Ron grinned, feeling much more at ease.
In the brutal pirate world where the strong devoured the weak, the more life-saving trump cards he had, the better.
He then turned his attention to the new mission.
"Complete one hundred Devil Fruit replications to unlock the next technology."
After giving it some thought, Ron felt the mission wasn’t particularly difficult.
After all, Devil Fruit Replication Technology was nothing like Devil Fruit Enchantment Technology.
The replication success rate was 100%.
The only downside was that it replaced the user’s original Devil Fruit power.
At this rate, as long as he had sufficient funds and enough blood samples, he could complete the mission quickly and unlock the next technology.
"Now that the Whitebeard Pirates’ strength has increased so dramatically, earning some money shouldn’t be difficult."
Meanwhile...
Marshall D. Teach (Blackbeard) stood on the shore of a remote island near Jaya.
His brows were tightly knit as he stared toward Jaya in silence.
His heart was filled with doubt and unease, as if an invisible threat were slowly approaching.
"What are those guys up to?"
Teach muttered to himself, his voice tinged with irritation and confusion.
Several days ago, he had begun noticing strange golden lights appearing over Jaya one after another.
The lights varied in intensity, but each seemed to conceal some hidden secret.
At first, he had simply been curious.
He had planned to sneak onto Jaya and investigate the situation for himself.
But today’s events had left him even more shocked.
Dozens of golden pillars of light shot into the sky from Jaya, dazzling like a shower of golden meteors.
Not only were there a great many of them, but their brilliance was so intense that they seemed to dye the entire sky gold.
The breathtaking sight caused Teach to suck in a cold breath.
What disturbed him even more were the sounds coming from Jaya.
The sounds of violent vibrations.
The sounds of space being torn apart.
Those noises were all too familiar to him.
They were the sounds produced whenever Whitebeard used the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
Whenever Whitebeard fought seriously, those earth-shaking noises would accompany his attacks.
Yet now, the same sounds were ringing out continuously from Jaya, as though Whitebeard were engaged in a fierce battle.
"What is going on?"
Teach’s confusion deepened.
He couldn’t understand why so many strange golden lights were appearing on Jaya.
Nor could he understand why there were constant quake-like sounds.
Had Whitebeard encountered some powerful enemy?
Or had something unexpected happened on the island?
Whatever the reason, it had completely exceeded Teach’s expectations.
One thing was certain:
He needed to figure out the truth.
But not at the cost of his life.
As a result, he shelved his original infiltration plan and decided to proceed cautiously.
After all, nothing was more important than staying alive.
As evening fell, the moon rose into a sky dotted with sparse stars.
The sea was quiet except for the occasional crash of waves and the distant lights of passing ships.
After an exhausting day, Ron planned to wash up and get some sleep.
Today’s harvest had been tremendous.
He deserved a good night’s rest.
He removed his coat, changed into comfortable sleepwear, and was about to lie down when he suddenly heard the door open softly.
A figure silently appeared in the doorway.
Ron nearly jumped.
"W-Whitey Bay?"
He stared at her in surprise.
Then a realization struck him.
Wait...
Was she serious about what she said earlier?
Did she really come here tonight to repay the favor?
"Vice Captain~"
Whitey Bay’s voice was gentle yet firm.
"You’ve given me a Devil Fruit. I have no way to repay such kindness."
"So I’ll just have to offer myself instead~"
Her eyes were filled with gratitude and affection.
Step by step, she approached him.
Each movement carried a charm that was difficult to resist.
Ron felt his heartbeat quicken.
"Uh... that’s really not necessary. It’s enough that you appreciate—"
Before he could finish speaking, his vision blurred.
A fragrant breeze swept toward him.
The next moment, Whitey Bay threw herself into his arms.
She hugged him tightly, as though trying to pour all her warmth into him.
"If Vice Captain rejects me, I’ll be very upset~"
She looked up at him with tearful eyes, her tone equal parts grievance and flirtation.
Resting her cheek against his chest, she listened to his heartbeat.
For a moment, the entire world seemed to stand still.
Ron took a deep breath.
Feeling the softness and warmth in his arms, the defenses in his heart gradually weakened.
He knew...
This was going to be an unusual night.
Ron: "..."
Being weaker than someone else is rough...
With his current strength, he was absolutely no match for someone at a Division Commander’s level.
Since resistance was impossible...
He could only silently endure.
The rest of the night passed without further description.
The next morning.
Sunlight streamed through the windows of the Whitebeard Pirates’ base.
Every member of the crew had gathered together.
Their faces were filled with confidence and excitement.
After an entire night of intensive training, they had become far more familiar with their new Devil Fruit powers.
Many had even developed new techniques.
The Tremor-Tremor Fruit powers in particular had been thoroughly explored by several of the Division Commanders.
The ability had always been terrifying.
But in the hands of veteran fighters, it became even more versatile and unpredictable.
Whenever someone used the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, the entire training ground would tremble.
Even the air seemed to crack apart.
The reason they had adapted so quickly was actually quite simple.
They spent every day alongside Whitebeard.
They had watched him use the Tremor-Tremor Fruit for years.
Even someone slow to learn would eventually pick things up under those circumstances.
And none of the Division Commanders were fools.
"Pops, there are still plenty of s who haven’t received enchantments yet. Shouldn’t we take advantage of our increased strength and earn some money?"
"Let’s start with Kaido! I’ve been sick of that guy for years. World’s Strongest Creature? What a joke!"
"Exactly! If Pops hadn’t been in poor health before, that idiot who keeps trying to die would’ve been dead a long time ago!"
"And don’t even get me started on Oden. That guy was unbelievably foolish!"
"Alright, alright, that’s enough."
"Stop talking."
"The dead deserve respect."
"..."
The group continued grumbling.
Whenever Kozuki Oden came up, they Felt frustrated.
His strength had been extraordinary.
Yet he had died in a way they considered far too humiliating and wasteful.
Still, nobody continued the discussion.
Regardless of the circumstances, Oden had once sailed as a member of the Whitebeard Pirates.
He had been one of their s.
Naturally, they would stand by him.
In the past, Whitebeard’s declining health had prevented them from pursuing old grudges.
But things were different now.
Pops had recovered.
He was healthy again.
Back at his peak.
And some old debts...
Were finally due for collection.
Ron listened quietly from the side without commenting.
Truthfully, he thought they had a point.
Even the Whitebeard Pirates themselves felt that Oden’s death had been unnecessarily pathetic.
It simply didn’t match the fearless spirit of the men aboard Whitebeard’s ship.