Garp panted heavily as he looked at Luffy, who had collapsed on the ground with his head covered in lumps and was being picked up by Makino. Then he waved his hand.
After that, he seemed to remember something and looked around.
"Makino, has that brat Ace come by recently?"
"No, Garp-san. Ace said something about training, and he hasn't come to my bar for a long time."
"Is that so? Training? Wahahaha! Has he already decided to get stronger so he can become a pirate? I have to go see what techniques he's training. If he wants to train, this old man can definitely help!"
Yes. Once he saw the training manuals Ace was using, Garp would immediately become serious.
As long as he was open-minded enough not to ask where Ace had gotten those manuals from.
But that was impossible.
The Marines' Six Powers and Haki training methods had suddenly appeared in Ace's hands. Then, after connecting that with Ace's identity, Garp would definitely investigate it to the end.
Makino watched Garp leave excitedly to look for Ace, then looked down at Luffy, who was lying on the ground with his eyes rolled back and foam coming out of his mouth. She sighed helplessly.
If she had not known Garp-san's character and little Luffy's monster-like constitution, she would have notified the village chief long ago.
At the same time, Pekoms and his group, who had come down from Zou, had also arrived on Raijin Island.
"So this is Raijin Island? Gahahaha! That Golden Palace looks so gorgeous!"
Pekoms was wearing a strange suit and sunglasses as he looked around.
"Pekoms-aniki, where should we go first?"
Behind Pekoms, a large koala mink with a runny nose looked around, then carefully asked.
He was also one of the brats who often hung around with Pekoms on Zou. After being stirred up by Pekoms, he had come to Raijin Island with him.
"There should be a reception point on Raijin Island for people coming to join the Thunder God Pirates."
To Pekoms' left, a boar mink with two tusks looked around. Then his eyes lit up as he looked toward a tavern up ahead on the left, where a sign that said "Recruitment" was hanging.
"Gahahaha! Looks like that's the special tavern where the Thunder God Pirates recruit people. Let's hurry over. Adra, make sure you hold on tight to what you're carrying. That's our greeting gift for joining."
"Yes, Pekoms-aniki!"
Behind Pekoms on the right, a yak mink named Adra tightened his grip on the wooden box in his hands and answered.
Seeing more and more curious gazes gathering around them, the four of them quickly carried the wooden box into the recruitment tavern.
"Oh? Four minks? The captain just happened to tell me to pay attention to the movements of the mink tribe. I didn't expect some to come join us this quickly."
Jelro shook his head, then immediately reported the news to Roy, who was meditating in training.
Yes, meditating.
Since he began fighting in this pirate world in 1502, three or four years had already passed, and Roy could feel that the S-Cells in his body had already multiplied to an extremely high degree.
He was trying to see whether he could transform into a Super Saiyan.
Then Super Saiyan 2, and Super Saiyan 3.
After that, he would use the Seventh Technique of the Six Powers, Life Return, to grow his tail back and return to his original form.
But for now, he had to become a Super Saiyan first.
Roy, who was meditating and training, received Jelro's report and decided to meet Pekoms.
After all, they were the first batch of minks to come and pledge allegiance, so he would give them some face.
Thus, inside the Golden Palace, Roy met Pekoms and his group, who were trembling all over with excitement, and accepted them.
"We've met the strongest man in the world, and we've become crew members of the strongest pirate crew in the world! Pekoms-aniki, we're not dreaming, are we?"
The koala mink and the boar mink hugged each other, tears and snot streaming all over their faces.
The sight made the corner of Roy's mouth twitch. The minks' emotions really were overflowing.
"Gahahaha! Of course we're not dreaming. Hey! Adra, bring our greeting gift up for Boss Roy!"
Pekoms wiped the tears from beneath his sunglasses and called out to the yak mink, who was crying so hard behind him that his tears flowed like a river.
Adra answered, then carried the wooden box forward.
"Gahahaha! Boss Roy, you're definitely going to like this gift!"
Pekoms rubbed his hands together, licked his lips, and spoke.
"I'm definitely going to like it?"
Roy had already more or less guessed what it was.
It seemed that the news that he had set up checkpoints on Fish-Man Island and demanded Devil Fruits as tolls was already known to everyone.
Everyone knew that he liked Devil Fruits now.
Roy gave the Devil Fruit a brief look and immediately knew what ability it had.
As the Thunder God Pirates grew stronger, he had also obtained some Devil Fruit Encyclopedias. Although they were incomplete, they still recorded detailed information on some Devil Fruits.
And the grayish-brown, pear-shaped Devil Fruit inside the box was precisely the Zoan-type Turtle-Turtle Fruit.
That was right. It was the Devil Fruit that Pekoms had eaten in the original story.
But this time, Pekoms had actually managed to resist the temptation of the Devil Fruit and offered it to Roy instead.
He really had put thought into it.
Looking at the way Pekoms secretly licked his lips, Roy could not help finding it amusing.
After thinking for a moment, Roy flipped his palm. The Turtle-Turtle Fruit disappeared, and a green Devil Fruit shaped like upright ears appeared in his hand.
Then he directly tossed it toward Pekoms, who hurriedly caught it in a fluster.
"Boss Roy, this is...?"
Pekoms was very confused.
"This is your reward for offering me that gift."
Roy smiled at him and said, "This is the Ancient Zoan-type Cat-Cat Fruit, Model: Saber-Toothed Tiger. You're a lion mink, right? Eat this Saber-Toothed Tiger Fruit. It's definitely the ability most suited to you."
When Roy had raided the Celestial Dragons before, he had obtained two Ancient Zoan fruits.
One was the Dire Wolf, which he gave to Gin. Now, the Saber-Toothed Tiger was being given to Pekoms.
A lion mink with the power of a saber-toothed tiger.
Roy was looking forward to seeing what heights Pekoms would reach in the future.
"Roy-aniki!"
Tears once again poured from beneath Pekoms' sunglasses, and he was moved beyond words.
Although he did not know what type the Devil Fruit he had handed over was, it definitely was not an obvious Logia-type fruit.
Yet Roy had so generously given him a rare Ancient Zoan, and one that matched his own physique especially well: a saber-toothed tiger!
"From now on, I'll risk my life for the Thunder God Pirates and fight at the very front!"
Pekoms immediately ate the Saber-Toothed Tiger Fruit. Then the group of them cried as they hugged each other and left the palace.
(End of Chapter)
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