Chapter 4: The Battle for the Devil Fruit

Dusk.

A gentle breeze scattered fallen leaves.

The guards were on edge, as jumpy as startled birds. The slightest sound could make their bodies tense up instantly.

They were the guards brought by the Celestial Dragons from Mary Geoise, unable to defy any orders issued by the Celestial Dragons.

Even though they knew the pirates would inevitably come here, they couldn't entertain the thought of fleeing.

Staying here meant death, and fleeing here also meant death.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed as a figure rushed out from the woods, charging straight toward the treasure.

The guards' eyes narrowed, and they stomped the ground with force, instantly appearing in front of Renji. With a powerful punch, they launched an attack.

At the same time, another guard leaped into the air, flipping twice before kicking out, creating a "vacuum" that resembled a sharp slash, rapidly closing in on Renji.

Boom!!!

In an instant, the ground where the attack landed cracked, and dust filled the air.

The guard spat on the ground and wiped the dust off his hands.

"I thought he was something special, but he's just a petty thief."

In their eyes, someone who could be easily dealt with by just two of them wasn't worth the entire guard force surrounding him.

"Hey, haven't you eaten? Your attacks are so slow..."

On the eaves above them, Renji casually patted his spotless clothes.

After gaining 50 points in physique, dealing with these guards was a breeze.

After a brief test, he realized there was no need to be so cautious. If he had known earlier, he could have gone straight for the fruit and made things even easier.

However, in his line of sight, Kuma and Ivankov were already within reach of the treasure chests.

The guards below, hearing the mocking tone, turned pale with anger, but what frightened them more was that no one had seen how the person on the eaves had moved.

Fear overwhelmed their rationality, and they began to retreat.

"Is this kind of monster really something we can handle?"

Hearing this, Renji's mouth twitched. Did they have some misunderstanding about what a monster was?

"Ah!!!"

A scream reached Renji's ears.

Turning his head, he saw a tall, beautiful woman pinning Ivankov's face to the ground with one hand while holding a Devil Fruit in the other.

"Ouch! That was close. I almost became the 'Dragon King with a Big Head.'"

Charlotte Linlin teased Ivankov.

She hadn't wasted a moment, rushing here immediately after disembarking to seize the fruit before it could be eaten.

"Hand over the other fruit as well."

Charlotte Linlin paid no attention to the others, releasing Ivankov and reaching for the fruit in Kuma's hand.

"Eat it now, Kuma! Don't hesitate!!!" Ivankov shouted hoarsely.

Kuma swallowed the fruit in one gulp. He knew this was something his comrades had risked their lives for, and he couldn't let them down.

"Pah..."

Charlotte Linlin spat, but it was already too late.

"You must survive. Even if it's just you, it's still our victory!"

Charlotte Linlin looked at Ivankov, who was still coughing up blood, but didn't take further action. She was already a Devil Fruit user, and the fruit was just a tool for her to gain benefits.

There were still so many treasure chests and jewels here. She had already made a huge profit.

"Hee-haw, I'm waiting for someone to come. What are you waiting for?" Ivankov directly taunted Charlotte Linlin.

"Whoosh..."

Realizing the situation was dire, Renji launched a sneak attack from behind her.

"Kid, who gave you the courage to face me?"

Charlotte Linlin sidestepped slightly, dodging Renji's attack.

"You're... Big Mom?"

The woman before him was stunning.

Her arched eyebrows framed a pair of enchanting eyes, her lips full and delicate. Her figure was curvaceous in all the right places, like a ripe peach.

Renji's memories of One Piece stopped at the Whole Cake Island arc, but he had seen what this woman looked like in her youth.

Confirming his suspicions, Renji's heart sank. He had no confidence in facing this opponent. Big Mom had been strong since childhood, and her iron-like skin couldn't even be scratched by cannon fire.

"Big Mom?!!" Charlotte Linlin's forehead veins bulged, clearly enraged.

"Very well, kid. I'll remember you. Do you know the price you'll pay for saying those two words to a woman?!!"

Renji regretted saying those two words as soon as they left his mouth. He knew how terrifying this woman could be when she lost her temper—she would even kill her own children without hesitation.

Moreover, the current Charlotte Linlin hadn't yet become the overweight figure she would later be, and in this world, no one would dare call her that to her face.

Feeling the situation was dire, Renji immediately shouted to Ivankov and Kuma, "Get out of here now!!"

"Elbaf Spear·Ikoku Sovereignty!!!"

Charlotte Linlin casually tucked the fruit she was holding into her clothes, then raised her sword above her head with one hand and swung it down with tremendous force.

A purple shockwave of sword energy, carrying an aura of death, swept toward Renji.

In a hurry, Renji could only draw his sword and charge forward, slashing at Charlotte Linlin with all his might, but he couldn't make any progress.

An unimaginable force surged through his arms, veins bulging on his neck and arms as he was pushed back by the sword energy, leaving deep grooves in the ground.

At the same time, a terrifying power enveloped the entire area. Screams echoed as people and animals within a hundred meters widened their eyes in fear, their vision filled with nothing but terror, followed by the sound of blades cutting through flesh.

Some didn't even have time to scream before their bodies turned into a mist of blood, scattering in the air, leaving only scorch marks on the ground.

Their twisted postures in death were enough to show the extent of their fear.

Fortunately, Kuma, upon hearing Renji's warning, immediately used his Devil Fruit ability to slap himself and Ivankov far out of the attack's range.

"What kind of destructive power is this..."

Ivankov murmured, his face devoid of its usual smile.

In the blink of an eye, everything within a hundred meters had turned into a wasteland. Corpses littered the ground, and even the vegetation had lost its vitality.

"Where's Renji? How is he?"

Kuma looked around, trying to find Renji, but the dust blocked his view.

Within the dust-covered area.

"Not bad. I only used 50% of my strength, but being able to block this move means you're decent."

Charlotte Linlin licked her lips, showing a hint of interest.

Renji knelt on one knee, using his sword to support himself. The sleeves of his clothes had been completely torn apart, and his arms were covered in cuts from the sword energy.

He once again felt the approach of death, but a smile crept onto his lips.

His hand, which had been behind his back, slowly moved to his mouth. In his palm was a fruit surrounded by dragon-like scales...

A Devil Fruit!!!

(PS: This story's setting is that Big Mom hasn't yet reached her peak strength. She's grown complacent and hasn't trained hard, so she hasn't mastered many techniques. Her Homies are currently limited to Prometheus.)