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Chapter 6: Strong Body part 2.

(Holl's P.O.V)

My head was spinning.

That bitch...she must have applied something to the tools she used to stitch up my injury.

"You brought this on yourself."

The girl told me smugly.

Heh, I sure did. No lie there.

"The anaesthetic will wear out in a few hours. But by then...you will be in jail."

She continued.

Her voice, it was so annoying.

I swiped out blindly, almost connecting with and clipping her on the face. She staggered fearfully, knocking down the tray of surgical tools next to the bed.

The tools made a noise as they clattered to the floor.

I missed.

My jaw clenched in anger. Anger at myself. I should have tightened the restrictions on Dr.Leslie. I wouldn't have been in this state if I had.

The orders I gave were not to harm me. But, as a doctor...she could simply bypass that order by believing that me being unconscious would allow my body to rest and heal up more efficiently.

In other words she could trick herself into drugging me and handing me over to the cops.

I think we established why that was a no go.

Lesson learned.

The commands I give are not all encompassing. The fruit was not all powerful. It had loop holes someone could exploit.

Well then, I'll just have to fix those inherent weaknesses and then we'll see who can stand up to me.

But first, I had to solve the more immediate problem in my hands. I was passing out. Standing on my feet was a nasty chore.

My knees were already locking up. And my muscles...

Oh shit. If I do pass out, I'm fucked. Croc wouldn't hesitate coming after me.

I can't let that happen.

I needed to get out of here, or prevent myself from passing out.

"There's- there's no use fighting it."

The girl said in a wavering voice. She sounded so far away now.

I jerked my head towards her direction, my eyes promising payback once I made it out of here.

Because I was going to make it out.

I raised a hand, aiming for the Girl's neck. All I had to do was enslave her my Pet Pet Fruit. A few commands and I could be out of this mess.

My hands trembled and like a noodle they lost strength, limply falling out from beneath me. I lost feeling in my fingers.

The girl rose to her feet unsteadily,

"Dr. Leslie- She gave you enough of a dosage to take out a fully grown man. Just- just sleep!"

Fully grown man, huh? I wasn't quite there yet. But, maybe with my stronger body, I could fight this.

Okay, what are my options.

I can't move. My limbs are as heavy as lead.

I could still activate my powers but that wasn't going to help if I couldn't aim my hand to unleash their effects.

And they also weren't going to last forever. Not when the darkness was creeping in at the edges of my vision.

I had to do something now. before-

The worst case scenario happened.

Crash! Boom!

Then,

"Lena, run!!!"

Dr. Leslie screamed in terror from the other side of the door.

A second later the entire entrance was blown apart by an enraged Killer Croc, murder in his eyes.

Plaster and wooden chips flew out into the room.

Croc landed on the floor next to the girl who was screaming her ass off upon seeing him.

His chest rumbled, a growl escaping his wide jaw, filled with sharp teeth.

His target?

Me.

And the Pet pet slave band on his neck was gone. Meaning he wasn't under my control anymore.

Croc brought a hand to rub his neck.

"Surprised to see me...hombre?"

He asked with dark glee.

Is it because I was Latino? That's what the hombre joke was for. I'll have to kick your ass for that.

I looked within me, trying to reach out to my devil fruit power. Croc grabbed that opportunity to jump my way, grabbing me up by the limbs.

"I know what you're trying to do. And no way, am I letting you activate that fucked up ability."

He chuckled with a crazed look.

"There's nowhere to escape kid. Now you're mine!"

He roared, letting my hands go, before slamming me by the neck onto the wall of the room.

Air escaped my chest and I blanked out slightly.

More pain brought me back, this time coming from my jaw and cheek. A tooth dislodged itself from my mouth owing to the back hand Croc delivered to my face.

Fuck. He has me outmatched in all physical aspects. And I can't use my pet pet abilities on him without aiming.

"You need to concentrate to use your abilities, right?"

He inquired, leaning into my ear.

"All I have to do is keep disrupting that focus and there will be nothing you can do."

"You turned me into a slave, boy. And now it's time to pay."

The wide jaws widened before clamping on my ear and promptly biting it off.

Motherfucker!

The flash of agony woke me up. I clenched my teeth so hard I thought they were going to break.

The pain cut through the Anaesthetic, giving me clarity. One of my hands was free.

Croc was holding onto the other while using his right hand to press my neck onto the wall behind.

I quickly brought up the free hand.

But instead of activating the Pet Pet slave band and using it on Croc, I touched my neck and applied the slave collar directly. On. Myself.

"Huh?"

Croc's yellow eyes blinked as he noticed the emerald light glowing from my neck.

I closed my eyes, feeling my connection with the slave band.

In One Piece, the original wielder of the Pet Pet Fruit could use the Devil fruit's ability on himself.

By commanding his body to grow stronger in relation to his opponent, he was able to last a few seconds against the main character before being crushed.

And the main character, Luffy was at the very least comparable to Superman. At least the new 52 version. Which still meant very powerful.

By scaling the feats he performed and the villains he fought, I could assume Breed, the Original Wielder of the Pet Pet Fruit, could exert a lot of power. Something akin to Superhuman.

I ignored the pain on the side of my head, where an ear was missing, and commanded my body.

"Use the energy of the food I just ate to burn out the anaesthetic and fight against Killer Croc."

The slave bad pulsed green before it completely turned scarlet.

Waves of strength started pouring forth into me from somewhere.

Croc managed to catch the tail end of the statement and predictably he didn't react well.

He pulled his hand back,

"There ain't gonna be a fight. I'll tear you limb from limb!"

The wall behind my head received a new decoration, a massive hole caused by his hand plunging right through the concrete.

I grabbed his wrist, feeling a strange sense of strength surge through my muscles.

Then I squeezed, shattering the bone and making him clench his teeth in pain.

Crunch!

He said nothing, only stepping back and lashing out with his good hand.

I raised a hand but instead of blocking it myself, my hair which had somehow grown much longer, rose up in a shield of sorts around my body, blocking the attack.

We stared at each other. Me, with a growing grin and him with growing anger.

"There ain't no way I'm letting you win."

Croc pulled on the hand I was holding forcefully, tugging my body up, then he stepped in, lifted me and smashed me back first onto the ground.

He raised his boot to stomp on my fallen form but I rolled away easily.

My body sang with so much wonderful strength it was crazy. For starters where had the long ass hair come from? It reminded me of Jiraiya's Needle Jizo.

A jutsu the toad sage from Naruto could use, to send sharp strands of hair in the shape of needles at his enemies.

A shadow appeared above me, the bed.

Croc had it lifted with one hand, the other limp by his side. He brought the whole thing falling down on top of me.

I hopped away, clearing a few meters and landing on the upper corner of the room, using my fingers to tear through the walls and hold myself in place.

I was breathing a bit too fast. I was also sweating a lot.

The bed made a loud sound as it smashed onto the floor.

Croc sniffed before turning to where I was.

"How long can you keep this up for? I heard the girl...you have been drugged. That's why you lost control!"

He grabbed the monitor and threw it my way. My hair rose up without my command and smacked it away.

How curious. There was a lot more to this Devil Fruit that I had initially thought.

On the matter of Croc, he was right.

I couldn't keep this up for long. But, I didn't need to. Not anymore.

My breathing evened out. I stopped sweating.

I released my hold on the wall and landed on the floor.

Finally...my body had finished flushing out the anaesthetic. I rolled my shoulders, hopping on my feet a little. I was back. Not to a hundred percent but...I was back.

All the while Croc was staring at me strangely. He blinked at the collar on my neck.

"I understand now. You used your ability on yourself. Smart but not smart enough, you should have ran away when you had the-"

Bam!

My punch smashed onto his face with impunity.

"Shut up and fight me."

I told him with a wide smile on my face.

Man, punching him had felt therapeutic.

The force from my punch was enough to lift his body up and smash him right through the entrance he had created earlier.

I stretched my body, feeling the muscles of my hands and legs flex. Okay, lets break him apart.

I lunged through the entrance and into the hallway.

Croc met me in the air, jaws wide and ready to take a bite out of me. My hair folded around my form into a protective barrier.

The impact produced a shockwave that rippled out through the hallway.

His jaws clamped on my hair barrier but following instinct I hardened the individual strands into spikes that pierced into his mouth.

Blood sprayed out of his mouth as he quickly created distance between us.

My leg shot out before he could go anywhere, landing on his hasty hand block.

The strength behind the blow was enough to push him into the air and he ended up smacking onto the ceiling.

As he was falling, I slashed out with my own claw. The fingernails on both of my hands could also extend just like my hair. And they were very hard and sharp.

I connected on the first strike, then my hands turned into a blur as I unleashed hundreds of slashes.

The coat he was wearing was reduced to strips of fabric as my finger nails contended with the scales of his forearm.

Sparks appeared at the point of contact and the pressure wave this time pushed the both of us back.

Croc lowered his hands, breathing heavily. Blood was falling down his chin just like it was pouring down the side of my head.

I could tell he was wary of me now. His bleeding forearms, courtesy of my nails were a testament of my lethal power.

As if coming to a decision, he reached for his coat and removed it.

"Only one of us will leave here alive."

He stated, revealing his muscular bound physique.

He was huge, with cords of muscles shifting powerfully under a thick layer of scales.

I narrowed my eyes. I was still injured and the more time I spent here the likelier the cops would arrive. They weren't the main problem.

The Bat family and other do gooders were. I didn't forget what I had done to Batgirl. I wonder if she survived?

Still, this was a fight I couldn't abandon. Croc dared attack me, I couldn't forgive that. In this world, reputation was everything.

"Fine. But don't beg for mercy as I kill you."

I finally responded, closing my hand into a fist.

(General P.O.V)

Spoiler spotted the smoke blocks away. Following the smoke was a loud explosion that could be heard for miles.

Despite the commotion, this wasn't a strange occurrence in Gotham. What stood out to her, was the direction the smoke was rising from.

"It can't be..."

She gunned the motorcycle's engine, accelerating further along the street.

Bringing her fingers to her lips, she released a loud whistle that resonated sharply across the entire block. It was a call.

Barely a few seconds later, a thump sounded out from the back of her bike. Cassie had arrived.

Spoiler leaned into the handle, changing the gears and twisting the handle to ride even faster.

"I don't know what's going on but there's a fire infront us. I really hope it's not coming from where I think it is..."

She spoke, informing the ever silent girl.

Upon reaching an intersection, Spoiler jerked the bike to the side.

This was the street Dr.Leslie'clinic was located on.

Oh no.

The entire front of the clinic was destroyed. Outside, on the sidewalk watching the burning building, was a black haired woman crying over a familiar form.

Spoiler's face was horrified as she jumped off the bike, running towards the pair.

"Dr.Leslie!!"

"They just...started fighting and she got injured and she's bleeding and oh my god there's so much blood..."

The girl, Lena if Spoiler remembered correctly, was frantically trying to stop the bleeding.

"What happened? Who did this?!"

Spoiler demanded, pressing on her comms to call for help.

Lena shook her head, tears falling down her cheeks.

"Him! The boy she tried to help. He's fighting Wayl- Killer Croc inside the Clinic. I...barely got out of there with Dr.Leslie."

"911, what's your emergency?"

The Dispatcher's voice came through the Earpiece on Spoiler.

"We need paramedics and firefighters down in Crime Alley, East-End. A clinic is on fire, one person is gravely injured and there is a superhuman fight going on."

Spoiler rattled off quickly.

The Dispatcher took a few seconds to answer.

"Got it. Miss I have to ask, are you safe?"

"Yeah."

Spoiler nodded.

"I'm outside the clinic with the owner. She's the one badly injured."

The Dispatcher latched on to that.

"What's her condition? Is she breathing? And where is she bleeding from?"

"There's a nasty gash across her belly. I'm applying pressure on the wound." Lena answered while sniffling.

Spoiler placed her wrist under Dr.Leslie's nose.

"She's breathing shallowly."

"Okay. Paramedics are on the way. Keep her alive for as long as you can."

The Dispatcher instructed.

Spoiler cut the transmission, tapping on her earpiece to open up a different channel.

"I just heard Dispatch. Are you and Cassie alright!?"

Robin immediately asked.

"Yeah. We are. But Dr.Leslie's clinic is on fire. And she's hurt, badly."

Spoiler told him.

Robin went silent for a while. Spoiler could hear his harsh breathing. He must have been in a fight.

"Sorry. Joker's villain buddies got the drop on us. Dick and I just finished dealing with Clayface. About Dr.Leslie...Im sorry Steph."

Tim's voice grew subdued at the end.

"Spoiler, we heard something about a fight. Can you identify the ones involved."

Nightwing inquired.

"Killer Croc and an unknown Meta."

Spoiler said, tapping the side of her visor to scan the clinic.

Her vision changed to thermal imaging. In the high heat, the difference in temperature allowed her to see two figures engaged in battle.

"They're tearing up the inside of the clinic as we speak."

She told them, tracking the two low heat signatures duking it out.

"They're still fighting huh?" Nightwing mused.

"Okay, you and Cassie evacuate any civilians around. Keep your distance and wait for back up."

"You can't be serious!"

Spoiler vehemently opposed. Cassie, standing next to her, gave a sharp nod of agreement.

"You expect us to stay back and let the fight continue? The whole block could be gone by the time you guys get here!"

"Exactly!"

Tim interjected.

"Going in alone will only get you killed faster. You and Cassie should-"

Spoiler cut the call with a sigh.

She closed her eyes, kneading her temples before a resolute look fell on her face.

"The cops will be here any second. I can already hear the sirens."

She said, addressing Lena

"Stay here and keep an eye on the doctor."

Lena nodded,

"What about the two of you?"

Cassie punched her fists together. Spoiler reached to her back and removed a collapsible Bo Staff.

"Us? We're going in to kick some-"

The Store front's metal frame exploded as something was thrown out through it.

Croc's body collided with Spoiler's bike, throwing it up into the air to smash against the back mirror of a car parked on the sidewalk.

"My bike!!"

Spoiler shrieked.

"Mmmmh!!"

Cassie shook her by the shoulders to grab her attention.

"My bike Cassie!!"

Spoiler grabbed her head in disbelief.

"Out of the way!"

Killer Croc yelled, punching the ground under Cassie and Spoiler.

Lena screamed out in fear, shielding Dr.Leslie's body with hers.

Cassie, having already seen the attack coming, had pushed Spoiler away. Both girls rolled on the ground before coming up, ready to fight.

But Croc ignored them, his gaze was on the clinic. Or rather, the figure that walked out of it in a slow gait.

"What happened to tearing me limb from limb?"

Holl asked, kicking away the half bent store door and slamming it onto the pavement.

He walked through the fire, unharmed despite the huge mane of black hair swaying behind his back.

Perhaps the thing that stood out the most was his body. It was gaunt and malnourished. As if he hadn't eaten in weeks.

Turns out this was the effect of using the Pet Pet Fruit on a body that although strong, wasn't strong enough.

To achieve the power Holl had needed to flush out the drugs and also fight Killer Croc, his body had pulled on all the body's resources and energy.

As a consequence, he now resembled a skeleton.