Just as Luffy and Sanji were being chased all over the place by the Oil Man, Sherlock was likewise being "schooled" by a twin-tailed lolita whose combat prowess was completely off the charts.
That's right—schooled.
After a brief exchange of blows, Sherlock quickly realized the massive gap between his current strength and that of Rear Admiral Alan. It wouldn't even be an exaggeration to say that if Alan wanted to, she could capture him—a Sorcerer with a 97-million-berry bounty—alive within three breaths.
After all, even without using her Devil Fruit ability, this sweet and cute little lolita, who looked just like a porcelain doll, possessed the genuine physical combat skills of a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral!
—Infinite Gun Works!
Hundreds of bright silver flintlock pistols roared in anger. The sound of gunfire echoed throughout the space, and amid the spitting tongues of flame, countless bullets flew toward Rear Admiral Alan.
—Paper Arts.
A jaw-dropping scene unfolded. Alan's petite figure suddenly blurred, swiftly dodging through the hail of bullets and leaving a series of afterimages in her wake.
Leaping, sidestepping, spinning...
Shifting and turning, her gorgeous lace skirt and long, mismatched black-and-white twin tails swayed nimbly with their owner. Her entire being was like a thin sheet of paper moving with the wind, or a butterfly dancing gracefully among flowers—indescribably light and elegant.
"Hmph, a flashy but impractical ability."
Even while dodging the sky-covering barrage, Rear Admiral Alan still managed to mock the Sorcerer with effortless ease. "No matter how many there are, who do you honestly expect to kill with such weak weapons?"
"..." Without a word, Sherlock dispelled the flintlock mirror images in the air. The lolita Rear Admiral, on the other hand, stood obediently in place. Judging by her expectant look, she seemed to intend to put herself in harm's way just to properly test the Sorcerer's damage output.
—Mirror Entity: Sword.
—Magic Mirror: Great Change!
A massive greatsword materialized out of thin air, expanding over tenfold in the blink of an eye, presenting a highly oppressive sight.
"Eh? What's with this ability of yours to enlarge objects? It looks a bit familiar. Let me think..."
Gazing at the giant greatsword floating slowly in midair, Alan reached up to stroke her smooth chin, a look of contemplation appearing on her face.
"Ah! I remember now. The More-More Fruit! Byrnndi World. This ability of yours is incredibly similar to that psychopath's Devil Fruit ability."
Sherlock gave no reaction to her words. He simply gestured with his hand, causing the comically oversized greatsword to vibrate slightly. Then, with a screeching howl that tore through the air, it chopped down fiercely toward a certain expired lolita!
—Iron Body!
Clang!!! The blade of the giant greatsword struck Alan's forehead, actually producing a metallic clanging sound unique to clashing steel.
Even more unbelievable was that a chip was forcefully gouged right into the blade of this forged-steel greatsword. Immediately after, the entire greatsword mirror image shattered progressively like a mirror smashed on the ground, dissolving into thin air.
"Hmm~ the force wasn't bad, but it's a pity the durability is still a bit too lacking." Alan rubbed her forehead, where the blow had left nothing but a faint white mark.
(No, the gap in our strength is still too wide.)
Looking at the humanoid monster with the appearance of a lolita not far away, Sherlock pushed up his glasses with a hint of helplessness.
The Sorcerer's primary means of attack relied on projected mirror images. Given the current situation, the move he should deploy next ought to be his proudest ability: Mirror Fusion.
However, Sherlock had no intention of using this move lightly.
Because the glasses-wearer knew deep down that even if he risked his life to unleash the Sixfold Mirror Fusion: God-Killing Spear Gungnir, it would be impossible to defeat this little monster. It would only waste his mental energy for nothing.
After all, the stamina consumption of the Mirror-Mirror Fruit was quite high, and the Sorcerer did not excel at battles of attrition. He wasn't like Luffy, Zoro, and that bunch of indestructible cockroaches who could keep fighting tenaciously forever—unless he popped some pills...
(Come to think of it, I still don't know what her Devil Fruit ability actually is. "Enemy of Nature"...)
After pondering for a moment, Sherlock activated his Devil Fruit ability once more.
—Mirror Entity.
A strange weapon bearing a striking resemblance to a rocket launcher materialized out of thin air. With a thought from Sherlock, a spark of fire instantly ignited at the muzzle.
—Burn Cannon!
With the combined power of a Flavor Dial and a Flame Dial, a thick pillar of fire erupted with a roar. The scorching flames seared a long, black trail onto the ground, a testament to its terrifying temperature!
"Flames?"
Illuminated by the firelight, Rear Admiral Alan's right eye—the one not covered by her eyepatch—reflected the crimson hue of the flames. A deeply disdainful smile curled upon her exquisite little face.
In the very next second, her petite body was ruthlessly swallowed by the flames.
Not a single shred of joy showed on Sherlock's face. He focused his gaze entirely on the movement ahead, the bright fire reflecting off his clear lenses.
"This kind of attack is useless, you know~"
As soon as the words left her mouth, the raging flames erupting from the Burn Cannon suddenly twisted. Like a whale drawing in water, they surged toward Rear Admiral Alan's position, gradually coalescing into a figure composed purely of crimson fire.
—Fusion: Flame Martial Body.
Her twin tails of blazing fire, accompanied by scattered sparks, swayed gently with the rising currents of hot air. The firelight in her right eye was exceptionally intense, and the oppressive heatwave blurred the surrounding air!
"Honestly, I really didn't want to use my Devil Fruit ability."
Having transformed into roaring flames, Rear Admiral Alan floated slowly about half a meter off the ground, looking just like a legendary fire sprite.
"Is this why you're called the [Enemy of Nature]?" Sherlock asked softly, his heart filled with curiosity regarding this twin-tailed, expired lolita's Devil Fruit ability.
"Yep, exactly~"
A sweet smile formed on Alan's face, which was made entirely of fire, presenting a highly surreal sight.
"I'm a Devil Fruit user who ate the Fusion-Fusion Fruit. I can freely fuse my body with natural elements, so Logia-type attacks are completely useless against me."
The fire spirit dancing in midair performed a backflip. The crimson flames shrouding her gradually dispersed, and the twin-tailed Gothic lolita, restored to her original form, drifted gently back to the ground.
"As a side note, even though the Fusion-Fusion Fruit is a Paramecia-type, I can also perform [Elementalization], you know. It's just a lot more troublesome compared to a Logia's elementalization," Alan explained patiently to the Sorcerer.
"What a marvelous Devil Fruit ability," Sherlock praised from the bottom of his heart.
Although Logia types were widely recognized as the strongest among the three classes of Devil Fruits, Paramecia types absolutely reigned supreme when it came to sheer bizarre utility. Furthermore, once highly developed, the destructive power of certain Paramecia fruits was not inferior to Logias in the slightest, and could even surpass them.
The Sorcerer's Mirror-Mirror Fruit and the Enemy of Nature's Fusion-Fusion Fruit were textbook examples.
"But speaking of fusion, my Devil Fruit ability actually includes a 'fusion' aspect as well—fusing the mirror images I project."
Sherlock gently pushed up his glasses, a light called wisdom gleaming within his deep black eyes beneath the lenses. "While I cannot freely fuse with natural elements like you do, however..."
—Mirror Entity!
As Sherlock's Devil Fruit ability activated, strangely shaped Dials emerged one after another, floating slowly around the Sorcerer.
"...I can still achieve something similar with the help of a few interesting little gadgets."
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