Chapter 117 – The Four-Armed Monster
"Goodbye, Dr. Yinsen. Hello, Hulk!"
Barton was a killing machine, cold and efficient. Yinsen's only purpose had been to draw Betty's focus, and with that accomplished, he was now expendable. The arrow, amplified tenfold in size and speed, detonated with horrific force. The entire laboratory was vaporized. Pepper and Betty were knocked unconscious by the blast, and Yinsen's fate remained unknown.
Clang! Rip!
Amidst the settling dust, the sounds of tearing metal and collapsing debris echoed through the ship.
"ROAAR!"
A maddened, thunderous roar shook the Helicarrier—the Hulk had been fully activated. Barton took one last look at the monster before vanishing into the corridors.
"A four-armed Hulk!" Barton muttered. "So the Doctor's fruit powers work for the Hulk too? This is getting interesting."
The berserker Hulk began tearing through the Helicarrier like a wrecking ball.
"Thor! Return to the bridge—we need help stopping the Hulk!"
Thor, who had been guarding Loki's independent cell, froze. Loki, on the other hand, felt his lips curl into a triumphant grin.
"Thor, my brother. It seems my plan is working perfectly."
"The crazier you act, Loki, the heavier the judgment you will face," Thor retorted, sprinting toward the source of the roar.
The ship shuddered violently under the assault of the green giant. Metal doors were ripped from their hinges and hurled like frisbees at the S.H.I.E.L.D. security teams.
"Move! Get back!"
"Requesting support! The Hulk is insane, we're no match for him!"
"Casualties are rising! We need immediate help!"
BOOM!
Thor smashed through a metal bulkhead, his Mjolnir flying ahead of him to slam into the Hulk, pinning the massive creature to the floor. "Everyone else, get out! You have no business here!"
As the agents scrambled to carry off their wounded, Thor prepared for the clash of the century.
"Dr. Banner! Wake up!" Thor roared, trying to call out to the man beneath the monster, but there was no response.
"ROAAR!" The Hulk swung all four arms at once. Thor barely managed to catch one fist with both hands, only for the other three to slam into his ribs, sending him careening through three solid steel walls. Thor felt his bones ache—he was actually bleeding.
"Dr. Banner, it seems I must subdue you by force." Thor spun Mjolnir, the momentum pulling him into a flying tackle that sent the Hulk crashing into the deck, cratering the metal floor.
"Thor, be careful!" Agent Hill's voice crackled over the comms. "Your fight has already smashed through the third and fourth decks. If you don't control him, you'll sink this entire Helicarrier!"
"We need to lure him out or bring Betty to the scene," Fury ordered from the bridge. "Her Hollow-Hollow Fruit is the only thing that can stabilize him."
"What happened? Is Pepper okay?" Tony's voice broke through, his tone shifting from arrogance to genuine dread as he worked on the engines.
"Barton and Yinsen raided the lab," Fury explained. "We've sent medical teams, but the situation is unclear."
"How could Betty's fruit not control them immediately?"
"Yinsen is immune," Fury said grimly. "He's a man with no hope left, no desire for a future—the Hollow-Hollow Fruit has nothing to feed on. He's a walking dead man."
Tony went silent. He remembered Yinsen saving his life in that cave, the man who had restored his belief in himself. He couldn't bring himself to hate the man, even now. "Director Fury, ensure Pepper is safe. And save Yinsen if you can."
"We will," Fury promised.
In the fray, Thor was having the time of his life—and the worst time of his life. "I hate to use this, but the Devil Envoy gave me a decent trick," he muttered, activating the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's true power: Elementalization.
The Hulk's massive fist punched straight through Thor's chest as if he were made of smoke. Thor then released a massive discharge of electricity, throwing the Hulk to the ground.
Zzzzt!
"Hahaha! This power is incredible!" Thor felt the electricity surging through his veins, amplifying his own godhood.
"Thor, stop using lightning!" Hill screamed. "You're frying the ship's circuits! Everything near you is dead!"
Thor cursed, switching to a more physical approach. He hammered the Hulk again and again, but the monster was relentless. The Hulk abandoned the fight, ignoring Thor to continue tearing the Helicarrier apart like wet cardboard.
"Betty! Can you make it to the site?" Thor bellowed.
"I'm here," Betty gasped. She had staggered out of the medical ward despite her concussion. She unleashed her hollow-spirits, which tore through the Hulk's massive, rage-filled body.
"ROAAR..." The giant monster let out one final, weakening roar before shrinking back down to his human form.
"They really are a match made in heaven," Thor sighed, shaking his head. He was a god, yet he couldn't stop the beast; one fragile human woman could do it with a thought.
"Attention all units!" Fury's voice echoed throughout the ship. "Agent Barton is heading for the bridge! Does anyone have eyes on him?"