Robin lay peacefully beside him.
Luffy gently withdrew his hand from her arms.
At that moment, leaning against the headboard, he silently opened the Adventure Shop.
First, he used the custom refresh to purchase an Awakening Fruit.
Adventure Coins -10,000!
After consuming it...
The Momo Fruit awakened!
This fruit was a superpower-type Paramecia. After awakening, its maximum limit did not change; it still remained at one hundred times.
The real change was in how the ability could be activated.
Before awakening, physical contact was necessary to apply the effects of the ability to a target.
But after awakening, it could now be activated remotely!
And that range would continue increasing as the user's proficiency grew.
"Not bad... this opens up new possibilities."
Thoughtfully, Luffy continued refreshing the Adventure Shop.
After many days, new products finally appeared — and two at once.
[White Tree Seed]: A tree capable of producing the so-called "Void Fruit." After being planted, whenever an Akuma no Mi user dies anywhere in the world, the tree will intercept the fruit's reincarnation process and produce a new Akuma no Mi.
Original Price: 10 million Adventure Coins.
Today's Discount: 30%.
Current Price: 7 million Adventure Coins.
Note: This item is unique. After purchase, it will not appear again in the shop. If the White Tree dies, the item will return to the store inventory.
"There's actually something like this...?"
Luffy muttered in surprise.
The range of the void fruit ability he possessed was limited, approximately the size of an island.
But this White Tree was completely different.
Its range covered the entire world.
That meant his Akuma no Mi recycling plan could truly work on a global scale.
As long as this tree existed, whenever an Akuma no Mi user died, the fruit's power would immediately be captured.
Over time, Akuma no Mi could completely disappear from the hands of the world.
"It really is a good thing. There's already the Sun Tree Eve and the Treasure Tree Adam... so it makes sense for a White Tree to exist too."
Luffy was quite satisfied.
The problem was the absurd price.
Even with the discount, seven million Adventure Coins was still an impossible amount for him right now.
He could only wait until he received a free refresh in the future.
Then he moved on to the second new item.
[Angel Fruit]: After being consumed, whenever someone mentions the user's name, a "voice" will be transmitted directly to the fruit user. Additionally, an angelic phantom can be sent to the location of the caller. Range: the entire world.
After reading the description, Luffy's expression became a little strange.
It seemed useless... but also useful at the same time.
After checking his remaining Adventure Coins, he still decided to buy it.
A white light flashed, and a fruit instantly appeared in his hand.
Luffy immediately ate it.
At that moment, he instinctively understood how to use the Angel Fruit, as though he had been born with the ability.
The next instant, countless voices echoed inside his mind.
[Luffy, please save this country!]
[Damn Straw Hat! You took Fish-Man Island away, how are we supposed to enter the New World now?!]
[Luffy is completely opposed to the World Government now... what's going to happen to Princess Vivi...?]
[That kid Luffy really killed one of the Five Elders! He's the hero of Foosha Village! Let's drink! Makino, bring more beer!]
[Straw Hat Luffy's main territory has been confirmed! It's located at Elegia, the Island of Destruction! That sea region is now called the "Sea of the Sun"! We can't approach it, the magnetic field is chaotic and there are countless Sea Kings!]
[Eh?! The great hero Luffy is the son of the Revolutionary Army's leader?!]
Countless male and female voices echoed endlessly.
After receiving so much information at once, Luffy's head began to ache.
He quickly turned off the "Angelic Echo."
The ability granted by the fruit had two main effects.
The first was Angelic Echo, which allowed him to hear anyone in the world mentioning his name, including nicknames and related titles.
The second was Angelic Phantom, allowing him to send a spiritual projection to the origin point of the voice.
As expected of a fruit worth fifty thousand Adventure Coins, its value truly matched the price.
"The problem is there are too many voices... I need to filter out the useless echoes."
Luffy closed his eyes and began adjusting the ability.
After some time, he activated Angelic Echo again.
This time, the number of voices drastically decreased.
"Much better."
Luffy nodded in satisfaction.
At that moment, Robin beside him slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze seemed amused.
"What is 'much better'?"
"The weather today is great. I think it's time for us to head to the land of giants."
Luffy stood up with a smile.
Robin grabbed his arm and teasingly asked:
"We're leaving right away...? Is that really okay, Luffy?"
Luffy froze for a moment.
She was definitely provoking him on purpose.
That was simply unbearable.
Immediately, he returned to the bed and gave Robin a "lesson."
Not long after, cheerful sounds once again echoed throughout the room.
The next day.
Elegia, harbor.
The Thousand Sunny slowly departed from the dock and headed toward the depths of the New World.
This time, Luffy did not bring Zoro and the others. Everyone had just gone through a major war, so it was better for them to rest for a while.
Besides, Zoro had decided to use the time to train swordsmanship with Rayleigh.
At that moment, aboard the ship...
Yamato looked at Robin in surprise.
"Robin, you look especially beautiful today."
Robin sat at the table, reading peacefully as always.
Hearing that, she raised her head and smiled.
"Thank you."
Yamato didn't understand the reason.
But Nami and Vivi immediately exchanged glances, understanding everything.
The two had already expected that this would happen sooner or later.
How could Luffy possibly let Robin escape?
"Luffy, so we're heading to Elbaf now?"
Uta walked to the bow, hugged Luffy from behind, and asked with a smile.
Sitting atop the lion figurehead at the front of the Sunny, Luffy looked at the girls around him.
Nami, Vivi, Robin, Uta, Perona, Yamato, and Shirahoshi.
Kaya, Nojiko, and the others remained in Elegia.
"First we're going to Hachinosu."
Luffy answered thoughtfully:
"Madame Shyarly predicted that Shirahoshi's problem can be solved there."
"Shirahoshi's problem?" Vivi asked in confusion. "What problem?"
"She's too big. You can tell she's trying hard to adapt to traveling with us at sea."
"Luffy, I'm not trying hard!"
Shirahoshi immediately responded, blinking her huge innocent eyes.
In truth, she was extremely happy to be able to travel the world aboard the Sunny.
"Anyway, we'll stop there first."
Luffy jumped down from the figurehead and let out a small sigh.
"The course is in your hands, Nami."
"Understood!"
Just as the Sunny was heading toward Hachinosu Island, in the Holy Land of Mariejois…
As a sanctuary where the gods lived, the atmosphere was filled with unrest and sorrow that day.
The World Government flag raised over Pangaea City had already been lowered to mourn Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, one of the Five Elders who had been killed.
The Celestial Dragons were terrified and restless.
Even one of the Five Elders had died, much less people like themselves.
Many Celestial Dragons gathered beneath Pangaea City, demanding an audience with the Elders.
In Pangaea City, inside the Room of Authority.
The Commander-in-Chief of the World Government Armed Forces, Kong, stood before the four remaining Five Elders and solemnly said:
"The body has been recovered and his death has been confirmed. Preparations for the funeral are already underway."
"We already knew that."
The four Elders stared at the corner of the sofa. That had been Nusjuro's favorite seat, but now their former colleague had become a cold corpse.
Monkey D. Luffy!
Saint Jaygarcia Saturn's face darkened as he coldly declared:
"Immediately send an order to Akainu and launch a Buster Call on Dressrosa!"
For now, they had no way to deal directly with Straw Hat Luffy. They could only use another country as an example to comfort the dead while simultaneously intimidating all the fools beginning to move in the shadows.
Hearing that, Kong was completely shocked.
Suddenly, he remembered twenty years ago.
At that time, he had still been the Fleet Admiral of the Marines, and it was he who had issued the order to destroy Ohara.
Of course, that had also been the will of the Five Elders.
Saint Marcus Mars, the long-bearded elder, narrowed his eyes.
"Why?" Kong couldn't help asking.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Why launch a Buster Call on Dressrosa...?"
A Buster Call was an extreme authorization from the World Government, allowing the Marines to assemble a destruction fleet to carry out indiscriminate attacks against a target area, completely eradicating anything that threatened the World Government's rule.
Kong simply could not understand how Dressrosa represented a threat.
It was merely a small country with a few hundred thousand inhabitants.
"You don't need to understand!" Marcus Mars snorted coldly. "Kong, it seems you've been living too comfortably lately. If you find this so strange, then go personally kill Doflamingo!"
What?
Kong became even more confused.
Doflamingo... needed to be eliminated?
"He's still a Shichibukai. First, he would need to be officially stripped of his title—"
"No! That would only alert the snake too early!" Saturn immediately rejected the suggestion.
Hearing that, Kong had no choice but to nod.
"Understood. I'll make the arrangements immediately."
He then turned around and left Mariejois, descending to Red Port before departing toward Marine Headquarters in the New World.
"It's still not safe enough!" Saint Topman Warcury suddenly said with a gloomy expression. "It was exactly because we hesitated back then that this happened! If all five of us had participated in the war together, we would have eliminated the Straw Hats, and Nusjuro would not have died in vain!"
The other three remained silent.
Nusjuro's death had deeply shaken Warcury.
"Send assassins secretly. If Kong fails, kill Doflamingo! He cannot remain alive!"
The others exchanged glances before agreeing.
As for the executioners…
Naturally, they would be the Holy Knights.
Doflamingo was also a Celestial Dragon. His execution should be carried out by the Holy Knights themselves.
Marine Headquarters, New Marineford.
The Marines were attending Ryokugyu's funeral.
Akainu, as Fleet Admiral, also attended the event.
Even though he had died less than a month after taking the position, Ryokugyu was still officially recognized as an Admiral who died in battle.
Akainu personally carried the coffin.
After the burial at the military cemetery, he remained silent before the monument before finally ending his speech.
"Fujitora, come with me."
After that, Akainu called Fujitora over with a cold expression.
After returning to Headquarters' office, Akainu slammed his fist violently against the desk.
"Why did an Admiral die in battle?!"
Ryokugyu had been one of his most loyal followers.
On the other hand, Fujitora had always been a thorn in his side, while Kizaru merely followed the flow of circumstances.
Fujitora lowered his head.
"I'm sorry."
"And what good does that do?!"
Akainu felt a headache coming on.
Being Fleet Admiral was not as simple as it seemed. At that moment, he understood a little more of what Sengoku had gone through.
"Now, in the New World, Straw Hat and Big Mom have formed an alliance. Red Hair is also supporting Straw Hat Luffy. In other words, the three Yonko have practically formed a united front!"
Akainu gritted his teeth.
"To deal with them, we need more powerful weapons!"
"Weapons?" Fujitora frowned.
Akainu's eyes turned icy.
"END POINTS."
Fujitora's expression immediately changed.
Akainu continued:
"The explosive rocks detonate upon contact with oxygen. The three End Points are connected to the enormous magma reservoir beneath the New World. If they are destroyed simultaneously, the magma will swallow the entire New World!"
"Have you lost your mind?!" Fujitora said in disbelief. "Do you know how many countries exist in the New World?!"
"I didn't say this method would be used immediately."
Akainu snorted coldly.
"Besides, I don't have the authority to activate it on my own. We need approval from above me."
Above him…
Fujitora's heart sank.
He fully believed that if Akainu proposed it, the Five Elders would agree without hesitation.
"That isn't justice!"
"Hmph! Justice is absolute!" Akainu replied coldly. "The New World has completely fallen out of control. If necessary, these methods must be used!"
He took a deep breath before continuing:
"Now go gather some explosive rocks. Those things are already destructive weapons on their own."
Akainu did not want to destroy the New World unless necessary.
But if it came to that point, even if tens or hundreds of millions of people died, he would trample evil until it was completely eradicated.
If the three Yonko could be destroyed in one blow, then the sacrifice would be worth it.
That was Akainu's absolute justice.
Fujitora left in silence.
He could not directly disobey the order.
However, instead of blindly carrying it out, he intended to personally investigate the so-called End Points first.
Not long after, Kong entered the office.
"Commander Kong?" Akainu frowned.
"Orders from the Five Elders. Immediately launch a Buster Call on Dressrosa."
New World, Hachinosu Island.
The island was also known as Pirate Paradise, and its current ruler was a great pirate named Ochoku.
Like Kaido, Whitebeard, and Big Mom, he had also once been a member of the Rocks Pirates.
At that moment, inside the Skull Hotel bar…
Ochoku, who had been enjoying himself, suddenly heard an urgent report from his subordinates:
"Ochoku-sama! This is bad! The Straw Hat Pirates' ship has appeared at the harbor!"
"What?!"
Ochoku's face instantly turned pale.
Cold sweat ran down his body.
"Quick! Let's personally welcome them!"
(End of Chapter)