C29 Robin
"Pfft..."
Dylason spat out a mouthful of old blood and swiftly rolled to his feet, kicking out his legs to evade Esaki's deadly lunge. His eyes blazed red with the frenzy of a cornered rat.
"Squeak..."
A piercing shriek escaped him as his body became shrouded in a layer of gray fur, each hair bristling like steel needles. His hind legs grew thinner and longer, bending unnaturally.
Buzz!
Two razor-sharp claws lashed out at Esaki, trailing gray shadows through the air.
Esaki's gaze hardened, and a black glow emanated from his hands as he reached for the incoming claws.
Clang!
The claws met his hands, sparking and steaming from the intense friction.
Then, with speed-enhanced legs, Esaki unleashed a kick that tore through the air.
Boom!
The kick struck Dylason squarely in the stomach, nearly popping his eyes out of their sockets. His mouth gaped open, involuntarily spewing saliva and blood.
He was sent flying, crashing hard into the deck and leaving a gaping hole.
Esaki paused, catching his breath.
"Australovenator, finish him."
Continuing the fight would take time, and risk wrecking the ship.
Esaki was ready to switch vessels. The unpredictable weather on the grand sea route could spell disaster for his small boat in a storm.
The Australovenator acknowledged with a grunt and approached the humanoid-shaped hole in the deck, plunging its massive head inside.
"Ah..."
A scream echoed from within, then silence ensued.
Seconds later, the Australovenator withdrew, a lifeless body dangling from its jaws.
"Well done."
Esaki offered a word of praise.
He then proceeded into the ship's cabin.
The vessel was sizable, stretching over 40 meters in length and 8 meters in width, with barrels of wine arranged within. There was another room inside.
He entered the room.
Inside were two iron cages, one large and one small. The larger one spanned several meters.
Each cage imprisoned a person.
"Robin?"
Esaki stared in disbelief at the small silhouette in the smaller cage.
Nicole Robin, terror-stricken, slowly lifted her head. Her youthful, dirt-smudged face came into view, her large eyes stealthily glancing up at him with fear.
"Has Oha'al been wiped from existence now..."
Esaki mumbled to himself.
He wasn't well-versed in the timeline of the Pirate King, nor was he clear on when exactly the Oha'al's Demon Slayer Order took place.
But with Nico Robin captured by slavers, it must have been during the time Oha'al was annihilated.
Suddenly, he recalled the ten warships he encountered in the East Sea days earlier, and Akainu, who had attacked him.
"So that was the Demon Slayer Order? No wonder they stopped pursuing me."
Realization dawned on him, and a smile spread across his face.
He then turned his attention to another large iron cage.
Inside, a colossal figure sat huddled, knees drawn up to his chest, head buried between them, motionless. It was unclear if he was asleep.
"The Giant Clan..."
Esaki expressed his surprise.
He hadn't expected to encounter the Giant Clan here.
Judging by his size, the giant seemed to be around 17 or 18 meters tall, his head already brushing against the top of the cage just by sitting.
"I wonder if I could merge the Giant Clan with dinosaurs."
An idea suddenly sprang to mind.
The fusion process allowed for dinosaurs to be the primary subject, while virtually anything could serve as the secondary.
What if he merged the Giant Clan with dinosaurs? Could he create a humanoid dinosaur?
The more he pondered the possibility, the brighter his eyes shone with excitement.