Chapter 250
"It can absorb the abilities of other fruits, and its form is as sticky as darkness itself..."
As the rapid attack closed in, that was the fruit Zixu instinctively thought of.
"Orochimaru's always been obsessed with human experiments. A malleable, ever-changing body? Fits perfectly with the Dark-Dark Fruit..." Blood-steamed off Zixu's skin again. But this time, he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
The opponent's attacks were fierce—brutal, even—but ultimately ineffective. Zixu's speed had already surpassed their reaction time. If not for his absurdly durable body, just the sheer force of his movements would've shredded the flesh off an ordinary man.
But then, nearly invisible silk threads shimmered into view, strung directly across his path like a death trap. At his current velocity, even brushing past them could slice him to pieces.
Still, Zixu didn't stop. He wasn't slowing down for anything. He needed to get close to the shadowy figure ahead. It might not be Orochimaru's true body, but if the guy did possess the Dark-Dark Fruit... then Zixu's explosive physical strength might be the only way to break through.
If the original Dark-Dark Fruit user had to endure double the pain from damage, what kind of agony would someone suffer after stacking multiple devil fruit powers into one body?
Tiny insects—barely visible—began crawling along the silk threads ahead. They weren't chewing fast enough to break the threads; their mandibles couldn't match the threads' unnatural toughness. But Hatsuizumi wasn't out of tricks. The bugs suddenly morphed—rapidly changing shape—and new variations emerged from their bodies. These new types spat corrosive acid onto the threads. Slowly, finally, the path cleared just in time for Zixu to charge through.
Meanwhile, Zixu's thoughts spun, analyzing the unfolding situation. Something about this felt... off. This chaotic monster couldn't have been Orochimaru's intended creation. It felt too unstable—too wild. Zixu suspected a disagreement had broken out between Orochimaru and the White Snake Sage. A betrayal, maybe. Infighting. Snakes turning on each other over how to divide the spoils.
"It's like Orochimaru hasn't fought in a while," Zixu muttered to himself. "And if he's using the Dark-Dark Fruit... did he get it a long time ago?"
Too many questions. He remembered their first meeting—Orochimaru had been terrifying, but contained. Cunning. When they met again, Zixu had used his own devil fruit powers to make Orochimaru wary. But since then, something had changed. The guy had clearly gone back to the lab and discovered something, because now his intentions were unreadable.