One Piece: Heaven-Defying Talent

Chapter 128: The Power of the Mera-Mera Fruit in Golden Crow Form

Van Augur's face paled. He had no intention of letting that flame bird hit him.

He quickly dodged, trying to evade the fiery creature's direct path, but to his horror, the flame bird flapped its wings and continued to pursue him.

"This thing… it can track me?" Van Augur shouted, panic evident in his voice. "Captain, save me!" Without a second thought, he bolted towards Blackbeard.

Blackbeard raised his hands, and an ominous black aura began swirling around him, forming a massive vortex in front of him.

The flame bird, its wingspan stretching over ten meters, collided with Blackbeard's Dark Vortex.

Boom!

A massive explosion rocked the arena as flames erupted from the collision, sending Blackbeard sprawling backward. Fire clung to his body, refusing to be extinguished. Blackbeard's Dark Vortex had no effect against the inferno Rebecca unleashed.

"Ahhh! It burns!" Blackbeard screamed, writhing in agony as he rolled on the ground. His crew frantically tried to douse the flames, but no matter how much they struggled, the fire wouldn't go out. Finally, one crew member kicked Blackbeard into the sea, then jumped in to pull him out once the flames were quenched.

Rebecca's use of the Mera-Mera Fruit in its Golden Crow form had defeated Burgess and forced Blackbeard himself to jump into the sea to survive. The sheer power of her flames left the entire arena in stunned silence.

"This Chiba is terrifying," someone in the audience murmured. "To create a man-made Devil Fruit with this kind of power… Rebecca was practically nothing before, but now she's overwhelming these seasoned fighters. What a transformation!"

"That Burgess is at least Commodore level, if not stronger, and he couldn't lay a finger on her. Does this mean Rebecca now has Admiral-level strength?"

"And Blackbeard! His Dark-Dark Fruit is supposed to counter other Devil Fruits, isn't it? So why didn't it work here?"

"Blackbeard's Dark-Dark Fruit can neutralize real Devil Fruits, but Chiba's creation is artificial. Maybe that's why the Dark Fruit has no effect on it."

"So you're saying that this Mera-Mera Fruit in Golden Crow form is not only as powerful as the real Mera-Mera Fruit—no, it's even stronger—and it's immune to the Dark-Dark Fruit's powers?"

"Not to mention, it doesn't have the usual weakness to seawater like natural Devil Fruits."

"If that's the case, then Chiba's artificial Devil Fruits might be even more valuable than the real ones."

"This Chiba… what kind of genius is he? How can he create such powerful Devil Fruits? Is he even human?"

"If I could get my hands on a Devil Fruit made by Chiba, I'd instantly have near-Admiral strength!"

"Yeah, I'm going to do whatever it takes to get one of his fruits!"

The audience buzzed with excitement and disbelief. They had all seen Rebecca's previous strength, which was nowhere near this level. Before she ate the fruit, someone like Burgess could have crushed her without breaking a sweat. But now, with the Golden Crow form of the Mera-Mera Fruit, she had transformed into a powerhouse, wielding strength that no one expected.

In the audience, Fujitora also looked deeply affected. Though he couldn't see, his Observation Haki was sharp enough to sense the overwhelming power radiating from Rebecca. "This… this is a man-made Devil Fruit from Chiba? Monkey D. Chiba… what kind of person are you, to be able to create something like this?"

Through his Haki, Fujitora could feel Rebecca's powerful aura, magnified by the intense flames she wielded. This transformation wasn't just due to the fruit alone. Chiba had trained her in a specialized technique, the Three Thousand Flame Body, to help her withstand and channel the power of flames. Combined with the restructuring effect of the artificial Golden Crow fruit, Rebecca's physical body had been completely reshaped, making her at least ten times stronger than before.

With her enhanced physical strength and the power of the fruit's flames, Rebecca was now capable of wielding immense power.

The flames continued to rage, spreading across the arena and transforming it into a sea of fire. Thankfully, the arena had been recently expanded and reinforced, allowing most spectators to escape through the widened exits. Otherwise, many might have been caught in the blaze.

But the flames showed no signs of stopping, spreading further beyond the arena.

Rebecca's eyes glinted as she took control of the inferno, molding the flames around her into a flock of flame-crows. Each crow crackled with intense heat, and she directed them toward Blackbeard and his crew.

"Retreat!" Blackbeard, drenched and shaken from his unplanned plunge into the sea, barked orders to his men. The fire had been extinguished, but he was still rattled. "Get out of here!" He led his crew in a hasty retreat, casting wary glances back at Rebecca. "Damn that Chiba… what kind of monster has he created? This swordswoman's power has become terrifyingly strong. Chiba is becoming more dangerous by the day."

Watching from the stands, Vista shook his head in disbelief. "I never thought the Mera-Mera Fruit in Golden Crow form would be this powerful. It's a shame… a real shame I couldn't get my hands on it."

"Damn it," Cavendish muttered, clenching his fists in frustration. "If I'd gotten that man-made Devil Fruit, with my swordsmanship, I could have broken through Bartolomeo's barrier easily. This is so unfair. These old guys are shameless, coming here to compete with us young ones!"

Ignoring Vista's presence, Cavendish continued ranting. If it hadn't been for Vista's participation, he might have had a real shot at claiming the fruit.

Meanwhile, Bartolomeo looked toward Chiba with open admiration. "Lord Chiba is incredible! To create a Devil Fruit with this kind of power… I've made up my mind. I'm following Lord Chiba for life. Wherever he goes, I'll be there."

Elsewhere in the arena, Rob Lucci watched with a rare expression of shock in his eyes. "Chiba… Chiba… I thought I already respected your talents, but I still underestimated you," he murmured. "To be able to create something like this… The World Government made a grave mistake when they forced you out of the Marines. It's their most foolish decision yet."

[•———•——•———•]

𝙥𝗮𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣(.)𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

✨ • 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟲𝟬+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.