Several days later.
"Jinbe, have you really decided to leave with us?!"
"This time, our enemy is Big Mom—one of the Four Emperors, on par with Whitebeard!"
At the entrance and exit of Fish-Man Island.
Under the watchful gazes of Neptune, Shirahoshi, and the three princes, the Going Merry, wrapped in a bubble coating, slowly sailed toward the outside of Fish-Man Island.
On the deck of the Going Merry, Luffy and the others looked at Jinbe with unconcealed delight. Carrying a massive bundle on his back, Jinbe had requested on the final day to board the Going Merry and travel with them to Whole Cake Island to attend Big Mom's tea party. Smiles spread across everyone's faces.
Facing Nami's reminder-laced questioning, Jinbe instead burst into a broad, relieved laugh.
"All of you, in the very prime of your youth, do not fear tyranny or powerful foes. This old man, already advanced in years—how could I possibly be afraid of such things?!"
"The Straw Hat Pirates have rendered Fish-Man Island an immeasurable kindness. How could this old man simply turn a blind eye to that?"
"And besides…" Jinbe continued, his eyes narrowing with mirth, "Sir Red once bestowed upon this old man a great gift. I've been worrying all along about not having the chance to repay that favor!"
"Hahaha, Jinbe, if you put it that way, then just accompanying us on this trip won't be nearly enough to repay all that sentiment," Red immediately joked upon hearing Jinbe's reason for boarding.
In truth, Red had been worrying about how to create the right opportunity to bring Jinbe into the Straw Hat crew. Big Mom Pirates' provocation—while certainly irritating—might not actually be a bad thing.
More than two months ago, Red had already brought Jinbe into the Pokémon world and granted him the unique power of Pokémon.
And just as Red had expected, Jinbe proved his worth with hard data, displaying the presence befitting a veteran powerhouse.
[Pokémon: Jinbe][Level: 72][Gender: Male][Nature: Gentle (+Sp. Def, -Attack)][Type: Water / Fighting][Ability: Storm Drain (Possesses a certain degree of water manipulation and slightly increases attacks or moves related to water or the Water type.)][Moves: Hydro Pump, Splishy Splash, Rolling Surf, Surging Strikes][EXP: 0 / 12615][Total Stats: 1248]
That was Jinbe's full status panel as detected by the system.
Judging by age alone, being only Level 72 with total stats of 1248 clearly showed that Jinbe's talent was not particularly outstanding among the Straw Hat Pirates.
But his strength was undeniably real and immediately usable—requiring no cultivation from Red whatsoever.
Red had merely loaded a few Water-type moves onto him, and Jinbe's overall combat power had already increased by several tens of percent.
More importantly…
Jinbe's identity as a fish-man allowed him to possess strength in the sea no weaker than Laboon's, while avoiding the mobility issues caused by massive size.
It could be said that if one spoke purely of underwater combat ability, Jinbe could confidently claim second place—and in the entire pirate world, there were very few who dared claim first!
Even monsters like Kaido or Whitebeard, men bearing the title of "World's Strongest," would be at Jinbe's mercy once they fell into the sea!
Thus, even with the Straw Hat Pirates as strong as they were now, Jinbe's joining was absolutely critical—perfectly patching yet another weakness in their crew.
Countless thoughts flashed through Red's mind.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates also expressed heartfelt admiration for Jinbe's righteous decision.
After a brief farewell with Neptune and the others, a dazzling bolt of lightning suddenly flashed within the exhaust pipe at the stern of the Going Merry.
The next instant, a roaring blast of air erupted, propelling the Going Merry straight through Fish-Man Island's exit and into the open sea.
Following closely behind the Going Merry were thirty medium-sized warships of uniform specifications, all flying the flag of the Straw Hat Pirates.
Seeing the Going Merry suddenly accelerate, those warships were not to be outdone.
Though far inferior in presence, they too released massive bursts of exhaust from their sterns and surged forward at high speed.
From this sight alone, it was easy to guess…
Every single one of these warships was Franky's handiwork.
As for the materials—naturally, they came from the shattered vessels of the "Ship Graveyard."
Though these ships were all failures of deep-sea navigation, that didn't mean their construction materials were inferior.
Many had drifted here after their crews perished in the depths, and some could even be seen with interiors completely intact, suffering only minor external abrasions.
Guarding such a treasure trove of shipbuilding materials, if given enough time, Franky could easily build not just thirty warships—but three hundred.
At present, each of these thirty standardized warships carried over a hundred members of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, each commanded by a squad leader.
Before departing Fish-Man Island, Red had deliberately gathered the entire Straw Hat Grand Fleet—trained for three months—and, based on strength and ability, selected three division commanders, six vice commanders, and thirty squad leaders from among more than three thousand members.
He then divided the Straw Hat Grand Fleet into three major divisions, each led by a division commander.
Each division was further assigned two vice commanders and a varying number of squad leaders.
And among these thirty-nine officers, every single one had now become a Devil Fruit user!
The three division commanders, in particular, were each granted powerful Mythical Zoan Devil Fruits obtained from Saint Saturn's experimental levels.
They were:
Zoan-Type, Mythical Zoan · Human-Human Fruit, Model: Snow Maiden;Zoan-Type, Mythical Zoan · Horse-Horse Fruit, Model: Unicorn;Zoan-Type, Mythical Zoan · Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Tengu.
The Snow Maiden Fruit user—and First Division Commander—was a female swordsman named Yukishiro Setsuna.
It was hard to imagine…
That the strongest among these three thousand-plus people would be a gentle-looking woman in her thirties.
According to Yukishiro Setsuna herself, ten years ago she had once been a famous Super Rookie in the first half of the Grand Line.
But blinded by that fame, she underestimated the world's true monsters.
After entering the New World, she was swiftly attacked by a powerful New World pirate, captured, passed through several hands, sold as a slave at an auction house, and eventually taken to Mary Geoise.
She remained a slave for ten entire years!!!
No one knew what she endured during that decade, but once, while drunk at a banquet, Yukishiro Setsuna revealed…
That during those ten years, like so many others, she had countless times contemplated ending it all.
In the end, it was her unyielding spirit that carried her through—and allowed her to see the dawn.
Now, not only had she obtained a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit and Pokémon power, but upon being appointed division commander, she also received from Red a Great Grade Meito of the Twenty-One—Shusui!!!
This famed blade, once abandoned by Zoro, now continued to shine for the Straw Hat Pirates in another way.
With this series of resources, while it wasn't enough to let Yukishiro Setsuna instantly soar to the pinnacle of power…
She now possessed more than enough qualifications to challenge the summit of the world!
Despite consuming the Snow Maiden Fruit, a flame named revenge burned eternally within her heart!!!
This flame was also her driving force, pushing her to train almost desperately over the past three months.
With her already impressive talent, she had successfully mastered the flexible combat use of Tempest Kick, Paper Arts, and Shave.
Because of this overwhelming potential, Red placed great expectations on her—not only granting her the authority of First Division Commander, but also transferring all the most talented individuals among these three thousand avengers into the First Division.
Red firmly believed that given time, this force would bring earth-shattering surprises to the world.
The other two division commanders had experiences strikingly similar to Yukishiro Setsuna.
The Second Division Commander, Banaji, had consumed the Mythical Zoan Unicorn Fruit.
He looked like a young boy, yet his body—like Franky's—was nearly filled with various metal components.
According to Banaji, he had been sold to the Celestial Dragons by traffickers at a very young age and became an experimental subject in one of Saint Saturn's projects.
That experiment required its subjects to possess a certain level of physical fitness, so under the Celestial Dragons' coercion, he endured years of brutal training and drug injections.
In the end, however, the experiment still failed.
Perhaps by sheer luck, Banaji survived in the experimental pod despite losing more than half his body.
But his body had been overtaken by metal, permanently frozen in that state—a complete cyborg.
With the project terminated due to failure, Banaji, having lost all value, was thrown from Pangaea Castle down to the lower castle regions, where he joined countless slaves operating the underground conveyor systems.
Fortunately, as one of the world's apparent rulers, even Saint Saturn used top-tier materials in experiments destined to fail.
Relying on this metal body, Banaji endured years in the underground world without seeing daylight, watching countless companions fall along that endless road of despair.
And then—like a savior descending from the heavens—the Straw Hat Pirates arrived at Mary Geoise and accomplished an unprecedented feat!
Having been trampled and used as a slave, Banaji naturally refused to spare the Celestial Dragons and World Government that had toyed with his fate.
Driven by the flames of revenge, he boldly sought out Franky of the Straw Hat Pirates at the very beginning, asking him to help modify his body.
He had seen Franky fight during the raid on Mary Geoise and knew at once—they were kindred spirits.
Franky, of course, didn't refuse.
After learning of Banaji's experiences, Franky even wept openly and took him in as his chief disciple, personally overseeing his modifications.
The one who studied mechanical principles daily alongside little Chopper was none other than Banaji!
Banaji's promotion to Second Division Commander admittedly involved a bit of opportunism.
After all, the majority of his power came from Franky's craftsmanship.
But merit should not avoid kinship.
Since Banaji had defeated everyone else to become the Straw Hat Grand Fleet's second-strongest, Red naturally had no reason to change the rules.
Moreover, given his relationship with Franky, Banaji could even be considered the one closest to the Straw Hat crew among the Grand Fleet.
The Unicorn Fruit also successfully granted Banaji the power to manipulate light and astonishing movement speed.
Upon transforming, his metal components transformed with him, turning him into a mechanical unicorn warrior!
Accordingly, the Second Division under his command consisted mostly of fighters specializing in long-range attacks or extreme mobility—perfectly matching their commander.
As for the Third Division Commander—Gratoni—his situation was even more peculiar.
Whether due to congenital reasons before becoming a slave, or acquired causes afterward…
In any case, despite his massive, nearly 2.8-meter-tall frame, Gratoni's mental state was… unusual.
To put it kindly, he was a bit slow.
To put it bluntly—
Low intelligence.
He wasn't completely stupid. He could manage basic daily conversations—certainly better than the rumored Edward Weevil, Whitebeard's "son."
But his brain seemed to have lost the habit of independent thinking, capable only of linear thought.
If you told him to do something, he would execute it meticulously.
But if you asked him to judge on his own, he would freeze in place until drool ran from the corner of his mouth.
If not for the sheer, cliff-like gap in strength between Gratoni and the fourth-strongest, Red would never have appointed him Third Division Commander.
Fortunately, the Third Division was filled with straightforward, headlong brutes whose fighting style was simple and decisive.
Such people not only wouldn't mind Gratoni's lack of intellect—they would instead sincerely worship him for his overwhelming strength.
And the Tengu Fruit Gratoni had eaten was perfectly suited to him!
The Tengu Fruit's greatest power allowed its user to continuously grow stronger through constant eating—a Devil Fruit ability that would make even Luffy drool with envy.
For a Tengu Fruit user, "eating" itself was a form of cultivation!
Beyond that, the Tengu Fruit also allowed its user to summon black flames to attack enemies.
These flames were not particularly hot, yet they rapidly devoured the enemy's body.
The areas burned were not left with scorch marks, but instead looked as though they had been torn apart by a wild beast!
The ability was undeniably domineering.
Of course, no matter how bizarre an ability was, it could still be restrained by powerful Haki.
Beyond the division commanders, the remaining six vice commanders were also each granted formidable Devil Fruits by Red.
The First Division's two vice commanders consumed the Paramecia Chill-Chill Fruit, capable of lowering body temperature, and the Logia Cloud-Cloud Fruit, allowing the body to turn into clouds.
In fact, Nami had almost eaten that Cloud-Cloud Fruit—it had been on her shortlist.
But the effects of the Disaster Fruit were simply too overbearing, granting direct summoning and control of natural disasters, far surpassing cloud-based combat.
Combined with Red's claim that Paramecia Fruits were easier to awaken than Logia…
Nami ultimately gave up the Cloud-Cloud Fruit.
The Second Division's vice commanders consumed the Paramecia Gear-Gear Fruit and Iron-Iron Fruit.
The former allowed the body to transform into gears or gear structures, amplifying combat power or movement speed by controlling rotation speed.
The Iron-Iron Fruit, meanwhile, was akin to a counterpart of the Gold-Gold Fruit, allowing control over iron for shaping and manipulation.
Though gold was far more valuable than iron by name…
In Red's view, the Iron-Iron Fruit was far superior!
After all, far more people carried iron than gold!!!
The Third Division's two vice commanders, both fierce by nature, were given the Zoan Ancient Bear Fruit and Ancient Giant Ape Fruit.
As the names suggested, these Zoan Fruits had no flashy abilities—simply allowing their users to transform into massive bears and apes, perfectly fitting their straightforward, manly combat style.
As for the remaining thirty squad leaders, Red had each of them consume various Devil Fruits, reducing the Straw Hat Pirates' stockpile to only a few extremely powerful abilities.
Those remaining powers would either become birth gifts for Usopp's future insects, or—once Red found a way to let objects eat Devil Fruits—be used to create convenient tools with special effects.
At this point…
The Straw Hat Grand Fleet of over three thousand members finally possessed a formal organizational structure.
To distinguish the future Straw Hat Grand Fleet from the Straw Hat Pirates in the eyes of outsiders, Red even gave them a resounding name—
The Avengers Alliance!!!
After all…
This was a powerful force composed entirely of revenge-driven warriors, united by hatred and retribution!
(End of Chapter)