After Mandrell, Babanuki also successfully obtained a new reward with the help of Super Strength skill. Although he couldn’t gain the ability to breathe underwater like Mandrell, the obtained species was much stronger than his.
Compared to its weak abilities, Magikarp can only use basic attacks and rely on training, while Slaking has excellent attack power and stamina. Coupled with Babanuki’s Super Strength skill, he can unleash the terrifying power to the fullest.
A white mane appeared around his neck and Babanuki’s already tall stature grew even taller. He then punched Kin’emon again.
Although he didn’t hit him directly, the shockwave generated sent him flying, showcasing the terrifying power within Slaking’s body.
The punch destroyed the temporary room, and the supervisors in the mine immediately reacted when they saw this.
“Everyone, those who don’t want to die should go back to their cells immediately!” Someone fired several shots into the sky, and the captured gangsters immediately returned to their cells under the threat.
Meanwhile, other people rushed towards Babanuki’s room and just happened to see Kin’emon being sent flying.
Due to the shockwave, Kin’emon’s body was not affected much, and his physical condition was still good. He’s someone who will be able to take a hit from Kaido in the future and still stand back up.
At that time, he was sent to the future by the Time-Time Fruit, which means he didn’t undergo too much training in those 20 years. It can be said that he is quite talented.
“Sir Babanuki!”
“It’s an intruder, don’t let him escape!”
Babanuki emerged from the smoke. Although Slaking’s ability is powerful, it has one major flaw, and it is laziness.
After attacking, Slaking enters a resting phase, and it is not just to rest, but also to accumulate power. This is Slaking’s biggest flaw as there is some gap between the attacks.
Through training, this gap can become shorter, but Babanuki could not yet surmount this gap. However, he found another way.
Although he would be affected in Beast Form and Human-Beast form, he wouldn’t in Human Form. So he developed this unique method, which Arceus calls “Switch Mode.”
As everyone knows, in FPS games, the reloading speed of sniper rifles is extremely slow. To minimize this downtime, people often switch between primary and secondary weapons to shorten the time.
And Babanuki, by switching to his Human Form, managed to get through that ‘stiff’ period.
Although he would be weaker without using his ability, Kin’emon had not yet reached his peak, and there are still two years left before Kozuki Oden returns home.
With the Slaking ability, Babanuki has greatly enhanced his own strength, so dealing with the current Kin’emon was not a problem.
Although he would be weaker when returning to his Human Form, this is Udon’s mining camp, now the territory of the Beasts Pirates, and Kin’emon was facing not just Babanuki but a group of people.
“Capture him alive and find why he sneaked in here.”
As the first opponent to actively provoke the Beasts Pirates since they came to Wano Country, they did not use firearms but instead wielded their weapons and charged forward. This wasn’t a one-on-one fight, and it would be foolish not to take advantage of their numerical superiority.
Furthermore, Kin’emon felt that these charging pirates were somewhat crazy, as he was unfamiliar with the Beasts Pirates’ system where one’s status is determined by strength, and contributions are rewarded.
If they want more, they have to work harder.
The rules that Arceus and Acier established together are a significant constraint for the pirates, but nobody refused to follow them. This was because the rules represented absolute domination in both status and power. If one wanted to join the Beasts Pirates, they had to adhere to these rules.
Because the Beasts Pirates not only had rules but also rewards.
Moreover, those rewards were things that all pirates were attracted to, and as the first person to cause trouble, Kin’emon was like a winning lottery ticket in their eyes.
“Damn it, Foxfire Style! Sword Slash!” Watching the people charging towards him, Kin’emon did not give up. He was called Foxfire Kin’emon because of his swordsmanship.
He drew out both swords, flames igniting on the blades, and parried the first attack before slashing one of the attackers. However, this did not stop the following pirates. Fire abilities were something that Beasts Pirates were already used to.
Even though he took down the first few attackers, more of them continued to charge towards him.
He wanted to break out, but the guards at Udon’s mining camp did not plan to give him that opportunity. The entrance had already been closed, and Babanuki’s “Switch State” had ended. He transformed into his Slaking Human-Beast form again.
“Get out of the way!”
Under his sudden outburst, the ground cracked, and Babanuki’s body shot out. Although Slaking appears lazy, when he moves, the explosive power is astonishing.
Upon hearing Babanuki’s shout, the people in front of him scattered in all directions. Beast Pirates were divided into smaller groups led by minor officers like Babanuki, who were responsible for leading ordinary pirates. Moreover, the pirates under their command rarely changed.
Not being familiar with their boss’s fighting style, it was highly likely that they would just get in his way during the battle. Seeing Babanuki charging towards him, Kin’emon also swung his sword to strike him.
But, to his surprise, Babanuki neither dodged nor used Haki. Instead, he took Kin’emon’s two strikes head-on, then took the opportunity to embrace Kin’emon.
“I’ve got you now, you ba*tard.” Then, a strange wave emanated from Babanuki’s body.
Soon after came a scream and two deeper wounds appeared on Kin’emon’s body.
Counter, it allows the user to return double the physical injuries received.
There are two sources of a Pokémon’s ability. One is bestowed by Arceus, who is like a universal Technical Machine that can teach any move associated with a plate’s attribute to a suitable user.
The other is through the user’s own training and self-improvement, leading them to comprehend new skills. It could be considered an alternative form of devil fruit’s development. In the case of Babanuki, Counter is a skill he learned through self comprehension.
And it didn’t end there. Before entering the laziness state, Babanuki used the Super Strength skill while holding Kin’emon in his arms. A crisp sound followed, which was the sound of bones breaking.
The arm bones, ribs, and even the spine was damaged, causing Kin’emon to pass out immediately.
“Sir Babanuki, didn’t you say to capture him alive?”
“Well, he’s not dead, is he? Take him to Boss King and say that we captured a rebel. Let Boss King do the interrogation.” With that, Babanuki took the bandages handed to him by his subordinate and expertly wrapped them around his body.
It seems that Babanuki has already done this kind of thing before using Counter.
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