SPOP Chapter 51 Investigation

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"This is a Devil Fruit!!" Rojen's eyes narrowed as he glared at Barron.

"Zoan!" He murmured, realizing that Barron's transformed appearance clearly indicated he had consumed a Zoan-type Devil Fruit.

Zoan Fruits significantly enhance a person's speed, strength, and reflexes. One could say that if a warrior focused solely on physical prowess combined with a Zoan Fruit, they would be nearly unstoppable.

The fact that Barron had a bounty of over 40 million berries indeed suggested he had serious skill.

Just based on the Devil Fruit alone, he was already at a much higher starting point than most pirates.

However, Barron unexpectedly let out a sound that took everyone by surprise.

"Meow."

What!? It was actually a cat!?

Rojen's mouth twitched as he glanced at the little cat perched on his shoulder; the feline merely turned its head away, ignoring him.

"I will kill you!" Barron's voice was sharp and fierce. If this was a cat, it was undoubtedly a ferocious one.

His claws tapped on the ground, and with incredible speed, his entire form seemed to become as light as a feather. With just a bend of his knees, he leaped onto the rooftops on either side of the alley.

Jason looked up, watching Barron run and jump swiftly along the street.

At that moment, Barron's speed increased, and after ten meters, he transformed into a blur, moving so fast he was nearly invisible.

"That's amazing!"

The onlookers exclaimed in surprise.

His incredible speed allowed them only to see streaks of afterimages.

Barron and Jason were about fifty meters apart, and in just two to three seconds, Barron's figure became a mere flash, filling Jason's vision with his moving afterimages.

Suddenly, a sharp cry rang out.

"Meow!"

Jason looked up at the empty space where he had just been.

There, two sharp claws gleamed under the moonlight.

"Claw Strike: Shatter!" Barron shouted, using the momentum from his leap and his built-up speed to unleash the full power of this attack.

"You're dead! No one has survived my attack!"

He recognized Jason's strength, so he started with his strongest move.

A breath later, Barron's form shifted rapidly in mid-air; although the movements were small, they made it difficult for an enemy to predict his next angle of attack.

Suddenly, he feinted to the left.

Jason instinctively turned his gaze in that direction, but at that moment, Barron changed trajectory and lunged straight at him.

"Haha, you guessed wrong!"

"Die!"

Two sharp streaks of light suddenly slashed through the air, seemingly capable of tearing through space itself.

However, at the same time, Jason's right fist shot out.

The muscles on his thick arm bulged, veins popping out like the ridges of a sea dragon.

"Bang!"

Jason's punch landed squarely on Barron's nose.

"Crack!"

The crisp sound of breaking bones echoed, and the crowd couldn't help but cover their noses as if they could feel Barron's pain.

"This feels great!" Rojen's eyes twitched as he looked at this scene.

Jason's punch was so sudden that to outsiders, it looked as if Barron had simply walked into it.

However, Rojen could see that Jason's strength was the real deal. He couldn't understand why this guy had been imprisoned by that group of pathetic pirates.

At that moment, Jason's head was still turned to the other side. Slowly, he turned back and spoke seriously.

"I also ate a Devil Fruit, sorry."

The statement sounded more like a taunt.

But Rojen looked deeply at Jason, unsure of what kind of Fruit he had eaten; the power emanating from him was simply terrifying.

Barron, who had been caught off guard by Jason's punch, was sent flying backward for nearly a hundred meters before crashing into a wall, causing it to collapse.

Seeing this scene, the onlookers were left dumbfounded.

'What kind of power was this!?'

Barron's pirate crew had been completely wiped out!

The most elite and vicious pirate gang in South Blue had been reduced to nothing all because of a simple "What are you looking at?"

Who exactly was this burly man to possess such strength!?

Looking around, Jason saw the enemies lying motionless on the ground. He scratched his head and returned to his usual simple demeanor.

"Jason, it's time to go." Rojen casually said.

"Ah! Oh, yes, Captain." Jason was still that simple, big man, and his earlier decisiveness and strength had vanished.

With a grunt, he picked up two massive packages, each weighing at least a thousand pounds, and began following Rojen as they disappeared from the scene.

The crowd watched them go, stepping aside instinctively.

Those with keen eyes noticed that the young man walking ahead held a position of prominence.

This suggested that the boy might actually be even stronger than the giant himself!

Once aboard 'The Logan', Jason hauled the heavy cargo into the cabin, filling the hold to the brim.

"Alright, set sail. We're going to soak in hot springs and buy some new clothes."

Rojen stretched lazily and smiled.

Jason wiped the sweat from his forehead and nodded excitedly.

"Jason, your clothes might be hard to tailor!" 

After all, Jason's sheer size made custom tailoring a necessity.

Jason scratched his head and gave a simple smile.

Then, the two of them, along with the cat, re-entered Alster Island.

Half an hour later, Rojen and Jason, bare-chested, comfortably soaked in the hot springs.

Lordling shyly lay beside the hot spring pool, too embarrassed to look at the two.

"Ah, this feels great! I haven't felt this comfortable in ages." Rojen sighed contentedly.

"Treasure this moment of peace, Jason. Soon, we'll be busy again."

Jason smiled simply, relaxing as he leaned back, gazing at the skies.

"Yeah, it's a rare moment of tranquility."

At the entrance of the hot spring shop, two figures in sunglasses and black suits whispered to each other.

"Did you get a good look? Is it him?"

"No doubt about it. That face is unmistakable."

"According to our intel, the Battōsai has been spotted in South Blue recently, and it's definitely this guy."

The two exchanged hushed words while surveying the crowd.

"If it weren't for that big guy making a scene today, we wouldn't have noticed him."

"It's like looking for treasure and stumbling upon it without effort."

"But what's more concerning is the cat on his shoulder. Look into that as well. It might be even more terrifying than him."

"Understood."

"I'll report this; you start the investigation."

After exchanging a nod, the two figures vanished into the bustling street.

(End of Chapter)