Chapter 29: The Art of Waterfall
Anyone familiar with spiders knows they are covered in fine bristles—tiny hairs that act as both sensory tools and natural deterrents. These bristles, however, also serve as kindling. A single spark can ignite a spider's body in seconds.
Black Maria now found herself caught in that very nightmare.
Before she could react, the flames from Ayaan's punch ignited her spider half. Her lower body burst into fire, the bristles feeding the blaze as it spread rapidly. She screamed, scrambling to retract her spider form, morphing it back into humanoid legs as blackened blisters began forming along them. She quickly coated her limbs in Armament Haki to suppress the damage, but the searing pain had already left its mark.
Fury twisted her face.
As a woman—especially one proud of her beauty—seeing her legs scorched and marred drove her into a rage. "You little bastard...!"
Gone was the sultry allure, the coy games. Black Maria, now wild with fury, gripped the Wheel of Fortune tightly, coating it in thick, dark Haki. With a howl, she brought the massive club crashing down on Ayaan's raised arms.
Clang!
A shockwave erupted as Haki clashed against Haki. But this time, Ayaan didn't budge. He caught the blow head-on, locking the weapon in place. His feet were planted firmly, his muscles surging with power. Black Maria's eyes widened. She had underestimated him earlier—clearly mistaking distraction for weakness. Now, she realized: his raw strength was easily on par with hers.
With a growl, the monstrous head on the club lunged forward, trying to bite Ayaan's neck. But he was ready.
His fingers flickered—and suddenly, between them, extended chakra-forged blades, sharpened with chakra metal and reinforced with Haki. They gleamed with deadly energy.
With a brutal swipe, Ayaan slashed the beast's open maw.
CRACK!
SPLURT!
Blood spattered across the chamber. The Wheel of Fortune, supposedly forged from an artificial devil fruit, screamed as its head was split nearly in half. Haki cracked. Metal bent. The weapon was rendered useless.
Black Maria froze, her mind reeling. He'd torn through her Armament Haki—effortlessly. The fear crept in.
"No... I can't win this," she thought, beads of sweat mixing with ash on her brow. "His devil fruit... his skills... everything counters mine."
It was true. Her fighting style revolved around webs, toxins, and fire—yet Ayaan was immune to poisons, devoured her flames, and had the raw power to break her in close combat.
All her tricks were neutralized.
Her survival instincts took over. After a half-hearted feint, she twisted her charred body back into her spider hybrid form and fled, her eight legs scurrying with incredible speed. She scaled walls and ceilings with ease, using every ounce of her agility and experience to escape.
From below, Ayaan watched, smiling.
"Not bad," he murmured. "But you shouldn't turn your back on a ninja."
His hands blurred through a series of hand seals—fast, deliberate, and final.
"Suiton: Takitsubo no Jutsu!"
(Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!)
The corridor trembled.
An overwhelming flood erupted from the hallway like a crashing tsunami. Water exploded forward, roaring with the force of a collapsing mountain.
Black Maria had only enough time to scream.
BOOOOM!
The water swallowed her whole.
The Takitsubo no Jutsu, an A-rank ninjutsu, wasn't flashy in the shinobi world. Slow to cast, with more than a dozen seals, it was one of the least practical techniques in high-speed battle. But here—in this world, against a fleeing devil fruit user—it was perfect.
Water surged through the corridor, cascading down like an avalanche. Maria's eight legs flailed wildly as she was swept away, her soaked body slamming against walls before finally collapsing in a pool.
The water receded within seconds. After all, the summoned torrent had no natural source—it appeared, surged, and disappeared just as quickly.
Ayaan calmly stepped onto the soaked floor, walking through puddles toward his defeated opponent. Maria was back in her human form, coughing and shivering, the strength drained from her limbs.
With practiced motion, his hand transformed into a massive syringe—an effect of the Baku Baku no Mi —and he drove it into her neck.
Black Maria's eyes fluttered, then rolled back. She collapsed in silence.
"Lucky I had enough anesthetic for someone this big," Ayaan muttered. "People in this world are damn resistant to everything. That body... ancient Zoan-type... poison-based too. Takes triple the dose just to knock her out."
He pulled out a small mixing kit and began combining a potent hallucinogen. Chakra-enhanced, fast-acting, and ideal for interrogation.
Within moments, he injected it into the unconscious Maria and placed his hand on her forehead.
"Genjutsu: Kioku no Ma."
(Illusion Technique: Memory Hall.)
Her eyes twitched.
The illusion would now force her mind into a dream state, where Ayaan could question her. And given her current condition, she would have no will to resist.
He smiled faintly.
"Now... let's find that treasure vault."