone—what kind of behavior was that?

Their opponent was just some no-name pirate crew. Was it really necessary for a Marine HQ admiral to take the field personally?

"Move the ship toward Red Maple Island's port immediately, and relay Admiral Zephyr's orders to the other vessels," Kadaru commanded.

Watching Zephyr's silhouette vanish into the distance, Kadaru could only shake his head in frustration. With Zephyr gone, command now fell squarely on him.

Aside from Zephyr, Kadaru was the highest-ranking officer on board.

A pirate with a 20-million bounty might not mean much to him personally, but they couldn't forget—over 80% of the people on these ships were untrained civilians.

Now that Zephyr had charged ahead alone, if something happened to these new recruits… he'd be the one left holding the bag.

—

Back on Red Maple Island, Wood stood gripping his bloodstained blade, surrounded by the motionless corpses of dozens of Iron Arm Pirates. Blood still dripped steadily from the edge of his sword.

A rough count put the number of bodies at two or three dozen—nearly half the Iron Arm Pirate crew.

But Wood hadn't come out unscathed. His body was riddled with wounds, some shallow, others deep. His entire left arm hung limp at his side, clearly broken.

The bone had obviously snapped clean through. Though injuries like that weren't fatal in the world of pirates and could heal in a few days, they still significantly affected his combat ability in the moment.

Switching the sword to his right hand, Wood gave it a sharp flick, sending the blood arcing away so it wouldn't drip down and make the hilt slippery.

Facing him just a few meters away was Iron Arm Cook—his face twisted with rage, as if he wanted to tear Wood limb from limb.

But Cook didn't look much better. His stamina was drained from prolonged battle, and a deep slash ran across his right eye. The heavy blood loss had already started to take its toll on his strength.

But compared to the pain in his eye, the hatred in his heart burned far hotter.

Their Iron Arm Pirate crew had set sail from the South Blue with dreams of glory, steadily growing stronger with every island conquered. They had planned to storm into the New World next.

But who could've imagined that on just their first step into the Grand Line, they'd be nearly annihilated by some brat on a no-name island?

"You've killed so many of my crewmates. I'm not letting you die so easily, brat!

You probably think I'm useless now—half-blind, worn out—but you're not the only one who's been holding back.

On this sea, there's another kind of power… a forbidden power. Let me show you what it means."

Wood's expression darkened.

He'd been hoping to end things quickly and rush to aid the other islanders still fighting the pirates. Seeing him injured, many Red Maple Island residents had taken up axes and pitchforks to fight alongside him.

But how could simple civilians stand up to seasoned killers? Even though they outnumbered the pirates, casualties had already mounted the moment the fighting began.

Wood had intended to finish off Cook and then rush to help—but Cook's ominous words made him freeze.

"Forbidden power of the sea… don't tell me…"

As if in response to Wood's thought, Cook's body began to change.

Where human skin once stretched taut across his muscles, tufts of fur now sprouted. His already large frame bulged even bigger, swelling in size like something dosed with steroids.

Defined muscle turned to something bestial. His arms and thighs swelled grotesquely. Though his mohawk remained, his face morphed—taking on the contours of a bipedal beast.

And that beast, Wood realized with a grimace, was a kangaroo.

"Tch… so it's a Zoan-type Devil Fruit…"

Cook, now transformed, grinned triumphantly. He'd been preparing to gloat—but was taken aback when Wood immediately recognized what he'd become.

"That's right," Cook growled. "The forbidden power of the sea—those who eat Devil Fruits are forsaken by the ocean itself.

I ate the Zoan-type Rat-Rat Fruit: Kangaroo form.

Zoan fruits greatly enhance a user's physical traits. And a kangaroo is naturally built for boxing. Do you know what that means, brat?"

The fact that Wood knew about Devil Fruits didn't surprise Cook much. This was the Grand Line, after all. Unlike the backwater Blues, most people here weren't shocked to see a powers user.

Zoan-types usually granted three forms: human, hybrid, and full beast.

Cook, a rookie pirate with only a 20-million bounty, likely hadn't mastered his fruit's full potential—but even so, his transformation had changed the tide.

Wood had been close to victory. But with Cook now in hybrid form, everything had shifted.

With a single leap, Cook exploded forward. The iron-armored fist trailing his massive forearm howled through the air, aiming directly for Wood's head.

BOOM!

The ground cracked violently under the blow. A few strands of Wood's black hair fluttered away—his body had already vanished, appearing several paces away.

He stared at the spiderweb of cracks spreading across the ground where he'd just stood, face pale.

The leap and the force behind that punch… both were vastly stronger than Cook had been moments ago.

"Tch. My stamina's been drained this much already? If I was at full strength, your head would've popped like a melon."

Cook clicked his tongue, glaring down at the crater made by his armored fist.

He wasn't satisfied at all.

Back in the South Blue, in this same form, a punch like that had once punched straight through a Marine patrol ship's hull.