One Piece: Nobody knows Devil Fruits better than me.

Chapter 172 The True Mirage - Rocks

In this world, there are always some geniuses who are born exceptional.

They were born monsters, and the world endowed them with enormous talents.

Wang Zhi was one of them.

As a child of a martial arts family in the Flower Country, he was born with incredible martial arts talent and a powerful physique.

By the age of 14, he had mastered almost all the martial arts techniques of the Flower Kingdom, making him a true master.

At the age of 20, he was already able to defeat the strongest person in the contemporary Flower Kingdom, the eleventh generation pillar of the Eight Treasures Navy, 'Huajiao'.

He has always been the strongest, the most talented.

He disdained Devil Fruit abilities, so he founded the 'Martial Arts Cult'.

"In the face of my martial arts, Devil Fruit abilities are nothing more than giving you an extra weakness: a fear of water."

He became the patriarch of the pirates, and was invincible across the seas.

"I will become the 'strongest in the world'."

That was his pursuit, and something he absolutely believed in—until he met that man.

In that battle, he suffered his first crushing defeat, one that was completely predictable.

"Hey—you're pretty strong. Since you lost to me, how about joining my pirate crew?"

"You want to be the strongest? Hahaha, what does that matter? My pirate crew can tolerate any 'ambition'!"

"If you have the ability to kill me, I'll give you the title of the strongest."

He joined that pirate crew.

In that crew called the 'Rocks Pirates', he witnessed the true 'monsters'.

Whitebeard, Shiki, Big Mom—these monsters who are now infamous on the seas were all officers of that pirate crew back then.

Wang Zhi discovered that his physique and martial arts skills, which he was so proud of, were not outstanding in the face of their strength, let alone the 'monster among monsters' who commanded the Rocks Pirates.

He was no longer the special one, but just one of the members of the Rocks Pirates.

This was unacceptable to Wang Zhi.

He was clearly the one who should have gone all the way to the end and become the strongest—how could he possibly remain subservient to others forever?
"It's simply because of ability."

Float-Float Fruit, Tremor-Tremor Fruit, Soul-Soul Fruit—if he could obtain a fruit of this caliber, combined with his martial arts skills, he could become the 'strongest,' right?

Especially when they see that even the 'trainee' who hasn't been in the pirate crew for very long is seeking powerful Devil Fruits.

Wang Zhi changed his mind and began secretly gathering information about Devil Fruits.

And it was precisely at this moment
The world extended an olive branch to him.

"We can give you a huge amount of treasure, the top-tier Devil Fruits you need, and you can even become the admiral of Pirate Island and inherit Rocks' position. We only ask you to do one thing."

Therefore, he chose to betray.

He kidnapped the "high-class beauty" of the pirate world, killed his own comrades, betrayed everything to the government, and triggered the "God Valley Incident".

He obtained the power he had longed for.

The only thing that made him a little uneasy was some of the 'rumors' he had learned about through the Pirate Island's channels.

That was news about a man who was still alive.

But soon, Wang Zhi was relieved.

Because he discovered that the man had not reappeared.

Those messages were quickly swallowed up by the tides of time—the Rocks Pirates were successfully disbanded, and he became the new admiral of Pirate Island.

Everything is going smooth.

"I will become the 'strongest'."

He rekindled his ambition—with the fruits of his labor and his martial arts skills, he could definitely reach the pinnacle of the sea.

However, an unexpected event occurred.

The news that he had consumed the fruit could not be kept secret for long.

His subordinates and followers believed he had betrayed the sect’s creed of ‘power is useless’.

He survived a conspiracy and rebellion, but was also poisoned.

Ironically, the deadly poison known as the 'Poison of Decay' originated from his homeland, the Flower Kingdom—so Wang Zhi knew perfectly well that there was no antidote for it.

His body gradually decayed and deteriorated, and he had to rely on his own abilities to sustain his life.

His prized physique and martial arts skills became restrictive, limiting his abilities for a long time.

Wang Zhi then realized that he was still not the most special one.

A 'Pirate King' appeared on the high seas, but it wasn't him—his body simply didn't support him sailing the Grand Line like Roger.

Four Emperors appeared on the high seas, but he was still not among them—that brat named Shanks suddenly rose to prominence and took the place that should have belonged to him.

He could only remain on the pirate island, silently rotting away with the power and wealth he had gained through betrayal, along with his body full of pain.

Until recently.

He had heard of the existence of a place called 'Neverland' and the legendary 'Fountain of Youth'.

He rekindled his hope.

So he went to Whole Cake Island to seek an alliance with Big Mom.

But his ambition never changed.

The alliance is only temporary. Once he obtains the Fountain of Youth and restores his body, he can still ascend to the strongest throne.

But another unexpected event occurred.

Just like the question he asked the Dog at this moment.

Why approach him at a time like this?

Why do his plans always fail to go as planned?

"If I could just get the Fountain of Youth and restore my body, I could become the strongest and become the 'Pirate King'!"

His voice was filled with deep-seated resentment and anger.

He barely managed to keep his body from collapsing thanks to his own abilities, but now he was forced to remove the 'King's Armor' and relinquish his powers.

His body was rapidly deteriorating, and even if he put on the 'King's Armor' again, he would not be able to recover to his previous state.

For him now, the only solution is...
"I won't give any to Lingling, I want the entire Fountain of Youth!"

"No, that's still not enough. I need more, enough to fully repair my body!"

He must defeat his enemy in a short time and extract information from him about the location of the Goat and the Fountain of Youth.

In other words...
He no longer had any reservations.

"Let me show you my true 'power'!"

He growled and reached out his hand.

"Freedom of Words, Thunderous Martial Body!"

As Wang Zhi's low roar subsided, the character "雷" (thunder) appeared beside him.

Countless bolts of lightning swirled around his body, endlessly circulating.

"Free-flowing words, fiery martial body".

And now, scorching flames have been ignited once more.

Thunder formed the backbone of his decaying body.

Flames formed his broken 'bones'.

And at this moment, amidst the thunder and flames.

Two words slowly emerged from his body—[Victory].

"Did you see it?"

At that moment, Wang Zhi grinned maliciously as he looked at Xu Gou.

"My martial arts and my abilities are the perfect match!"

He clenched his fists, his eyes fixed on the dog.

[Write-Write Fruit LV5: Fruit Awakening - Words are Imagination. The ability can influence the surrounding environment, with words becoming even more powerful. Furthermore, the user can freely write anywhere within a 100-meter radius using their thoughts. 125 billion Berries to permanently unlock.]

Yes.

Just as the Dog had previously thought.

Wang Zhi is a top expert in the ocean who has consumed the fruit for over 30 years.

His development of the fruit had long since reached the point of 'awakening'.

However, before that, he needed to use most of his mental energy and abilities to maintain his body.

But now, he no longer cares about his body and instead fully unleashes his abilities.

He can even use his ability to reconstruct his body with other words through imagination and writing within a short period of time.

He can imagine his victory, thereby bringing himself to this 'peak state'.

This caused his decaying body to suddenly exude an unimaginable sense of powerful pressure and domineering aura.

Of course, this state cannot last—in fact, it is clear at this moment that the words around Wang Zhi's body are constantly dissipating.

In less than a minute, his body will return to decay.

However, Wang Zhi clearly no longer cared.

"Your abilities are strong and strange—but in the end, such fancy skills will only be crushed in the face of absolute power!"

he sneered.

"I am now the 'strongest'!"

As he spoke, his body hunched slightly.

then
His legs suddenly exerted force!

And it was just that one action.

"Buzz!"

The intense aura and power that erupted instantly transformed into a shockwave that spread outwards.

The next moment, Wang Zhi's figure shot out.

And at this moment
Numerous illusions attacked him again.

But
"Boom!"

Wang Zhi's movements didn't even pause, and you couldn't see him throwing a punch.

But in the blink of an eye, all those illusions shattered and crumbled.

Only the countless fist imprints that flew out and slammed into the walls of the mirror world beside him could tell how many punches Wang Zhi had unleashed in that instant. [Shadowless Fist - Torrential Rain]

"Such weak illusions are meaningless, no matter how many there are!"

Wang Zhi roared, his figure crackling with flames and lightning as he shot towards Xu Gou like a monster.

Legs, palms, fists, hand strikes, knee strikes, shoulder strikes.

He could use countless martial arts techniques with ease.

With each of his attacks, characters corresponding to martial arts such as 'speed,' 'power,' and 'charge' would appear around his body—making each of his strikes truly carry an almost unbelievable power.

【Martial Arts Secrets: Word Convergence】

In just a moment, Wang Zhi's figure had already headed towards Xu Gou.

By this time, his body had begun to show signs of decay again.

But beneath his ferocious face gleamed a desperate madness and exhilaration.

"One strike to finish you off!"

With a low shout, his right leg suddenly bent.

【force】

【speed】

【break】

【贯】

【Jian】

"The Great Secret Technique of Martial Arts Style: Five-Character Combination - Dragon Carved Hoof!"

A kick, imbued with the speed of thunder, the power of fire, and the essence of martial arts, was suddenly unleashed.

Wang Zhi's gaze fell upon the dog, his eyes shining with a distinct light—he was certain that if this strike landed, he would be victorious.

However, it was precisely at this moment that...
In his eyes, however, he saw the image of the Dog.

At this moment, the dog had somehow transformed back into its original form from its old lady appearance.

He did not panic or flinch in the face of the shattered illusion.

Even now, Wang Zhi can be certain.

There wasn't even a ripple in the other person's eyes beneath the mask.

"The strongest?"

The next moment, Wang Zhi heard what the other person said.

Only now did Wang Zhi notice.

The eight clones beside the dog had also transformed into their original form.

At this moment, they are actually 'merging' into the body of the Dog in a strange way.

Yes, it means exactly what it says.

They were like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, their forms constantly merging into the body of the Dog.

That was the last fruit he carried.

[Random-Random Fruit LV4 - The user can fuse siblings with the same bloodline to create a 'fused warrior' possessing the other's power, physique, and strength.]

This Devil Fruit, obtained from Charlotte Newshi of the Big Mom Pirates, may not be of much significance to others.

In fact, Charlotte Newshi was able to use this fruit simply because he had 'decuplets' of brothers and sisters.

However, for the Dog (戌狗).

Brothers?

His clone and he are, of course, 'siblings' in terms of bloodline.

so.
At this moment, the aura emanating from the Dog began to surge at an incredible speed.

[Shadow Gathering Place - Can devour one's own shadow, gaining power equivalent to the shadows of 200 people]

[The Chaos-Chaos Fruit - allows one to fuse with any being of the same bloodline, gaining their physique and abilities]

In other words...
At this moment, the power and physique that the Dog has gained are equivalent to the shadows of 1800 people.

And its effects
“Boom!
With just a casual wave of his hand, the surging, violent aura of the Dog was so powerful that Wang Zhi could barely open his eyes.

"This guy"

He gritted his teeth and stared at the dog in disbelief.

However, this is still not the end.

Because at this moment, Wang Zhi had already seen it.

The swirling flames on the dog's body now seemed to have taken on a different form.

From within those fiery clouds, countless illusions seemed to appear and disappear.

And at this moment.
"You'd better not use the word 'strongest' carelessly."

Dog snapped his fingers lightly: "Leaving aside our leader, I know one guy who is definitely stronger than you."

As he spoke, his body began to change.

then
"."

Wang Zhi's expression changed from solemn to horrified, and then his expression became almost unbelievable.

Because at this moment, right in front of him.

"Hey, Wang Zhi."

The figure standing before him with a knife was someone Wang Zhi couldn't even believe in his dreams.

That messy white and blue hair, that domineering and bold demeanor—that was it.
"Rocks!?"

In that instant, Wang Zhi didn't even care about his own body and instinctively wanted to stop the attack.

Yes.

At that moment, the figure that appeared before him was none other than Locke D. Giebeck.

But only a moment later.
No! Impossible—you're dead!

Wang Zhi then roared.

“I had someone investigate. Although there are indeed rumors that you went to Elbaf, I asked Lingling, and no one has seen you. You died in the Valley of the Gods!”

"I've asked the government, and they've confirmed you're dead! You're dead!"

The immense pressure caused him to speak incoherently and almost uncontrollably.

Yes.

After the God Valley incident, he had heard that someone had seen a figure resembling Rocks near the giant kingdom of Elbaf.

That terrified him for a very long time.

Especially recently, after news of the 'Star Lord' spread, the name 'Valley of God' has returned to the public eye.

Wang Zhi often had nightmares.

So not long ago, he even took the initiative to contact the World Government after more than 30 years to confirm Rocks' death.

But at that very moment, Wang Zhi heard Lockes's soft words in front of him.

"You betrayed us and kidnapped Xia Qi, didn't you?"

This seemingly casual remark made Wang Zhi tremble almost all over.

At the same time, Wang Zhi saw Rocks slowly raise the knife in his hand.

That was a gesture he knew all too well: drawing his sword.

"You really are..."

At that moment, Wang Zhi's psychological defenses finally collapsed.

His body began to break down at a rate that was almost visible to the naked eye.

Yes—just as mentioned before, the ability to write about fruits relies on imagination.

Wang Zhi's current posture is based on the premise that he can imagine himself defeating the Dog.

But there is no doubt about it.

At this moment, facing the person in front of him.

Even though thirty years have passed, Wang Zhi still has to admit it.

Even if one has already acquired the ability.

He couldn't even imagine that he could defeat his opponent.

Especially after the other party directly exposed his identity as a 'traitor'—at this moment, Wang Zhi felt only fear!
"No, no! I don't believe it—this is an illusion!"

The next moment, Wang Zhi suddenly waved his hand.

"Boom!"

Thunder roared down on the opponent once more.

But
"boom!"

The lightning bolt hadn't even reached him before it was casually dispersed by the opponent.

At this moment, the dog, now transformed into Lox, looked at Wang Zhi.

[Mirage Fruit LV5: Fruit Awakening - Illusionary Mirage, allows the user to create a specific illusion that transforms into a real 'Mirage' through a cloud of mirage energy and merges into themselves. This places a huge burden on the body, but allows the user to acquire the 'Mirage''s' combat skills, strength, and physique for a very short time. However, the user cannot copy the fruit's abilities or Haki.]

Yes.

The awakening effect of the Mirage Fruit can temporarily turn a phantom into reality, but the body needs to be able to withstand the enormous burden caused by the corresponding phantom.

By combining the Chaos Fruit and the Shadow Fruit, the dog (戌狗) acquired a physique strong enough to bear this power.

Therefore, at this moment, he is
[Real Mirage - Locus]

"Even so, it still lasts only a short time—at most one strike."

The next moment, 'Rocks' swung the knife in his hand.

"But that's enough."

He grinned and looked at Wang Zhi in front of him.

"Mirage - Curse of the Abyss!"

The blade fell.

then
The entire 'Mirror World', including the pirate patriarch 'Wang Zhi'.

They were also instantly split in two by this one cut.

(End of this chapter)