Chapter 130

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"Baby-5, morph into the Weapon Fist form!"

"Okay!"

As the little girl nodded, she transformed into a white light that enveloped Abel's hands.

When the light faded, a pair of silver metal gauntlets, somewhat reminiscent of cyberpunk aesthetics, appeared on his hands.

A thick chain connected the ends of the gauntlets, extending to wrap around Abel's upper body in an 'X' shape.

Mechanical gauntlets and chains? What kind of combination was this?

Abel flexed his arms, realizing there was no obstructive design, and the chain did not hinder his combat.

"Roar!"

A gigantic gorilla swung its palm straight at Abel. However, Abel's Haki had been locked on the creature, allowing him to dodge the attack with a swift sidestep.

"Don't rush. We're about to start," Abel stated.

In order to test the new form of the demonic weapon, Abel had scoured far and wide after departing from the gambling city, eventually finding this place. It was remote with scarce human traces, and the island was often visited by formidable beasts.

Indeed, he hadn't wandered for long before encountering this giant gorilla, nearly 20 meters tall and with a volatile temperament.

Abel warmed up, watched for the right opportunity, then leaped into the air, landing a solid punch on the gorilla's face. He hadn't used his full strength for this punch, mainly intending to test some characteristics of this new form.

The gorilla, struck in the face, stumbled backward dizzily and ended up sitting on the ground. This made Abel reassess the 'Heavy Strike' feature. 'Heavy Strike' not only increased attack power but also seemed to have a stunning effect when striking certain parts of the body.

As 'Shatter' did not seem to have a significant effect on the gorilla, Abel took advantage of its momentary confusion to punch a large rock nearby. The rock shattered with a loud bang, far easier than Abel had anticipated. So, 'Shatter' had this effect – not bad at all.

As for the 'Protection' feature, it seemed to refer to protecting his hands during an attack. "The force rebounding from those two punches earlier was almost completely mitigated," he observed.

The dizzy gorilla shook its head, once again setting its gaze on Abel.

"I know you're eager, but wait. Let me try one more move. Baby-5, Soul Resonance!"

A strange vibration instantly spread from the fist weapon on his hand to his entire body. The wavelengths of the two souls rapidly overlapped and began to resonate.

In the span of a breath, the wonderful feeling of blending together, each containing a piece of the other, surfaced again. At the same time, the mechanical gloves began to transform quickly. Not only did the fist portion become twice its original size, but it also wrapped around his entire forearm. It appeared as if the mechanical glove had been upgraded to a mechanical arm.

But there was more...

[The text ends with a bookmark reminder which isn't relevant for the translation.]

The end is not yet in sight!

Each mechanical arm has an additional six external jet holes attached to its casing, though their function is unclear. The only constant seems to be the chains wrapped around Abel.

Even though the chains' appearance remains unchanged, Abel can feel them taut against his body, resulting in an uncomfortable sensation.

From a punk-style shabby mechanical gauntlet to a futuristic metallic mechanical arm, the cool factor is maxed out. Unfortunately, there are no spectators to marvel at it, so exclamations of awe are absent.

It seems that the colossal gorilla, dubbed "Brother Gorilla," is somewhat taken aback, with a hint of retreat in his eyes. However, the prey, once in sight, can't be allowed to escape.

Abel immediately adopts an offensive stance, pulling his right fist back with all his might. In response, a faint blue glow emerges from the six jet holes on the silver-white casing of his right mechanical arm.

"Fury Abyss!"

With a loud roar, the six jet holes on the casing of his right mechanical arm immediately spew out blue flames fueled by fury.

The powerful thrust generated by this instant explosion practically catapults Abel into the air.

Boom!!!

The Gorilla Beast had no clue what was happening when its entire chest suffered a severe blow. With a punch, it was driven inwards, and its eyes rolled back in its head.

"Hang in there, Brother Gorilla!" Abel shouts inwardly.

At this point, his left mechanical arm has also begun to gather power.

Boom!

This time, the jet holes on his left arm explode with furious flames, striking the same spot once again.

This punch is twice as powerful as the last one!

With a thud, Abel creates a huge pit in the ground.

"Ptui, ptui."

After clambering up, he quickly spits out the earth that had inadvertently found its way into his mouth.

Turning back, he sees that the entire chest of the Gorilla Beast has vanished, leaving only a huge hole through which the scenery on the other side can be seen.

In other words, Abel's punch had first pierced the Gorilla Beast's body before slamming into the ground without any decrease in momentum!

Such power is indeed shocking!

And this is only the second punch. If he delivers a third punch, it could double the power once again.

That would be four times the power of the first punch!

What if he throws another punch?

Abel suddenly dares not continue to daydream. After only the second punch, the chain on his body has tightened to an uncomfortable degree.

The 'fury' powering the metallic mechanical arm originates from this chain.

The more fury consumed, the tighter the chain constricts, reminiscent of the golden hoop worn on the Monkey King's head.

If Abel were to recklessly pursue consecutive strikes, it could end up causing his own body to break down before the enemy's.

But on the other hand, such a powerful skill would be thoroughly wasted if not exploited.

So the greatest challenge lies in finding the right balance, leveraging the maximum power of this magical weapon without falling into the abyss of greed.

"Fury Abyss. So that's the underlying meaning of this skill's name."

After Baby-5 deactivated the weapon form, Abel had a sudden epiphany.

"What about the hidden skill in scythe form?"

"Right, the Witch Hunter inflicts three times the damage on female targets. It's the perfect embodiment of lust."

"If I indulge in the pleasure of hunting females after mastering this skill, I'd undoubtedly lose myself to the obsession."

"But should I abandon it completely for this reason, akin to not eating for fear of choking?"

"No, certainly not."

"Balance and restraint are the essence of truth!"

"The key lies not in utterly casting aside these desires, but in learning to control and master them. Only in doing so can I use these magical weapons at will without fearing a downfall into the abyss."

Abel's eyes brightened further, adding an irresistible charm to his already handsome face.

This unintentionally caused Baby-5, who had been sneakily observing him, to blush, as her mind conjured up an array of fanciful scenarios.

To be continued...

After seeing his own bounty poster, Abel showed little reaction.

The reward amount was merely a reference.

While in most cases, pirates with higher bounties tended to be stronger, there were always exceptions.

Take Doflamingo who had been lurking in the North Sea for instance, his bounty of 130 million Belly wasn't much to speak of.

Obviously, Doflamingo's actual strength far exceeded that amount.

Also, it doesn't mean that someone with a lower bounty can't defeat an opponent with a higher one. There are numerous factors influencing the outcome of a fight.

Someone could simply be unlucky due to the interaction of Devil Fruit powers, leaving them with no choice but to declare a non-combat fault.

Yes, I'm talking about you, the lad from Skypiea!

While Abel himself was nonchalant about it, Law and the others were consumed with envy.

After all, in the realm of pirates, the bounty on one's wanted poster is often considered a badge of honor to be flaunted.

You'd frequently hear someone bragging on the high seas about their large bounty, basking in the envious gazes and gasps of awe from their surroundings.

Additionally, Abel found that once he gained some notoriety, he enjoyed certain unique privileges during his 'business trips.'

For example, upon recognizing him, people would surrender, trembling with fear.

Or, in stark contrast, they'd be so eager to make a name for themselves that they'd attempt to kill him on sight.

For a pirate, the quickest way to increase one's bounty, besides punching a Celestial Dragon, is to outdo those with higher bounties.

Of course, if you punch a Celestial Dragon, you'd better be able to escape.

Otherwise, you're likely to meet a rather unsightly end.

These changes undoubtedly provided Abel with significant convenience in his work.

Regardless of the situation, they'd help him complete the tasks assigned by his family more swiftly.

Moreover, if he encountered the latter situation, he could collect more "fallen human souls" for Baby-5, killing two birds with one stone.

"Abel, can we not go back right away?"

After completing their mission, Baby-5, somewhat hesitantly, asked. She nervously twiddled her fingers.

Abel paused, slightly perplexed. "What do you mean? Do you have something else to do?"

"No, not really, it's just that, on the way here..."

Under Abel's gaze, Baby-5's voice gradually softened and her face reddened for some reason.

If it weren't for Abel's keen hearing, supplemented by his Observation Haki, he might not have caught the soft murmurs.

A few minutes later, Abel followed Baby-5 to the entrance of a theatre.

"A stage play, huh? I didn't know you liked these."

Abel was genuinely surprised. He never knew Baby-5 enjoyed watching stage plays. Moreover, this seemed to be the first time she'd made a request since they'd met.

How could he not agree!

"It's not that I particularly like it, I just thought it would be interesting."

Shyly lowering her head, Baby-5 occasionally glanced at a poster on the wall. The most prominent line on the poster was the name of the play, "My Childhood Friend is a Maid."

"Well, let's delay our departure by a day then. Which show do you want to see?"

Abel didn't give it much thought. As an officer, as long as he wasn't betraying the family, his obligations were relatively minor.

It was like Pica, who always found excuses to stay outside, all for a woman.

If he weren't an officer, he would've been done for long ago!

Not to mention that Doflamingo even granted him leave afterward.

You wouldn't see that happening with anyone who isn't an officer!

"Just... just that one."

Baby-5, her head lowered, pointed accurately to the poster on the wall.

"'My Childhood Friend is a Maid'? That's a strange title."

Abel remarked with a peculiar expression, then naturally purchased the tickets, waited, and went in to watch.

Throughout the show, Baby-5 remained silent.

Abel, as if under some spell of silence, was in a trance until they left the theater.

Because although the play was called "My Childhood Friend is a Maid", and mainly revolved around the story of the maid from childhood to adulthood,

the problem was that this 'I' is a girl!

And the characters in the play who vied for the 'beloved maid' were all 'heiresses', 'noble ladies', 'princesses' and 'female generals from enemy nations'.

Even more outrageous was the fact that in the end, to quell the long-standing war between two countries, the 'Miss Maid' resolutely abandoned all the above 'extras' and decisively chose to marry the king of the enemy country!

And the king of the enemy country was also a woman!

As a result, the long-standing feud between the two countries was resolved due to the universally adored maid, returning to a peaceful life.

And the conclusion was the wedding of the maid and the queen, where all the 'exes' traveled long distances just to offer their sincerest blessings.

It probably meant to say that even if she abandoned them, as long as she was happy, they were satisfied.

It was the epitome of melodrama!

Abel was completely dumbfounded, although some of the intimate scenes were rather stimulating and pleasing to the eye.

But, the 'douban sauce' rating could only go as high as three stars, no more.

"What's wrong? You seem upset."

Baby-5 lifted her tearful eyes and said, "I'm never watching a stage play again, they're all lies."

Probably none of the plot points Baby-5 wanted to see were included, hence her disappointment.

Upon hearing this, Abel burst into laughter.

Then, with a playful ruffle of Baby-5's hair, he left her hair a mess, causing her to chase him around in playful retaliation.

Although the changes were not significant, Abel had always felt that he was subtly influencing the other party.

Baby-5 taking the initiative today was a great start.

After settling into a nice hotel, Abel composed himself.

He opened the system mall that had just refreshed today and took a glance, but did not rush to shop.

Instead, Abel opened the intermediate wish order and began to search!

[Start search for wish order. Search completed!]

[Obtaining an intermediate wish order]

[Order description: Orochimaru has hit a research bottleneck. He needs a fresh perspective to help him take that taboo-breaking step.]

[Order content: 1. Any item with the properties of 'Eternal Youth' or 'Immortality'. 2. Mangekyō Sharingan (optional)]

[Basic Order Reward: 2500 Trading Points]

[Optional Order Reward: Cursed Seal Technique, Impure World Reincarnation, Eight Branches Technique (Obtainable after completing optional order content)]

[Order Remaining Time: 23 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds]

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