Chapter 124: Ralph: This Scene Feels Familiar!
The workers, the residents, Usopp, Borodo, Akisu, Akisu's parents... everyone had strapped on parachute packs, nervously awaiting the moment the island would crash.
However—
The gears jammed for only a second.
Then, with a click, they slowly began turning again.
Operating as usual.
Not only that, but the Diamond Clock, which had never chimed since Bear King took control—
That world-class treasure made of diamonds and precision machinery, located at the highest point of Clockwork City—suddenly emitted a clear, crisp chime.
Ding-dong, ding-dong...
The melodious chime, its music carried by the wind, spread across the entire island.
Akisu stood beside his parents, looking up as he listened to the chime, his eyes slowly widening.
"This music..."
He murmured, "It's... the same as the one in my music box."
Since he was little, whenever he was scared, lonely, or couldn't sleep, Borodo would wind up that silver music box for him.
The lullaby-like melody always calmed him down.
And today, the music of the Diamond Clock brought peace to the entire Clockwork Island.
"We won..."
Someone whispered.
"We won—!!!"
Cheers erupted like a tidal wave.
...
Below the ruined tower, Sanji, Nami, Zoro, and Usopp had already gathered.
"Where's Lufia?"
Usopp asked anxiously, "She didn't come down with you?"
Zoro glanced up at the tower top:
"She's still up there. But she should be down soon—"
BOOM!
Before he could finish, a wall to the side suddenly exploded!
Amid the flying rubble, a straw-hatted figure bounced out. Her rubber face was smeared with grease, her clothes torn in several places, but her smile was as bright as if she'd just found treasure.
"Everyone! I'm back!"
As soon as Lufia landed, she excitedly began recounting:
"You know what? That big dumb bear got sent flying with just one move from me! Then I got caught in the gears, squeezed back and forth, round and round, and barely managed to get free—good thing I'm made of rubber, or I'd really be done for! Haha!"
The four of them listened with dark lines on their faces.
Only Lufia could make something so terrifying sound as lighthearted as an adventure story.
"As long as you're okay..."
Nami sighed in relief, stepping forward to check Lufia's injuries.
"Just minor scrapes!"
Lufia waved her hand, her rubber body bouncing slightly, "By the way, where's Ralph? Where did he go?"
The four exchanged glances, then shrugged in unison.
"Haven't seen him."
"He was just directing things down here, then suddenly disappeared."
Lufia tilted her head:
"Is that so... Could it be that he's angry because we didn't let him join the fight?"
...
Rewind a few minutes earlier.
Ralph watched as Bear King flew out from the tower top like a shooting star and knew Lufia would be safe.
So he headed toward Bear King's landing point.
He flew really far.
It was clear his training with Lufia had been effective; otherwise, she couldn't have sent him flying in such an exaggerated arc.
After all, Clockwork City was built atop the spiral mountain peak. With this throw, Bear King flew straight out of the city's boundaries and tumbled down the cliffs of Clockwork Mountain.
Ralph sighed.
"Jumping off cliffs again..."
This scene felt familiar.
Back on Gold Island, he'd also jumped off a cliff to chase an enemy.
Also for a Devil Fruit.
He hoped it wouldn't end up like last time—all effort for nothing.
Ralph leaped into the air, activating Geppo to accelerate his descent!
Soon, he found his target.
In the center of a shattered reef, the Bear King lay.
Still breathing.
Having fallen from hundreds of meters in the air and crashed onto the rocks, he was somehow still alive.
The physical resilience of people in the world of One Piece was truly absurd.
Ralph landed beside him and crouched down.
The Bear King's eyes were half-open, his pupils unfocused, and bloody foam continuously bubbled from his mouth.
"…..."
He tried to speak, but only managed a faint, breathy sound.
Ralph watched him quietly for a few seconds, then—
The hypnosis skill activated once more.
[System Notification: Host has established a "friend" relationship with the Bear King through hypnosis ability.]
[Reward Obtained: Can acquire the Kachi Kachi no Mi through the Devil Fruit reincarnation method after the Bear King's death.]
The Bear King's breathing grew weaker and weaker.
Finally, under Ralph's "personal" witness, the Bear King stopped breathing.
Ralph stood up and surveyed his surroundings.
The lower levels of Clockwork Island were nothing but bare rock.
No fruit, no suitable container.
Where would the Kachi Kachi no Mi reincarnate?
No way to know.
According to the system's description of the fruit reincarnation method, Ralph needed to prepare a sufficient amount of fruit and place it around the deceased Devil Fruit user.
After the user's death, the fruit's power would randomly attach itself to one of the fruits.
However, after repeated failures, Ralph had grown indifferent.
Better to just finish off the enemy first.
As for the Devil Fruit, finding it would be fate, not finding it would also be fate.
Leave it to chance.
With that thought, he activated Geppo with his feet and flew back toward Clockwork City.
By the time he returned to Clockwork Island, the celebrations in the city had already begun.
The residents had torn down the Trump Pirates' flags and rehung Clockwork Island's gear emblem.
The Diamond Bell was still ringing, each chime sounding like a declaration of rebirth.
Ralph walked through the streets, avoiding the bustling crowds.
Passing by a fruit shop, with this indifferent mindset, he instinctively glanced inside.
The shopkeeper had probably gone to join the celebrations. No one was inside, but some fruit remained on the display stand outside.
Apples, oranges, bananas, and various unnamed melons and fruits were all arranged in elegant baskets.
Ralph's footsteps suddenly halted.
His gaze fell on two fruit baskets in the corner of the display stand.
The appearance of these two fruits was exceptionally unusual.
The basket on the left held a... pink fruit.
Its surface was covered in teardrop-shaped white patterns, looking as if it had melted, shimmering with a glossy sheen under the moonlight.
The basket on the right held a black fruit.
Its shape was bizarre, with sharp edges and corners, resembling a geometric structure pieced together from small black cubes.
Ralph stared blankly for three seconds.
Then, a wry, amused expression appeared on his face.
Such is fate.
He approached the fruit shop and called out twice:
"Anyone here? Shopkeeper?"
No response.
The shopkeeper was likely celebrating in the square and wouldn't be back anytime soon.
Ralph fished a gold coin from his pocket.
He flicked it lightly.
The coin flipped through the air, tracing a graceful arc before landing with a ding on the counter. It spun a few times on the wooden surface before settling flat.
Then, Ralph took out a clean cloth from his pocket and spread it over the display stand.
Carefully, he placed the two fruits into the cloth, wrapped them up, and tied the bundle securely.
The pink Toro Toro no Mi.
The black Kachi Kachi no Mi.
Total value... at market price, at least 200 million Berries.