"Wow! So this is the Sea Forest you were talking about, Red?! Isn't it way too big?!"
"I didn't expect King Neptune to be so generous either—he actually agreed to lend us such a massive area."
"Hehe~ Well, we did help them save nearly two thousand of their people, didn't we? I can still picture the look on his face when he realized it."
"...…"
"...…"
Three days after the Mary Geoise incident came to an end.
Aboard the Going Merry, the Straw Hat crew led a gathering of Supernova pirate crews from the outskirts of Fish-Man Island, heading straight toward Fish-Man Island's largest forbidden zone aside from Fish-Man District—the Sea Forest.
Guided by the Going Merry, the pirate ships docked one after another along the edge of the Sea Forest.
Through telepathy, Red issued the order for the other Supernovas to disembark.
Just as everyone was about to step off the ship, Usopp suddenly remembered something and turned back toward Zoro.
"Oh, right—Zoro!"
"Are you really sure you don't want to eat any Devil Fruit?!"
"Among the fruits we took from Mary Geoise, there are some seriously amazing abilities!"
"Especially the one we brought out of Pangaea Castle—Red said it might be the strongest Mythical Zoan in the entire world!"
As he spoke, Usopp opened a small door in the center of his chest. Reaching inside with one hand like a magician, he pulled out a Devil Fruit shimmering with seven colors.
At the base of the fruit were four hoof-shaped supports, while its body was predominantly white, layered with dazzling, iridescent hues.
Just from its appearance alone, its extraordinary nature was unmistakable.
This fruit was precisely the one Red had judged to be the strongest Mythical Zoan—
The Zoan-Type Ox-Ox Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Kirin!
Yet despite Usopp's repeated temptation, Zoro simply shook his head calmly.
"Forget it, Usopp. Stop trying to persuade me."
As he spoke, one hand rested on the hilt of his sword, a faint, tranquil smile appearing on his lips.
"I've already found my own path."
"And didn't Red say it himself? Devil Fruit powers are just one way to become stronger—not the only way."
"Rather than splitting my focus on mastering some powerful fruit ability, I'd rather devote myself fully to my swordsmanship and Haki."
Perhaps not long ago, Zoro would have longed for the power of a Devil Fruit—something that could let him grow stronger quickly, just like the others.
That way, he could once again utterly crush that damn curly-browed cook and wipe that smug expression off his face.
But…
After reaching a certain level, Zoro had come to realize more and more clearly—
Devil Fruit powers were not the path best suited for him.
Just like how he'd suddenly realized that Pokémon-izing into a giant dragon wasn't the right evolutionary direction for him either…
His strength still had a better, purer way to be expressed!
"Uh… alright then~"
Hearing Zoro's repeated refusal, Usopp—though unable to fully grasp Zoro's mindset—put the precious fruit away and nodded in acknowledgment.
But in the very next moment, an excited grin spread across his face as he chuckled at Zoro.
"In that case, I won't hold back with you guys!"
"Hehehe~"
"Oh, by the way—are you really planning to feed all those Devil Fruits to your bugs?!"
At that moment, Nami, who had already stepped off the ship, turned back with a complicated expression and looked at Usopp.
After all, any one of those Devil Fruits would be worth billions of Beli on the outside.
Yet Usopp had come up with some so-called "Four Emperors Plan," intending to feed all of them to the elite insect species he was cultivating…
Seeing hundreds of billions of Beli vanish just like that—it was no wonder Nami's heart ached.
"Of course I am!"
"Don't worry! I'll definitely use those powers carefully…"
"After all, my goal is to cultivate an ultimate insect race capable of defeating the Four Emperors!!!"
Usopp puffed out his chest and made a solemn promise, fully aware of the priceless treasures he carried and the expectations placed upon him.
Red chuckled softly and stepped in to soothe Nami's wounded heart.
"Alright, Nami. It's just a few hundred billion Beli."
"When Usopp's tall tales finally come true, you can just have him take you on another shopping trip to Mary Geoise."
"A few hundred billion Beli would be earned back in no time."
"Besides, if these Devil Fruits were converted into useless cash and fell into enemy hands, our loss would be twice as big."
"I know that~" Nami glanced pitifully at Usopp. "It's just… whenever I think about such priceless treasures being fed to bugs, my heart instinctively aches!"
"Hahaha, that's understandable."
Red patted Nami on the shoulder in reassurance.
"Besides, you've already found a Devil Fruit that suits you, and neither Zoro nor I plan on eating one."
"Those fruits would be wasted sitting inside Usopp's body—better to turn them into real strength for us."
"That's true."
Nami waved her hand dismissively, then suddenly flashed Usopp a playful smile.
"Since you helped me bring out such an amazing fruit, I'll begrudgingly accept you monopolizing a few hundred billion Beli~"
As she spoke, Nami extended her palm.
A tiny, swirling storm instantly formed above her hand.
The Superhuman-Type Calamity Fruit!
This was the Devil Fruit Nami had eaten—taken from Saint Saturn's experimental facility in Pangaea Castle. Compared to the precious Mythical Zoans, it was one of the remaining dozens of fruits.
Its ability allowed Nami to control all natural disasters originating from the sky—essentially, weather-based catastrophes.
Droughts, hurricanes, torrential rain, lightning, snowstorms, sandstorms…
Though Nami's current strength was still modest and the effects she could unleash were limited, that didn't diminish Red's expectations of her in the slightest.
If Nami's previous power had relied on the Clima-Tact crafted by Usopp and Franky…
Then from this moment onward, she would undergo a complete evolution—becoming a Sky Queen who possessed overwhelming combat power even without any external tools!
There was no Devil Fruit more perfectly suited to someone who had mastered meteorology than the Calamity Fruit.
"Don't worry. I won't let anyone down!"
Hearing Nami's resolve, Usopp once again patted his chest confidently.
After all, the "Four Emperors Plan" wasn't some spur-of-the-moment joke.
Long ago, Usopp had already begun deliberately cultivating insect species with exceptional potential…
Especially after Red gained ample time within the game world, Usopp had enlisted his help to Pokémon-ize selected elite insects, rapidly strengthening them through game mechanics.
Through continuous breeding, some of these insects had even begun to inherit genetic moves!
Unique pirate-world biology + innate Pokémon moves + powerful Devil Fruit abilities + Red's power-leveling—
Usopp honestly couldn't imagine how this plan could fail!
His next task was to continue breeding the strongest insect lines, passing down superior traits, until Red could help select the single most gifted individual to serve as his bonded, core insect.
Of course…
After the battle on Amazon Lily, Usopp hadn't limited his focus solely to insects.
If conditions allowed, he didn't mind expanding into plant-based power—or even combining plants and insects to fully exploit his Grass + Bug attribute synergy!
"Alright, alright—the Supernovas are all assembled."
"Let's head over too!"
Red clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.
...
...
The Sea Forest lay in the northern region of Fish-Man Island.
Due to deep-sea currents, any pirate ship that sank near Fish-Man Island would inevitably drift here, earning the area its nickname—the Ship Graveyard.
Because of this danger, Fish-Man Island had officially designated it a forbidden zone, barring entry under the pretext of safety and successfully concealing the Poneglyph deep within the forest.
It was also the only truly uninhabited area on Fish-Man Island.
With the combined efforts of the Supernovas, they quickly cleared out an open space among the wreckage and quietly waited for the Straw Hat crew to arrive.
After witnessing the full power of the Straw Hats' three main combatants, the Supernovas had become remarkably obedient.
Even Law and Bonney, both with special backgrounds, had grown unusually quiet.
A large part of that was because the Straw Hat Pirates' series of actions had left them utterly dizzy.
Originally, they believed infiltrating Mary Geoise would at most mirror Fisher Tiger's actions from years ago—freeing some slaves, looting some treasure, and escaping cleanly.
Who could have imagined…
They'd end up turning Mary Geoise completely upside down.
In the end, they even forced the Five Elders—the highest authorities in the world—into the open, and escaped right under their noses.
If it had only been like Fisher Tiger's incident, they were confident that once they entered the Grand Line, the consequences would be limited to increased bounties and notoriety.
After all, the World Government's attention would be focused squarely on the Straw Hats.
But now…
With Mary Geoise shaken to its core, even the faintest leftover attention from the World Government felt like a mountain crashing down on them.
For a time, none of the Supernovas knew what to do next.
Fortunately, the Straw Hats hadn't abandoned them after the operation. Instead, it seemed they intended to keep leading them onward.
Naturally, the Supernovas clung tightly to this powerful lifeline.
And soon, they realized—
In a lifetime, just how lucky one was to find a leg worth holding onto.
...
...
"Apoo, these three Devil Fruits are yours."
Bang!
At Red's signal, Usopp suddenly pulled out a wooden chest and slammed it onto the ground.
The mechanism clicked open, revealing three Devil Fruits with bizarre patterns.
Red rested one hand on the chest and smiled at Apoo, whose face was a mix of anxiety and excitement.
"You did participate actively in this operation, but your ability didn't contribute much overall…"
"So you'll receive one Superhuman-Type fruit and two standard Zoan-Type fruits. Any objections?"
"No—none at all!!!"
Apoo nodded furiously, drool nearly spilling from his mouth as he stared at the fruits, afraid they'd be taken back if he hesitated even a second.
Red wasn't wrong.
By the later stages of the operation, Apoo's contribution hadn't even matched that of the freed slaves.
Receiving three Devil Fruits was already far beyond his expectations!
He was already a Devil Fruit user—but his crew wasn't.
With these fruits, his pirate crew's strength would rise another level.
Excitement flashed in Apoo's eyes.
Then—
Bang!!!
Another enormous chest crashed down in front of him.
This one was so massive that Usopp had simply tossed it onto the ground.
"Huh?!"
Before Apoo could process it, Red spoke again with a grin.
"Of course, three Devil Fruits alone wouldn't be enough for risking your lives in this operation."
"Here's one billion Beli in cash—your reward, along with those fruits."
Click.
Usopp popped the latch open with one hand.
Stacks upon stacks of cash, gleaming as if bathed in golden light, lay exposed before Apoo.
Staring at the fortune, Apoo swallowed silently.
"R-Red-sama… all of this is really for me?!"
He pointed at the Beli, then at himself, unable to believe it.
Money wasn't something he'd never seen.
Devil Fruits weren't something his crew couldn't afford.
But he'd never imagined Red would be this generous—handing out one billion Beli and three Devil Fruits as a reward.
Especially when he'd barely done anything.
Seeing Apoo's shock, Red smiled knowingly.
"Of course. Don't tell me you need me to repeat myself?"
"Still, since your contribution was limited, this is the smallest reward among the Supernova Alliance."
"I hope to see a more active performance from you next time."
Gulp!
Apoo swallowed hard.
One billion Beli plus three Devil Fruits—and that was the minimum reward.
If he made a real contribution next time…
Just how much would he receive?!
Straightening his posture, Apoo slammed a fist against his chest in a gesture of loyalty.
"Please rest assured, Red-sama!"
"In the next operation, I'll give one hundred and twenty percent of my strength and abilities for our alliance!"
"Everything—for the alliance!!!"
"Good. I look forward to it."
Red smiled gently, the benevolent gaze of a ruler.
Apoo immediately called over his crew, clutching the three Devil Fruits as they returned to the Supernova ranks in high spirits.
Just days ago, Apoo had been considering betraying the alliance to escape this dangerous plan.
Now, his loyalty to the Pirate Alliance was firmer than ever.
The other Supernova crews, witnessing it all, grew restless with excitement.
After all, if even Apoo—who'd contributed so little—received such rewards…
What awaited those who'd played key roles?
(End of Chapter)