Ash had always maintained an optimistic outlook. He only spent a brief moment lamenting the difficulty of collecting Devil Fruits before quickly moving on. Still, he spared a few seconds to silently acknowledge the burden placed on Sali and the others, who would have to travel across countless seas and islands to track down scattered Devil Fruit users.
As for personally searching for those fruits with unknown locations, that was out of the question.
Were the delicacies on Boin Archipelago not worth enjoying, or was his bed no longer comfortable?
Perhaps out of mild guilt, Ash glanced at the nearly ten thousand energy points displayed on his panel and considered distributing another batch of Devil Fruits.
He decided to do it after the current training session.
After reviewing all known Devil Fruit locations once more, Ash confirmed that this task was not something he would handle himself. He returned to his usual laid-back routine.
While traveling between Boin Archipelago and Kirk's small kitchen, Ash had initially planned to head to Wano Country and collect the remaining fruits there.
However, after some thought, he abandoned the idea.
Kurozumi Orochi held a critical position in Wano. Killing him recklessly would likely create unnecessary instability.
Ash had no concern for Wano's internal chaos, but the World Government maintained secret trade relations with the country, especially involving weapons and Seastone.
Acting without preparation could expose his abilities.
Ash was not afraid of confrontation, but he had no interest in dealing with avoidable complications. If things escalated too early, the entire world would be thrown into disorder. More importantly, many Devil Fruits with known locations could vanish due to unforeseen changes.
Even with his knowledge from his previous life, searching blindly for those fruits was not something he intended to do.
For that reason, Ash settled on a clear plan.
He would wait five years.
During that time, he would gather all accessible Devil Fruits. Then, once events aligned with the original timeline, he would collect the remaining ones in a single sweep. After that, he would deal with the Marines and the World Government, treating their stockpiles like a final storage point, similar to Impel Down.
Time was on his side, and patience would yield better results.
Back in Wano Country, although Orochi remained untouched, Ash had already replaced the Mythical Zoan fruit of Onimaru.
The fox's loyalty earned it mercy. Ash simply rendered it unconscious and swapped its Devil Fruit with a flawless imitation. Its abilities remained intact, only the original fruit had been taken into the system.
Afterward, Ash visited the Flower Capital. He located Shinobu, a hidden member of the Oniwabanshu, and carried out the same process, replacing her Paramecia-type fruit without her awareness.
While in the capital, Ash secretly observed Orochi's residence. To his disappointment, Kurozumi Semimaru had already passed away from old age.
Ash clicked his tongue in frustration.
The Barrier-Barrier Fruit was gone, and earlier, Kurozumi Higurashi, the user of the Clone-Clone Fruit, had been killed by Kaido.
Both fruits were now missing, which meant he would have to track down Bentham and Bartolomeo in the future.
That would not be easy.
As for Tama, she was still just a child and had not yet consumed her Devil Fruit. Its current whereabouts were unknown.
Although this trip to Wano only yielded two fruits, Ash was not dissatisfied. He had already established a plan for handling the country in the future.
Meanwhile, the training session was nearing its conclusion.
December 25, 1518, Marine Calendar.
After more than a month of relentless combat against Kaido, the Dawn faction experienced significant growth. Aside from Kirk and Saff, most members had improved their physical abilities and mastery of Observation and Armament Haki by at least two levels.
Among them, Sali, Pini, Youki, and Wyper stood out. They had pushed their Haki to its limits, though none had awakened Conqueror's Haki yet.
As their strength increased, Kaido gradually shifted from overwhelming dominance to evenly matched battles. What began as one against many turned into smaller engagements, eventually becoming one-on-one duels.
Throughout the process, Kaido suffered severe injuries multiple times and even came close to death. Each time, Ash intervened and ensured his survival.
Eventually, Ash grew tired of constantly stepping in, so he returned to Skypiea and brought back more than twenty trained youths from the village.
To avoid future inconvenience, he created a Logia-type Devil Fruit centered on healing, the Holy Light Fruit. Its restorative capabilities far exceeded typical healing abilities.
After careful consideration, Ash selected Conis from Angel Island as its user.
At the same time, he granted a lightning-based fruit to McKinley and a water-based fruit to the Skypiea warrior Synna.
The remaining individuals were reserved for other purposes.
Kaido endured everything with surprising resilience. He fought continuously for over a month, received treatment when necessary, and was even fed when exhausted.
Now, the training had reached its peak.
Ash observed the battlefield where Wyper was clashing directly with Kaido and gave a slight nod.
Although Kaido still held the advantage, Wyper was able to contend with him using only advanced Haki and an unawakened Devil Fruit. His strength had reached the threshold of an Admiral-level fighter.
"There is clear progress," Sali commented.
Youki took a sip of his drink. "His Haki still lacks refinement, but his physical strength surpasses ours. Could it be because of our Devil Fruits?"
"Possibly," Ash replied. "Different systems enhance different attributes. Some focus more on mental strength, others on physical power. Ultimately, it depends on how each of you develops your abilities."
He paused briefly.
"I do not train, so I cannot say more."
The group reacted with silent irritation.
At this stage, their combat capabilities were clearly defined.
Sali could now fight Kaido evenly and had firmly stepped into Admiral-level strength, with even greater potential ahead.
Pini and Youki could also hold their own against Kaido, though they would struggle in prolonged battles.
Wyper's fighting style differed, but his effectiveness was comparable. All three stood at a similar level, slightly below top-tier Admirals but improving rapidly.
Behind them were Dai Li Jack and Dicken. Individually, they could endure Kaido's attacks but remained at a disadvantage. Together, they could barely match him.
Daly Jason and Daly Jella showed similar strength. While they could not defeat Kaido together, adjusting their teamwork allowed them to hold their ground briefly.
In Ash's assessment, these four were approaching the level of Ryokugyu and Fujitora, not the strongest, but clearly above average.
With enough time, surpassing the current Admirals was only a matter of growth.
Further below were Tsuki and the Skypiea trio. Individually, they stood no chance against Kaido, but together, they could sustain a prolonged fight.
Their strength lay in balance, durability, offense, and recovery.
Facing them was far more exhausting than facing a single powerful opponent.
This was not due to lack of talent, but timing. When the Wano training began, they had not yet reached their limits. Under Kaido's pressure, they rapidly broke through their bottlenecks.
For them, this harsh training proved beneficial.
As for Kirk...