"Found them, Boss Sasaki! Wet-Haired Caribou and Blood-Splatterer Coribou, they're this year's Super Rookies."
"Then those white fatties must be their crew members, right?"
"Uh… yeah, I think so."
Most pirate crews at best unified their clothing, but the Caribou Pirates even managed to unify their appearances—a whole bunch of white fatties who looked like inflated jellyfish, charging down from the ship with long pikes in hand.
"Perfect, this kind of trash is just right for mining in Udon. You like using shovels, huh? Then I'll make sure you get your fill."
Sasaki had no masochistic tendencies. The reason he hadn't fought back was partly because he was waiting for his subordinates to confirm the identity of these people, and partly because he was showing off.
Attacks that could cause fatal injuries to ordinary people had no effect on him. From the shocked gazes of onlookers, Sasaki drew a certain sense of satisfaction.
The intel gathered also confirmed his judgment. These people were fit to be sent to Udon for mining.
As the Beasts Pirates' position at sea kept rising, ordinary pirates no longer had the qualifications to be sent to Udon for mining. Aside from the few they planned to recruit, even the remaining laborers had to have some kind of reputation.
The somewhat dim-witted Coribou still hadn't figured out what was happening and was blankly staring at the broken handle of his shovel, when Sasaki's palm came down on him.
Coribou was smacked away like a ball, knocking down a whole group of his underlings along the way.
Sasaki then turned his attention to Caribou, who was still reloading his gun.
"Someone like this has a bounty of 200 million? Just a Logia-type causing such a fuss… the Marines really are getting more and more useless."
Caribou had just managed to drag Sasaki into his swamp, but only because Sasaki hadn't bothered to struggle. Once Sasaki started moving, Caribou's swamp couldn't restrain him at all. In the end, Caribou was beaten and sent flying into the air like a ragged sack.
"Hey, you lot, either register to enter the island or get smacked away like those guys. Don't block the entrance here."
Luffy and the others had been distracted by Sasaki's battle and unknowingly blocked the entrance to the island. Only after the Fish-Man guards urged them did they snap out of it.
Aside from the Caribou incident, nothing major happened on Fishman Island. Luffy soon reunited with Camie, who had once helped them, and began a sightseeing tour of Fishman Island.
Meanwhile, in the New World, another big piece of news was spreading through the Underworld.
The Quake-Quake Fruit had resurfaced, and was even being offered as a prize in a competition.
Doflamingo's preparations for the tournament were nearly complete, and at this point he intended to catalyze the hype.
Announcing the champion's reward was without a doubt the best way. The buffer time he had set aside would be more than enough for the news to ferment.
"Did you hear? Whitebeard's Quake-Quake Fruit, Joker's the one who found it."
"Of course I heard! So, what do you think, should we make a move? It's Whitebeard's fruit! If we get our hands on it, we could become the strongest too, right?"
In a tavern on an island in the New World, some pirates were already boasting, as if the Quake-Quake Fruit was already in their grasp.
Whether they ate it themselves or sold it, the profits would be astronomical. Drawn by such massive interests, many were ready to take a gamble.
Some planned to enter the tournament, some plotted to steal the fruit, and some even banded together to seize it before the tournament even began.
These small fry couldn't affect much, but Whitebeard has long since established the reputation of the Quake-Quake Fruit. The ones it would attract were far more than just these nobodies.
In the Prodence Kingdom, in order to boost his nation's bargaining chips, King Elizabello II was discussing strategic policies with his tactician Dagama.
In Kano Country, the Happo Navy was also itching to make a move.
On an unknown island in the New World, the one-armed Shiryu saw the news and seemed to grow interested as well. He began packing his belongings, planning to seize the Quake-Quake Fruit to enhance his own strength.
At the Longarm Tribe's boxing hall, Destruction Cannon Ideo also made up his mind to head to Corrida Colosseum to fight.
Martial artists, bounty hunters, mercenaries, pirates; famous figures active throughout the New World were all drawn to the fruit and planned to take part in this event.
These people were not weak; each could hold their own place in the New World.
But compared to small-fries like them, the attention of the major forces was what truly mattered.
On Sphinx Island, the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates had once again gathered. Even division commanders who could not return in person joined the meeting through Den Den Mushi.
"You've all heard it, haven't you? That Doflamingo found Pops' fruit and even put it up as the prize for a tournament."
As the division commander of the First Division, and the one who had been with Whitebeard the longest, Marco was the first to speak.
When a devil fruit user dies, their fruit reappears. That the fruit ended up in someone else's hands and was made into a prize wasn't something they could complain about. After all, if Doflamingo had simply let someone else eat it, they wouldn't even have had the chance to fight for it.
But since this chance existed, they naturally wouldn't just sit by and watch the Quake-Quake Fruit fall into someone else's hands.
"That used to be Pops' ability. We have to take it back."
All the division commanders agreed with this. The new question, however, was: who should be the one to go?
They still held on to a few territories, and they couldn't abandon everything just for the Quake-Quake Fruit.
"Pops' devil fruit will definitely attract a bunch of monsters. Doflamingo spread this news on purpose, and now those guys are probably like sharks that have caught the scent of blood, already preparing to make their move."
"So deciding who goes is a very important matter."
After finishing, Marco looked around at his companions, waiting for their responses.
"I'll go. What happened to Pops... was ultimately because of me. It's my responsibility to bring back his legacy."
"You can't go alone. Vista, we'll leave Sphinx Island to you. I'll go with Ace and Jozu. With the addition of some pirate crews who once followed Pops, it should be enough to fight for the fruit."
Three of the stronger division commanders, along with some elites. This was the Whitebeard Pirates' final arrangement. Outside of those who had to guard their territories, this was the strongest lineup they could muster.
If they had to be honest, there was actually another combat power, but it was highly unstable.
It was none other than Edward Weevil, the one captured back then. They couldn't release him, but neither could they bring themselves to kill him, so he had been locked away all this time.
After hearing the news, Miss Buckin even suggested they take Weevil along.
"That's Newgate's legacy! How could you let it fall into someone else's hands?! Weevil really is his child, if you don't believe me, just ask Vegapunk!"
"Vegapunk's already dead. Where exactly do you want us to go to ask?"
In the end, they chose not to bring along the unstable Weevil. Instead, they reached out to several pirate crews and began plotting their future course of action.
In the Totto Land seas, on Whole Cake Island, Charlotte Linlin had naturally also received this news that was spreading widely in the Underworld.
"Mamamama~ So Newgate's ability has resurfaced too? How amusing."
"Mama, let me go! I'll bring that fruit back for you!"
Seeing Charlotte Linlin take interest, Snack volunteered to head out and bring back the fruit.
Ever since being defeated by Urouge and stripped of his Sweet Commander title, Snack had been looking for an opportunity. But Charlotte Linlin flatly rejected him.
"You, who lost to a rookie, how can you guarantee you can accomplish it? Whitebeard's sons will definitely go mad for that fruit. You're not up to it."
After some thought, Charlotte Linlin finally made her decision.
"Katakuri, take Oven and Daifuku and make the trip. Let Whitebeard's sons know that my children are the strongest."
The Quake-Quake Fruit had sparked Charlotte Linlin's interest. After all, she was once on the same ship as Whitebeard and had traveled the seas with him for a long time. Given the opportunity, she naturally wouldn't give up.
If not for Doflamingo having Kaido at his back, Charlotte Linlin would have already sent people to snatch it outright, without ever following the rules set by him.
She had her sons enter the tournament only to give Kaido no excuse to interfere.
And she dispatched the son she trusted most and his brothers.
Out of the 85 children Charlotte Linlin birthed, only the Katakuri triplets were the ones she truly acknowledged.
It was, after all, only a fruit. She wouldn't personally make the trip. Sending Katakuri as the leader was more than enough to show how seriously she took it.
"I understand, Mama. I will bring it back to you."
Island of White Soil, Baltigo.
A member of the Revolutionary Army was reporting information.
"Leader, Chief of Staff, it has been confirmed. In the recent wars of these nations, the one supplying weapons behind the scenes was Doflamingo. Only he sells that type of special weapon in those areas."
"Leader, let me go. Using the Quake-Quake Fruit as a reward clearly isn't as simple as it appears on the surface. This is a perfect opportunity to investigate his weapons supply channels."
Sabo removed his hat, preparing to head to Dressrosa for his new mission.
"That's not all, is it? Since it's the Quake-Quake Fruit, Fire Fist Ace will surely head there too. You've been waiting for this day for a long time, haven't you?"
Dragon had already seen through Sabo's intentions. But instead of stopping him, he mobilized a small unit of the Revolutionary Army and had Sabo lead them to Dressrosa.
Karai Bari Island, the atmosphere here was slightly different, with the wind of flattery already stirring.
At the moment, Buggy was looking at the latest Underworld news. The picture of that all-too-familiar fruit left him bitter with regret.
"That was Whitebeard's fruit! And I sold it off for just two hundred million… Sold it!"
As he wallowed in regret, a grating voice rang out from the crowd.
"How could a great man like Captain Buggy possibly fail to recognize the Quake-Quake Fruit?! He only said that for our sake! Surely Captain Buggy already has an even greater plan, isn't that right?!"
After the news spread, some members of Buggy's Delivery began doubting Buggy's abilities, questioning how he could fail to recognize the Quake-Quake Fruit.
But when Buggy's die-hard fans heard this, they naturally retorted.
"Captain Buggy is the man whom Whitebeard himself remembered, the man bold enough to declare 'I will take your head!' to Whitebeard. He must have recognized it long ago. You only did that to prove to others that you are really strong, right?!"
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