Of course, the battle's swift and successful conclusion was largely thanks to Nami's meticulous planning.
Her use of Cold-Air Bubbles to create a thick fog had been particularly crucial, obscuring Mr. 3's vision and allowing the Lucky Coin to strike its target with perfect accuracy. Now, Mr. 3 lay on the ground, his body charred black.
"Miss Nami, that was excellent work!"
Crocus emerged from the side, smiling at her.
"It seems our captain's worries were for nothing! Who said our navigator couldn't fight?" Crocus stroked his beard, his gaze shifting to a nearby building.
"Nami, you've been hiding a new fruit ability from us!"
The voice came from a nearby rooftop. With a whoosh of displaced air, Ryuuto landed beside Nami in an instant.
"Captain!" Nami called out happily.
"Your tactical coordination was impressive. You took down Mr. 3 faster than I expected." Ryuuto was holding a bag of apples, his face filled with genuine praise for Nami. "I was just thinking I'd have to step in if you couldn't handle him."
"Oh, it's mostly thanks to how powerful the fruit is!" Nami said, scratching the back of her head in embarrassment.
Ryuuto looked at the bashful Nami, acknowledging the hard work she had put in recently.
"Alright, it's time to clean up the battlefield."
With a final word to the two, Ryuuto grabbed the bag of apples with one hand and hoisted Mr. 3 with the other, heading toward Mr. 4 and the others. The defeated Baroque Works officers had already been tied up by the Royal Army and Koza, awaiting their fate.
Meanwhile, in a corner unnoticed by anyone, someone was already on a Transponder Snail, relaying the events that had transpired.
Ryuuto tossed Mr. 3 to the ground and looked at the captive Miss Merry Christmas and Miss Valentine. He now had access to three Paramecia-types: the Wax-Wax Fruit, the Mole-Mole Fruit, and the Kilo-Kilo Fruit. No, wait—there was also a dachshund-like creature tied up nearby. It was Lassoo, Mr. 4's partner, a gun that had eaten the Zoan-type Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Dachshund. It would spit out exploding baseballs to coordinate with Mr. 4's attacks—a weapon that had consumed a Devil Fruit.
"Ryuuto, we owe you our thanks!" Belo Betty said as she walked toward him.
The fighting was essentially over. With the empowering effects of the Pump-Pump Fruit gone, many of the rebel and royal soldiers had collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. The Devil Fruit had forcibly boosted their stamina and combat prowess, allowing them to fight fearlessly, but it had all been at the cost of their body's potential. Now that the battle was over, a profound exhaustion and weakness surged up from deep within them.
"Don't mention it, Betty. I made a promise to Dragon," Ryuuto said with a light laugh. "Besides, he already paid me."
"That's different. This is my personal thanks!" Belo Betty flashed a brilliant smile, extending her right arm to try and link it with his again.
Swoosh! Just as those mischievous hands were about to succeed, a slender arm shot out from nowhere and pulled Ryuuto away.
"Huh?" Belo Betty felt her hand grasp at empty air, her body lurching to the right and nearly causing her to stumble.
"Nami, what are you doing?" Ryuuto shot Nami an exasperated look. He was so close...
"I... I wanted to show you my Lucky Coin."
Nami hesitated for a moment before quickly coming up with an excuse. To prove her words, she produced the shimmering gold coin and held it up for Ryuuto to see.
"Have you been using this on me all along?" Ryuuto asked, looking at the suspiciously familiar coin with a doubtful expression.
"Ah... no, of course not!" Nami realized her slip-up and, with an awkward laugh, made the Lucky Coin vanish into thin air.
"Ryuuto, Nami, and old Crocus, thank you all! Without you, the people of Alabasta would still be living under Crocodile's insidious plot," Belo Betty interjected, speaking to the three of them with solemn sincerity.
"It was nothing!" the three of them replied, waving their hands dismissively.
Ryuuto then signaled to Belo Betty that he needed to deal with the captured Baroque Works officers.
Shing!
He drew Yukibashiri in a flash, dropping the bag of apples on the ground. Then, in an instant, he slashed at Mr. 3, Miss Merry Christmas, and Miss Valentine.
Several flashes of his blade were followed by sprays of crimson blood as three heads flew into the air. A moment later, Mr. 3, Miss Merry Christmas, and Miss Valentine were all decapitated.
"Old Crocus, what is the captain doing?" Nami asked, covering her eyes but peeking through her fingers.
"Hmm... I suppose he's testing the theory that when a Devil Fruit user dies, their fruit will reappear in a nearby piece of fruit," Crocus guessed, drawing on his own experience, though he wasn't entirely certain. There had always been rumors about Devil Fruits reincarnating in such a way.
"Is that so?" Nami said, her curiosity piqued. She had only known that Devil Fruits were incredibly valuable; she never imagined they could reappear like this.
As for Ryuuto, the moment he executed the three agents, his eyes were locked onto the bag of apples on the ground.
Then, amid a strange ripple of energy, one of the apples began to slowly twist and distort.
"Captain, look! Is it turning into a Devil Fruit?" Nami exclaimed, watching the scene in amazement.
"Hm?" Crocus was equally stunned.
"It can do that?" Belo Betty watched from the side, completely astonished.
The apple continued to warp, growing larger as swirling patterns spread across its surface.
Voom! Finally, a white, cloud-shaped fruit covered in spiral patterns materialized.
"It actually worked!"
Ryuuto picked up the Devil Fruit and examined it from every angle.
"So, which fruit is this one?"
He glanced at the trembling Lassoo nearby. The dog-gun was too useless to bother with, so he had spared it. That meant this new fruit had to be one of three: the Wax-Wax Fruit, the Mole-Mole Fruit, or the Kilo-Kilo Fruit. Given the common belief that a Devil Fruit's shape often hinted at its ability, Ryuuto guessed this one was most likely the Kilo-Kilo Fruit.
"Captain, which Devil Fruit is it?" Nami asked, mimicking Ryuuto by studying the cloud-like fruit.
At her question, Crocus and Belo Betty also turned their gazes to Ryuuto, waiting curiously for his answer.
"It's most likely the Kilo-Kilo Fruit," Ryuuto replied, sharing his reasoning with the others.
"I see!" The three of them nodded in agreement.
After stowing away the new Devil Fruit, Ryuuto left the remaining prisoners to the Royal Army. The four of them then began to make their way toward the royal palace.