The offensive capabilities of the Poison-Poison Fruit were truly terrifying.
However, this offense was not explosive in nature.
Normally, a red-quality ability, if purely offensive, might allow a Pig-Head Man of his strength to eliminate a dozen Pig-Head Men with a single strike.
But the Poison-Poison Fruit could not achieve this.
The damage from the Poison-Poison Fruit was fearsome, yet it was sustained damage.
It couldn't be called a weakness, merely a type of attack, but it did carry some hidden dangers. The opponent could desperately fight back against Bai Ye before the poison fully took effect, dragging Bai Ye down with them since they were going to die anyway.
The troublesome and disgusting aspect of the Poison-Poison Fruit was...
Poison, once acquired, was difficult to shake off unless one possessed an antidote. Furthermore, even with an antidote, this specific corrosive poison had no true cure, only medicinal herbs to treat the wounds. Therefore, even with an antidote, the Poison-Poison Fruit could not be completely countered.
Then came the endless torment, the poison continuously corroding the body, ravaging both flesh and spirit.
Secondly, Bai Ye could release poison liquid or gas from his entire body, which meant...
Engaging Bai Ye in close combat was akin to seeking death. Getting too close to Bai Ye, let alone touching him, even breathing the same air was a mistake, as the poison gas would enter the opponent's body through the air.
Of course, this level of poison was weak, but even weak poison had an effect and would continuously worsen.
If Bai Ye put himself in the shoes of someone facing an opponent with the Poison-Poison Fruit, he would most likely choose to flee. Getting close meant poisoning, which was too disgusting.
And if one stayed far away?
Poison clouds, poison bullets, poison dragons...
A plethora of long-range attack methods.
At this point, footsteps interrupted Bai Ye's thoughts, and Ziyuan emerged from the bushes.
"Don't touch me!" Bai Ye quickly dodged as Ziyuan reached out to pat him. "I'm covered in poison right now, more poisonous than your cooking."
Ziyuan had originally intended to praise Bai Ye for his excellent work, but upon hearing the latter half, she immediately huffed, unwilling to engage with Bai Ye.
Her culinary skills would improve eventually.
Meanwhile, Ziyuan's actions served as a reminder to Bai Ye. When using the abilities of the Poison-Poison Fruit, he could release Gengar, as Gengar's beast attributes were Ghost and Poison.
Therefore, Gengar was immune to poison and could fight alongside Bai Ye. However, Goodra should absolutely not be released. Goodra was a Dragon-type beast with no Poison attribute. Moreover, it had a habit of nuzzling, kissing, and hugging everyone, so it might end up poisoning itself to death.
As Bai Ye pondered this, he made the poison on his body disappear and quickly followed Ziyuan.
After crossing the marshy wetland, Ziyuan pointed to a cave draped with vines. "This is the entrance to the Lizardmen's lair."
Bai Ye nodded, pulled out Gengar's beast ball, and tossed it, releasing Gengar. "Gengar, go scout ahead!"
Gengar let out a soft cry, then sank into the ground, turning into a shadow as it moved towards the cave.
Jin Sha was undoubtedly an excellent beast master. Recommending Gengar to Bai Ye was a truly good suggestion. In terms of combat ability, Gengar was decent among blue-quality beasts. Furthermore, aside from combat, Gengar, as a dual-attribute beast of Ghost and Poison, its Ghost attribute made it an excellent scout. It could not only phase through walls but also hide in shadows, making it very difficult to detect.
While Gengar scouted ahead, Bai Ye and Ziyuan did not idle. They entered the cave, but did not move too quickly, as the situation inside was still unclear.
Moving forward...
Drip, drip, drip...
Water droplets fell from the cave ceiling, making a crisp sound.
Every five meters or so, there were two torches for illumination. After walking forward for about ten meters, Bai Ye smelled blood. Soon, corpses appeared before Bai Ye and Ziyuan.
There were the bodies of Pig-Head Men and Lizardmen. Numerous broken weapons lay around, indicating a fierce struggle, and the corpses were all mangled.
The group of Pig-Head Men had clearly been killing and devouring corpses to strengthen themselves.
Continuing forward for another ten meters, Bai Ye stopped and looked at Ziyuan.
A fork appeared before them, with three branching caves. There were signs of battle in front of each cave: corpses, broken weapons, and torches dropped on the ground.
Ziyuan shrugged. "Don't look at me. I know where the Lizardmen live, but I've never entered their caves. At most, I've only been to the outskirts of the marshy wetland."
Bai Ye scratched his head, feeling a bit troubled.
At this moment, Gengar suddenly emerged from the ground.
Bai Ye's eyes lit up. "How was the scouting? Did you explore all three paths?"
Gengar ran to the first cave entrance, rubbed its face, magically transforming it into the likeness of a Pig-Head Man, then grabbed a torch from the ground and waved it vigorously.
"You have that talent too?" Bai Ye exclaimed. "Super Transformation?"
Gengar triumphantly waved the torch at Bai Ye, then ran to the second and third cave entrances, performing the same action.
Bai Ye asked, "Are there Pig-Head Men behind all three caves?"
Gengar swayed its body and nodded.
Bai Ye then asked, "What about the Lizardmen?"
As soon as Bai Ye asked, he couldn't help but slap his forehead. He was being foolish. Gengar's actions depicted Pig-Head Men fighting; of course, there must be Lizardmen, or who would the Pig-Head Men be fighting?
However...
After a moment of thought, Gengar suddenly ran to the middle cave, elongated its face to resemble a Lizardman, then placed its hands on its head, raising its fingers one by one to form the shape of a crown.
Bai Ye was stunned for a moment, then excitedly asked, "The Lizardmen leader?"
Gengar shook its head, but pointed to its head and made the crown gesture again.
Bai Ye understood. Gengar didn't know if it was the Lizardmen leader, but the person wearing a crown should have a high status.
"Let's go!" Bai Ye said to Ziyuan. "We'll go through the middle one!"
Ziyuan was completely bewildered, watching Gengar hop around without understanding its meaning at all. But since Bai Ye said to go through the middle, she would follow.
The two walked inwards through the middle cave. Soon, the sounds of fighting and the clashing of weapons could be heard.
Bai Ye and Ziyuan exchanged glances and quickened their pace.
Soon, at the end of the cave, an open area appeared. A large number of Pig-Head Men and Lizardmen were locked in a fierce battle.
Suddenly, Ziyuan pointed to several Lizardmen. "They are the personal guards of the Lizardmen leader!"