After a long moment of contemplation, Teach slowly shook his head.
"I won't eat it yet," he said calmly. "Who knows what the future holds? There may be an ability even more suitable such as the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. Eating the Rumble-Rumble Fruit now would be too early. I haven't reached the point where I need to rely on a second Devil Fruit to strengthen myself."
Eating a Devil Fruit could greatly enhance one's potential, and Teach was only nineteen years old. His growth was steady and continuous, but he had not yet reached a bottleneck that required a drastic shortcut.
There was hesitation in his heart, but he was clear on one thing.
This Rumble-Rumble Fruit would either be eaten by him one day, or passed down to his future children, if such a future existed.
Only his own bloodline would ever be worthy of inheriting it.
"That's a reasonable choice," Redyat said, nodding lightly.
To him, although the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was priceless, he had seen too much of the world to be blinded by it. It was a top-tier Devil Fruit, nothing more. Such abilities were tools, stepping stones toward the summit.
Whether it was his own Mythical Zoan, the Shadow Dragon, his brother's Logia Air-Air Fruit, or Teach's Dark-Dark Fruit, none of them were the destination.
They were means.
Legends of the past were impressive, but what truly mattered was how an ability was developed.
Even the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, if pushed to its limit, could not make someone invincible.
Without Haki of all three types at a comparable level, its user could still be suppressed. Continuous pursuit, attrition, and exhaustion could all render it ineffective.
At its core, power relied on stamina.
Without stamina, even the strongest ability became meaningless.
Teach's thinking aligned with this perfectly. The Rumble-Rumble Fruit could grant him extreme speed, elemental transformation, and overwhelming attack power. Even shallow development would dramatically raise his combat strength.
He could contend for the position of Sea Emperor far earlier than planned.
But that was precisely the problem.
Becoming too strong too quickly would draw unwanted attention from both the World Government and the other Emperors.
More importantly, while it was acceptable for the world to know that Teach could plunder Devil Fruits, the secret of his dual Devil Fruit body could never be exposed.
The moment he revealed the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, that secret would inevitably surface.
Of course, he could choose to eat it and remain hidden.
But the decision belonged to Teach alone, and Redyat respected it.
Given Teach's current trajectory, becoming a Sea Emperor was inevitable.
Since that was the case, why rush it?
The Nightfall Pirates still needed time. Territory, influence, manpower, and infrastructure could not be built overnight.
Strength alone did not make an Emperor.
Before everything else, they needed a foundation.
So neither Teach nor the Nightfall Pirates were in a hurry.
Moreover, having a stronger opponent ahead, and a clear goal to pursue, was not a bad thing. It kept the heart sharp.
Redyat raised his wine glass, took a sip, and glanced at Teach.
Teach placed the Rumble-Rumble Fruit back into its iron box, then casually absorbed the box into his dark space.
With that, their journey to Skypiea was effectively over.
Every primary objective had been accomplished.
The Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
The Golden City.
The blueprints for the Ark Maxim.
And beyond that, the additional gains were even more valuable.
Information about the Moon People.
Knowledge of the Ancient Weapon Uranus.
The Ark Maxim itself.
The history, culture, and technology of the Moon.
Each was a priceless treasure.
"Let's leave in two days," Teach said after a moment, nodding. "Let the crew enjoy Skypiea a bit longer."
Skypiea's unique products and shell technology were fascinating. Teach planned to have the crew collect various shells for decoration and practical use.
The Lamp Shell alone was worth it. With a gentle press, it lit up, adjustable at will, no different from an electric lamp.
There were still unresolved matters.
Birka's future.
It was now under the Nightfall Pirates' control, but they had no intention of staying long-term.
How could a small sky island compare to the boundless sea?
And the God's Realm had not yet been discovered by outsiders, but that did not mean it would remain hidden forever.
The Ark Maxim, a thousand-meter-long vessel, was concealed there, but that alone was not absolute security.
The Birkans might eventually uncover the location.
Even if they did, they could not take it away.
Still, someone needed to watch over it.
At that moment, the Den Den Mushi rang.
"Captain," Wallace's voice came through. "That kid Enel collapsed."
"Oh?" Teach smiled faintly. "He held out longer than I expected."
"Announce it," Teach said calmly. "We leave in two days. He comes with us."
"Understood," Wallace replied, ending the call.
Teach then turned to Redyat. "What about Birka's god? Have we drained all the value out of him?"
"Yes," Redyat replied with a nod. "Everything that could be extracted has been extracted. Whatever remains can be found in the books. He's tied to the chair now. Recovery can begin."
Recovery meant only one thing.
The Devil Fruit.
Keeping it on him any longer would be a waste.
"While organizing his memories and the Moon People's knowledge," Redyat continued, smiling slightly, "we found something interesting. Something very likely to be useful."
Teach raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Redyat's excitement was barely concealed.
"The Moon's environment differs from ours. Due to energy and environmental constraints, Moon People could never develop personal strength comparable to ours. Not even Vice Admirals or Commodores."
"In short, their environment capped their potential."
"So instead of pursuing strength, they pursued technology."
Before the Moon's resources were exhausted, and before civil war destroyed them, they built an advanced technological civilization.
They even explored space.
Not travel, but exploration.
Even that was astonishing.
Redyat shook his head in disbelief. "Compared to them, we're practically primitive."
Technology consumed resources at an extreme rate.
Some among the Moon People foresaw the end.
That was when the Super Soldier Project was born.
Its goal was simple.
Mass-produce powerful combatants.
Enhance physical ability while reducing resource dependence.
"It was half successful," Teach said quietly.
Redyat nodded. "Exactly."
The Super Soldiers were powerful. Their vitality and physique far exceeded normal limits.
But there was a flaw.
They grew.
Their bodies expanded to three or four times their original size.
Agility was lost.
They were strong, but clumsy.
Against focused high-tech weaponry, they could still be killed.
The ideal result had been different.
Normal-sized bodies.
Explosive strength and speed.
Ghost-like infiltration.
Decapitation strikes.
The reality fell short.
Worse, their consumption was enormous.
One Super Soldier consumed dozens of times the food of a normal Moon Person.
Before the serum could be perfected, the project was abandoned.
"What else?" Teach asked.
"Extended lifespan," Redyat replied.
Some Super Soldiers survived.
Some starved.
Some became test subjects.
Records showed the last one died at ninety.
Not of old age.
He still looked like a man in his prime.
They predicted lifespans of over one hundred fifty years.
Teach's pupils shrank.
His heartbeat quickened.
An incomplete Super Soldier serum.
A perfect giantization prototype.
Not true giants, but enough.
Enough to reach Big Mom's level.
Enough to fulfill her obsession.
And once perfected, it would become a genetic transformation.
A new stage of life.
Longer lifespan meant a longer peak.
More growth.
Teach looked at Redyat. "Do you have the complete data?"
Redyat met his gaze.
Then nodded.
Teach trembled.
"ZeHahahaha…"
He laughed uncontrollably, head tilted back.
Redyat followed.
"Hahahaha…"
The era itself seemed to be within their grasp.
This technology was the greatest prize of Skypiea.
Beyond Uranus.
Beyond gold.
Beyond Devil Fruits.
Outside, the crew exchanged puzzled looks.
Whatever their captain and first mate had found, it was clearly extraordinary.
This journey had yielded everything.
Uranus.
The Golden City.
The Moon's knowledge.
The Ark Maxim.
The Super Soldier serum.
The Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
Any one of these could shake the world.
Which was why they had to remain silent.
Before knowledge became power.
Before power became reality.
Before they were ready.
Today was destined to be remembered.
A turning point.
A day of great significance.