Physique +0.02
Physique +0.03
Physique +0.03
Physique +0.02...
"Aaaargh!!"
Pained growls echoed through the eerie prison like the roars of wild beasts.
Daren and Bullet were curled up on the ground, trembling uncontrollably from the searing pain. A blazing red glow radiated from their bodies, their temperatures spiking rapidly as if engulfed in fire. Every cell and every muscle felt like it was burning alive.
"Hehehehehe... what perfect test subjects. I even increased the Mummy Virus dosage, and they're still alive and kicking."
"Incredible... just incredible..."
The obese Queen bit down on his cigar, eyes gleaming manically as he watched the vitals on the monitor spike. Shaking with excitement, he scribbled furiously in his lab log:
'Body temperature has exceeded 55°C...'
'At 30% Mummy Virus dosage, cellular activity shows signs of rapid division...'
'This suggests extreme overdrive of organ functions, with mounting metabolic pressure...'
'All this data proves just how powerful the Mummy Virus really is...'
'But there's something odd—these two almost look like they're enjoying it. Yet the pain index is off the charts. A normal person would've passed out by now...'
'Could the Mummy Virus cause hallucinations... or even be addictive?'
Queen paused and glanced suspiciously at Daren and Bullet, both writhing in agony.
'No... unlikely. But I can't rule out addiction just yet. Then again, maybe they're just freakishly strong-willed and pushing through by force.'
...
Two minutes finally passed.
As the burning pain faded, Daren and Bullet collapsed like heaps of sludge, panting hard. White steam hissed from their skin.
"Hehehehe, well? What do you think now?"
"Know how awesome I am yet?"
Queen swaggered over, towering above them with his round belly puffed out in pride. He let out a shrill, twisted laugh.
"It's not too late to beg. Just swear allegiance to Kaidou-sama, and this all ends."
"Otherwise, I'll pump you full of an even higher dose of the Mummy Virus... and the pain will multiply!"
"So, how about it—join the Beasts Pirates—"
"—I refuse!" 2x
Daren and Bullet shouted in perfect unison, then exchanged a subtle glance.
Queen: ???
He stared at the two crumpled figures in front of him, dumbfounded.
Are they insane?
When he mentioned a higher dose, he could've sworn he saw a flicker of anticipation in their eyes.
'Don't tell me...'
A sudden realization struck Queen like a bolt. He shuddered.
'These two... are masochists, aren't they?'
As the thought hit him, a cold chill ran down his back. He instinctively stepped back, putting distance between himself and these lunatics.
Daren, still gasping for breath, suddenly let out a wild, defiant grin as he felt his "physique" stat climbing higher.
"You fat bastard. You really think junk science like yours is enough to make me kneel? You're dreaming!!"
He thrashed violently, making the Seastone shackles clang against the floor.
"This is your so-called masterpiece? The Mummy Virus?"
Blood streamed from Daren's eyes, nose, ears, and mouth as he sneered with disdain.
"This tiny little dose... what is this, some kind of wellness treatment?"
Queen was momentarily stunned.
Next to him, Bullet stared at Daren in disbelief.
Daren gave him a subtle wink.
Bullet blinked, and suddenly, it was like a light clicked on in his mind.
Immediately, his expression changed. Then he suddenly burst into maniacal laughter.
"Is that all you've got, fatty!?"
"This pain is nothing—barely a tickle! Kahahahaha!!!"
As the words left his mouth—
"You damn fools with no sense of self-preservation!! How dare you look down on my scientific achievements!!!"
Queen's beady eyes instantly turned bloodshot with rage, and he roared like distant thunder.
"You forced my hand! You're asking for death!!"
He furiously grabbed a test tube from the medical kit. The liquid inside shimmered with a bright, crystalline turquoise.
"It's time... for you to witness... the pinnacle of my research—'Plague' Queen's ultimate creation!!"
His mechanical arm spun rapidly, parts locking and assembling until a massive syringe extended from it.
The needle pierced through the rubber seal, drawing up the thick, glowing blue liquid.
"It may not be perfected yet... but it's more than enough for the two of you!!"
"Let's see how you handle this!!"
Queen cackled as he coated the needle in Armament Haki, then plunged it into Daren and Bullet's arms one after the other!
The moment the virus entered their bodies, an entirely new and overwhelming sense of impending death surged through them like a tidal wave.
Daren and Bullet froze on the spot, their minds going blank.
Extreme cold...
An icy chill surged through their veins, their cells, their muscles—as if they'd been thrown into a frozen hell. Their blood felt like it was turning to ice.
Their skin and muscles turned visibly blue, frost seeming to coat their bodies. Their joints stiffened, movement sluggish and rigid, like frost-covered demons.
The cold gripped their entire bodies, and then came a pain so fierce it could crush nerves and shatter willpower. It poured in endlessly.
Overwhelmed by the agony, a savage, primal urge to kill—wild and irrational—rose uncontrollably from the depths of their minds.
Bang!!
A heavy fist smashed into Daren's cheek, swelling it up instantly.
His pupils shrank. What he saw was Bullet—now like a frost-covered demon—roaring like a crazed beast. He was dragging his body forward step by step, moving toward him like a predator.
"Hehehehe... This is the Ice Oni Virus! Go ahead and tear each other apart!!"
"Enjoy it! The supreme masterpiece of genius scientist Queen!!"
Queen let out a twisted laugh, turned around, slammed the cell door shut, and left the prison.
As the fat man's silhouette disappeared, Daren's eyes gradually turned blood-red, consumed by the urge to fight.
The next second—
Boom!!
The two figures collided in the cell like cannonballs, locked in a brutal, frenzied battle.
Physique +0.07
Physique +0.09
Physique +0.10
Physique +0.13
...
(70 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / PinkSnake