Chapter 34: The Aohen and the Pleiades Rooster
Page (1/3)
Liu Xiyao and Meng Kui both swallowed unconsciously.
A Mythical Beast type—wasn’t that precisely why Ao Xin was so powerful?
Once they obtained these fruits, they too could become mighty figures in the apocalypse!
Their eyes burned with desire. In the end, Liu Xiyao was the first to speak.
“Brother Meng is a power-type fighter, and that Aoyin sounds like a ferocious beast of immense strength. It suits him better.”
She smiled radiantly. The charm of a mature woman was utterly incomparable to that of a young, inexperienced girl like Ao Chen.
“The Bird-Bird Fruit should allow its user to fly, right? My physique isn’t as strong as Brother Meng’s, so if I can fly, it would help me much more. What do you think, Master?”
Ao Xin said, “Choose for yourselves. These are rewards for both of you.”
Meng Kui favored the Aoyin fruit as well. What he pursued was absolute, overwhelming violence, and Aoyin clearly suited him perfectly.
“I agree with Sister Liu. If Boss has no objections, then I’ll eat this Ox-Ox Fruit!”
Ao Xin had no objections. He had brought out the fruits precisely to distribute them.
He wasn’t afraid that the two would grow ambitious after eating them.
His advantages extended far beyond the Azure Dragon Fruit. He also possessed the talent of a Haki genius and the title of God-Gifted Member. A single step ahead meant staying ahead at every step.
Not to mention that even after eating the fruits, the two would still be weaker than him.
Even if they secretly betrayed him, he had more than enough ways to punish them.
Besides, he knew very well that although strength and influence were important in the apocalypse, the foundation of any force was still its leader.
And he was that foundation stone.
“Go ahead and eat. I respect your choices.”
A proper measure of respect could win even greater loyalty from his subordinates. Sure enough, after hearing him, the two looked at him with even more fervent devotion.
“Master, rest assured! Xiyao will always belong to you!”
Liu Xiyao was the first to declare her loyalty. She even knelt down to demonstrate her submission.
She would not betray him simply because she had obtained a Devil Fruit. She also understood that Ao Xin’s strength was irreplaceable.
Meng Kui hurriedly followed with his own declaration of loyalty. Dropping to one knee, he imitated a scene from a film, placing one hand over his chest in the manner of a Western knight.
“Boss, I, Meng Kui, will follow you unto death!”
Anyone willing to bestow a Mythical Beast Devil Fruit upon others—he believed that, aside from Ao Xin, there was no second person in the world.
“Very well. Eat.”
Ao Xin nodded indifferently. He had heard countless declarations of loyalty. Whether someone was truly loyal would be revealed through their actions.
He would never place his complete trust in anyone merely because of a flattering remark.
The two each picked up a Devil Fruit and placed it in their mouths.
Page (1/3)
Page (2/3)
As before, the revolting taste nearly made them sick, but they forced the fruit down.
Liu Xiyao even steeled herself and swallowed the entire fruit.
“Huh? That’s not good!”
Ao Xin suddenly realized what was happening and hurriedly said, “Zoan-type creatures can be very large. Go outside—don’t bring the house down!”
The others realized it at the same time and quickly rushed downstairs.
They had barely reached the ground floor when Meng Kui’s body began to transform uncontrollably.
“Moo!”
With a thunderous bellow, his muscles swelled violently.
Two sharp horns thrust forward from his forehead, while another pair of black, curved horns emerged from the top of his head.
His face rapidly transformed into the head of an ox, and long, thick black fur—resembling a straw rain cape—sprouted across his body.
Aoyin, also known as Aoyin the Proud, was supposedly a white ox spirit. No one knew why this fruit had produced a black form.
Moreover, a layer of sinister black radiance enveloped his body.
The light was cold and deathly still. Ao Xin instinctively sensed that it was dangerous, some kind of eerie elemental power.
“Moo!”
Meng Kui completed his full transformation. His four hooves were like iron hammers. When one slammed into a zombie, its bones shattered instantly. With a second stomp, the zombie was crushed beneath a deep hoofprint.
The Aoyin roared, and the black radiance around its body began spreading toward the zombie.
Before long, the zombie’s body started to decay and wither.
Zombies were living dead, beings that needed to evolve from death back toward life. Yet the black radiance caused their already-rotting flesh to crumble into utter ruin.
That black radiance was the Netherworld aura of death!
According to legend, Aoyin had escaped from the Netherworld and carried its aura with it. Its presence here was entirely natural.
While everyone was still shaken by the sight, Liu Xiyao’s body underwent a tremendous transformation as well.
Her mouth became a beak, and a blazing cockscomb formed atop her head. Feathers sprouted across her entire body, burning with golden flames.
She had turned into a chicken.
A magnificent rooster wreathed in raging fire.
“But shouldn’t she be a hen?”
Ao Xin complained inwardly. Of course, mythical beasts from legends might not have distinct sexes at all. They could simply share the same form.
The Star-Sun Rooster spread its wings. It was even more beautiful than a pheasant, faintly bearing the majesty of a phoenix.
The golden flames covering its body were true solar fire, whose temperature surpassed even that of the heated breath Ao Xin could control.
Page (2/3)
Page (3/3)
“As expected, not even a dog would eat the Burn-Burn Fruit.”
Ao Chen complained from the side as well.
“What a beautiful bird!”
Though it was called a chicken, its splendor could rival that of a phoenix. The golden flames withdrew into its body, and Liu Xiyao descended from the sky, shifting into her human-beast form.
Feathers made of golden fire burned across her body. A pair of broad wings extended from her back, while both her hands and feet had transformed into sharp talons.
Speaking of which, Marco’s Phoenix form was truly pitiful. In human-beast form, he actually had to transform both arms into wings.
Even Bell, who possessed the Bird-Bird Fruit, Falcon Model, kept his arms and wings separate in human-beast form and could still wield a sword.
Liu Xiyao drew her saber and coated the blade in golden flame. With a single slash, she cleaved through a zombie’s head with ease.
The solar fire continued burning the corpse.
Nearby, Meng Kui also recovered from the wild instincts of his beast form and shifted into human-beast form.
His human-beast form was enormous, standing a full three meters tall.
Long, thick black fur, like a straw rain cape, covered his body. Four ox horns crowned his head, and the aura of the Netherworld coiled around him. With a single slash, he too severed a zombie’s neck.
The Zoan type granted them extraordinarily powerful physical enhancements.
Even without awakening Haki, they were more than capable of contending with flesh zombies without falling behind.
This was the power of a Mythical Beast type!
Watching their strength suddenly surge, Ao Chen could only look on with envy.
“Waaah, they’re so strong! Why can my Treasure Mouse only run away?”
The Netherworld aura and golden flames made the two appear heroic and extraordinary. The fierce sounds of battle also drew the attention of nearby residents.
“What the hell?”
In a high-rise building across the street, a young man stared down at the imposing Aoyin and Star-Sun Rooster. He quickly recorded the scene and uploaded it to the Shrine Space.
“Breaking News! Another Mythical Beast type has appeared in Bian City!”
Topics related to Devil Fruits always climbed the trending lists quickly.
Footage of ability users displaying their powers was especially popular. Before long, the video had been viewed by a hundred thousand people.
“Two Mythical Beast types appearing in the same place? The odds are ridiculously low!”
“Ahhh! I’m so jealous! I’m in Bian City too! I’m going to seek refuge with that powerhouse!”
Page (3/3)