Just three days after the fighting in Dressrosa ended, newspapers carrying the news spread like wildfire across the Grand Line and into all four corners of the world!
"Doflamingo is finished!" the headlines screamed.
"Fire Fist Ace Takes His Place!"
"Future Admiral: Black Hair!"
The news focused on three major points.
First, Doflamingo, the evil overlord, had finally been defeated.
Second, a new Warlord of the Sea had emerged: the young and powerful Supernova, "Fire Fist" Ace, who had burst onto the scene the previous year.
And third, the Marine hero who had defeated Doflamingo, ending his reign of terror, was being hailed by the press as the "Future Admiral": Black Hair Roya!
Any single one of these stories would have been enough to cause a stir.
At the G-5 Naval Base, the Marines were buzzing with excitement.
"Roya Boss, you're famous all over again!" one shouted.
"Hahahaha, our G-5 Branch is finally getting some respect," another added, chest puffed out with pride.
"Let's see who dares to look down on us now!" someone else exclaimed.
Roya, however, waved them off impatiently. "Go on, get back to your duties," he said.
He sat on the sofa, sipping tea and reading the newspaper, but a slight frown creased his forehead as he pondered.
He was more concerned about the Beasts Pirates.
Yesterday's chase of the Beasts' fleet, hundreds of miles out to sea, had been more of a way to release pent-up frustration. He knew it was unlikely he'd wiped out the Flying Six with a few cannon blasts.
The fact that the Flying Six came looking for him meant Kaido knew Yamato was here. He fully expected a visit from the fearsome pirate, possibly dropping from the sky as he was known to do.
At least there aren't any Sky Islands above the G-5 Branch.
Not only Kaido, but the Flying Six were likely to keep coming. Those guys lacked teamwork and discipline, which was why their ships had been so easily battered by his in the recent sea battle.
But on land, they were a different story. Their average bounty of over 400 million berries proved their strength.
And then there was another problem brewing.
"Drought Jack."
News from the escort ship told of their encounter with the hulking pirate. In a fierce clash, Garp had sent Jack flying into the sea with a single punch.
That guy is a fish-man; he 's not going to die.
If the Flying Six and Jack joined forces, they could pose a serious threat to the G-5 Branch.
Roya wasn't worried about himself, but he felt responsible for the safety of his men.
Going to war with one of the Four Emperors was a risky business. Unless you were certain of total victory, it rarely benefited the Marines. That's why the World Government usually forbade the Marines from provoking them.
Lu Yun, his secretary, walked over with a cup of coffee, a smile on her face. "Senior Roya, Headquarters has ordered you to return," she said.
"Yeah," Roya replied, perking up.
He knew he'd have to go to Headquarters after this incident, not only to give a full report but also to receive his well-deserved promotion and raise.
It's definitely a good thing.
"By the way, Lu Yun," Roya said, looking at the cute, bespectacled secretary, finding himself increasingly impressed with her. "That Devil Fruit from the Tontatta tribe... has its specific ability been identified?"
"It's the Cure-Cure Fruit!" Lu Yun answered confidently.
She had studied the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia back at Punk Hazard and had even contacted Dr. Vegapunk to double-check the ability.
"The Cure-Cure Fruit, huh?" Roya raised an eyebrow.
He had hit the jackpot.
Unfortunately, it was purely a support ability, offering little help in battle. It was better suited for a doctor working behind the lines.
None of his unit commanders seemed like a good fit for the Cure-Cure Fruit.
They either already had abilities or were too reckless to understand medicine. Giving them the fruit would be a waste.
After a moment of thought, his adjutant was the only one who fit the bill.
"Lu Yun, do you want to eat it?" he asked.
"I don't want to eat a Devil Fruit," Lu Yun replied, shaking her head.
She wasn't interested. She had plenty of chances to eat one at the Research Institute, but she never felt the need.
"Science is enough," she said seriously. "Senior, I'm still waiting for the day you eat a Devil Fruit, and I get to rescue you from drowning!"
"..."
Roya's forehead creased with annoyance.
"You knew I wanted to eat a Devil Fruit?" he asked.
"Of course! Senior isn't the type to stick to one fighting style. If there's a powerful Devil Fruit, you'll definitely eat it."
Lu Yun was confident in her assessment.
She understood him best. As his adjutant, she was essentially bound to him for life, which in some ways made them closer than family.
"That's true," Roya said, smiling wryly.
As a leader, if he acquired a Devil Fruit, he would naturally offer it to his Royal subordinates first.
If Lu Yun didn't want it, then the Cure-Cure Fruit would have to go to the Little Girl back in East Blue.
She just happened to need it.
Wait...
Roya suddenly thought of something he had overlooked for a long time.
He was currently a Marine Rear Admiral. After going to Headquarters, he should be promoted to Vice Admiral, with greater power than before.
"Lu Yun," Roya said, staring intently at his adjutant. "I want to know, if you capture a Devil Fruit user, is there a way to take away their ability, or to make their ability reborn into a specific Devil Fruit!"
"This... I don't know," Lu Yun replied, shaking her head. "But Dr. Vegapunk has done in-depth research on Devil Fruits and has even replicated them. Maybe he has a way!"
"Vegapunk..."
Roya nodded slowly.
He didn't expect his adjutant to know how to rebirth Devil Fruits. It would be great if the Little Girl could get some finished products from Vegapunk.
I have to find time to meet Vegapunk!
Lu Yun guessed what Roya was thinking and became interested. "Senior, do you have a desired ability?"
"Yeah, I do!" Roya replied with a smile.
"The ability of that Devil Fruit can be called the power of God!"
There were only a handful of top-tier abilities, and only a few he truly craved. The problem was that those top-tier abilities basically all had owners.
Azure Dragon, Tremor-Tremor, Glint-Glint…
These powerful abilities all had the potential to reach the peak.
Forget Nika. He didn't want to have to laugh while he fought. That Devil Fruit didn't match his personality, and he probably wouldn't be able to awaken it after eating it.
In fact, he wanted any of the top-tier Devil Fruits besides Nika, which didn't fit his style, but with his current condition, the most likely abilities he could obtain were only two: a replica of the Azure Dragon Devil Fruit, or capturing the God from Sky Island.
The Rumble-Rumble Fruit!
But without a way to transfer abilities, there was no point in coveting it.
And the most reliable method he knew was the Dark-Dark Fruit, but obtaining that was almost impossible.
He couldn't just find Whitebeard and call him dad, right?
The remaining method was the amazing Vegapunk. After all, Vegapunk could even replicate abilities.
This was the resource he could access.
He didn't want to copy Teacher Zephyr's path, relying on close-combat skill and Haki to become an ordinary admiral, nor could he be like Garp, who could beat everything with his fists.
Besides, even with the power of Garp and Roger, it would be difficult to change the world's structure and realize his dream.
He needed to be even stronger!
Devil Fruits were necessary.
He wanted to become the Strongest Admiral, the Strongest Marine!
Finally, to become a true God!
There were still two years before Luffy set sail, so he had to prepare for this as soon as possible.
Roya stood up.
"Let's go, we're going to Headquarters!"
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[T/N:
Final Total Power Stone Collection : 557 PS
Goal : Reach +50 Total PS = +2 Bonus Chapters next day! 🚀
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