Half a month after Ash erased the Holy Land Mary Geoise, the world began to settle into a new order.
Jinbe issued a public statement through the World Economic Journal, formally resigning from the Seven Warlords of the Sea and announcing his enlistment into the Marine.
During this same period, Sali and Wyper each led their forces in sweeping operations, crushing the last remnants of the World Government's power.
Enies Lobby fell under the control of the Provisional World Government, jointly established by the Marine under Sengoku and the Revolutionary Army led by Dragon.
The corrupt CP organization was completely purged. Meanwhile, those unjustly imprisoned within Impel Down were finally cleared of their charges.
As for the truly dangerous criminals held in the deepest levels of the underwater prison, figures such as Avalo Pizarro, known as the Evil King, and Catarina Devon, the Crescent Moon Hunter, were executed without hesitation by Sali.
Blackbeard Teach's ambitions were extinguished before they could ever fully take form.
At the same time, Wyper's subordinates, who were gathering poneglyphs throughout the New World, received new orders to track down Blackbeard Teach.
Among all the schemers in the Pirate World, Teach stood at the top. With the World Government already destroyed, there was no reason to allow such a dangerous figure to continue growing unchecked.
As for the collection of Devil Fruits, the Marine, the Revolutionary Army, and the Ryugu Kingdom all contributed to Ash's efforts.
Whether Blackbeard remained or not made little difference in the grand scheme, but eliminating him ensured fewer future complications.
Sali's ruthless efficiency in Impel Down did not go unnoticed. Her actions earned her two particularly fervent admirers.
Sadi, the Chief Warden, watched Sali cut through enemies with effortless precision, her gaze filled with barely concealed infatuation.
At the same time, Shiryu, the Head Jailer, stood nearby, visibly restless. He repeatedly ran his hand along the blade of his sword, his expression betraying his desire to slaughter prisoners himself. However, a single glance from Sali was enough to snap him back to reality, extinguishing his murderous intent.
With operations at Enies Lobby and Impel Down concluded, Sali and Wyper's campaigns secured a significant number of Devil Fruits for Ash.
Meanwhile, Ash himself remained far from idle.
In the half month following the alliance between the Marine and the Revolutionary Army, he systematically replaced every Devil Fruit within the Marine.
This included Sengoku's Human-Human Fruit, Model Daibutsu, Tsuru's Wash-Wash Fruit, and the three Admirals' Logia abilities, the Mag-Mag Fruit, Ice-Ice Fruit, and Glint-Glint Fruit.
Even abilities such as Smoker's Plume-Plume Fruit and Hina's Cage-Cage Fruit were not overlooked.
During this time, Ash also paid a visit to Gran Tesoro.
Tesoro, who had previously avoided him at all costs, came forward voluntarily this time.
The moment they met, Tesoro lowered his head in respect.
It was only when he tearfully expressed gratitude for the revenge taken on behalf of his deceased wife that Ash understood the reason behind his behavior.
The process of replacing Devil Fruits proceeded smoothly. In addition, Tesoro contributed seven Devil Fruits collected by Gran Tesoro, originally intended for auction.
This single visit allowed Ash to obtain ten Devil Fruits in total.
He was now closer than ever to completing his objective.
Unique Mission: Fruit Collection Quantity [447/500]
Half a month later, two more pieces of good news arrived in quick succession.
On the Dawn ship in the New World, after more than two weeks of coordinated effort supported by Sky Island, the crew successfully scoured all thirty-five islands that once formed Totto Land.
In addition to eliminating the remnants of the Big Mom Pirates, Nami completed detailed charts of the region. Unexpectedly, they also discovered four Cooking-type Devil Fruits.
The second piece of news came from the Ryugu Kingdom on Fish-Man Island.
Under the leadership of the three princes, who rotated command of search teams, they conducted a systematic sweep of the ocean floor. In just half a month, they recovered eleven Devil Fruits.
This was only from the latter half of Paradise.
If the first half of Paradise, the New World, and even the Four Seas were thoroughly searched, the total number of Devil Fruits that could be recovered was almost unimaginable.
These two developments pushed Ash's mission progress even further.
Unique Mission: Fruit Collection Quantity [462/500]
Beyond this, Neptune brought Ash an unexpected report.
About a week earlier, when Fukaboshi led a search team into the Florian Triangle, every single fishman present claimed to have seen a massive and terrifying figure within the dense fog.
Stories of monsters lurking within the Florian Triangle were nothing new.
However, this time, there was a crucial difference.
Every witness, including Prince Fukaboshi, heard the creature roar.
The sound carried a strange contradiction. It was filled with fury, yet laced with unmistakable fear.
This immediately captured Ash's interest.
The report reminded him of one of the greatest mysteries of the Pirate World, the enormous shadow hidden within the Florian Triangle, said to dwarf even Thriller Bark.
But what exactly was it?
A three-headed creature? A single entity with multiple heads? Or perhaps a colossal being with wings vast enough to resemble separate forms?
Recalling the winged transformation Imu had displayed, a faint smile formed on Ash's lips.
During the destruction of the Holy Land, neither Imu nor the Five Elders had mounted any meaningful resistance. Their end had felt almost anticlimactic.
Perhaps that story was not over yet.
Whether the entity in the Florian Triangle was connected to Imu or not, Ash decided to investigate personally.
After all, he had intended to uncover the secrets behind Imu's abilities from the beginning.
Now, the opportunity had presented itself.
Paradise, the Florian Triangle.
When Ash had previously searched for Thriller Bark and Brook, he had briefly ordered Youki to disperse the surrounding fog with powerful winds.
At the time, his attention had been focused elsewhere. Although the fog was easily scattered, it reformed with unnatural speed, as if deliberately concealing something.
Now, Ash chose to act himself.
The wind howled violently across the sea, far surpassing the force previously unleashed by Pini and Youki.
The fog tore apart, only to gather again.
But this time, Ash had already seen enough.
Beneath the ocean's surface, a colossal form moved.
His earlier assumptions were confirmed.
There was no three-headed monster.
There was only one immense entity, possessing a pair of massive wings.
Ash moved forward without hesitation, stopping before the towering phantom.
A faint smile lingered on his face as he studied its eyes, eyes that closely resembled those of Imu and Dracule Mihawk.
"Are you Imu?" he asked.
The creature responded with a thunderous roar, filled with both hostility and unease.
Ash's curiosity deepened.
"I'm interested," he continued. "What kind of Devil Fruit ability do you possess?"
He observed the creature carefully as he spoke.
"Wings like a demon, eyes like a hawk, the ability to grant immortality, and even the power to form contracts that alter a person's very will…"
"No matter how I look at it, this doesn't seem like the power of a single Devil Fruit."
His gaze sharpened.
"Are you like Rocks… or Marshall D. Teach? A being that wields multiple Devil Fruit abilities?"
The massive phantom did not answer. It only let out a low, menacing hiss.
Ash did not mind the silence.
Instead, he continued his analysis.
"Setting aside the wings and those eyes, the ability to forge contracts, reshape beliefs, and grant immortality…"
A thoughtful expression crossed his face.
"I can think of a mythological figure with abilities remarkably similar to these."
"And interestingly enough, that figure is loosely connected to the inspiration behind Nika."
===
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