Chapter 36: 36. Pangolin Iris. The Blue Flames that shocked the Audience.
│3rd Person POV│
[Grand Line, New World, G5 Marine Base…]
The disparity between them was so immense that it was truly unbelievable.
Even when Iris used a special Marine technique called Shave, which increases the user's speed immensely, he was instantly defeated.
This was simply a humiliation for the Marines.
"Gurararararara~" Whitebeard couldn't help but laugh before saying, "Zephyr, are the elites of your marines such weaklings now a days?"
Upon hearing this, Marco and others displayed ridiculing and disdainful expressions on their faces.
Their initial concerns about Ron losing to the opponent now seemed truly unwarranted. If they thought this guy posed a threat to Ron, they were entirely mistaken.
The individual in front of them was not just incapable of rivaling Ron, he was also unqualified to be in the New World.
"Pathetic!" Kaido on the side was feeling disappointed.
While previously, he was interested in witnessing Whitebeard being embarrassed, he was filled with dissatisfaction after witnessing such a shameful display by the Marine recruit.
Iris' confidently executed attack had been effortlessly thwarted by Ron, and he had even ended up with a broken arm. This fight was a waste of his time.
"Iris!!" Zephyr's expression also darkened.
He didn't anticipate things unfolding in such a manner. Losing the fight to Ron in a single move wasn't just a failure; it was sheer incompetence.
'Teacher!!!' Iris noticed the shift in the atmosphere, and after looking at the change in Zephyr's expression, he immediately understood just how bad his current situation was.
If he couldn't defeat Ron, then let alone be the focus of Marine Headquarters' nurturing, he might even face expulsion from the elite training camp, and also lose the opportunity and possibility of becoming Zephyr's true student in the future.
Contemplating this, his eyes grew even redder.
He stared at Ron and inwardly roared, 'It's this punk's fault! It's all because of him! Why didn't he just lose to me? Why did he have to fight back? How dare he impede my ascend through the Marine ranks!! Damn pirate bastard, I will kill you today.'
Despite feeling extremely angry inside and wanting to cut Ron into pieces, Iris stood up while feigning composure, and said, "I underestimated you just now.
"I didn't expect you to be stronger than you looked. I was careless just now, and you won't be able to land another hit on me."
While speaking, Iris lowered his hand and shouted, "HAAAAAAA~!!"
The next moment, his aura grew tremendously stronger and more violent.
Iris's body underwent a transformation, and unique scales started emerging from every part of his body.
In a short period, his body was entirely covered in scales, particularly the facial area, which became distorted and ferocious.
"This is the Human-Beast Form of a Zoan-type Devil Fruit!"
The members of the Beasts Pirates closely watched the transformation, after all, they were mainly filled with people who had consumed some variety of Zoan-type Devil Fruits.
They could discern the nature of the fruit eaten by Iris in just a few moments.
"This should be the Zoan-type Devil Fruit, Rat-Rat Fruit; Model: Pangolin, right?" King commented softly.
After a thorough examination, he shook his head and remarked, "It doesn't seem to be a very strong Devil Fruit, and its potential isn't great either. If that's all it is, then it seems we really overestimated the elite recruits from Marine Headquarters!"
Jack and others on the side nodded in agreement.
A mere ordinary Zoan can ascend to become an elite or even a representative figure.
It was evident that the recent batch of Marine recruits couldn't be compared or even be mentioned together with the Marine recruit training camps of the past when Aokiji, Akainu, and Kizaru were recruits.
'Damn Pirate Bastards!!'
Listening to King's words, Iris' composure was on the verge of collapse.
Having his Devil Fruit power and potential being ridiculed in such a manner was a huge blow to his pride.
However, he knew his limits and he knew that couldn't retaliate against King. He could only channel his anger and frustration towards Ron.
Looking at Ron standing calmly in the same place, Iris gritted his teeth and said, "Ron, the second round starts now!"
After uttering these words, Iris took action once again.
He used Shave once again, and this time, his speed while Shave was three times faster than before. In the blink of an eye, he reached in front of Ron again.
This time, Iris had learned to be cautious, fearing a repeat of the previous outcome.
As he approached Ron, he raised his right foot and executed another one of the Marine Six Styles, "Tempest Kick!!"
In an instant, a cyan wind blade emerged from Iris' leg, swiftly moving towards Ron with the intention of cleaving him in two.
"The power is not bad." Seeing this, Ron smiled lightly.
While the previous attack posed no danger to him, this one did present a hint of threat.
Facing the Tempest Kick, Ron exhibited no intention of dodging or blocking it.
He raised his hand, and dark blue flames materialized in his palm. "Blue Flame: Cutting Thread Cage!"
With a wave of his hand, the dark blue flames morphed into numerous threads. Upon seeing them, Ron felt a slight letdown as the threads were not as thin as he had envisioned.
However, he cheered himself up thinking that it would eventually reach the standard he set for them with enough practice.
Focusing his attention back to the present, he noticed that the scorching temperature of the threads easily subdued the Tempest Kick, advancing further and targeting Iris.
"Devil Fruit abilities!" Witnessing this scene, Iris's face underwent a drastic change as he attempted to retreat.
However, it was already too late as before he could even finish the thought of escaping, the fire threads were already upon him.
"ARRRGGGHHH~!!!"
Echoes of screams filled the air as the power of the fire threads completely covered Iris, resulting in numerous burnt areas all over his body.
Although he had a thick layer of scales all over his body for protection, when the fire threads dissipated, they revealed a body that was fully charred black.
His hair, eyebrows, and clothes had long since disappeared, and his body was twitching constantly.
He looked like he was on the verge of unconsciousness.
"What was that?"
"What terrible temperature!"
"The dark blue flame powers, could he be a Logia-type Devil Fruit user?"
For a moment, the entire area erupted in uproar.
The Marines were filled with disbelief and disappointment, realizing that Iris never had the chance of defeating Ron from the start.
Before, they had competed in physical skills, and it resulted in Iris having his left shoulder broken.
Now, when they both used their Devil Fruit powers, they found out that Iris, who had the ability of just a normal Zoan-type, was soundly defeated by Ron, who was likely a Logia-type Devil Fruit user.
"This is not fair. Whitebeard actually sent a Logia-type Devil Fruit user."
"Damn it, a Logia-type Devil Fruit user. Without Armament Haki, no one can defeat him, right!?"
For a moment, countless complaints echoed in the area, as most of the Marine recruits could not accept that Whitebeard sent someone with Logia powers, making it so that the Marines' chances of winning were close to nil.
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A/N: GIVE ME POWER STONES!!!! RAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH————!!!
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