Boom!
A raging storm surged beneath Ross's feet, with the seawater churning outwards.
"Such a powerful aura... Is that the Conqueror's Haki...?"
Gion's expression changed slightly. She picked up Stella, who had been stunned by Ross, and landed on a high vantage point in the blink of an eye.
Ordinary Conqueror's Haki had almost no effect on her, but the Conqueror's Haki that Ross unconsciously unleashed after eating the Devil Fruit made her feel intimidated.
Either Ross's Conqueror's Haki was very strong, or this Devil Fruit amplified Conqueror's Haki.
Either way, it meant this fruit was terrifying.
Ross's transformation continued, and his aura steadily rose, but Gion could tell that Ross's condition remained relatively stable and there wouldn't be any major problems.
This put her at ease a little.
This fruit was far superior to the mythical beast she had eaten.
"Brubrub!"
The Den Den Mushi suddenly rang, and Gion, finding the source of the sound, pulled it out from Stella's chest pocket:
"This is Gion."
"This is Zane. How is His Highness? A hundred-meter-high wave suddenly surged up on the outer edge of the island, and the entire island has been sealed off," Zane said solemnly.
"Saint Ross has just consumed the fruit and is currently in the adaptation period; everything is going well."
Gion glanced at Ross and gave her own judgment.
She hadn't seen how the others looked after eating the fruit, but judging from Ross's godlike appearance now, there was no way he seemed to have a problem.
"Okay, Zephyr and I will head over there immediately. Thank you for your hard work."
Zane hung up the phone quickly after finishing her sentence. Now that Ross had suddenly gained the fruit's power, they definitely had to go and check on the situation.
Gion put the somewhat limp Den Den Mushi back in its original place and stared intently at Ross.
Ross's transformation lasted for a full hour, and by the time Zephyr and Zane arrived, he was still in the midst of it.
"It's similar to the awakening of a Mythical Zoan fruit, but I've never seen a fruit that awakens simply by being eaten."
Zephyr observed Ross, frowned, and gave his conclusion.
His opinion was similar to Gion's; Ross was not in any danger at the moment and was currently sensing his Devil Fruit abilities.
"Other fruits usually grant corresponding abilities after consumption, which can be developed gradually. The fruit that Saint Ross ate seems to come with powerful strength right away, instantly forming combat power after consumption," Zephyr pondered.
"After the transformation is over, will Saint Ross have the strength of Teacher Zephyr?" Gion asked curiously.
"It's hard to say. Some fruits grant ordinary people immense power, like the one Saint Ross ate. However, these fruits often have side effects or limitations. The transformation from this fruit is astonishing; it's possible that eating it could truly grant the user the strength of an admiral," Zephyr speculated.
Although he had never seen a precedent of someone being promoted to admiral by eating a fruit, he had never seen a fruit that could control seawater either.
If he had been present, he would most likely have advised Ross to be cautious and to choose the other fruit instead.
Now that Ross had already eaten it and there were no visible problems, he could only be secretly shocked.
"Buzz!!!"
A ring of seawater emanated from Ross's position and spread outwards in all directions.
Upon seeing this, Gion and Zephyr's expressions changed slightly, and they quickly lowered their stances.
Boom!!!
High-pressure seawater crashed against the rock walls, causing the mountain to shake, and sunlight even pierced through in many places.
"Saint Ross!"
Zephyr noticed Ross had recovered immediately and called out to him.
"Zephyr, I'm fine."
Ross shook his head slightly, his body propelled forward by the seawater below, and soon floated to Zephyr's location.
This time, he had struck it rich.
"Let's leave first. Gion, come with me to test my abilities. Zane, have this place repaired," Ross said.
"No problem!"
Zane and Gion readily agreed.
Seeing that Ross was alright, Zephyr left with peace of mind.
As for what the Devil Fruit's power was, he wasn't very interested. It was common knowledge that he had little interest in Devil Fruits.
No matter how powerful Ross's manipulation of seawater was, it was of no use to him, a martial arts expert without a Devil Fruit.
After handing Stella over to Zane, Gion left the sacrificial site with Ross and went to a deserted beach.
Since Ross was able to control his Devil Fruit powers, the waters surrounding Jaygarcia Island receded, and the island returned to its former tranquility.
"Saint Ross, how should we try?"
Gion was eager to try. She had seen Ross eat the fruit, and it was the first time she had ever seen someone cause such a massive commotion just from eating a fruit.
It was easy to imagine how powerful this fruit was.
There hadn't been such a big commotion when she ate the Bat-Bat Fruit, Model: Vampire before.
"I will only use my Devil Fruit power; you should attack me with all your might."
Ross nodded slightly to Gion. After eating the fruit, his strength had undergone a tremendous change.
[Ross]
[Strength: 5.24 million/7 million (A-, Shichibukai level)]
[Fruit: Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Watatsumi (Unawakened)]
[Devil Fruit Abilities: Levitation (Flight), Sea Manipulation (Controlling Seawater), Sea Sensing (Sensing Seawater), Sea Swamp (Replenishing Energy with Seawater), Sky Collapse (Generating Seawater), Divine Transformation (Mythical Beast Form)...]
Combat Skills: Observation Haki (S), Conqueror's Haki (A), Armament Haki (A), Advanced Conqueror's Haki, Rokushiki (A), Swordsmanship (C), Marksmanship (D), Physical Combat (C)...
The Mythical Zoan species brought Ross a comprehensive boost, most notably a leap in his physical strength, which was linked to his constitution, bringing him to the level of a Shichibukai.
Secondly, his Conqueror's Haki and Observation Haki had been significantly enhanced.
The increase in Conqueror's Haki was relatively small, while Observation Haki had been raised to S-rank level due to the ability to hear the ocean.
Ross's original abilities had also increased more than tenfold.
It was no exaggeration to say that even without the fruit awakening, he was confident that he could go toe-to-toe with admirals at sea.
Although he couldn't kill the opponent, the admiral couldn't kill him either, thanks to his ability to continuously regenerate from seawater.
"Saint Ross, be careful."
Gion drew the fine sword she had acquired from the New World from her waist, and with a flick of her wrist, a pink and red flying slash cut through the air, heading straight for Ross.
She used to perform flying slashes, but each strike required too much stamina, so she rarely used them in actual combat.
After acquiring the Bat-Bat Fruit, Model: Vampire, physical strength was no longer a constraint for her.
"Bring it on!"
Ross chuckled softly and gently opened his long, slender palm forward.
In an instant, a large amount of seawater appeared in front of him, converging into a water curtain barrier two meters wide and one meter thick.
Whoosh!
The flying slash struck the water curtain as soon as it formed.
Gion's flying slash was very powerful and could easily cut through a Marine warship.
But when the pinkish-red light struck the water curtain, it seemed to hit an impenetrable barrier. Water splashed everywhere, turning into a hazy mist in the air.
In the end, Ross's water barrier remained unmoved, and her flying slash only broke through half a meter before completely collapsing.
Gion gazed at the water curtain and the relaxed Ross behind it, a hint of competitiveness flashing in her eyes.
"I'm getting serious, Saint Ross!"
Before she could finish speaking, Gion's body suddenly changed, instantly activating her vampire half-beast form. A pair of large wings spread out from her back, creating a gust of wind as she transformed into a bolt of lightning, hurtling straight at Ross.
...
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