"Disgraceful," Alo muttered, gazing at the distant flames with a disdainful curl of his lips. "To actually give them a chance to explode."
He shook his head and turned his attention to Bola.
"Whoa! Danger."
Suddenly, Bola felt an icy chill sweep over her. Every hair on her body stood on end. Her Devil Fruit ability reacted as if stimulated, involuntarily sprouting countless long thorns all over her body. Her forehead, in particular, felt like a nail was drilling into it, causing unbearable pain.
She knew it was the person aiming a gun at her, about to fire. But she hadn't expected him to be so powerful. Just his killing intent directed at her had reduced her to this state.
No time to think. She didn't want to die; she wanted to escape. This feeling of being on the brink of hell was unbearable.
*Crack—!*
Just then, before her body could obey her command to flee, a semi-transparent bullet glinting with dark light, accompanied by the crack of a gunshot, pierced the air. It appeared silently, as if teleporting, directly in front of Bola's forehead.
"How can it be this fast?"
In that instant, Bola felt as if time had stopped. Only her mind was still active. Her eyes widened, reflecting the bullet before her. She wanted to dodge, but...
She couldn't dodge! Her body couldn't keep up with her reaction speed. Yes, in this moment of life and death, she felt as if she had awakened something extraordinary. But this thing was utterly useless to her now. It only made her feel more intensely, more clearly, the process of being pulled into hell by the abyss of death.
*Thwack—!*
The bullet penetrated Bola's forehead without resistance and lodged in her brain. Her head then rapidly swelled like an overinflated balloon before exploding in the middle like a watermelon. The ensuing flames instantly consumed her entire body, followed by a second explosion within a fireball.
*Boom—!*
Amidst the rising flames, a second mushroom cloud ascended.
"Phew~"
Alo stared at the spot where Bola had stood, lowered his gun, and blew into the muzzle.
"Perfect."
Then, with a smug flourish, he lowered his gun, reached up to both sides of his head, and slicked back his ostentatious hairstyle, looking as conceited as could be.
"Need a hand?"
Alo lowered his hand, raised his gun, aiming at Mikita above Aotao, while his gaze fell upon Aotao. "If you need help, just say the word. I love taking down those who fly."
Mikita, soaring in the sky and watching the two mushroom clouds below, heard Alo's voice and felt a surge of...
Alo lowered his gun and shouted to Aotao. He was just saying that. With Aotao's strength, how could that woman possibly escape? Even if she could fly, she wouldn't get away.
"No need," Aotao replied.
Aotao glanced at Alo, then slowly reached into his pocket, pulled out a cigarette pack, and placed a cigarette in his mouth. He took out a lighter, ignited the cigarette, took a deep puff, and haughtily tilted his chin, looking at Mikita, who was continuously flying towards the desert outside the rainy area, with a mocking glint in his eyes.
"Run? Can you escape?"
He pocketed the lighter and stared at the sky, opening his mouth to let out a mighty roar.
"Meow..."
It echoed through the heavens and earth.
"Hahahahahaha!!!"
Alo watched Aotao, his hands on his stomach, laughing uncontrollably. Finally, he'd managed to make this guy use his Devil Fruit ability again.
Aotao's body began to swell with creaking sounds, and soon, he transformed into a bipedal, yellow, "tabby cat." The tabby cat wasn't fat as one might expect, but instead, it was covered in muscle. The entire tabby cat seemed like a warrior forged from steel, exuding explosive power.
Since he looked so cool and stylish (>^w^<) meow, why was Alo laughing?
...
Aotao finished his transformation. He first glanced at Alo with his yellow pupils. Seeing Alo still laughing, he didn't immediately pursue Mikita. Instead, with an aura of fierce aggression, he roared at Alo, "Alo, you bastard, are you looking for a fight? Meow!"
"Hahahahahaha!!"
Alo's laughter didn't stop; it only grew louder. "Ha, stop adding 'meow' at the end of your sentences! You're making me laugh endlessly!"
"You jerk."
Aotao glared at Alo, his yellow pupils contracting, a look of anger on his face.
"Alright, alright, hahaha!!"
Seeing Aotao about to fly into a rage, Alo quickly covered his mouth with his hand. He spoke to Aotao, "Wuwuwu!! Haha!!" "Hurry and chase that woman! Don't let her really get away, or we'll laugh at you for a year!"
"Hahahahahaha!!"
"I'll deal with you later."
Aotao withdrew his gaze, staring at Mikita, who had flown a considerable distance. A flicker of killing intent flashed in his yellow pupils. He lowered his body, bent his knees, and then pushed off the ground.
*Bang—!*
The ground immediately caved in, and Aotao's body, propelled by the powerful spring of his legs, shot towards Mikita like a rocket.
*Whoosh—!*
He instantly appeared before Mikita.
"Run? Where do you think you can run from me? Meow!"
Alo said, pushing off in mid-air.
*Thump—!*
He landed steadily in front of Mikita.
Four months ago, just a few days after arriving at the Grand Line, they had found a Devil Fruit. Without a Devil Fruit encyclopedia, they had no idea what kind of fruit it was. But for Aotao, who craved increased strength, any fruit that could boost his power was acceptable. So, the moment he got it, he ate it without hesitation.
After eating it, he learned it was the "Zoan-Zoan Fruit, Model: Tabby Cat." This wasn't like Alo's and Ahua's fruits. This fruit had immediately enhanced his physical abilities significantly. Therefore, his Armament Haki awakened first among the three of them, and it was also the strongest. Furthermore, the Tabby Cat Fruit had granted him an exceptionally agile physique. Don't let his muscular physique fool you into thinking he's rigid. While he is strong, he's also incredibly flexible. He can control every muscle in his body, even making it flow like liquid to squeeze into small spaces. And that's not all. His eyesight is also incredibly sharp with its dynamic vision. As long as his eyes transform into cat pupils, he can see the traces of anything, even Kong's slashes. It's just that his reaction speed can't keep up, and he can't dodge. However, these are things that can be gradually improved through subsequent training. He believes that one day, he will be able to dodge any attack he sees.