At that moment, Weevil, driven by hunger, suddenly grew serious. Despite his foolish demeanor, he was a natural-born brawler — a combat genius with animalistic instincts. Sensing danger, he instantly reacted like a battle-crazed beast. Channeling raw strength, he gripped his massive blade in a style reminiscent of Whitebeard and swung it at the approaching shadow.
"Mom! Watch out! We've got enemies incoming!"
Weevil shouted as Elior closed in. Seeing the incoming slash, Elior quickly coated his right arm in Armament Haki and blocked the blow directly.
Clang!
A deafening clash of steel echoed through the air, sending a powerful shockwave across the battlefield. Miss Buckin was blown backward by the force, tumbling through the air.
Just as she hit the ground, Shiryu struck.
With his sword, a weapon soaked in the blood of countless victims, he cleaved through Miss Buckin in a single brutal swing. The old hag didn't even have time to scream — her head was severed instantly, and blood sprayed in all directions.
Shiryu didn't stop there. With two more brutal slashes, he hacked her body apart, reducing the once-scheming woman into barely recognizable chunks.
"Ma! MAMAAA!"
"I'LL KILL YOU!!!"
Weevil went berserk at the sight of his mother being decapitated and dismembered. But just as he charged, Elior's fist crashed into him with overwhelming force. It was the raw, monstrous strength he had just obtained — akin to the power that once stopped the Moby Dick with a single hand.
BOOM!
The strike launched Weevil across the battlefield like a ragdoll.
Meanwhile, Gion and the other marines who had just arrived witnessed a massive figure hurtling toward them. Fortunately, the body didn't target them directly, instead crashing into a nearby structure and demolishing it completely.
"Elior?!"
Before they could react further, both Gion and Tokikake were stunned by the figure calmly walking toward them.
Elior glanced their way but didn't spare them more than a second. As long as the Marines didn't get in his way, he had no reason to engage them. But if they did… he wouldn't hesitate to strike.
SWISH!
Weevil came charging back again — this time, bloodied, battered, and utterly unhinged. Elior's earlier punch had shattered parts of his jaw, and he now looked like a monster driven purely by rage and grief.
"YOU BASTARD! I'LL RIP YOU TO PIECES!!"
Weevil screamed and swung his massive blade again, but Elior met it head-on with another punch infused with his newfound monstrous strength.
CRASH!
The ground shattered beneath their feet from the sheer impact. Weevil's blade was knocked high into the air, and before he could recover, Elior leapt into the air and brought his leg down like an executioner's axe.
BOOM!
The impact created a crater large enough to bury a ship, and Weevil was at the center of it — broken, barely conscious, and completely defeated.
But Elior wasn't finished.
With a wave of his hand, a colossal ice pillar from thin air, plummeting down like a meteor. It struck Weevil with earth-shattering force.
Even Shiryu and the others were shocked by the display. With just a few moves, they finally realized the terrifying physical power hidden in Elior's lean frame.
And that poor fool... What had he done to deserve this?No one could understand why Elior went that far. Did he have a personal grudge against that stitched-up freak?
Across the battlefield, Judge, his genetically-engineered children, and the Marines all looked on, stunned.
For Gion, seeing Elior here on Hive Island was the last thing she expected. "Surprise" didn't even begin to cover it.
Five minutes later...
Elior yanked Weevil from the crater and tossed him onto the dirt. He then ordered Shiryu to dangle Miss Buckin's severed head in front of him.
Weevil, still half-crazed, started trembling with rage again. But before he could get up, Elior stomped him back down, applying just enough pressure to keep him immobilized.
"You see this face, Weevil? Tell me... does this thing look like your mom?"
"How could someone like you — tall, strong, and, dare I say, handsome — come from something that ugly?"
"I'm your big brother, got it?"
"She tricked you. She used you like a pawn to get what she wanted."
At that moment, Shiryu and the others realized what Elior was up to. Was he trying to manipulate this monster into joining his crew?
Weevil, blinking in confusion, stared at Miss Buckin's head. His expression twisted with doubt.
"She's... not my mom... She's NOT my mom!"
"I'm too handsome for her to be my mom!"
He yelled like a toddler throwing a tantrum, face scrunched up like he'd just tasted something bitter.
"Weevil, I am your big brother. From now on, you follow me."
"Big bro! You're my big bro!"
To Elior's surprise, Weevil stood up again — seemingly fully healed? How was that even possible in just a few minutes?
Monster.
Still, fooling this big oaf was a win. Gaining a new powerhouse like Weevil was more than worth it — especially one this obedient.
The guy was an idiot, sure, but at least he wasn't evil. He was just... easily misled.
And that made him perfect.