Marvel: Starting with the Glint-Glint Fruit

Rumble!!

The gray world seemed to turn into daylight, and time seemed to stand still for a moment. When it started running again, incredible energy exploded, and a surging torrent of energy swept in all directions.

Everything along the way, no matter what it was, was crushed.

Trees, weeds, and billboards along the highway were all uprooted and smashed.

The abandoned farm was also completely destroyed after collapsing.

The earth seemed to be struck by an 8-magnitude earthquake, shaking violently. Cracks gradually spread, and distant hills shattered, turning into dust that was blown away.

It was like the end of the world.

This turmoil lasted for a long time before gradually subsiding.

Chapter Thirty-Five: The Beauty of Numbers is True Beauty

As the commotion subsided and the dust slowly settled, a scene of utter chaos was revealed.

The ground, stretching for thousands of meters, was in ruins, riddled with cracks and craters of varying sizes. The surrounding trees and vegetation had been uprooted, and some areas of the ground were scorched black.

Many of the hills on both sides of the highway have been leveled and blasted, making the area much more open.

Matthew paused in mid-air, looking down.

Flames faintly burned within the cracks, and the old man stood on a relatively intact patch of ground within one of the cracks.

The energy collision just now clearly didn't cause him any harm.

Their gaze shifted from the old man to the flames burning in the crack at his feet.

He could sense that it was no ordinary flame; the temperature was not only very high, but it also had other effects. At least his instincts told him not to get involved.

“A remarkable ability. Your physique is quite unique; you can control the energy of light, which is somewhat similar to those birdmen.”

Matthew was watching the flames, and the old man noticed them too, and he didn't hold back his praise.

In fact, he almost failed to block the beam of light energy that Matthew had just unleashed. It was a highly concentrated beam of light energy that had been compressed, and its power was astonishing.

Strangely, the old man did not sense any source of light energy from Matthew.

On the contrary, one can switch freely between physical body and light energy.

Unlike his own pure energy projection, his body was merely a wisp of consciousness and energy avatar, a fake flesh and blood created using projection magic.

There will be no bleeding and no pain.

His body is so unusual; no wonder that greedy ogre Nahuma both coveted and loathed Matthew's body.

That's why his interest in Matthew grew stronger and stronger, from a mere collectible to a complete desire to possess the man's body and soul.

To forge him into a warrior who belongs only to him.

With that thought, the old man floated up, maintaining the same height as Matthew.

"Are you very interested in it?"

The old man gently raised his hand, and a wisp of flame floated up from the crack in the ground and landed in his palm.

“It seems to be able to burn the soul; the only thing I can think of is hellfire.” Matthew’s pupils reflected the flickering flames in his palm, and he looked at the old man after speaking: “This kind of thing is not something that an ordinary demon can control.”

"Didn't you already guess who I am?"

"Controlling hellfire, fond of trading with humans, and a demon king—there's only one in legend: Mephisto," Matthew gave his answer, his eyes gleaming.

Based on these clues, even without information about past life memories, it's not difficult to guess Mephisto's identity.

"They clearly guessed my identity, yet they still maintain this high level of fighting spirit. What strange humans."

Mephisto was surprised that the little guy in front of him, who had clearly guessed his identity, was not afraid at all, but instead became even more eager to try.

What do you mean?

Did they really see him as prey?

What does Mephisto represent?

In mythology, religion, and folklore, he is synonymous with power and terror, ruling over hell and countless demons.

As it turned out, this reputation seemed to have no effect whatsoever in front of Matthew.

Since that's the case, then he'll have to make this little guy understand the meaning of the name Mephisto.

Come on~

Mephisto extinguished the hellfire in his palm, and gestured with his fingers to signal Matthew that he could attack, with a superior air of looking down on him.

The dismissive attitude did not anger Matthew.

Instead, he grinned, and the fire burning in his heart grew even stronger.

"I'm starting to like you, Mephisto."

Bang!

As soon as he finished speaking, he stomped his right foot, and a shockwave exploded in the air as Matthew charged toward Mephisto.

With his right fist clenched, a jet-black sheen illuminated the fist as it hurtled toward Mephisto.

He did not choose the Glint-Glint Fruit again.

Mephisto saw through Matthew's fighting intentions and swung his walking stick with immense force.

A punch and a stick collided, creating a shockwave in mid-air.

That wasn't all. Matthew unleashed a torrent of attacks, his fists crackling with Armament Haki, while Mephisto countered just as fiercely.

In an instant, continuous shockwaves erupted in mid-air.

A series of booming sounds, like thunder, resounded throughout.

If the start of the battle was more like a test, then the current fight between Matthew and Mephisto is like dancing on a knife's edge.

There is no magic, no energy attacks from the Glint-Glint Fruit, but only the purest form of close combat.

Mephisto, as the demon king of Hell, is not someone who only plays with magic or souls. On the contrary, he has lived for countless years, growing and fighting step by step in Hell, and finally bearing the name of Satan.

They have extremely rich practical experience and skills.

From the moment Matthew started the match, he almost immediately fell into a disadvantage in this aspect.

Without a doubt, Matthew is very well-rounded, proficient in all three types of Haki, especially Observation Haki, which allows him to anticipate the enemy's next move—a bug-level ability in actual combat.

There are also six styles.

As a top-tier fighter in the One Piece world, Matthew's physical skills, honed to the point of transcending human limits, allow him to achieve a level of precision in controlling the exertion of force in the human body.

But this doesn't mean Matthew is invincible in actual combat.

On the contrary, what he lacks is combat experience at his level.

In previous battles, he had simply overwhelmed opponents with sheer numerical superiority.

This is his weakness.

This is why Matthew craves intense battles; even knowing the old man is Mephisto, his fighting spirit remains high.

The Glint-Glint Fruit undoubtedly provides him with a huge boost in battle.

However, over-reliance on fruit abilities can actually hinder growth.

For example, why did Admiral Zephyr say that Kizaru relied too much on his Devil Fruit ability?

Zephyr doesn't look down on Devil Fruits.

Many of his students also possess Devil Fruit abilities, but he emphasizes that they shouldn't rely on them, because real combat is the best catalyst for growth.

Every brutal collision, every dangerous fight, every injury is the best test of one's body, will, and dominance.

Matthew can indeed rely on the Glint-Glint Fruit to fight Mephisto.

Even Matthew, with his Glint-Glint Fruit, could defeat Mephisto's energy projection, but so what?

Winning would only allow him to develop a deeper understanding of the Glint-Glint Fruit.

What he truly wants is to explore and grow within himself. Only when he becomes stronger will the Glint-Glint Fruit provide a greater boost to his combat power.

Matthew knew that only this kind of real, hard-hitting combat could make his body stronger.

It allows for faster mastery of Observation Haki, faster mastery of Armament Haki with more applications, and even the mastery of advanced forms of Conqueror's Haki, such as Conqueror's Haki Entanglement.

In short, the beauty of numbers is true beauty.

Chapter Thirty-Six: Mephisto's Escape

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The ground vibrated rhythmically, and the vibrations gradually spread to more distant places.

Thousands of meters above the ground, only two afterimages could be seen intertwining and flashing, like ghosts. But each collision would create a shockwave, blowing away the dust.

In a single second, the two sides may collide hundreds or even thousands of times.

The speed displayed in this battle is beyond the reach of the naked eye.

On a mountaintop far away, a dusty and disheveled Nyddy stared blankly at the area ahead. She had never seen a battle of this magnitude before, having once been just an ordinary 17-year-old student.

Even the battle between Matthew and Jennifer, who was possessed by a demon, in Devil Pot Town was far less intense than this one.

Keep in mind that she was probably five or six thousand meters away from that area, but she still felt that suffocating sensation.

Nydy couldn't even imagine whether she would have the courage to fight if her enemy were one of these two.

"Jennifer, why don't we run? I don't feel safe here."

After silently calculating the distance and feeling the pressure, Nydy was still trembling slightly. She made a suggestion to Jennifer.

She felt like she was going to explode if she looked at it any longer.

"No, Nydy, don't you think this is too exciting?"

"We are enjoying a magnificent performance, where human heroes are fighting against the demon king of hell to save the princess."

"It's so romantic, Nydy, can't you feel it?"

"This is our romance."

Nydy heard Jennifer's excited scream in her head.

“No, I just feel that this place is a hundred times more dangerous than when those government agents were chasing me,” Nydy immediately retorted.

She always felt that she had made a deal with Mephisto, and that after Jennifer's soul was revived, Jennifer's personality became more lively.

"Don't do this, Nydy. If we leave now, things might not go well for us."

Jennifer's initially excited voice suddenly turned serious.

Nydy frowned slightly: "What do you mean?"

While the battle raged on, the two sisters had already started discussing things.

"Don't forget, Nydy, you made a deal with Mephisto for my sake. If you die, our souls will belong to him forever."

“This is a fair trade, Jennifer.”

“But that’s not what I think, Nydy. Don’t forget he’s the Demon King. Even that cool guy said he has no credibility whatsoever.”

Despite Jennifer's past appearance as a brainless socialite, she is actually quite perceptive.

Ever since Mephisto rescued her soul from the cannibalistic demon in Hell and learned that it was because of a deal he made with Nydy, she had her own ideas.

She wouldn't allow Nydy's soul to be held in the hands of a demon.

Jennifer may not care about herself, but she cares about Nydy.

She was powerless before, since the one holding the transaction contract was a demon king, and she had the idea but no ability to do so.