Chapter 132 – The Gift of Power
"Does 'rough' mean I can go all out? Got it."
Abomination understood Qin Xiao's meaning perfectly. He was Blonsky, a veteran of following orders. Cull Obsidian felt a wave of cold dread. Even Logan, who had been content to watch, stepped forward, cracking his knuckles. He hadn't landed a single blow on the alien yet, and he was curious to see what it was made of.
Cull Obsidian, already reeling from his injuries, tried to stand, but his limbs refused to cooperate.
Abomination approached, his fist glowing with the white vibration of the Quake-Quake Fruit. Logan followed close behind, stepping firmly onto one of Obsidian's hands. Logan had no sympathy for an alien invader; if he weren't worried about ruining Qin Xiao's plans, he would have shredded the invader to pieces just like he had with the Chitauri.
Abomination pried Cull Obsidian's jaws open, shoved the Devil Fruit inside, and then proceeded to manually help the alien "chew."
CRUNCH. CRUNCH.
"Ugh..."
The repulsive taste nearly made Cull Obsidian pass out.
"Swallow it," Abomination growled. "Or I'll shove it down your throat until you do."
Cull Obsidian felt his spirit break. He had never heard of these "fruits"—were they some local Earth animal? It felt like nothing more than a form of torture. But helpless and wounded, he had no choice. He swallowed.
If I must survive to warn Thanos, he thought, I will endure this humiliation.
"Good," Qin Xiao remarked with a smirk. "You'll feel the change soon. I'm surprised Abomination gave you the Mammoth fruit. You two are more alike than I thought—both a bit thick-headed."
Moments later, Obsidian's body began to twist. A primal voice echoed in his mind, commanding: TRANSFORM.
He didn't resist. In a flash of light, a gargantuan Mammoth stood before them. It was a beast of prehistoric nightmares, towering several stories high.
Abomination's eyes lit up. "This thing looks sturdy. Finally, a decent sparring partner!"
Logan watched, finally understanding Qin Xiao's plan. It was just an animal. If anything, it had stripped the alien of his weapons and his maneuverability. For a warrior who had spent his life fighting as a humanoid, this was a massive handicap.
The Mammoth, however, was in a rage. He was a noble knight of Thanos, and now he was a beast. He couldn't return to his master like this! This was a stain on his honor.
The Mammoth lashed out with its trunk, catching Abomination off guard and sending him flying. The sheer power in the blow was staggering. Abomination, instead of being angry, let out a joyous roar and leaped onto the beast's back.
THUD.
Abomination slammed into the Mammoth with all his weight and momentum, but the beast barely stumbled. It was immovable.
"Qin, can we keep him?" Abomination laughed. "He'd make a hell of a mount!"
Before Qin Xiao could answer, the Mammoth lashed out again, swatting Abomination away like a fly. It then charged toward Qin Xiao.
Logan stepped in, his claws fully extended, slamming into the beast with his metallic skeleton. The Mammoth didn't even slow down, hooking its massive tusks under Logan and tossing him aside.
Qin Xiao stood perfectly still, opening his arms as the colossus bore down on him.
"Don't worry," Qin Xiao said softly.
Suddenly, a dozen arms erupted from the Mammoth's eyes, striking them with violent precision.
ROAR!
The beast screamed in agony, blinded. Before it could regain its footing, the ground beneath it turned to liquid. Qin Xiao had unleashed the Swamp-Swamp Fruit. The Mammoth sank deeper the more it struggled, until only its back remained above the surface.
"Cull Obsidian, listen carefully," Qin Xiao said. "Go back. Tell Thanos that I am the Devil's Envoy. Tell him I know his plans, and I don't approve. If you want to slaughter planets, that's your business—but you will not succeed here."
The words hit Cull Obsidian like a physical weight. He knows? Does the whole galaxy know?
Obsidian stopped struggling and began the arduous process of shifting back into his humanoid form. "I will tell him. But I am trapped here."
"I'll handle that," Qin Xiao said. "I'm sending you to Titan. If you survive, you can deliver the message. If not, well, one less enemy for us."
A fair trade, Qin Xiao thought. The Zoo-Zoo fruits were his least favorite anyway.
"Qin, don't send him away yet!" Abomination roared, pulling himself up from the dirt. "We aren't finished!"
"Suit yourself," Qin Xiao said, turning toward the horizon. "Stay and fight. I'm going to go round up the others. Let's make this a proper war."