The Strongest Lunarian in One Piece

"Wuuu…"

"Damn Navy…"

"Why is this happening?"

"We never offended the World Government, did we?"

"You despicable, cruel invaders!!"

Even His Majesty the King and the royal family are all under guard!

A week later—

West Blue, God Valley.

Smoke and gunpowder filled the island's air. Large numbers of unarmed citizens were herded into one place, tightly guarded by thousands of armed, grim-faced Marines. From time to time, the Navy or CP agents would round up additional stragglers—remnants of the local troops, or civilians who'd been in hiding—and throw them in with the rest.

Along the shore, a fleet of warships surrounded the island on all sides, cutting off any escape by sea. In addition, transport ships continuously arrived, ferrying slaves or captured criminals in shackles and collars to this island.

"Hmph… So they plan to treat these people like 'game' to be hunted, do they?"

Having just arrived here, Kaido finished escorting a batch of criminals transferred from the deep-sea prison. He looked at several desperate figures—ones who tried to leap into the sea to escape, only to be caught by Marines, half-beaten to death, and thrown back into the detention area. Expressionless, he remarked:

"Seems this place is soon to become a living hell."

"Kaido, this is your first time being involved in something like this, I take it?"

Rear Admiral Prodi approached, arms folded, speaking in a low voice:

"Justice is never simple. Don't forget the Navy's stance and responsibilities… The Celestial Dragons' 'study-trip hunting event' is top-secret. Anything you're not supposed to see must be erased from memory, as if it never existed."

"Sure. That's exactly why the old geezer Kong had me transferred here, isn't it?"

Kaido hefted his spiked club, grinning.

He fully understood—this was the Navy's so-called "justice"? Obviously, the Admirals or generals on guard duty here had been carefully vetted by HQ. They wouldn't send idealistic types like Black Arm Zephyr or Iron Fist Garp, who might blow everything up in righteous fury, thus causing unwanted clashes and risks. Instead, they needed officers loyal to the World Government—obedient above all else.

"Glad you get it… Old geezer Kong, huh?"

Prodi nodded, then suddenly realized Kaido's remark, fixing him with a wide-eyed stare:

"You dare to speak so disrespectfully about the Fleet Admiral?"

"Tch, I had thought about whether I could someday become Fleet Admiral myself…"

Kaido seemed unfazed, a feral grin on his face:

"But just a few days ago, that cowardly old man Kong traded away multiple precious Devil Fruits to the Fallen Angel Pirates, bartering his lost twenty years of lifespan back. That's real 'aiding the enemy!' Besides, if he doesn't retire soon, that means I'll have to compete with Sengoku."

"..."

Prodi was speechless at Kaido's blatant ambition. Furrowing his brow, he said:

"You plan to compete with Sengoku for Fleet Admiral? Even Zephyr couldn't beat him… Maybe focus on becoming an Admiral first?"

Though Kaido undoubtedly had tremendous potential and might one day qualify for Admiral, attempting to challenge Sengoku—who was not only Kong's trusted protégé but also favored by the higher-ups—for the Fleet Admiral's seat was clearly a huge stretch.

"Heh, just watch. It won't be that long!"

Kaido, only twenty-one and in the prime of youth, spoke with brash confidence. He reckoned that once the World Government was toppled, they wouldn't exterminate all the millions of Marines—some would certainly be absorbed.

Now that Kong had regained twenty years of youth, Sengoku probably wouldn't become Fleet Admiral anytime soon. Meanwhile, Totto Land was growing rapidly, threatening the World Government's position more each day. So who could say if Sengoku would get that seat? But Kaido—Barosa Kaido—was different, partly taught by El-sama himself. The odds of him ending up as an actual Marine Fleet Admiral under the World Government might be slim, but the odds of becoming Fleet Admiral of Totto Land's future imperial navy? Certainly not impossible.

"Tch…"

…

At that moment, deep within God Valley—

Inside a hollowed-out mountain, a massive mirror was concealed. Within the mirror realm stood a young member of the Kukulkan family, Dal, lounging idly with one leg crossed over the other.

"Swish…"

A door suddenly appeared in the mirror realm, and out stepped a tall figure some two or three meters in height, horns protruding from his head.

"Uncle Uthan, have we got the info yet?" Dal asked the bull-headed man with a grin.

"Still a little time to go. As of now, the World Nobles are only just setting out. It'll be a few days before they arrive."

Looking older and bulkier, Uthan wore a form-fitting black combat suit that granted full invisibility—perfect for combining with his Door-Door Fruit. He said with a laugh,

"That goes for the chests containing the 'rewards,' too. They'll only be delivered once the nobles show up!"

"Heh, no problem. We already know exactly what the 'prizes' are!"

Barry, a Snake-Head tribesman with the Mirror-Mirror Fruit, snickered nearby:

"They came through from the Science Division not long ago," he said, gesturing to six wooden boxes. "These chests are identical to the ones used in prior Celestial Dragon hunts."

"Is all this fuss really necessary?"

Dal casually opened one chest, picking up a strange, golden-yellow fruit. He curled his lip dismissively:

"If we're just going to swipe the real fruit when they're not looking, why not leave them with an empty box? Sooner or later, they'll figure out the fruit is gone anyway, right?"

From the Devil Fruit encyclopedias he'd studied, Dal recognized the fruit's shape as identical to the Logia Glint-Glint Fruit. Although the fake might look genuine, once eaten, it wouldn't grant any real powers. That would be a dead giveaway something was amiss.

"Not exactly. This is no ordinary fruit…"

Barry smiled slyly.

"Ryan used the Swallow-Swallow Fruit to combine it with a man-made Devil Fruit, so it perfectly matches the external appearance recorded in the fruit encyclopedias. Only when someone actually eats it, they'll either wind up with a 'Smile Fruit' effect—losing all emotions except laughter—or else they'll become an artificial Devil Fruit user. And the chance of success is just one in ten."

"Oh? That's pretty interesting!"

Dal's eyes lit up, and he chuckled. He looked forward to seeing how those self-important, pompous Celestial Dragons would react after finally earning one of these prized Devil Fruits, joyously devouring them…only to be reduced to some freakish outcome—either forever grinning mindlessly or some other twisted result.

~~~

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