While Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper were busy admiring their new suits, Nami—who had also transformed—walked over to Douglas. She wanted to know if there were any other functions to the suits beyond what he had just explained.
"Well," Douglas began, adjusting the visor of his mask, "aside from being resistant to seawater and giving you six hours of oxygen, these suits are also excellent insulators against electricity. You could take a direct hit from lightning and walk away without a scratch. Plus, they're completely sealed, which means I can do this—"
Without warning, Douglas leapt straight over the rail and into the ocean. The crew froze in shock; everyone knew Douglas was a Devil Fruit user, and diving into seawater should have left him helpless. Zoro instinctively moved to jump in after him, but stopped when he saw Douglas casually swimming below the surface.
"No seawater gets in," Douglas called through the comms, his voice crystal clear despite being underwater. "That means I can still use my powers here." To prove it, he raised one hand and released a thick plume of black smoke, swirling ominously beneath the waves.
The demonstration made Luffy and Chopper's eyes light up like fireworks. Without hesitation, they leapt overboard. Unfortunately, since neither had ever learned to swim—having been Devil Fruit users since childhood—they simply flailed and began sinking like anchors.
Douglas surfaced and sighed. "Boots," he reminded them, tapping his own. He pressed a control, and a powerful burst of compressed air shot from the soles, propelling him upward. Luffy and Chopper quickly copied him, using the same function to rocket themselves back to the surface.
One by one, Douglas went over the rest of the suit's capabilities. Aside from electricity resistance, seawater protection, and the air-burst propulsion system, the suits came with an integrated comms panel. Every member of the crew wearing a suit—whether transformed or not—could join in a shared communication channel, making coordination effortless even across long distances.
"Whoa! So cool! You're really smart, Douglas!" Luffy exclaimed, grinning ear to ear. The rest of the crew, even the usually stoic Sanji and Zoro, couldn't hide their impressed expressions.
"So," Douglas asked, still treading water, "who's joining the dive to check out that sunken ship? We'll need someone to stay here and guard the Merry." Despite the suit's protection, Douglas could still feel the ocean's cold pressing in through the material, but it didn't affect his movements or abilities. Nearby, Zoro remained in the water as well, attempting unsuccessfully to teach both Luffy and Chopper the basics of swimming.
"I'll stay," Robin volunteered calmly. "Someone has to keep watch."
After a short discussion, the crew decided on their diving team: Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and Sanji would descend, while Douglas, Robin, Chopper, and Usopp would remain aboard to protect the ship—Douglas acting as the main defender.
"Don't forget to activate your comms," Douglas reminded them. One by one, the divers tapped the side of their masks, confirming the connection before beginning their descent into the deep.
Less than ten minutes later, Nami's voice crackled over the channel, tension clear in her tone. "We've got sea creatures—big ones!" Moments later, massive shadows moved into view, circling the divers. Luffy grinned, stretching his arms as his Devil Fruit abilities worked flawlessly even underwater. With a few swift moves, he dispatched the creatures with ease.
"Douglas, there are more of them down here," Luffy said, sounding almost giddy. "Shishishishi! Can you preserve them so we can have a feast later?"
"Noted," Douglas replied, scanning the surrounding waters from the Merry's deck. He spotted movement on the horizon—shapes cutting quickly through the waves. A familiar tension prickled the back of his neck.
Within moments, the figures came into focus: a large ship, its deck dominated by a massive monkey. Douglas recognized it immediately.
And from the way its captain was glaring at the Going Merry, teeth bared in fury, it was clear they thought the Strawhats were trespassing on their territory.
"Oi, what are you doing here?" The captain of the ship yelled,
"Aren't you rude? You should introduce yourself before asking that," Douglas called back.
The ship's captain froze for a moment, realizing his mistake, before suddenly bursting into laughter.
"Ahhh, right, right—my bad! I'm Masira, captain of the Masira Pirates and a professional salvager. This sea is part of my territory."
From the Merry's deck, Usopp leaned toward the others and whispered, "He looks like a monkey."
Unfortunately—or perhaps fortunately—Masira overheard, but instead of taking offense, he puffed out his chest with pride. "Handsome, aren't I?" he said, admiring himself.
Douglas and the Strawhats went through quick introductions, during which Masira explained what a salvager was and the kind of work his crew did.
Once the pleasantries were over, Masira's tone shifted. "Now that you know, you'd better leave this area. Don't even think about salvaging in my territory."
Douglas didn't flinch. "Well… how much would it cost for you to sell us the rights to that sunken ship?" he asked bluntly.
Masira and his crew froze, stunned. No one had ever asked him something like that before.
"That would depend on the ship," Masira finally said, scratching his chin. "But I'd say… maybe twenty million berries." He smirked, expecting Douglas to back down—after all, who would pay that much for a wreck?
Douglas, however, leaned casually on the railing. "Since we found the ship first, shouldn't that at least cut the price in half?"
Masira frowned, caught off guard by the logic.
"And," Douglas added smoothly, "if we're friends now, shouldn't you give us a discount? Five million berries at most sounds fair."
Masira's brows furrowed as he began thinking even harder, clearly wrestling with the argument. Meanwhile, his crew exchanged worried glances, starting to realize Douglas was steering the conversation exactly where he wanted. A few whispered urgently to Masira that maybe they should just keep the ship for themselves.
In the end, Masira refused the deal outright.
What followed unfolded almost exactly like in the canon. The Masira Pirates began their salvage operation, with Masira personally leading the effort. Standing proudly at the bow, he struck exaggerated poses for the Strawhat crew as if showing off for an audience.
Douglas, however, wasn't impressed. Calmly, he explained to Nami and the others exactly what was about to happen and instructed them not to interfere.
Down below, Masira swam deep to ensure the lift went smoothly. There, he encountered Luffy and the other diving Strawhats. Surprisingly, Luffy hit it off with Masira almost instantly—two loud, energetic personalities bonding in the middle of the ocean.
While they chatted, the massive chains and floats slowly raised the wreck toward the surface. Everything seemed to be going according to plan—until the water around them shifted with a deep, rumbling current.
A shadow blotted out the light above.
Without warning, a colossal turtle—its shell so wide it looked like an island—rose from the depths. With a single, slow bite, it swallowed the entire sunken ship in one gulp before breaking the surface.
Back on the Going Merry, Douglas and the others froze at the sight. The creature's sheer scale was staggering—its head alone was larger than their ship, and its barnacle-crusted shell stretched out like a moving continent.
Even for seasoned pirates, the sight left them stunned.