The air grew heavier with bloodlust.
Kordak's body tensed, his muscles flexing beneath his scarred skin as his transformation accelerated. His veins pulsed with a dark crimson glow, his metal fangs lengthening into razor-like blades. The gauntlets covering his arms twisted, transforming into something more organic—something living.
Solian ground his teeth.
A Zoan-type Devil Fruit… and not just any Zoan.
The Crimson Fang Fruit.
The earth ground beneath Kordak parted as his shape fell, his once-human body now standing at close to three meters tall, his body thick with darkened, jagged fur, his arms rimmed with razor-sharp claws of hardened steel.
His eyes burned with feral hunger.
And then—
He shifted.
BOOM.
Nobody had time to react before Kordak's out-of-focus figure appeared before Solian.
A claw cut forward.
Solian barely teleported out of the way, his body a full ten meters back, yelling at the near miss.
A second later—
The earth where he had stood erupted, Kordak's strike cutting through stone like butter.
Solian's heart pounded. He's even quicker now, then.
Kordak looked over at Solian, lips curling into a smile. "Already running?".
They couldn't just rush in like before. Kordak was a natural predator—faster, stronger, and now even more durable than before. Head-on attacks wouldn't work.
Vance, Kael, and Jorin regrouped behind him, each of them visibly shaken.
"Captain," Kael muttered. "He's a damn monster."
Solian clenched his fists. "We're not out yet."
There had to be a weakness.
Kordak let out a low chuckle. "You look like you're thinking hard." He lifted his razor-sharp claws, flexing them. "But it won't matter."
His body vanished again.
Solian barely registered the movement before—
CLANG!
Jorin intercepted the attack, his blade clashing against Kordak's claws, but the impact sent him skidding back twenty meters, his arms trembling.
"Damn it—" Jorin gasped.
Solian cursed. Even Jorin couldn't match his power.
They had to change tactics.
The Plan of Attack
Solian took a deep breath, willing his mind to go into overdrive. Blowing him down would not work. But what if.
His eyes flashed to the battlefield—the smashes of destroyed buildings, the bouldered ground, the puddles of rainwater from the storm.
They could utilize this.
He turned to his crew. "We can't fight him directly. We must get him to fight on our grounds."
Vance raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly do we do that?"
Solian pointed toward the ruins. "We make this battlefield a trap."
Kael's eyes widened. "You want to corral him?"
Solian nodded. "Yes."
They couldn't defeat Kordak. But they could outmaneuver him.
The battlefield was already unstable. If they could lure him into tighter confines, limit his range, and pin him into a pattern of repetition, they could attack when the window of opportunity arose.
"Jorin, you're the fastest. Lure him into the ruins. Make him chase you."
Jorin snorted. "And let him rip me apart?"
"I won't let him." Solian's flames roared to life, his golden eyes locked on Kordak. "We'll keep him off-balance. The first chance we get, we go full-out."
Vance cracked his knuckles. "I like it. Let's do this."
The Hunt Begins
Jorin ran forward.
"Hey, you ugly bastard! You want a real fight? Try and catch me!"
Kordak's predatory eyes snapped to him.
His lips curled. "Cocky little shit."
He charged.
Jorin dodged at the last second, dodging through the ruins as Kordak's titanic claws tore the structures apart like paper.
The ruins were crumbling around them, pushing Kordak into narrower corridors.
Solian moved in a split second.
SHOOM.
Leaping over Kordak, he unleashed a giant blast of plasma.
"Solar Rift: Plasma Rain!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Bursts of golden fire flashed, rattling the battlefield, causing debris to fly.
Kordak growled, lashing at the flames—only for Vance and Kael to unleash a hail of gunfire from the rooftops.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Bullets rained down, making Kordak leap and stumble, his movements more and more wild.
It was taking effect.
He was losing control.
Solian clenched his teeth. Now.
He teleported closer, fire blazing around his fist.
"Solar Rift: Plasma Strike!"
His attack hit Kordak's ribs, a flash of light and heat exploding on contact.
BOOM!
Kordak slid across the wreckage, crashing to the ground.
There was silence for a moment.
Then—
The dust cleared.
And Kordak stayed standing.
Blood ran from his lips, but his grin only increased.
"You little bastards…" He licked his lips. "You almost got me there."
Solian's stomach roiled.
That wasn't supposed to hurt like that.
Then he noticed it—
The metal sheen covering Kordak's injuries.
Regeneration.
The Crimson Fang Fruit didn't only make him stronger—it made him damn near invincible.
The Breaking Point
Kordak breathed deep, his body shaking.
Then—
A new aura burst around him.
It was different. Darker.
His smile fell.
"I'm done playing around."
BOOM.
His entire body shot forward, his speed now double what it had been before.
"Shit—!"
Before Solian could even move—
A fist punched itself into his gut.
CRACK.
The world spun.
Solian's vision blurred as he was hurled backward, his body crashing through three buildings before landing in the mud.
His lungs burned.
He tried to move—
But couldn't.
Kordak towered above him, his clawed hand raised to deliver the killing blow.
"Die."
Solian barely had time to react.
Then—
BANG!
There was a gunshot.
Kordak stumbled back, a bullet lodged in his shoulder.
Solian gasped, stumbling to his feet—
His eyes widened.
Vance stood at a distance, gun still smoldering.
But that wasn't what shocked Solian.
It was the man behind him.
A new arrival.
One who sent shivers down his spine.
The new arrival stepped forward, his coat flying behind him in the wind.
A deep, gravelly voice boomed across the battlefield.
"Enough games."
Solian's breath caught in his throat.
No way.
The man's scarred face and icy, calculating eyes were unmistakable.
A legend among bounty hunters.
A man who intimidated even the most notorious of criminals.
"Silent Gale" Elric.
And he was looking directly at Kordak.