One Piece - Heaven Defying Comprehension!

With a burst of dazzling light, Gion's massive beastly form began to shrink. Moments later, she returned to a more humanlike figure, although now slightly taller, standing in a hybrid white tiger form—complete with sharp claws, fangs, and a tiger's tail.

This was the Cat-Cat Fruit Model: White Tiger, known as the King of Beast Form.

The power of any Devil Fruit is derived from the strength of its user. As shown before, when Sabo ate the Mera-Mera Fruit, he could instantly wield most of its power, and when Blackbeard seized Whitebeard's Shock Fruit, he could immediately generate destructive tsunamis.

The mightier the individual, the greater their control over the Devil Fruit's abilities upon consumption; for these strong users, the only true challenge lies in awakening the Devil Fruit. 

As a candidate for Admiral, Gion's strength already rivaled that of the highest-ranking officers. Now, having consumed the White Tiger Fruit, she could quickly master its core abilities: full transformation, hybrid transformation, and the White Tiger Gale—a power exclusive to the White Tiger form.

Every Mythical Beast Devil Fruit bestows a unique skill upon its user. For instance, Kaido's Azure Dragon form grants command over natural elements, and Luffy's Nika form, as a Mythical Zoan, gives its user the power of pure imagination, allowing them to engage in feats as surreal as turning anything it touches the user wants or catching lightning. 

However, it is only through awakening that users can unlock the full potential of these exclusive abilities. Prior to his awakening, Luffy could only tap into Nika's rubber-like body, without yet gaining Nika's imagination-based powers.

Currently, neither Raki nor Gion have reached the awakening phase of their Devil Fruit powers. Gion, having just eaten the Cat-Cat Fruit, Model: White Tiger, has only begun to access its extraordinary power. Likewise, before the historic Flame Emperor Incident, Raki's powers in the Suzaku form were limited to basic transformations and the purifying flames of Suzaku.

After the Flame Emperor Incident, however, specifically after Ace activated his residual form, Raki could suddenly access the Phoenix Flame ability unique to Suzaku—the power to be reborn from ashes.

With this power, as long as the user has physical strength and spirit remaining, even death in battle cannot stop them. Instead, they can rise anew, stronger, within the purifying flames of Suzaku. Ace confirmed this effect during special training on the island.

To exercise caution, he only had Raki pushed to the brink of death, allowing her to experience the rebirth process without fully succumbing. In the rare case that Suzaku's rebirth effect didn't activate, Raki would still have been saved by Kaya's healing fruit, fully restoring her. However, Ace's experiment proved fruitful: when Raki was critically injured, Suzaku's flames suddenly enveloped her, reviving her stronger than before.

This explains why, despite her Devil Fruit powers being unawakened and her Armament Haki less refined than Kaya's, Raki has become one of the most formidable fighters on the seas, reaching the threshold of Admiral-level strength.

Since Raki has obtained the Mythical Beast Devil Fruit, she now wields its most critical special ability, which is unique to those with Mythical Beast awakened powers. The remaining distinction between Raki and other fully awakened Mythical Beast users is that, upon awakening, their bodies transform, approaching the immense physical power of their mythical forms and acquiring nearly supernatural healing capabilities.

It is only after awakening that those with Mythical Beast abilities can truly embody the strength and resilience of a mythical creature's body. However, this is less significant compared to the unique special powers that Mythical Beast fruits grant their users.

For example, after Kaya's healing fruit reached awakening, it could transform the entire battlefield into a healing zone, mimicking the vitality of Zoan fruits and even the rapid recovery of fully awakened Mythical Beasts. Meanwhile, Raki's combat strategy in Suzaku form doesn't rely on the body of Suzaku itself but instead on the unique flames of Suzaku, enabling her to transform into a formidable force that can incinerate anything—even Haki—in combat.

Thus, although Raki hasn't yet awakened or obtained the full physical form of a Mythical Beast, she can rely on the support of her allies to fill that gap. Reflecting on this, Ace began to wonder if the Suzaku will embedded within the Bird-Bird Fruit's Suzaku form had already shown signs of submission.

After all, the reason a Mythical Beast Devil Fruit grants special abilities to its users is due to the mythological spirit contained within it. As users progress towards awakening, their essence merges with the will of the fruit's mythical creature, allowing them to wield these special abilities naturally.

But what if the spirit of the Mythical Beast Devil Fruit yields before the user has awakened?

In such a case, it would make sense for users to access these special abilities even before awakening, particularly with the benefit of Ace's field of comprehension skills. Just yesterday, when Suzaku's will summoned the Cat-Cat Fruit's White Tiger form, Ace's brief interaction with Suzaku confirmed his suspicion: ever since mastering the Remnant Fire Style, Suzaku's essence within the Bird-Bird Fruit had fully submitted to Ace, allowing Raki to wield Suzaku's power of rebirth even without full awakening.

Now, with Gion having recently consumed the White Tiger form of the Cat-Cat Fruit, she, too, can utilize its unique ability, the White Tiger Gale—a formidable aura of pure aggression. This fearsome ability further confirms Ace's theory. 

Rayleigh observed the intense gales swirling around Gion's claws as she transformed into her hybrid beast form, his expression turning serious. "Such power…is this the special ability granted by the White Tiger? This aura is pure aggression, like it's ready to tear through anything."

The White Tiger Gale's violent essence was fundamentally different from Kaido's Azure Dragon form, which granted mastery over natural elements. Rather than focusing solely on combat, the Azure Dragon form allowed the wielder to control things like flame clouds that could lift entire islands, or even harness lightning to enhance speed. 

In contrast, the White Tiger Gale was an unstoppable wind infused with raw killing intent. Its singular purpose was destruction. Though not as environment-shattering as some other powers, its offensive strength in close combat was unparalleled, surpassing even the destructive might of the Shock Fruit, especially in the hands of top-tier fighters where precision mattered most.

Rayleigh, having clashed with Whitebeard's Shock Fruit power in his prime, could judge its depth and was struck by the realization: in sheer offensive capability, the White Tiger Gale surpassed the Shock Fruit—a truly devastating fact for an already formidable offensive Devil Fruit. Indeed, the White Tiger Gale held the strongest offensive potential of all mythological Devil Fruits.

"This fierce wind can even be channeled into weapons. Gion, give it a try," Ace suggested, smiling as he looked at her.

"Weapons?" Gion paused, surprised, but quickly understood Ace's intent.

The immense power of the Cat-Cat Fruit—Mythical Beast White Tiger Form—began to contract from the formidable claws of the tiger's paw, adjusting to accommodate the handle of Gion's sword. 

"Clang!"

With a sharp, resonant sound, Kinpira was unsheathed.

"Buzz!"

Instantly, the White Tiger's ferocious gale encircled Gion's tiger-paw grip, flowing along the length of Kinpira's blade. The strong wind from the White Tiger imbued the sword with intense energy, causing it to hum and produce a high-pitched, piercing sound. 

In the next heartbeat, Gion slashed down.

"Boom! Boom!"

The strike erupted with a devastating force, manifesting as a tangible slash that tore forward with violent winds capable of ripping the air itself apart. The uninhabited island's landscape offered no resistance to the brutal assault; it split open under the impact. Yet, the powerful strike didn't stop there—its momentum carried it further, racing across the earth and onward toward the sea.

"Whoosh! Boom!!!"

Under Gion's own astonished gaze, the sea parted violently, the waters cleaving open in a long, corridor-shaped channel that remained unmended, a lasting scar carved by her blow.

"I-I didn't even use Haki…" Gion murmured, awestruck, as she stared down at her own hands in disbelief. Could this attack power really have come from her?

"I see now. This Devil Fruit is perfectly suited for a swordsman," Rayleigh observed thoughtfully. "It channels all the killing intent into the weapon, then wraps it around the blade. When wielded with a sword, it matches the destructive force of Conqueror's Haki—infusion."

Rayleigh continued his analysis: "The distinction, however, is that unlike Conqueror's Haki, which relies solely on the user's strength, this wind of the White Tiger depends on the quality of the weapon that bears the gathered aura. Ideally, it works best with the killing intent embedded in a famous sword. The stronger the weapon's history, the more potent the killing intent becomes. Without a sufficiently renowned sword, its power diminishes significantly."

Rayleigh's keen use of Observation Haki revealed the intricacies of the White Tiger's gale.

"The Devil Fruit ability that's ideal for a swordsman…" Gion muttered, biting her lip as her gaze shifted toward Tashigi, troubled.

Gion knew Tashigi was also a swordsman within the Entei fleet. Though Tashigi had already eaten the Clear-Clear Fruit and couldn't consume a second Devil Fruit, Gion's emotions were conflicted. After the Flame Emperor incident, Tashigi had taken her under her wing, showing unwavering kindness. She had guided her to Ace, offering companionship and ensuring she didn't feel isolated in the days that followed. Though endearingly awkward, she would often sit quietly by her side for long stretches, a comforting presence that warmed Gion's heart.

If Tashigi hadn't eaten the Clear-Clear Fruit, this Devil Fruit, Model:White Tiger—might have suited her. Would Tashigi have any regrets, she wondered?

After all, had she consumed the White Tiger form, Tashigi might have ascended as the third strongest force in the Entei fleet. Gion herself had now experienced firsthand the immense potential this Devil Fruit could unlock for a swordsman.

Tashigi worked tirelessly, always hoping to become a master swordsman and one of Ace's trusted allies. Yet, despite her dedication, her current Devil Fruit powers offered only indirect combat enhancements, unable to match the combat potency that a Mythical Beast form like the White Tiger could deliver.

Among the captains of the Entei Pirates' fleet, Tashigi's combat ability ranked quite low. If only she'd had a Devil Fruit…

"That's wonderful! Now I have even more reason to collect famous swords, Gion-san!"

Before Gion could respond, Tashigi clasped her arm in excitement, her laughter bright and infectious.

"...."

Seeing Tashigi's pure-hearted smile, Gion's eyes grew misty. This girl truly treated her like family.

"Gion-san, your talent surpasses mine. Even if I hadn't eaten the Clear-Clear Fruit, I would still want you to have this Devil Fruit ability. Only in your hands can this fruit's true strength be unlocked. You're naturally talented, and with you here, it'll mean even more support for Ace. So please—Gion-san, for all our sake."

Tashigi looked up, her face sincere and smiling as she met Gion's gaze, standing much taller than herself.

"…"

Gion looked at Tashigi, emotions surging behind her eyes, and then nodded firmly. At that moment, she felt her doubts finally ease as she committed fully to the Entei Pirates.

"The position of Sixth Division Captain is yours, Gion."

Ace's voice was full of warmth as he smiled at her. His glance then shifted toward Tashigi, his expression softening even more. Despite her shy demeanor, Tashigi had found her own way to support him wholeheartedly.

Even if she didn't possess a high-tier Devil Fruit, Ace resolved to help Tashigi reach her dream of becoming a master swordsman.

"Um!" Gion responded, her nod resolute.

"Congratulations, Ace, you've gained yet another powerhouse," Rayleigh chuckled, beaming.

Gion, now wielding the power of the Cat-Cat Fruit—Mythical Beast White Tiger Form—had combat capabilities at the admiral level.

"Hahaha, let's prepare for a feast in Gion's honor!" Ace declared, laughing heartily.

"Cheers!" 

The other women immediately raised their hands in joy, their heartfelt happiness evident as they welcomed their new comrade with open arms.

For Gion, it was a deeply moving moment. Ace and the crew of the Entei Pirates saw her not as someone reluctantly drawn to them under Ace's Conqueror's Haki but as one of their own, welcomed as an equal.

"But not just yet…" Ace's gaze sharpened as he looked at Zephyr and Ain ahead, frozen from Kuzan attack.