Chapter 23 – The Deal That Shook the Revolutionaries
Of course!
To Dragon, whether the merchant was a devil or a saint didn't matter one bit.
As long as the ones getting fleeced were corrupt nobles and Celestial Dragons, that man was a friend of the Revolutionary Army!
And with Koushirou personally vouching for him, Dragon decided the price was worth discussing.
Time was lives. The sooner the supplies problem was solved, the more comrades would survive.
Hook, line, and sinker.
Aike's smile widened into full shark mode.
He opened his mouth and named an absolutely astronomical price.
"How about your Devil Fruit ability as payment?"
"My… fruit ability?"
Dragon blanked.
I'm just buying rice and bandages—why do you want my life?!
In his understanding, the only way to take someone's fruit power was to kill them and wait for it to respawn.
So this condition was basically "give me your head."
Dragon's killing intent began to rise.
Before he could explode, Aike calmly explained.
"I can extract and duplicate your ability onto an ordinary fruit."
"No death required. I just need your consent."
"Duplicate?!"
Dragon's pupils shrank.
Copy a Devil Fruit power onto a new fruit…
That meant, in theory, he could mass-produce Devil Fruits whenever he wanted!
The implications crashed over him like a tsunami.
The Revolutionary Army was chronically lacked top-tier fighters.
Devil Fruits were the fastest way to create monsters.
If he could cooperate with this man—hell, if he could pull him into the cause—the World Government wouldn't last another decade.
In that single heartbeat, Dragon's goal shifted.
Supplies? Secondary.
He needed Aike himself.
But Aike was a system-certified black-hearted merchant.
He saw that burning ambition in Dragon's eyes instantly.
He had seen that exact same look on every king and noble right before they got cleaned out.
So he crushed the fantasy before it could grow.
"Let's get one thing straight—I'm not joining any organization.
Business partnerships? Always open.
Now, do we have a deal on the fruit duplication or not?"
"…Deal. As long as my own power stays intact."
Even though his recruitment pitch got shot down before it left his mouth, Dragon didn't hesitate.
Pulling Aike in permanently could wait.
The fruit copy alone was already priceless.
"Excellent. Transaction complete!"
Aike flicked his wrist happily.
Carina's Devil Fruit problem? Solved.
Under the golden glow of the Libra scale, an ordinary fruit on the other side slowly morphed—red skin, swirling cloud patterns—until it was the spitting image of the Goro fruit.
"It actually worked…"
Dragon stared at the newborn Devil Fruit, breathing hard.
He made a silent vow: even if he couldn't recruit Aike today, he would build the strongest possible relationship.
The chance to topple the World Government might very well rest with this man.
Deal sealed, Aike kept his promise.
On the beach where the Revolutionary Army ship was anchored, mountains of supplies materialized out of thin air.
Food, medicine, weapons, clothing—enough to supply an entire nation.
The Revolutionary soldiers gaped like fish.
"That's… Kera?!"
Among the group, Aike spotted several familiar faces from the manga.
Chief of Staff Kera (Koala's teacher), Vice-Captain Ahiru (the rabbit mink), and a few other cadres.
"Shame Ivankov isn't here."
"The Hormone-Hormone Fruit would've been perfect for Kaya."
Thanks to the trade, Dragon walked away with enough supplies for months.
Learning that Aike's crew was leaving the next day, he shamelessly decided to stay the night.
His goal was simple: squeeze every last minute to build rapport.
Aike saw right through him, but didn't mind at all.
Merchants live on connections.
Especially connections with deep pockets and endless demand that never ends.
Chatting with the leader of the Revolutionary Army naturally turned to world affairs.
Pirates, Marines, World Government, and of course—the Revolution.
When the topic of revolutionary ideology came up, Aike actually got interested.
After all, he'd gone to school in his previous life. He knew a thing or two.
So he casually dropped a full university-level lecture mixed with Tieba forum wisdom:
Class struggle, arming the masses with ideology, the inevitability of historical materialism…
Dragon's eyes got brighter and brighter.
By the end he was practically shaking, gripping Aike's hands with both of his own.
"Class struggle… ideological armament… beautifully said!"
"You're speaking the absolute truth!!"
Dragon was in full fanboy mode, looking like a wandering swordsman who had finally met his destined lord.
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