ROOOOAR!
The roar tore across Upper Yard like a physical force.
Dust billowed outward.
Leaves ripped free from branches and spun through the air.
The surrounding trees shuddered as though a storm had swept through the clearing.
Rowan watched quietly, then gave a small nod.
Impressive.
Very impressive.
The change was obvious.
Only moments ago, Wiper had been an exceptionally powerful warrior.
Now, standing in the middle of the clearing, he radiated something entirely different.
Something older.
Something far more dangerous.
A primal savagery lurked beneath the surface.
Predatory instincts.
Ancient ferocity.
The unmistakable presence of an apex hunter.
The Bronthe Leopard wasn’t an ordinary Zoan.
As an ancient ancestor of modern leopard species, it possessed a far more brutal level of physical enhancement than most feline Devil Fruits.
Even without testing it, Rowan could already tell the increase was substantial.
“Good.”
He pointed toward the open stretch of forest ahead.
“Run.”
Wiper’s ears twitched.
“Full speed.”
Without a word, he obeyed.
BOOM!
The earth exploded beneath his paws.
A crater formed instantly.
Then he disappeared.
Rowan’s eyes narrowed.
Fast.
Faster than he’d expected.
The massive leopard shot forward like a cannonball.
Trees became streaks of green.
The landscape blurred.
In the blink of an eye, hundreds of meters vanished behind him.
A sharp wind followed in his wake, whipping through the clearing several seconds after he’d already passed.
Compared to Wiper’s original speed, the difference was dramatic.
And this was without training.
Without mastery.
Without experience.
Just raw instinct.
A smile tugged at Rowan’s lips.
Excellent.
The potential was there.
A few moments later, the ancient leopard returned, skidding across the ground before shifting back into human form.
Wiper looked down at his hands.
There was a trace of disbelief in his eyes.
Even he hadn’t expected such a dramatic improvement.
Rowan folded his arms.
“Not bad.”
Then his smile widened.
“Now comes the important part.”
Wiper blinked.
“The second fruit.”
The Bronthe Leopard Fruit was already exceptional.
Unlike Rob Lucci’s Leopard Fruit, which represented a modern species, the Bronthe Leopard came from a far older bloodline.
Larger.
Stronger.
More savage.
A predator from an age when only monsters survived.
Its physical amplification was naturally superior.
And Wiper himself was far from ordinary.
For years, he’d fought Enel’s forces with little more than his own strength, skill, and determination.
His combat instincts were outstanding.
His mentality was ironclad.
His willpower bordered on absurd.
Given enough time, Rowan had no doubt he could grow into a famous figure of the seas.
And that was before accounting for a second Devil Fruit.
Now it was time to push things further.
Much further.
“Stand still.”
Wiper immediately complied.
Rowan stepped forward and pressed a hand against his forehead.
At once, a soft blue light gathered around his palm.
The familiar energy of the system stirred.
“The Dual Devil Fruit System.”
A low hum filled the air.
“Removing incompatibility.”
Azure light spread across Wiper’s body.
It flowed through him like liquid energy, slipping beneath skin and muscle.
The sensation was strange.
Not painful.
Not pleasant. This chapter was copied from novelping.com without permission.
Simply…
unnatural.
As if invisible hands were reaching into the deepest parts of his existence and rearranging something fundamental.
The glow pulsed once.
Twice.
Then faded.
Silence returned.
The process was complete.
Wiper blinked.
He flexed his fingers.
Rolled his shoulders.
Checked himself from head to toe.
Nothing seemed different.
“…That’s it?”
Rowan chuckled.
“That’s because the change isn’t visible.”
Wiper frowned.
“The real part comes next.”
He reached into a nearby chest and retrieved another fruit.
The Swift-Swift Fruit.
Then tossed it over.
Wiper caught it reflexively.
His expression became complicated.
Even now, the concept felt absurd.
Two Devil Fruits.
On one person.
According to everything he’d ever heard, attempting such a thing should end in instant death.
Yet Rowan had shattered common sense repeatedly since arriving in Skypiea.
Compared to everything else he’d witnessed, this almost felt normal.
Almost.
Without further hesitation, Wiper bit into the fruit.
The reaction was immediate.
His face darkened.
“…Still horrible.”
Rowan laughed.
“Every Devil Fruit tastes like someone’s personal grudge against food.”
Several nearby Shandians snorted despite themselves.
Wiper shook his head and forced down the rest.
The fruit disappeared quickly.
Then…
Nothing happened.
No dramatic transformation.
No surge of muscles.
No explosion of fur.
The world remained completely still.
Wiper closed his eyes.
Quietly listening.
Feeling.
Searching.
The power was there.
Different from the Zoan.
Subtler.
Less instinctive.
But no less real.
A new force had settled within him.
Waiting.
When he opened his eyes again, understanding flickered across his face.
Rowan noticed immediately.
“You feel it.”
Wiper nodded.
Slowly.
“I do.”
“Good.”
Rowan gestured toward the clearing.
“Show me.”
Wiper crouched and picked up a small stone.
Nothing special.
Just an ordinary pebble.
He focused.
A faint translucent aura wrapped around it.
The power of the Swift-Swift Fruit.
Then he threw.
The stone left his hand at normal speed.
For a brief instant, nothing seemed unusual.
Then—
WHOOSH!
The projectile accelerated violently.
A sonic crack split the air.
The pebble became a blur.
A fraction of a second later—
BOOM!
The distant stone wall exploded.
Fragments scattered everywhere.
Clean.
Precise.
As if punched through by artillery.
The clearing fell silent.
Several Shandians stared.
One slowly lowered his jaw.
The giant eagle tilted its head.
Even it could tell that wasn’t remotely normal.
Rowan smiled.
Exactly as expected.
The Swift-Swift Fruit wasn’t merely a speed enhancement.
It accelerated motion itself.
Objects.
Weapons.
Projectiles.
Possibly even reflexes and perception with sufficient development.
The fruit’s ceiling was far higher than most people realized.
And paired with an Ancient Zoan…
The possibilities became terrifying.
“One more test.”
Wiper already knew what Rowan wanted.
Both fruits.
At the same time.
He took a deep breath.
Then transformed.
Brown fur erupted across his body.
Muscles expanded.
Claws lengthened.
The ancient predator returned.
At the same moment, the translucent energy of the Swift-Swift Fruit wrapped around him.
The two abilities activated simultaneously.
Ancient hunter.
Acceleration power.
Perfect synergy.
The instant they synchronized—
BOOOOOOM!
The ground detonated.
Wiper vanished.
Several Shandians instinctively turned their heads—
And lost him immediately.
Afterimages appeared throughout the clearing.
One.
Three.
Five.
Entire trails of blurred motion stretched through the forest.
The eye simply couldn’t keep up.
Wind screamed across Upper Yard.
Trees bent violently as shockwaves blasted through the undergrowth.
The transformed leopard raced across the landscape like a living natural disaster.
Only Rowan could track him comfortably.
Even then, surprise flickered across his face.
The synergy was better than he’d predicted.
Much better.
The Ancient Zoan provided overwhelming physical explosiveness.
The Swift-Swift Fruit amplified that momentum and accelerated it further.
The result wasn’t simple addition.
It was multiplication.
Each ability enhanced the other’s strengths.
A predator built for speed had gained an entirely new method of increasing that speed.
The effects stacked beautifully.
Wiper became a streak of motion tearing through the forest.
A blur too fast for ordinary eyes.
A hunter capable of crossing battlefields in an instant.
A nightmare for anyone lacking Observation Haki.
Several moments later, he finally skidded to a stop.
Dust erupted around him.
The transformed leopard stood motionless.
Breathing heavily.
Eyes wide.
Even Wiper looked stunned.
As if he couldn’t quite believe what he’d just done.
Rowan laughed.
A genuine laugh this time.
This.
This was why the Dual Devil Fruit System was so dangerous.
One Devil Fruit could create a powerful fighter.
Two carefully matched Devil Fruits could create something far worse.
A monster.
And Wiper was only the beginning.
The first crew member.
The first successful experiment.
The first proof that Rowan’s vision could become reality.
As he looked at the speed-type vanguard standing in the clearing, one thought crossed his mind.
If this combination was already this effective…
What kind of monsters would his future crew become?