In the temporary Fleet Admiral's office, Sengoku looked at the non-commissioned officer in front of him and spoke in a deep voice.
"How's it going?"
"Report to Fleet Admiral Sengoku, there is no trace of their main pirate ships yet," the officer replied.
"We've only found a lot of their subordinate crew members. They all seem to be searching for something, and they were all operating very close to the original Marineford."
Sengoku frowned.
"What are they looking for? And can't you follow these members back to their base?" he asked with a glimmer of hope.
If they could find the pirates' new base, they could use the Nuclear Bomb to deliver a devastating blow.
"No, sir. The places where they scattered and left were all different. We tried to follow them, but lost them for no reason. There's no way to follow the trail back to their main base."
Sengoku nodded helplessly.
"Okay, I see. You may step back."
As the officer left, Sengoku turned and looked out the window, his brows furrowed with worry.
However, at that moment, another officer stepped forward quickly.
"Report to Fleet Admiral Sengoku! We have the latest information! The Red Hair and Whitebeard Pirates are hunting Devil Fruit users all over the sea! Not just pirates, but ordinary people and even some of our own off-duty Marines have been murdered!"
"NANI?!" Sengoku was furious when he heard this.
"Is this their revenge?! Red-Hair... Whitebeard... But why would they specifically target Devil Fruit users? Could it be..." At that moment, Sengoku seemed to understand something.
"They want to obtain their Devil Fruit abilities? They don't have the technology for a third fruit, so they're just seizing other people's powers?" The next moment, his expression suddenly changed.
"No wonder! No wonder they developed their dual-fruit abilities faster than Leon could develop the third fruit! So that's how it was!"
Almost instantly, Sengoku figured it out.
"Hunting Devil Fruit users..." His eyes flickering, he hurriedly issued an order.
"Pass my command! Because the major pirate groups are slaughtering Devil Fruit users, the Marines are now willing to be their shield! Any ability user who is willing, please go to the nearest Marine branch immediately! Headquarters will send someone to bring them back to our new base for protection!"
....
This order was immediately spread to the whole world, and for a time, many Devil Fruit users flocked to the Marines for safety.
Most of them were civilians, but a few were pirates who were now facing the danger of being hunted themselves.
Immediately, the two great pirate camps, now deprived of easy hunting targets, were seething with anger.
However, their movements did not stop.
Instead, they turned to burning, killing, and looting, robbing all kinds of treasures and even kidnapping civilians.
For a time, the whole world was in chaos, and the people were living in dire straits.
"Well... if they won't let us hunt Devil Fruit users, then we won't hunt," Big Mom laughed ferociously.
"It's fine if we just collect wealth and make our own Devil Fruit users."
Up to now, the pirate scientists had been focused on developing the second Devil Fruit.
Reversely developing the first artificial Devil Fruit was a breeze for Queen, Caesar Clown, and Judge.
Their new plan was to use man-made Devil Fruits to turn their captured civilians into ability users, then kill them and strip their abilities.
The efficiency was much higher, as there was no need to search the whole world for targets.
Of course, the disadvantage was that it burned through money, which was why they were now looting so frantically.
On the other side, the Red Hair and Whitebeard alliance faced the same problem.
"Beckman, what do you say?" Shanks asked.
"It's simple," he replied. "Like them, we collect wealth. But we don't need to plunder people. We'll just use wild animals instead. One of our new subordinates has the ability of the Speak-Speak Fruit; he can translate for us. We'll let the animals eat the artificial Devil Fruits, and then we will pick and choose the appropriate abilities to take."
Hearing this, everyone agreed.
The Marines' move hadn't stopped them; instead, they had simply taken a different path.
Soon, both alliances had a steady stream of new Devil Fruit abilities.
The strength of their top powerhouses rose to an unimaginable level.
At the same time, the Marines were developing new Monster Cells for their own powerful fighters, while also working hard to make a new Nuclear Bomb and the third Devil Fruit.
It was a race against time.
****
At the same time, on a deserted island in the Grand Line.
There was a desolate atmosphere everywhere.
There was no trace of human beings, only overgrown weeds.
Suddenly, a foot covered in dirt stepped on the grass.
A tall and burly figure appeared.
On his head was a strange, tufted hairstyle.
If any of the strong people from the old era were here, they would have recognized him at the first sight.
It was the legendary captain of the Rocks Pirates—the Overlord, Rocks D. Xebec.
"Now... what year is it?" a hoarse voice came out of his mouth.
A pair of eyes full of confusion looked out at the sea, and then immediately seemed to remember something.
"Roger... Garp... The Marines... God Valley!" A venomous look flashed in his eyes.
"I, Rocks, have returned! And the whole world will tremble at my feet!"
With that, his entire being shot into the sky like a dazzling cannonball, turning into a streak of light and disappearing in an instant.
*****
On the Grand Line, aboard the Red Force.
"Captain!"
"Hm? Beckman, what is it?"
"According to the latest information, the Marines have developed a new Nuclear Bomb. We must continue to be careful, otherwise it would be extremely easy for them to discover and strike us."
"Understood," Shanks nodded solemnly. "Don't worry, I will inform all members immediately."
"Well... but there's another thing," Benn Beckman said, his tone serious.
"It's about our future development."
Shanks's expression turned serious as well.
"Go on."
Benn Beckman took a deep drag from his cigarette.
"Captain, you must have seen it too. The future of this world belongs to Devil Fruit users."
Hearing this, Shanks fell silent.
It was true.
In the past, they had truly believed that eating a Devil Fruit meant being cast aside by the
sea.Therefore, all their members had boycotted Devil Fruits, focusing instead on mastering Haki and physical combat.
The facts had proven that even without fruit abilities, they could reach the top.
But now, times had changed.
One Devil Fruit user might not be able to defeat them, but what about two? Three? Four?
The power of these superimposed abilities was enough to frighten anyone.
Originally, their own strength was on par with the other Emperors and Admirals.
But now, could they stand against the likes of Kaido or Big Mom?
Even Whitebeard, with only two fruit abilities, had been able to completely defeat them.
It was time for a change.
"I understand," Shanks said slowly. "Then tell everyone. From now on, the Red Hair Pirates will also start searching for Devil Fruits. I will ask Vegapunk to help us analyze any we find to ensure they are powerful. If a fruit is not powerful, it is better not to have one."
"Okay," Benn Beckman nodded.
With that casual conversation, the fate of the Red Hair Pirates was changed forever.
...
Soon, they found their first new Devil Fruit.
Through Dragon, they invited Vegapunk to analyze it, but the initial results were disappointing.
"This fruit is listed in Devil Fruit encyclopedia. Its name is the Glass-Glass Fruit."
"This one is also very ordinary. It is the Paper-Paper Fruit of the Paramecia type."
"This is a Zoan-type fruit. Although it is not in the encyclopedia, my analysis shows it to be an Ox-Ox Fruit, Model: Rhinoceros."
As Vegapunk went through one Devil Fruit after another, Shanks and the others on the side shook their heads.
"These fruits are obviously not good enough," Benn Beckman sighed deeply.
"Indeed," Vegapunk replied. "If you can't find a suitable one, you can only take the route of artificial Devil Fruits. In that case, although you can get a powerful ability, I cannot guarantee that it can be awakened."
"The point is, we can't find a good original Devil Fruit," Shanks said, a headache forming.
Just as he was about to say something, Lucky Roo rushed in, his face filled with ecstasy.
"Captain! Look! I found a new Devil Fruit! I don't think it has ever appeared in any of the encyclopedias!"
"Hm?" Immediately, everyone looked over.
The Devil Fruit seemed to be filled with an inner flame, and its stem looked like a bird's head looking up at the sky, with a long, red tail extending from under the fruit.
"Dr. Vegapunk, please analyze the ability of this Devil Fruit," Shanks requested.
"Gladly."
In full view of the crew, Vegapunk took a small sample of the fruit's pulp and placed it under a microscope, tinkering with a strange instrument.
After a long time, he suddenly exclaimed.
"What?! It's this Devil Fruit ability!"
"What is it?" Shanks and the others hurried forward, unable to wait to ask.
"Hahahaha! Shanks! You've found a real treasure this time!" Vegapunk was unspeakably excited.
"But you must be sure to give me some to research. With the original fruit, I am confident that I can reproduce the most perfect artificial Devil Fruit and recreate an identical ability for your crew!"
"Hahaha, no problem, Doctor! But can you tell me what the ability is?"
"Hahaha, I'm so happy I forgot to tell you!" Vegapunk grinned.
"This fruit is amazing! It is a Mythical Zoan, the Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Vermilion Bird! It is rumored to be a heaven-defying fruit that can rival Kaido's Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon. Although its physical enhancements may not be as strong as the Azure Dragon's, it has an extremely good magical skill: Rise from the Ashes! As long as you are in the presence of flames, even if you are killed, you can be reborn from the ashes!"
As soon as he said this, the faces of the red-haired crew were instantly filled with shock.
"There's... there's such a powerful Devil Fruit ability?!"
For a moment, everyone gasped.
Rebirth from the ashes... what did that even mean? It meant that a person could be resurrected infinitely after being killed.
Although there were condition, for a crew as strong as theirs, it was a mind-bogglingly powerful ability.
And even if its physical boost wasn't as great as the Azure Dragon's, it was still a Mythical Zoan.
Not to mention, the Vermilion Bird was a divine beast that controlled flames.
"Hahahaha! The gods have blessed the Red Hair Pirates!" Shanks suddenly looked up and laughed.
"Congratulations, Shanks! Take a quick bite and bring the rest to me for research. Don't worry, I will definitely reproduce another Vermilion Bird fruit for your crew!"
"Excellent!"
With that, Shanks bit into the crimson Devil Fruit.
The next moment, he was surrounded by flames, and his entire person instantly transformed into a sacred firebird, soaring into the sky.
-----------------------------
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