Baro Rick had heard of the operation fruit, which could grant eternal life.
He had heard of the Huangquan fruit, which could also bring one back from the dead once.
However, he had never heard of any other fruit or ability that could resurrect someone.
A person who was undoubtedly going to die had actually revived, and not only that, but his strength had instantly returned to its peak.
This impossible event was happening before everyone's eyes.
"Impossible!"
"How did you do it?"
"That's right, what did you eat just now?"
Baro Rick refused to believe the facts, his mind racing. Finally, he thought of an action Kuzan had made.
It was the action of biting something.
Zephyr stood there, listening to Baro Rick's roar, looking at his hands in disbelief, unable to believe he was still alive.
He had walked through the gates of hell countless times, survived countless breakdowns.
This time, Zephyr had personally experienced being infinitely close to death.
Yet, on this occasion, he had miraculously survived once more.
"Uncle Zephyr, you owe me a life."
"Hahaha!"
Benedict dropped a sentence and then flew towards Baro Rick.
Baro Rick looked at the charging Benedict and stopped roaring. He spread his hands and opened his mouth wide.
The three clones turned into energy, which Baro Rick absorbed rapidly.
By the time Benedict reached him and grabbed him, he had just finished absorbing all the energy.
"Asakujaku!"
Instantly opening seven gates, Benedict's powerful strength erupted, his fists pounding furiously.
Baro Rick was the dangling sandbag, subjected to a storm of destruction.
Boom!
As Benedict's final punch landed, Baro Rick, with his bones fractured, was smashed into a thick ice mountain.
On the ice mountain, Baro Rick endured immense pain, yet let out a morbid laugh.
The laughter was unpleasant and very eerie.
The ice mountain shattered, but Baro Rick did not fall.
A red light flickered on Baro Rick's body, enveloping him.
Benedict frowned slightly as he sensed the sinister aura emanating from Baro Rick.
Vampiric traits were truly disgusting.
The red light flowed with blood.
As the red light dissipated, Baro Rick's aura became even more powerful, and his appearance also changed.
Now, Baro Rick was young, like a sixteen or seventeen-year-old teenager, his hair turned fiery red.
On his forehead, there was a water-drop-shaped red pattern, as if it held some special power.
Looking at it, one felt a sense of hypnosis.
"This is my strongest state for now."
"You forced me to do this."
"Benedict!"
With that, Baro Rick crossed hundreds of meters and instantly appeared before Benedict.
Bang bang!
Before Benedict could react, he was heavily sent flying by Baro Rick.
At the same time, several bone-deep wounds appeared on Benedict's chest.
"Hahaha, truly delicious!"
Baro Rick, savoring the blood he had stolen from Benedict, was instantly intoxicated by the life-filled blood.
Benedict crawled out of the ice shards, and Baro Rick appeared before him again, his blood-red claws reaching for Benedict's head.
"You think you can crush me just by drawing a few wounds on me?"
"Baro Rick, do you overestimate yourself?"
Benedict extended his hand, grabbed the descending claw, and stared coldly at Baro Rick, speaking in a deep voice.
Baro Rick gave a sinister laugh and said, "It's just too delicious."
"I'm going to eat you!"
Baro Rick's other hand swept horizontally towards Benedict.
Benedict raised his hand, also grabbing it, and exerted force with both hands.
Crack!
Baro Rick's hands were directly bent backward by Benedict.
Baro Rick's cheeks twitched grotesquely, but he did not cry out in pain.
Baro Rick opened his ferocious mouth, four long fangs flashing with a cold gleam, and immediately lunged to bite Benedict's neck.
Bang!
Benedict lifted a leg, pushing against Baro Rick's jaw and forcing it open.
Baro Rick struggled intensely. Seeing that he could not break free, his eyes hardened.
A cracking sound was heard.
Baro Rick self-amputated both arms, flapped his wings, and reappeared behind Benedict, opening his mouth to bite Benedict's neck again.
Benedict hadn't expected Baro Rick to be so ruthless, to sever his own arms just to bite him.
Hmph!
Benedict let out a cold snort, and the Eight Gates Formation directly opened to the Gate of Death!
An elbow strike was thrown backward.
Boom!
Baro Rick's face was struck by a terrifying force. As his left cheek deformed, two of his blood-sucking fangs snapped with a crack.
Ah!
Baro Rick's previously severed arms grew new ones, grabbing Benedict's arm.
Though he should have been sent flying, in that instant, driven by an intense desire for Benedict's blood, he pulled himself back and lunged with his mouth.
Splat!
The two fangs on the right easily pierced through Benedict's Armament Haki coverage, furiously sucking Benedict's blood.
At this moment, Benedict felt his blood draining and his head growing slightly hazy. He staggered.
"Je ha ha ha!"
"My fangs can easily break through any defense, even if your Armament Haki has reached its peak, it's useless."
"When my fangs pierce your skin and suck your blood, a deadly toxin hidden within the fangs will also paralyze your body, making you stiff all over."
As blood continuously flowed in and circulated within his body, that abundant life force, that powerful energy, burned madly within him.
This also meant he would gain even greater power.
Splat!
His deformed cheek instantly recovered.
The two broken fangs grew back, piercing Benedict's arm and furiously sucking his blood.
Benedict's energy was incredibly surging, like an endless river, inexhaustible.
In just a moment, his body was filled with unprecedented energy, making him tremble with excitement.
However, what Baro Rick failed to notice was the cold smile on Benedict's lips.
Baro Rick thought Benedict was immobile because he was paralyzed by the toxin on his fangs and therefore couldn't resist.
He didn't know that Benedict was merely waiting to see how much Baro Rick could consume.
Under the Gate of Death, all his potential was instantly activated, erupting with unparalleled energy.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it his peak.
Even if Baro Rick drained all his blood, he couldn't steal all his power.
Kijiro, seeing this, worried for Benedict and immediately charged forward.
On the other side, after Kuzan's brief explanation, Zephyr, despite his complex emotions, could only set everything aside at this moment and focus on taking down Baro Rick.
Baro Rick, in his pursuit of power, had indiscriminately slaughtered. Now, he had become even more powerful. If left unchecked and Benedict were to die, they would never escape alive.