Roy Amos is a Marine Headquarters Captain and the commander of the Marine Detention Unit on the battleship DT-31.
It was said that he came from the West Blue, joined the Marines at the age of twenty, and had now served for eight years.
His performance during the physical tests at the Marine branch was average, but after participating in the capture of the West Blue Devil Fruit User pirate "Great Rhino Captain Tora," his strength began to skyrocket... which was a phenomenon not uncommon among Marines, as many officers only reveal their true talent after meeting a powerful enemy.
He was then specially recruited into Marine Headquarters. After passing the Headquarters recruitment tests, he voluntarily applied to serve in the Marine Detention Unit.
This was how the Marines of the detachment understood Roy Amos.
But what no one knew was... that Roy Amos was from another world.
Still, the Marines did get one thing right: Roy did indeed have his own concept of justice.
"Iced cola is Justice!"
As he enjoyed a slice of pizza and a sip of ice-cold cola, Roy let out a satisfied sigh. He fixed his eyes on the hourglass on the table before him.
At that moment, the sand reached the bottom.
And then, in his ears...
[Paramecia · Muscle-Muscule Fruit has been added to the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia. Current Level: LV1]
As the voice echoed, the phantom screen before him changed.
It gradually transformed into a spectral book, and many Devil Fruits of various shapes appeared on its pages:
[Paramecia – Gate-Gate Fruit: LV1]...
[Zoan — Ox-Ox Fruit: Model Great Rhino – LV1]
[Zoan – Dog-Dog Fruit: Model Dalmatian – LV1]...
[Logia – Glint-Glint Fruit (Pika Pika no Mi) – LV1]
[Logia – Magma-Magma Fruit: LV1]
[Logia – Ice-Ice Fruit – LV1]...
On the latest page is the entry for: [Paramecia – Muscle-Muscule Fruit – LV1]was just being etched into place.
Then, the book closed.
On the cover were four characters:
[Fruit Encyclopedia]
[Owner: Roy Amos]
[Current fruits collected: 19 (Paramecia – 7, Zoan – 7, Logia – 4, Special Paramecia – 0, Mythical Zoan – 1)]
[Fruit Ability Slots: 2]
[Currently Equipped: Ox-Ox Fruit: Model Great Rhino LV1, Human-Human Fruit: Model Great Buddha LV1]
[Current Beli: 411.3 million]
"Finally, I've collected nineteen Devil Fruits. I just need one more to unlock the third Devil Fruit Ability Slot. This guy's Muscle-Muscle Fruit is actually pretty practical!"
"Not a wasted trip at all."
These muttered words existed only in Roy's mind... words that only he could understand.
Because, yes...
As a transmigrator, Roy had his own system.
That system was the Fruit Encyclopedia, currently before his eyes.
As the name suggests, this system revolves entirely around the unique phenomenon of the Pirate world: Devil Fruits.
The Devil Fruit Encyclopedia itself contains two major functions.
The first is recording and usage.
As long as Roy spends some time around a Devil Fruit User, he can record that person's Devil Fruit into the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia.
If the Devil Fruit user employs their power in front of Roy, the recording speed increases significantly.
Once an ability is recorded, Roy can use the corresponding Devil Fruit power through the Devil Fruit Ability Slots inside the encyclopedia.
At the beginning, there was only one Devil Fruit Ability Slot, and for every ten Devil Fruits collected, an additional slot is unlocked.
Of course, if Roy were to obtain an actual Devil Fruit... Then by absorbing the Devil Fruit, he would instantly gain LV3 proficiency in that specific Devil Fruit ability.
The second function of the encyclopedia is the enhancement of 'Enhancement Ability'.
After a Devil Fruit is recorded in the encyclopedia, its base ability level is LV1.
Roy can then spend enough Beli or equivalent Treasure to strengthen and upgrade his 'Enhancement Ability'.
Additionally, he may spend a smaller amount of treasure to temporarily unlock a specific level of the 'Enhancement Ability'. The required treasure is roughly one-third the cost of a permanent unlock, but it only lasts one hour.
Furthermore, likely because Roy did not truly eat the Devil Fruit himself… The Muscle Enhancement Abilities he gains are not restricted by seawater or Seastone.
As for his evaluation of this "Cheat Ability," Roy had a simple verdict:
"Perverted!"
He clearly understood that the effects of the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia were terrifying. It allowed him to wield multiple Devil Fruit powers, and he did not have to fear seawater or Seastone.
This was a clear path to the top of the world.
Don't mind Kaido boasting that "Haki surpasses everything."
In reality, he himself is the wielder of the legendary Fish-Fish Fruit, Azure Dragon Form.
This brings us to the real question: Where on these seas is the safest place to obtain large quantities of Devil Fruits?
For Roy, the answer was simple: the Marines.
Backed by the World Government, the Marines are responsible for keeping the Great Pirate Era from spinning out of control.
The Marines undoubtedly possess the largest number of Devil Fruit Users, and they have the opportunity to encounter even more Devil Fruit powers.
Thus, Roy chose to join the Marines and voluntarily selected the unpopular Marine Detention Unit.
Reality proved that his decision was correct.
Over the past eight years, he has come into contact with Marine Devil Fruit Users and occasionally escorted captured Devil Fruit User criminals, which is how he had acquired nineteen Devil Fruit abilities.
These include the Logia abilities of the three current Admirals, as well as Fleet Admiral Sengoku's Mythical Zoan---Human-Human Fruit, Great Buddha Form. It is one of the highest-grade Devil Fruit powers in the world.
In other words, in terms of his 'Enhancement Ability' foundation...
Roy had amassed a considerable arsenal.
Now, only one issue remained.
That was...
"I need to figure out a way to make money." Roy thought.
Yes.
As mentioned earlier, his Devil Fruit abilities required Beli to be strengthened.
The exact cost varies drastically depending on the type of Devil Fruit, but there is one common rule: The stronger the Devil fruit, the more expensive the enhancement.
Based on Roy's observations, enhancing an ordinary Paramecia or Zoan to Level 2 costs around 50 million Beli. Enhancing it to LV3 required 200–300 million Beli. LV4 required one billion, and Awakening generally required over several billion Beli.
The prices for Logias were even more outrageous.
For example, enhancing a standard Logia, such as the Smoke-Smoke Fruit, to LV2 costs 300 million Beli.
LV3 jumped straight to 1.5 billion.
LV4 cost 5 billion.
The Devil Fruit Awakening cost a staggering 10 billion Beli or more.
Top-tier Logias like the Magma-Magma Fruit or the Hie Hie no Mi (Ice-Ice Fruit) Their enhancement costs were even higher.
Incidentally, Roy's monthly salary as a Marine Captain was approximately 300,000 Beli.
During his eight years in the Marines, including escort bonuses and mission rewards, he had only managed to save just over 40 million Beli.
"I don't smoke or drink, and I only like a little cola, but I still can't save money! Hic!" Roy hiccupped and sighed.
He was genuinely troubled.
"No money!"
Who would have thought that, before and after transmigrating, he would worry about the same problem?
"If it really doesn't work out, I'll have to leave the Marines once I collect twenty Devil Fruits. I'll become a bounty hunter or something. It's tiring, but at least the money comes faster than in the Marines."
"And even though all my Devil Fruit abilities are still LV1 right now, once I unlock the third Fruit Ability Slot, at least in the first half of the Grand Line, it'll definitely be enough," Roy calculated in his mind.
But at that moment...
"Bang!"
The ship shook violently, and shouts erupted from outside the cabin.
Roy quickly grabbed his iced cola and roared, "What the hell!? Who's steering, Hans?! Are you trying to get fired!?"
He shouted as he gulped down the rest of his cola. Then he opened the door and stepped out of the cabin.
He saw a chaotic deck, Marines were raising their guns and firing.
Their target was the sea.
Under the moonlit night, on the shimmering surface of the sea, a gigantic creature emerged from beneath the waves. It had the head of a lion and the body of a fish and stretched dozens of meters long.
Its massive eyes glowed like burning stars in the night.
"Captain Roy! It's a sea beast... A large-scale sea beast is attacking us!" Sergeant Fal rushed over and reported anxiously.
"A Sea Beast?" Roy raised an eyebrow.
As a Marine force active in the Four Seas for a long time, the Marine Detention Unit warships naturally had Seastone plating on their hulls. Under normal conditions, sea beasts and sea kings would not sense the presence of the battleship.
But accidents did happen. For example, if a coastal sea beast or a small sea king in shallow water wandered too close to the surface, they might detect this "metal chunk."
"Yes! Looks like our luck is terrible today!" Fal nearly looked like he was about to cry.
But...
"What do you mean, 'terrible luck'? Isn't this great luck?" Roy interrupted him. "I remember Sea Beast meat selling for a really good price!"
"...W-what?" Fal froze for a moment, unable to react.
But Roy didn't answer him and roared: "Everyone, stop firing! If you ruin the best cuts of meat, you might as well die!"
"?
All the Marines on the battleship were stunned. As soldiers, however, they instinctively stopped pulling their triggers.
"Sir, you..." Someone tried to ask something.
But before they could finish, Roy moved.
"Bang!"
He bent his knees, then suddenly leapt! The force of the explosion was so great that the entire battleship tilted noticeably for a moment.
Under the eyes of all the Marines, Roy's figure shot straight toward the massive Sea Beast.
"Captain Roy!" The Marines exclaimed. But the next instant, their shouts turned into horrified screams.
The Sea Beast had clearly noticed Roy as well.
"ROAR!"
The giant head let out a low bellow, then lunged toward Roy with tremendous force.
"It's over!"
"If he takes that hit head-on, even the Captain..."
"Prepare to rescue! Prepare to rescue the Captain immediately!"
The Marines were close to panicking. But the next moment, the sight before their eyes nearly made their eyeballs burst and their jaws drop.
Under the moonlight, the Marine captain streaked through the air, his justice coat fluttering behind him.
He bent his arm and tightened his fist. In that moonlit moment, every Marine could clearly see his thick, steel-forged-looking arm.
The muscles beneath his skin bulged like tightly coiled iron.
[Currently Equipped Fruit-1: Zoan – Bull-Bull Fruit: Giant Rhino Form LV1.
Weak ability. Grants the massive physique of a giant rhino; physical strength and muscle density far exceed normal humans.]
[Currently Equipped Fruit-2: Paramecia – Strong-Strong Fruit LV1
Weak ability: Increases muscular power by five times.]
Everyone knows that Zoan Devil Fruits give their users powerful, beast-like bodies.
Antoria "The Gladiator" knew this as well, his Muscle-Muscle Fruit greatly enhances muscle strength.
But what if... what if someone had the physical foundation of a Zoan and the muscle-amplifying powers of a Muscle Fruit?
This moment was the answer.
"Bang!!!"
Roy threw a punch!
The sheer force generated a violent gust of wind, pressing down on the sea and carving out a massive trench-like depression.
The next instant, his fist collided with the Sea Beast's head.
All the Marines witnessed, that enormous, hundred-meter-long Large-Scale Sea Beast was blown away by Roy's single punch!
"AWOO!"
The creature let out a miserable cry and crashed into the sea, losing consciousness immediately.
Meanwhile, Roy landed on the creature's head amid a chorus of "Eh!? Eh!? Eh!?" from the stunned Marines.
Exactly.
This was why, despite all his Devil Fruits still being at level one, Roy was in no particular hurry.
Because...
"Devil Fruit combinations aren't as simple as one plus one.
As long as you understand enough Devil Fruits deeply enough,
Even LV1 fruits can unleash power far beyond imagination!"
Roy murmured to himself.
"And in this world... no one understands Devil Fruits better than I do!"
(End of Chapter)