Soon after the laser appeared, a whoosh sounded, and Chiga appeared above the deck.
"Chiga!? Why are you here!?"
Zephyr felt no joy upon seeing Chiga appear—only dread.
He had just fought tooth and nail to protect some of his trainees and was already covered in wounds. Could he still protect Chiga in his current state?
In his opinion, although Chiga had once injured Rayleigh, that had to be an exaggerated account. It was only an injury, after all.
The monster in front of him was certainly not as strong as Rayleigh, but its tireless and pain-insensitive physique made it, in some sense, even more troublesome.
Miss Bakkin, seeing that it was a young Marine who had arrived, immediately relaxed and mocked Chiga in the sky with a sarcastic tone.
"Oh? So it's a Marine brat? Young but already high-ranking. A genius of the Marines, I see. Today, you'll stay here with Zephyr. With him as company, you'll become famous across the seas."
Chiga coldly glanced at Miss Bakkin on the small boat, instantly disgusted by her appearance and attire.
He raised his hand and activated Almighty Pull. Miss Bakkin was immediately yanked upward, screaming in terror.
"Damn it, he's a Devil Fruit user!? Son, save me quickly!!"
"Mom!"
Weevil, ever the devoted son, ignored Zephyr and instantly appeared in mid-air, extending a large, fat hand to catch Bakkin.
After confirming she was unharmed, his expression twisted with anger. He turned to Chiga and shouted,
"You dare hurt my mom?! I'll twist off all your limbs!"
Ignoring the threat, Chiga examined them both, mentally noting how much this duo resembled Majin Buu and Babidi from Dragon Ball. Except this Weevil was even dumber, completely obedient to Bakkin.
Weevil couldn't fly, and after shouting, he dropped.
Chiga followed him down. Zephyr was still wounded on the deck.
Landing, Chiga tossed aside martial ethics and hit Weevil with another Almighty Push, sending him flying. He then helped Zephyr up.
"Teacher Zephyr, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, but my combat effectiveness is limited. I took a knife to the back earlier."
Chiga glanced at the wound—a deep, bone-exposing cut.
Thankfully, people in this world had absurdly durable bodies. If it had been someone from Naruto, let alone being conscious, survival itself would be questionable.
He had already used his Ishokubaimai once to save a dying Ain. It was worth it.
After some thought, Chiga opened the Door-Door Space, motioning for Zephyr to rest inside.
Zephyr refused. How could he let his best student face such a monster alone?
Chiga shook his head, showing a confident smile.
"Trust me, Teacher Zephyr. If I can't handle someone like this, how can I live up to your expectations? You can see everything from inside. If things get bad, you can just step out."
Zephyr stared at Chiga. The Marine trainee he once knew now stood as a real soldier.
"Alright. But if things go wrong, you must retreat. With your abilities, running won't be a problem, right?"
Chiga nodded. Zephyr patted his shoulder and stepped into the Door-Door Space.
"Damn Marine! How dare you ambush me!"
Weevil had returned, still holding the unconscious Miss Bakkin.
He had been blown away several miles by Almighty Push but was mostly unharmed, a testament to his monstrous physique.
Nearly seven meters tall and built like a mountain of flesh, Weevil dwarfed Chiga, who barely reached his waist.
Chiga didn't waste words. Activating both Sage Mode and Armament Haki, he charged forward and punched.
Weevil managed to shield Bakkin with one arm and countered with the other.
Boom! Their fists collided, unleashing a shockwave that shattered the battleship beneath them.
After a brief stalemate, they separated. Chiga landed on the water, shaking his tingling arm.
No wonder Kizaru said this guy had the strength of young Whitebeard—he was a true monster.
(In terms of Physical Strength)
It wasn't exaggeration; Chiga now understood.
Weevil gently laid Bakkin on a piece of floating iron and bellowed,
"You've got strength, runt. But now, it's time to die!"
"Runt?"
Chiga raised an eyebrow. At over two meters, he wasn't short. This guy was just absurdly built.
Still, the insult annoyed him.
The fourth tomoe in his right Rinnegan began to vibrate. Suddenly, a golden light engulfed him.
Weevil shielded his eyes from the light. When he looked again, his jaw dropped.
Chiga now stood over twenty meters tall. His cape and pants had grown with him. The word "Justice" on his cape was plated in gold.
His upper garments had torn open, revealing glowing golden inscriptions and four newly grown arms, all covered in golden Armament Haki.
Chiga opened his eyes. His Rinnegan shimmered.
This was his power after absorbing the Ashura Fruit—"Heavenly Manifestation." It was his first time using it.
Like Sengoku's Buddha-Buddha Fruit, it allowed gigantification. His twenty-meter size was intentional, perfect for fighting Weevil.
Drool dripped from Weevil's mouth as he stupidly pointed,
"Who are you?! Where's that other guy?!"
No one answered. A massive fist descended from the sky.
Boom!!!
The sea exploded into a bottomless crater. Water poured in. Miss Bakkin disintegrated in her unconscious state. Weevil vanished with the sea.
__________
Man, he's dumb af.