That ancient, primordial power surged through Potts the instant he swallowed the fruit, like a dam bursting, flooding through every inch of his body!
"Ugh… aaAAAAAAAH!"
A pain far beyond what any human could withstand shot up his spine and blasted straight into his skull!
Potts's body began to change, visibly, drastically, terrifyingly.
It was as if an invisible titan was stretching and reshaping him by force.
His bones cracked and popped, his muscles bulged at an impossible speed, swelling so fast they shredded his uniform in an instant!
"ROAAAR!"
What came from his throat was no human voice, it was a horrifying roar, like a mix between a ferocious raptor and a lion.
Golden, thick mane-like fur burst from his neck and chest like wildfire.
His hands and feet, his nails extended, hardened, transforming into razor-sharp metallic claws.
A ripping pain tore through his back. Accompanied by the sickening sound of flesh splitting apart, a pair of massive wings covered in strong brown feathers snapped open!
His face twisted, the nose and mouth jutting forward into a hooked beak, his eyes turning razor-sharp like an eagle.
In just a few seconds, the timid, ordinary Potts vanished completely.
In his place stood a towering beast, over four meters tall, half lion, half eagle, radiating raw brutality and majesty,
His hybrid form.
"ROOOAR!"
The savage instincts of the Mythical Zoan crashed into Potts's weak human will.
His eyes burned blood-red, breath heavy and erratic, as if he could lose control any second and rip everything apart.
Everyone around him froze in shock.
"P-Potts… sir?!"
Ain's face drained of color. She instinctively drew her twin blades and took a defensive stance.
At the kitchen door, Sanji's cigarette fell from his lips with a plop.
"What the hell is that? A Mythical Zoan?! You gotta be kidding me!"
Farther away, the Marines carrying treasure boxes screamed and dropped everything, scattering in terror at the sight of the newly born monster.
All of G-5 was instantly swallowed by a violent, suffocating aura.
Only Renzo remained unmoved, still lounging calmly on his beach chair.
He merely lifted his sunglasses a bit and looked at the roaring griffin-like Potts the same way one might look at a neighbor's annoying barking dog.
"Tch."
Renzo clicked his tongue, annoyed.
"Too loud."
A formless pressure, spread outward like ripples.
The pressure hit Potts, who was moments from rampaging, as if struck by lightning.
The beastly instincts of the Mythical Zoan shrank instantly, tiny and helpless before Renzo's presence, like a candle flame in the rain.
Clarity returned to Potts's beast eyes. His huge body trembled violently as he turned toward Renzo, fearful not of his own power, but of the man lounging before him.
A fear born from instinct… of a superior predator.
"Calm down, idiot."
Renzo said lazily, "If you roar again and disturb my nap, I'll rip off your wings and roast them."
"…"
Potts froze. He didn't even dare breathe loudly.
He stared at his clawed hands, then at the explosive power coursing through those giant wings…
'This… this was power?'
'The power of the Mythical Zoan, Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Griffin.'
"A-Admiral"
Potts finally spoke.
"You take up too much space like that."
Renzo lazily pointed toward a huge cluster of rocks out at sea.
"Go there. Try out your strength."
"Yes!"
Potts obeyed immediately, instinctively.
He tried taking a step but found he still couldn't fully control this new body.
But that raging power needed an outlet!
He planted his feet-
BOOM!
A hurricane-like blast of wind surged across the beach, whipping Renzo's hair wildly as he lay on the chair.
Potts shot into the sky like a fired cannonball!
His wings snapped open, though still untrained, the sheer explosive force launched him hundreds of meters in seconds.
In the blink of an eye, he hovered above the rocky outcrop.
"OOOOOOH!"
Potts let out a roar of exhilaration at the endless power inside him.
He clenched his gleaming claw into a fist and hammered it down at the largest boulder below!
No Armament Haki.
No technique.
Just the pure, savage power of a Mythical Zoan.
BOOOOOOM!!!
A deafening explosion shook the sea!
The massive boulder, large enough to dock a small warship, shattered instantly into fragments, as if struck head-on by a siege hammer!
Debris blasted upward. Waves dozens of meters high erupted.
The entire sea trembled from that one strike.
G-5 fell into total silence.
Everyone stared at the obliterated rocks, then at Potts, who was clumsily trying to flap his wings to hover, and clearly failing, as he began plummeting.
'That… that was the same Potts who couldn't even hold documents steady?!'
The silence shattered with a SPLASH! as Potts, majestic seconds ago, fell straight into the ocean, his huge body crashing into the water like a sinking stone.
"DWEEHEHE!!"
Sanji burst out laughing first.
He pointed at the struggling griffin in the water, laughing so hard he nearly collapsed.
"A Bird-type Mythical Zoan… but he can't even fly?! He's just a giant flightless chicken!"
Ain couldn't help smiling too. The oppressive atmosphere evaporated instantly.
The Marines exchanged glances, then erupted into laughter.
Only Renzo stayed calm as ever and said lazily:
"Someone fetch him."
With that, he adjusted his sunglasses and reclined again, like the world-shaking scene earlier was nothing more than a bit of post-meal entertainment.
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu