Chapter 1: Roy Amos, Just Your Average Marine Captain!
Sea Calendar, Year 1517.
Grand Line, on a certain stretch of sea.
Two Marine warships were anchored, their flags—a seagull clasping scales—flapping in the ocean breeze.
One of the warships bore the standard 'MARINE' insignia. It was a normal vessel.
The other warship, however, was also marked with 'DT-31'. This insignia represented a special logistics team within the Marines: the 'Detention Unit,' responsible for transporting captured criminals.
"Bounty: 47,000,000 Berries. 'The Gladiator' Antoria, custody transfer complete. The arresting vessel is T-14551, under the command of Headquarters' Major Gushil."
At this moment, Roy Amos spoke into the Recording Transponder Snail in his hand, his eyes fixed on the massive brute being escorted onto his ship.
After finishing the recording, he looked over to the Marine officer on the other warship. "Good work, Major Gushil."
"All for the sake of justice."
The Marine Major named Gushil grinned, then offered a piece of advice. "But I've got to warn you, Captain Roy—this guy is a real piece of work. You'd better make sure those Seastone Cuffs stay on him for the entire trip."
"I mean, I don't mind catching him again, but I'd hate to hear news that your ship was sunk by a prisoner out at sea... Hahahaha!"
He let out a boisterous laugh.
Hearing this, the Marines of the Detention Unit standing behind Roy scowled.
But Roy himself didn't seem to mind the teasing in the Major's tone. He just smiled and nodded. "Thanks for the warning."
With that, he turned and leaped back onto his own warship. "Set course! We're heading back to Marineford!"
"Yes, Captain Roy!"
His Marines saluted in unison, then scrambled to set the ship on its return course.
However...
"Seriously, what's that guy so proud of? I mean, Fal, aren't we all Marines? He gets lucky and catches one forty-million-Berry guy and he's this smug. Admiral Kuzan caught that 300-million-Berry pirate last time and he wasn't half as cocky!"
One of the Detention Unit officers couldn't help but mutter to his partner as they escorted the prisoner into the ship's specialized, temporary brig.
"Keep it down, Hans... It can't be helped. We're the Detention Unit, after all."
The Marine named Fal shook his head, resigned. It was clear this wasn't the first time they'd been treated this way.
The reason was simple—their Detention Unit was a special case in the Marines.
Their main duty was to transport criminals who had already been captured, and they typically didn't participate in frontline combat. However, upon safely delivering the prisoners, they were still allotted a portion of the corresponding military merit.
Because of this, in the eyes of many combat Marines, the Detention Unit was seen as a bunch of "slackers"—cowards who avoided the fight but still showed up to leech a share of the glory.
"What's wrong with the Detention Unit?"
Hans, the officer, got even more annoyed. "It's not like we don't face danger on these transport runs! Besides, the cut of the merit we get is never that much."
He angrily mimicked Major Gushil's tone: "'I don't mind catching him again, but you'd better be careful...' What a load of crap!"
But before he could continue his rant, a sharp voice cut him off. "Sergeant Hans!"
"Yes, Captain Roy!"
Hans snapped to attention, instinctively saluting the man who had appeared behind him.
The black-haired, blue-eyed captain was standing there, a faint, unreadable smile on his face.
"What have I told you before?" Roy asked.
"Less complaining, more working..." Hans mumbled, looking sheepish.
"I can't hear you!"
"Less complaining, more working! Sir!"
"Good! That's the spirit!"
Roy waved his hand dismissively. "Now get to the helm! And as per procedure, I'll take the first watch on the prisoner tonight!"
"Sir!"
Hans looked relieved, as if granted amnesty. He quickly shot Fal a look.
The two Marines hurried out of the temporary brig, but before leaving, Hans remembered to ask, "Sir, should we bring you something when dinner's ready?"
"Pizza and a cola, thanks," Roy replied with a wave. "And make sure the cola is ice-cold!"
"Yes, sir!"
The Marines left the hold.
Now, the only ones left were Roy and the massive 'Gladiator' Antoria, who was leaning against the bars of his cell, still wearing his Seastone Cuffs.
"Sounds like you and your men aren't very popular around here," Antoria chuckled, his voice a low rumble.
"You could say that."
Roy sat down on a sofa in the hold, casually pulling an hourglass from his coat and placing it on the table. The sand began to flow.
He turned his head to look at Antoria.
"Though I hear Fleet Admiral Sengoku is already considering... elevating the status of the Detention Unit. Hmm? What? You got something to say?"
He seemed perfectly fine with chatting with the prisoner.
"No, it's not about that!" Antoria said in a low voice. "It's because you're weak. If you were strong, no one would dare look down on you."
"Status, money, power... you need to have the strength to take them!"
He struggled, managing to sit up a little straighter. "If it weren't for these cuffs..."
His eyes darted to a huge slab of iron nearby—a massive object with a protrusion that looked like a handle. It was his weapon, confiscated along with him.
"With my 'Ironmaul'... one full-power blow would be enough to kill you and smash this cage to pieces," Antoria sneered.
But he noticed that Roy didn't seem to react to his 'provocation' at all.
"Oh, yeah. You're right. Totally."
Roy just nodded with a serious expression.
And then...
"But..."
His tone shifted. "Your full-power blow can only break this little cage? You're a 'muscle-man' who ate the Strong-Strong Fruit. That's it? Pathetic."
"...Huh?"
Antoria was completely stunned.
It took a long moment for him to process what Roy had just said. When he did, a visible rage burned in his eyes.
This Marine... this Roy... how dare he humiliate him like this?
"What did you just..."
But before Antoria's angry shout could leave his throat, the words died in his
throat. His eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
He was watching as Roy casually walked over and picked up the giant iron slab—the 'Ironmaul.'
That impossibly heavy block of iron, whose sheer weight alone could crush a small building, was now being lifted by Roy as if it were a balloon.
"Hmm... judging by the weight of the weapon you use, you can only multiply your muscle strength by about twenty times? Your development of your fruit ability is pretty weak, isn't it?"
Roy offered this sharp critique.
"You... you... you..."
Antoria was now sputtering, unable to form words. The scene before him felt like a nightmare.
"Wait..."
A moment later, he snapped back to reality.
"How... How did you know I ate the Strong-Strong Fruit?"
"Ah, about that..."
Roy casually set the massive iron weapon back down and returned to his seat.
"Let's just say I know a little something about Devil Fruits."
He spoke nonchalantly, his gaze shifting to the hourglass on the table.
The sand had already flowed about a third of the way down. Roy nodded, satisfied.
"Mm, perfect timing."
"Timing? What timing?"
Antoria was more confused than ever.
But in the next second, he saw Roy extend a hand toward him.
"It's nothing. Just... rest up."
The moment the words fell...
BAM!
Antoria felt a massive, unseen impact.
Then, his world went black.
His giant body slumped to the floor, unconscious.
Roy didn't even spare him a second glance.
He just lifted his eyes, looking at the empty air in front of him.
From his perspective, a transparent, glowing screen was floating there.
[Devil Fruit User 'Antoria' discovered]
[Confirmed Devil Fruit: 'Paramecia-type, Strong-Strong Fruit'. Analyzing and saving to 'Fruit Encyclopedia']
[Fruit Ability: Can strengthen and control one's own muscle intensity]
[Effects by Level]
[LV1: Gain faint fruit effect, strengthen muscle power by 2~5x]
[LV2: Gain partial fruit effect, greatly strengthen muscle power by 5~10x. Requires 60 Million / 20 Million Berries for Permanent / Temporary Unlock]
[LV3: Gain full fruit effect, massively strengthen muscle power by 20~40x. Requires 300 Million / 100 Million Berries for Permanent / Temporary Unlock]
[LV4: Fruit Deep-Dive Development. Can freely control muscles to form shields and blades, control specific muscles for hardening and high-speed regeneration. Max muscle strengthening up to 100x. Requires 1 Billion / 300 Million Berries for Permanent / Temporary Unlock]
[LV5: Fruit Awakening · Muscle Mastery. Can absorb life force from living beings within range to strengthen one's own muscles. Can control the muscle tissue of all living beings within the domain. Requires 6 Billion / 2 Billion Berries for Permanent / Temporary Unlock]
[Analysis Progress: 33%. Upon completion, will acquire LV1 of this fruit's ability.]
Roy's expression remained calm as he looked at the screen.
'The Gladiator' Antoria was, in his eyes, just a mediocre fruit user with no real potential.
But there was one thing he'd said that Roy truly agreed with.
And that was...
"Strength is everything. On this chaotic sea, you're never safe without power."
He glanced at the unconscious Antoria.
"The difference between you and me is perspective."
"I know just how vast and terrifying this sea is, which is why I choose to stay in the Detention Unit."
"You, on the other hand, know nothing. That's why you were spouting all that ignorant nonsense... Go to Impel Down and get a new education. The people there are... interesting, and they're such smooth talkers. You'll love it there."