Chapter 16: Four-arm Ape
Blaize ran for a kilometer before relaxing his pace. It was really scary! The eerie breath he sensed when he killed the tiger, he won't mistake it. A creature, stronger than the tiger laid in wait for him.
If he remained there for another second, he would have been attacked. As he expected, this Island is similar to Rusukaina, if not more dangerous.
If he explores any further inside, he may even perish even before he could call for help. Only after learning 'Haki', he can venture inside. Till then, it's best to wander across the outskirts.
Wiping the blood trail from his mouth, Blaize checked the bruise on his back. The tiger smashed his back with its club tail, which injured his back heavily.
If not for his Senju constitution, he couldn't have survived the strike without one or two broken bones. Now, a few hours is enough for him to heal completely while consuming nutrient-rich meat will speed up the process.
Blaize then wandered the forest searching for his next prey. The creatures on this Island possess good instincts and terrifying combat strength, it's a good place to improve his combat ability.
The next two days went by, Blaize encountered several creatures with varying strength. There were times he confronted some strong animals and had to flee for his life.
He also met two marine recruits but they parted ways after greeting one another. Today is the third and last day of survival training.
He had to admit, he enjoyed being on the Island and fighting other animals. He learned many survival skills and watched fights between other animals.
Overall, it's an exhilarating adventure for him.
--
Blaize's carefree stay came to end when he met a 6-meter tall Ape covered in the golden mane and had four arms. It exuded a terrifying presence, enough to scare away other creatures in the vicinity.
Its aloof eyes locked onto the chunk of meats roasting above the fire. Without a doubt, the luscious aroma of meat attracted the beast to Blaize.
Noticing the Ape's action, Blaize squinted his eyes. Fearless, he stood between the meat and blocked it from the creature's eyes.
"Roar!"
Provoked by his act, the Ape let out an ear-splitting roar and lunged at him. Even before he could react, the Ape's fist smashed his chest and sent him hurling backward.
Blaize's figure destroyed a few trees on the way before hitting the ground. Coughing up a mouthful of blood, he raised to his feet while clenching his chest in pain.
'What the fu*k? Why did such a strong beast come here?' Blaize wondered with an incredulous expression.
At the same time, in the monitoring room located in the sandy area of the beat, Zephyr saw the situation on the screen projected by a Video transponder snail.
He frowned while the other marine officers in the room also grimaced. "It's the rumored four-armed golden beast! Why did it appear in the outskirts?"
"It's bad. Even Vice Admirals will have a hard time facing it. That recruit is done for."
"Instructor Zephyr, what should we do? We don't have an officer here capable of obstructing the beast. "
"I will stop it myself." Instructor Zephyr said and flickered away from the monitoring room.
On the other side,
Blasting away the annoying pest that stood between it and the mouth-watering meat dripping with grease, the golden Ape approached the roasting steak.
As for Blaize, the annoying pest, he was naturally ignored. But will Blaize do the same, and remain thankful to the beast.
The answer is naturally 'No'. How could he leave the meat he carefully prepared for himself to others? He seasoned it with various spices he gathered in the forest and his hunger is also at the limit.
He couldn't have anything in these two days because of the unfamiliar environment and lurking creatures which disturbed him from time to time without giving him any time to rest.
The four-armed Ape's action thoroughly provoked him and infuriated him to the core. His anger soared to the sky, unbothered by the consequence, Blaize charged forward and attacked.
At that moment, the sound of the system rang in his mind. But he wasn't in a mood to check the notification. He has bigger things to worry about: meat.
His hand glowed, forming red vapor around it. Aiming at the Ape, Blaize shouted mentally, 'Heat Beam'. A scorching beam of high temperature struck the Ape's face which was inches away from savoring his steak.
"Boom!" It's a beautiful golden mane charred to black but the beast remains uninjured. And the attack thoroughly provoked it.
-
In the monitoring room,
The marine officers watched the confrontation with open-mouth. At first, they breathed a sigh of relief observing the Ape disregarding the trainee and concentrating on the food.
When they believed the trainee would escape using this chance, he attacked the beast seething in rage. They all thought,
'Brother, what are you being angry for? You should have been happy the beast ignored you.' It's the first time for them to witness a fight for food. The concept thoroughly perplexed them.
-
The four-armed Ape's eye turned fiery red, its rage tore open the sky. "Roar!!" Hammering its chest, the Ape jumped high and dropped straight at Blaize.
Two of its upper arms clenched into that of a fist and aimed at his head. Meanwhile, Blaize released high heat and coated his right arm with fiery filaments like heat armor.
He blocked the beast's attack with his heat-clad arm but he underestimated the four-armed Ape's strength and impervious defense.
"Boom!"
The impact caused his legs to sink into the solid ground while a meter-long crater formed around him. A booming shockwave blasted the air around them along with the dust and dirt.
The powerful force traveled from his arms to the body causing him to split another mouthful of blood. 'It's too strong!'. His legs weakened and his entire figure nearly squashed to the ground.
At the last second, Blaize opened his mouth and blew a hot breath aiming at the Ape's eyes. Alarmed, the ape withdrew its hand and sprang back.
Cold sweat drenched his back. If he hadn't reacted in time, the ape's arm would have mashed his body into blood and gore. Strangely, he laughed wildly. Even he didn't understand why he was laughing at the face of death.
There was no fear in his heart only excitement. Engaging such a strong opponent didn't deter him in any way, it only surged his fighting intent to another level.
"Hahaha! Come!" Yelling, Blaize raised his boiling arm to the sky and threw a punch at the Ape. The strike pushed the Ape a few steps back scorching its mane but it failed to inflict any injury.
Blaize felt as if he was striking a steel plate. It's as if the golden Ape practiced a 'Tekkai' skill and hardened its skin and muscles to another level.
His 'Heat manipulation' reached another level after his Devil Fruit potential attribute neared '15'. Even so, his attacks fail to injure the ape. From this, one can tell how strong the Ape is.
Nullifying the scorching arm, Blaize took out his dagger and set it ablaze with a wave of his hand. Soon, the entire dagger turned into a glowing red metal emitting high heat and grey smoke.
At the same time, The four-armed Ape also sensed an extreme threat from the weapon Blaize possessed. The actual battle between them had begun.