Fenrir spent the entire night trying to get his new tail under control. He thought it would be easy to get used to it, but it was like this damned thing had a mind of its own. Try as he might, the tail refused to hear his order. By the time he got it to wrap around him like a belt, it was already morning of the next day.
The next morning came far too early for him, announced by the clanging of a bell and Babanuki's booming voice echoing through the ship.
"All right, you worthless maggots! Training time! Anyone who doesn't show up gets thrown overboard!"
Fenrir groaned and rolled out of his bed he had just gotten into a few minutes ago, his body still aching from yesterday's labour and his stomach still queasy from the Devil Fruit experience and overall lack of sleep. Around him, other pirates were stumbling to their feet, grumbling and cursing as they prepared for another day of hell.
The training area was the same scarred wooden section he'd seen before, but this time it was packed with pirates of various ranks. Babanuki stood in the centre like a mountain, demonstrating techniques that made the deck shake with each impact.
"Alright! Listen up, you maggots!" the massive officer bellowed. "Today we're working on hand-to-hand combat. Everyone, pair up and show me what you've got!"
Hearing this, Fenrir tried to blend into the crowd, hoping to avoid attention, but luck wasn't on his side. A group of three pirates—including the gold-toothed Mokku from yesterday—approached him with predatory grins, clearly trying to bully a newbie.
"Well, well, look who it is," Mokku sneered, cracking his knuckles. "The mop boy thinks he can play with the big boys now."
The other two pirates beside him chuckled darkly. One was a lanky man with rope burn scars on his arms, the other a stocky brute with fists thicker than his face.
"Come on, newbie," the lanky one said, "let's see if you fight better than you clean."
Before Fenrir could respond, Mokku stepped forward and threw a punch aimed straight at his face. But something strange happened; Fenrir felt as if time seemed to slow down, and he could see the trajectory of the fist as clearly as if it were traced in the air.
His body moved on instinct, tilting his head just enough for the punch to whistle past his ear harmlessly.
Mokku's eyes widened in surprise at the reaction. "What the fu-"
But the stocky pirate was already following up with another punch from the side. This time, Fenrir's enhanced reflexes weren't quite fast enough. The fist connected with his cheek, sending him stumbling backwards and crashing to the deck.
'Fuck! That should have-' Fenrir grabbed his face, expecting to find his jaw shattered or at least severely bruised. Instead, he felt only a dull ache, as if he'd been slapped rather than punched by a man who could probably bench 10 of him.
The three pirates stood over him, expecting him to stay down like any sensible grunt would. But as Fenrir touched his cheek and realised the punch had barely hurt him, something clicked in his mind.
'The devil fruit. It's already working. So these are the Saiyan battle instinct. It's fun.'
He looked up at his attackers, who were grinning down at him with cruel satisfaction. Mokku was already turning away, apparently bored now that the entertainment was over.
"Pathetic," the gold-toothed pirate muttered. "I thought you might at least put up more of a decent-."
Fenrir slowly rose to his feet, his expression shifting from confusion to determination. The faint energy he'd felt since eating the Devil Fruit seemed to pulse stronger now, responding to his rising anger and resolve. He knew he was in the world of pirates, and he needed to get used to fighting sooner or later.
He took a fighting stance, a copy of Goku from DBZ. It looked crude and unpracticed, but he was backed by newfound power and an absolute refusal to stay down without getting even.
"Round two," he said quietly, his voice carrying a dangerous edge that made all three pirates pause and look back at him with surprise.
'Let me see what this discount Saiyan package can really do.'
The training deck fell silent as other pirates stopped to watch, sensing that something interesting or amusing was about to take place. Even Babanuki turned his attention toward the confrontation, his scarred face showing the first hint of a little bit of curiosity.
Fenrir felt the power thrumming through his veins, waiting to be unleashed. His enhanced senses picked up every micro-expression on his opponents' faces, every shift in their stance, every tell that would give away their next move.
''This is it. This is how I make my first mark in this world.'
The three Beast Pirates exchanged uncertain glances, suddenly realising that the newbie they'd expected to crush wasn't staying down like he was supposed to.
And in that moment of hesitation, Fenrir struck.
BANG!! The lanky man went flying away from a punch to his jaw, surprising everyone present. But Fennrir didn't pause; he went for the stocky man next, who managed to block his blow by crossing both his hands.
Seeing Fenrir busy, Mokku did not waste this chance as he kicked the midriff of Fenrir. Fenrir's battle instincts kicked in and raised his leg to waist level to block the kick, but he skidded back by the force.
All this exchange happened in a few seconds of time. Feeling the adrenaline rush coursing through his body, Fenrir burst out laughing. "WAHAHAHAHA!!! This is fun!! Again!!"
Fenrir took his stance again, this time more confident in his own abilities. He rushed out at speeds far faster than before. He approached the stocky man again, kicking him in the chest, sending him flying far away before he could register.
Mokku growled at the sight. He did not expect to encounter such a tough nut today. He needed to win this match or all his prestige would be lost.
"Don't get cocky with me, you brat!!" With that in mind, he started channelling his Haki into his hand, coating it black. He punched forward.
Looking at Mokku, who was coming at him with full force, Fenrir felt an unknown power stir within him. Anger took over his mind as he roared loudly before punching forward at the incoming fist.
Before the punches met, something unexpected happened, as Fenrir's body increased in size, almost doubling over at 6 meters tall. He burst forth with so much power that Mokku went flying far away after getting hit, breaking through half the ship in the process.
But no one paid attention to him; everyone's focus was on Fenrir now, who stood alone on the deck, as a Big Ape.