"Why didn't my attack work?"
Metal Bat sat cross-legged on the ground, baffled, while Zenko knelt beside him stanching the bleeding.
If you compared it to a game,
his swings only warped the Monster's model for a moment before it snapped back, doing nothing.
Aokiji's strike, on the other hand, had dealt real damage and shaved off a chunk of health.
"Aokiji, what's my attack missing?"
Zenko's eyes went wide at the question.
Her reckless blockhead brother was actually asking someone else for advice?!
Had he taken one too many hits to the head?
Aokiji was busy planning how to farm progress points with this barely-adequate Monster.
Hearing Metal Bat's question, he answered offhand:
"Your Aura use is too crude."
"Uh… didn't follow."
Snake and the other Heroes waiting for professional medics pricked up their ears.
A Monster whose aftershocks had crushed them.
They couldn't last a single round against it.
Getting pointers from a powerhouse like this? Worth a few more beat-downs.
"What do you think Aura can do?" Aokiji asked.
"Lots, I guess." Metal Bat had never really thought about it.
"Like, even if I die, my Aura could bring me back or something."
No, no, that's impossible!
Snake and the listeners shook their heads repeatedly.
Even Zenko smacked her brother's scalp. "Don't be stupid!"
Metal Bat truly believed it:
"My Aura's the toughest, most stubborn thing in the world—anything's possible!"
"Then picture Aura as solid energy." Aokiji hoisted the ice block holding the Vengeful Chicken. "Wrap it around your next swing."
With that, he walked off with the Vengeful Chicken.
He left behind a pensive Metal Bat and a Snake still utterly lost.
—Villa—
"Ice sabre."
The ice in Aokiji's hand lengthened into a blade.
Anyone who'd read Pirate King knows
the three Admirals can all fence.
Aokiji and Kizaru both form blades from their powers.
Akainu's earliest design had a sabre on his back.
After eating their Devil Fruits, training shifted toward fruit mastery,
but their sword foundations stayed.
The ice knife carved strips of meat from the Vengeful Chicken.
Aokiji opened the cage and released a flock of live chickens bought at market.
The birds immediately fought over the food.
Soon one chicken gulped down a strip.
At first it showed no reaction,
craning for more.
It hadn't taken two steps
before it froze, flopped, and thrashed wildly.
"Cluck—gaaak—"
Its freakish display terrified the rest.
An empty circle formed in seconds.
Aokiji lifted the blade, watching eagerly.
But after a minute of struggle the bird went still.
Can't handle it… He moved the failed chicken aside.
The flock quickly forgot and pecked at more Monster meat.
The success rate was bleak.
Of fifty birds only one endured monsterification.
And this was only the first trial.
The real rate might be even lower.
Aokiji ended Chicken Sixteen with a single stroke.
The progress bar inched up!
Still, the gain was smaller than rescuing the cat.
He rubbed his chin in thought.
Why so low?
In the manga, Crows that ate Beast King flesh all turned.
Could intelligence matter? Crows are smart.
Or was it the meat source?
At least this method could produce gains, however small or rare.
One experiment had proven the concept viable.
It wasn't even a plan yet.
Refinement would need a pro. "Time to find a specialist."
He took out his phone and dialled.
The call connected before the first ring finished.
"Flash, got time for a job?"
Flash answered tersely: "Whose?"
"Mine."
"I'm free. What?"
"Locate an outfit called House of Evolution. Coordinates only, nothing else."
"Anyone else involved?"
"Nope."
"Got it."
A few words and the contract was sealed.
Flash guessed it needed secrecy.
Hero Aokiji wasn't using the Hero Association channels
but hiring him, a ninja from the underworld,
and only asking for coordinates.
Curious, but Flash didn't pry.
Though he came from a dark ninja village,
and left only after slaughtering every classmate, instructor, staff member,
he knew
he was a good guy.
After days spent wiping out the Assassination Alliance with Aokiji,
he was sure Aokiji was too.
He'd never seen anyone else dash to a Monster sighting
regardless of disaster level, as if skipping it would cost money.
So Flash didn't worry about the motive.
Surely Aokiji wasn't mass-producing Monsters to conquer the world?
Ridiculous.
The corner of Flash's mouth lifted two pixels.
——
"What do I do with all these chickens?"
Staring at the scattered corpses, Aokiji thought of someone else.
He dialled again.
Two and a half hours later,
Saitama, finished with today's training, slung a sack over his shoulder. "Thanks for the chickens, Aokiji!"
"No problem. Cook them through."
Saitama already cooked Monsters to stretch his budget;
a few chickens that had eaten Monster meat was nothing.
Before leaving he called back,
"Next month when the Hero Association opens its Z-City branch, they're holding hero try-outs. I'm going."
"Stick to every habit I told you—no changes," Aokiji reminded.
This time Saitama's humiliating arc shouldn't repeat.
After Saitama left,
Aokiji went to the backyard to work on Haki.
The Vengeful Chicken lay frozen beneath the soil.
Before Transmigration he'd theorized about Armament Haki.
Just as Conqueror's Haki
had the Haoshoku-coating technique and Red Hair's sense-snuffing,
he guessed Armament Haki had applications beyond Flowing Sakura!
Eyes closed, mind calm,
he reached inward… "Rare beast, what are you doing?"
A petulant voice drifted from above.
He opened his eyes, exasperated.
Tatsumaki hovered in the air with Fubuki.
Big and small, each striking.
Especially from below,
with those fluttering skirts…
Aokiji just felt a headache coming on.
Why had this nuisance returned?
...
(Throw some stones)