Chapter 742: Suspicious Points
The Cerberus Fruit—that was just Fujitora's way of putting it. The actual name of Plague Calamity Queen's Devil Fruit should be the Zoan Mythical Zoan type, Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Hell Cerberus!
Unlike the classifications of Logia and Paramecia Devil Fruits, Zoan-type Devil Fruits have the most branches and are the most complex. Not only are there special Mythical Zoan types, but also Ancient Zoan types, and so on. Furthermore, depending on the different species after beast transformation, there are names like Dog-Dog Fruit, Cat-Cat Fruit, Elephant-Elephant Fruit, Bug-Bug Fruit, and so forth.
A characteristic of Zoan-type Devil Fruit users when they undergo beast transformation is that their faces basically retain the user's original appearance. This is why Ian now saw Plague Calamity Queen's three heads all looking like foxes.
To be honest, Ian didn't even know whether to call Plague Calamity Queen a three-headed dog or a three-headed fox. He always felt that this fruit was too different from the one in his memory...
Shouldn't a Hell Cerberus look strong and ferocious, with a spiked collar around its neck and molten lava and flames spewing from its three dog heads?
But there was no helping it. Who would have thought that the person who ate this Mythical Zoan fruit would actually be a fox Mink? It was just like Kuina's Ashura Fruit—after transformation, it looked like three Kuinas, not three Ashuras...
After completing her transformation, Plague Calamity Queen appeared extraordinarily imposing under the moonlight. It was clear that she was also an awakened Zoan-type Devil Fruit user; otherwise, she wouldn't have such a massive size after beast transformation. Her entire body was covered in long, fiery red fur, making her look as if she were burning. Her fluffy tail gently swayed, resembling a giant torch. Her three heads and six eyes were now all beast-transformed vertical pupils, looking extremely eerie.
Most importantly, after completing her transformation, she didn't immediately attack Ian. Instead, she cautiously watched the approaching Ace, Marco, Fujitora, and the others.
"It's you again..." her middle head spoke.
This made Ian realize that Plague Calamity Queen, as an awakened Zoan user, was fundamentally different from the awakened jailers in Impel Down—in terms of intelligence!
The jailer beasts in Impel Down, though equally immensely strong and physically robust, gave off a feeling of being foolish, dull, and cute, as if their intelligence had degenerated. However, whether it was Plague Calamity Queen now or Jack the Drought he had seen before, they both retained clear intelligence after beast transformation. This made one wonder if there were lower and higher levels of Zoan awakening...
After recognizing Ace and the others who had arrived, Plague Calamity Queen seemed to assess the balance of power between both sides. Realizing she might not be a match alone, she immediately lifted all three heads, staring intently at the full moon in the sky.
The Mink Tribe had two special talents. One was their ability to use "Lightning Power," which seemed related to their fur, similar to friction generating electricity. Although the electrical power couldn't reach the level Ian or Enel could control, it could still paralyze opponents in battle. The second special talent was that on a full moon night, after staring at the moon for a while, they could transform into a "Moon Lion!"
In the "Moon Lion" form, the Mink's fur would grow much longer and, as if stimulated, would become berserk. Their speed, strength, and the electricity they carried would all be greatly enhanced, instantly skyrocketing their combat power.
However, this Moon Lion form wasn't easy to control. Minks without proper training who rashly used this transformation ability would exhaust themselves to death in a frenzied battle, fighting until they died.
Dorry was also a Mink, and so was Bepo. But when they were on the Dragon Hunter Pirates, they would hide in their rooms and sleep early whenever it was a full moon night. Dorry had never received Moon Lion training, but he remembered the warnings from his hometown elders and didn't dare try it casually.
As for Bepo, he had left Zou since childhood, so he had no knowledge of this aspect at all. Back then, he accidentally saw the full moon and went berserk. If he hadn't been lucky enough to encounter Law, who used his Surgery Fruit ability to save him, he would have died long ago. That was also why he had been following Law, his lifesaver, ever since.
But now, Ian finally witnessed the Moon Lion transformation for the first time. The Plague Calamity Queen before him, after staring at the moon for a while, had the fur on her three fox heads, from the top to the neck, rapidly spreading and growing. Soon, it covered most of her body. This fur was fiery red, giving Ian and the others the impression that the flames were burning even more fiercely.
Her beast-transformed body also became more agile. Her three pairs of beast-transformed pupils turned red, revealing a cold-blooded and ferocious feeling.
The night wind blew, and Plague Calamity Queen was like a surging cloud of fire. The combination of awakened Zoan beast transformation and the Mink Tribe's Moon Lion transformation brought a suffocating aura!
Bonney stared dumbfounded at this fiery fox beast, feeling her legs go weak, her back soaked with cold sweat. She had never imagined she would feel fear toward a fox...
Fujitora had already drawn his staff sword. Izo also clenched his fists and assumed a fighting stance. His weapons were originally two flintlock pistols, but they had been confiscated during his imprisonment, so now, like Ace, he could only fight with his fists.
Marco had already transformed into a Phoenix, his hands becoming Flame Wings. The group spread out, cautiously surrounding Plague Calamity Queen.
Ian also held his two swords, considering whether to use Final Release. Right now, he couldn't really tell what level of strength Plague Calamity Queen was at, but at least even Akainu hadn't given him such a sense of pressure.
At that moment, in everyone's sight, Plague Calamity Queen's body seemed to pause for a moment. Ian's heart tightened, and his Psychic Field suddenly detected a huge object pouncing down from above. Without thinking, he shielded Bonney behind him and leaped backward to dodge.
At the same time, Queen's massive body landed, and a claw slammed into the spot where Ian had just been standing. A huge explosion rang out. The ground, under immense force, blasted into a circular crater several meters in diameter. Countless fragments of rubble shot out in all directions like cannonballs. Ace, Fujitora, and Izo, while jumping away, immediately concentrated their Haki on their wrists and used them to block the impact of the rubble.
Marco, on the other hand, flew into the air. But as soon as Plague Calamity Queen landed, one of her heads suddenly tilted upward toward Marco. The next second, a massive pillar of flame shot out from the fox's mouth, heading straight for Marco!
Marco hadn't expected such an attack. Even with his Observation Haki, he couldn't react in time. He was hit squarely by the flame pillar, and his right hand and the right half of his body were instantly obliterated.
"She can even breathe fire!?" Amidst the blue flames, Marco's body regenerated, and he said with lingering fear.
"Not just that! Watch out for her venom too!" Ace said as he rolled on the ground. Just as he rolled away, a glob of green liquid shot from another of Queen's heads, hitting the ground where he had been. A puff of green smoke rose, and the ground sizzled as the venom corroded a hole.
This, of course, came from the special ability of the Hell Cerberus Fruit. Otherwise, how could a fox Mink spit out venom like that?
Ace, Fujitora, and the others had actually fought Plague Calamity Queen before when they went to Wano Country, so they were familiar with her abilities. However, back then, when they faced her, it wasn't a full moon night...
Just as Ace dodged the venom, Queen swung a claw at Fujitora. The massive fiery red claw, accompanied by a loud tearing sound, struck Fujitora's blade. As Fujitora was sent flying by the immense force, a powerful electric current traveled through the blade and into his body. Fujitora couldn't help but roar in pain as he was electrocuted. His entire body crashed through several large trees behind him before finally stopping and falling.
Ian had just settled Bonney, telling her to stay as far away as possible. When he turned around and saw this, he immediately realized this wouldn't work. Ace and Fujitora couldn't unleash the full power of their Devil Fruits.
So, as he rushed over, he shouted to Marco, "Hold her off for a bit!"
Marco nodded in understanding and dove toward Plague Calamity Queen from above. Meanwhile, Ian made a sharp turn mid-run, found Fujitora, and without hesitation, slapped a Twin Heaven Return Shield on him.
Fujitora's entire body was enveloped by the power of Twin Heaven Return Shield, forming a faint film of light around him. The injuries he had sustained from being sent flying began to heal.
But then he frowned and said to Ian, "The Sea Stone bugs inside my body seem to resist this power. It'll take some time to force them out!"
"As long as it works!" Ian said. "I'll go remove Ace's too!"
After saying that, he left Fujitora where he was and turned to run toward Ace's position. Plague Calamity Queen noticed him approaching, and one of her heads turned toward him, opening its mouth to spew a pillar of flame at Ian.
Ian didn't hold back either. He opened his mouth and shot a Black Cero at the flame pillar. Although he wasn't at full strength, the power of the Black Cero was still far superior to the flame pillar. It instantly dispersed Queen's flames and continued toward her with undiminished force.
Plague Calamity Queen seemed startled as well, but in her current state, she had incredible mobility. She instantly leaped sideways to dodge the Black Cero.
Then, she clashed again with Marco, who had engaged her once more.
Taking this opportunity, Ian reached Ace and slapped a Twin Heaven Return Shield on him as well, then let out a sigh of relief.
If Ace and Fujitora didn't recover, they would become the weak points of their group. But as he turned to watch Queen continuously spewing flames and venom at Marco in the air, Ian felt a bit puzzled.
He admitted that Plague Calamity Queen was quite strong at this moment—at least far stronger than a Marine Admiral. But considering that Ian's side had so many capable fighters, and even Ian himself, if he went all out, could be confident in subduing her, the problem was: knowing the huge gap in strength between herself and Ian's group, why hadn't Plague Calamity Queen shown any intention of escaping?
And don't forget, she was also suspected of having just blown up the Tenshukaku and assassinating the Shogun of Wano Country. The samurai of Wano were probably heading this way. Logically, she should be trying every means to shake off Ian and the others and escape. If she got surrounded by Wano's samurai, her identity would be exposed, and the relationship between the Shogun of Wano and the Beast Pirates would crack.
She couldn't possibly be unaware of these things. So why was she still fighting here? Could she really be foolish enough to think she had the advantage and wanted to turn the tables and kill Ian and the others?
And also, was her assassination of the Shogun of Wano her own idea, or was it ordered by Kaido!?
Something was wrong. There was definitely something wrong here!