The King of the Near Mountain: A Devil Fruit Beast?
"The Navy doesn't care. How are we supposed to survive in the future!?"
"Besides, there are only so many beasts in the jungle, and now the King of the Near Mountain's appetite has grown tremendously."
"Sooner or later, the food here won't be enough for it. And then..."
The implication in the man's words made everyone gasp.
Yes—once the jungle runs out of prey, would the King of the Near Mountain, who could now grow three heads and six arms, start treating them as food?
No matter how they thought about it, it was entirely possible.
Hearing these words, Caesar was somewhat surprised.
According to them, the beast hadn't always possessed this monstrous form. It had changed recently.
That meant it wasn't some natural case of ancestral regression—it must have eaten a Devil Fruit!
And if that were true, it had to be a Zoan-type fruit.
Maybe…
A bold guess formed in Caesar's mind, but he wasn't entirely certain yet.
If his assumption was correct, then he had just stumbled upon something truly extraordinary.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Caesar made his decision—he had to see this beast for himself!
Testing whether it had indeed consumed a Devil Fruit was the priority.
As for relocating the island and saving these people? That could wait a few days. A small delay wouldn't change much.
After all, beyond helping refugees and scouting suitable islands, his primary goal was to collect top-tier Devil Fruits.
And if the hunters' descriptions were accurate, then this might be one of the rarest Zoan-type fruits ever discovered.
Caesar couldn't afford to miss this opportunity.
Powerful Zoan fruits, especially Mythical Zoans, were incredibly rare.
He needed to hunt it down.
Without hesitation, Caesar soared in the direction of the jungle.
---
The Beast of the Jungle
If this creature had truly consumed a Devil Fruit, its aura should be significantly stronger than before.
All he needed to do was follow the most overwhelming presence in the jungle.
With his sharp observation and Haki-enhanced perception, tracking this beast wouldn't be a problem.
It didn't take long before Caesar located it—a massive creature radiating an overwhelming aura.
Yet, even with his vast knowledge, Caesar couldn't immediately determine what species it was.
It was a hybrid, a twisted fusion of different beasts.
The creature's body stretched over ten meters, and its presence alone had driven all other beasts away.
Animals consuming Devil Fruits wasn't unheard of in this world.
The moment Caesar heard the hunters' accounts, he had suspected this possibility.
After all, examples existed—
Tony Tony Chopper, a reindeer who ate the Hito Hito no Mi (Human-Human Fruit), gaining human intelligence and transformation abilities.
Funkfreed, the sword of CP9's Spandam, which had somehow eaten the Zo Zo no Mi (Elephant-Elephant Fruit) and could transform into an elephant.
Lassoo, the bazooka that had consumed the Inu Inu no Mi (Dog-Dog Fruit), Model: Dachshund.
With numerous similar cases, when Caesar heard about a monster that could transform into a three-headed, six-armed demon, he became deeply intrigued.
Right now, he lacked nothing—
His nation was steadily growing in power, inching closer to becoming the strongest force in the world.
Money, military strength, influence—he had them all.
But Devil Fruits, especially powerful ones, were still scarce.
His three children hadn't even received suitable fruits yet.
Looking down at the ferocious, fanged beast before him, Caesar grinned.
If luck had truly brought him here to discover such a rare Mythical Zoan, then it was a prize worth celebrating.
---
Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Asura?!
The King of the Near Mountain lay basking in the sun, its belly full after a recent feast.
Suddenly, a dark shadow fell from the sky—Caesar had arrived!
Startled, the beast sprang up, its instinctive wariness kicking in.
It roared furiously, baring its massive fangs.
But upon seeing that the intruder was merely a small human, the beast became even angrier.
How dare a mere human frighten it?
It was the ruler of this jungle! Its intelligence had grown after consuming the mysterious fruit, and now, it refused to let such an insult go unpunished.
It lunged at Caesar—
But just before striking, the King of the Near Mountain suddenly halted.
A deep sense of crisis washed over it.
Why?
This human—he didn't look dangerous, but something about him screamed predator.
The beast had grown cautious since eating its Devil Fruit.
Age and experience had made it smarter, and now, it didn't recklessly attack unknown threats.
Then, before Caesar's eyes—
The King of the Near Mountain transformed!
Its body stretched and twisted, shifting from its normal stance to a bipedal humanoid form.
Its hind legs thickened, gaining the structure of human limbs.
Its forelimbs became massive, muscular arms, covered in thick fur.
With a surge of energy, its shoulder blades and neck bulged—
In an instant, the beast grew three heads and six arms!
Caesar's eyes lit up.
"This is exactly as the hunters described…"
If he weren't an elite powerhouse, well-versed in Zoan abilities, he might have mistaken this thing for an actual demon.
In the common knowledge of most people, such creatures simply didn't exist.
But now, Caesar had a strong suspicion—
Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Asura.
A Mythical Zoan!
If this were true, then this was an incredibly rare and valuable fruit.
Though this beast was formidable to normal humans, to Caesar, it was as weak as a child.
Defeating it was effortless—
But that wasn't his goal.
What he needed was to confirm its abilities, its strength, and its potential combat techniques.
If it truly possessed top-tier powers, then Caesar would claim this fruit for himself.
---
A One-Sided Battle
The King of the Near Mountain roared, its battle intent surging like a thunderclap!
Caesar smirked.
It had a fierce fighting spirit, but to him, this was nothing more than an experiment.
The beast charged—
But Caesar dodged effortlessly, analyzing its movements.
In the midst of the battle, the King of the Near Mountain unleashed unexpected abilities:
A powerful sonic roar, shaking the air like an earthquake.
Flames spewed from its jaws, an attack reminiscent of Kaido's Bolo Breath.
A strange purple mist, shrouding the area in a blinding, disorienting fog.
Caesar's eyes gleamed with excitement.
Not only did this fruit grant multiple combat techniques, but it also enhanced intelligence and defensive resilience.
To test its durability, Caesar delivered a single, calculated punch.
The impact sent the beast flying across the jungle, crashing near the shoreline.
Its chest was visibly caved in, yet its wounds healed rapidly.
Even so, its aura weakened—it wasn't invincible.
Watching closely, Caesar's smirk deepened.
This fruit was extraordinary.
But now, the final question remained—
Would he let the beast live… or claim the power for himself?
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