"What???"
Hearing Ayr's words, Golden Lion's expression twisted in shock.
The Five Elders?! The top leaders of the World Government?!
That explained why Ayr struggled against this opponent—it wasn't because of weakness but because he was facing one of the most dangerous men in the world.
"Damn it! Ayr, you tricked me!" Golden Lion cursed, his voice filled with rage.
If he had known from the beginning that his opponent was one of the Five Elders, he would have immediately sought to escape instead of engaging. But because of Ayr's deception, he had willingly charged in, allowing the Elder to change targets and focus on him.
Golden Lion glared at Ayr with fury. "You bastard! Why didn't you stop me?!"
Ayr smirked slightly. "It wouldn't have changed anything. Didn't you notice? He's locked onto you now. You think he'll just let you walk away?"
Golden Lion clenched his teeth as the Five Elders attacked again, forcing him to continue their battle.
Meanwhile, Ayr turned his gaze toward Deros, the CPO Captain, standing before him.
"Well then, let's continue, Deros."
Deros snorted, crossing his arms. "Do you think I fear you?"
Ayr's expression darkened as he whispered, "Complete Tailed Beast Transformation."
In an instant, golden light burst forth from his body. The chakra of Kurama flooded through him, fusing with the surrounding energy. His form expanded, and in a dazzling flash, a massive Nine-Tailed Beast emerged, towering over the battlefield.
The transformation sent shockwaves through Mariejois, shaking the Holy Land to its very core. The overwhelming pressure from the fully released Nine-Tails caused panic among the onlookers.
"What… what kind of monster is this?!"
"That energy… it's suffocating!"
"Ayr… does he possess a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit?!"
The CP agents murmured in shock. According to Marine intelligence, during the Battle of Hive Island, Ayr had used a form glowing red with six tails. But now, he had transformed into a golden Nine-Tailed Beast.
"Has his Devil Fruit evolved?!"
The truth was far more terrifying.
Ayr had unlocked the power of all the Tailed Beasts, merging their chakra into Kurama's. He was no longer simply drawing from one entity's power—he was wielding the combined force of all Tailed Beasts.
Golden Lion, still locked in battle with the Five Elders, caught sight of the transformation and was momentarily stunned. "What the hell, Ayr?! You've been holding out on us! If you had this kind of power, why didn't you use it against Rocks?!"
Ayr, now in his Tailed Beast form, smirked. "I had my reasons."
The Five Elders narrowed his eyes. "So, this is the secret behind your power… Interesting. You may be beyond our current intelligence reports, but that just means we must extract the truth from you."
He adjusted his stance. Originally, his plan had been to wipe out the Rocks Pirates and uncover their reason for invading Mariejois. However, with Golden Lion revealing the Eternal Log Pose to God Valley, that mystery had already been solved.
Now, the Five Elders had a new priority—capturing Ayr alive to uncover the truth behind his Devil Fruit-like abilities.
"You think you can take me alive?" Ayr's voice boomed through the battlefield, his nine tails lashing out. "You're welcome to try."
From the side, Deros smirked, sheathing his blade. "You're not the only one with a transformation."
In a flash of blue flames, Deros' body began to shift. His flesh morphed, his bones expanded, and his wings spread wide.
With a massive burst of energy, he transformed into a colossal blue phoenix, flames rippling across his form.
Ayr's eyes narrowed. "So, you ate the Phoenix Fruit. Too bad… against me, that won't be enough."
Deros flapped his massive wings, generating hurricane-force winds, and launched himself at Ayr.
"You underestimate me, brat!" Deros roared as he struck forward with blazing talons.
Ayr smirked. With a flick of his tail, he sent Kurama's massive fist crashing toward Deros.
"BOOM!"
The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the air. The ground beneath them fractured, creating massive cracks throughout Mariejois. The force of the collision even distorted space for a brief moment.
While the Phoenix Fruit was one of the strongest Mythical Zoan Devil Fruits, its greatest strength lay in regeneration, not raw power. And when it came to pure destructive force, nothing compared to Kurama's might.
In a matter of moments, Ayr's massive fist overwhelmed Deros, smashing him into the ground with devastating force.
"BOOOOM!"
A massive crater formed beneath Deros' body, cracks spreading out like a spiderweb. The sheer power of Kurama's full form had shaken the entire Holy Land with a single blow.
The CP agents, witnessing the battle, were left trembling.
"Impossible…!"
"Captain Deros is being overpowered?!"
"How can his power rival that of a Mythical Zoan?!"
"This isn't normal! Every Devil Fruit has a weakness, but… this guy's abilities—why do they seem flawless?!"
Even the Five Elders frowned slightly. He had believed Ayr's abilities to be an extremely rare Mythical Zoan, but the sheer destructive power and chakra-infused attacks made it seem like something else entirely.
Was it truly a Devil Fruit?
Or had Ayr discovered something even greater?
Deros, struggling from within the crater, wiped blue flames from his mouth. Despite his body healing from the impact, his expression remained grim.
"Tch… What kind of power is this?" he muttered.
Ayr cracked his neck, his golden Nine-Tailed Beast form radiating overwhelming pressure.
"You're not the first to ask that question," he said with a smirk.
He raised a massive claw, gathering pure chakra energy, ready to strike again.
"But I'll make sure you never get the answer."
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