Trebol stood to the side, with a grim expression.
"Doffy," he began, his tone laced with sarcasm, "since when did the Whitebeard Pirates employ their own secret researchers? Truly unbelievable."
"Hmph!" Doflamingo snorted coldly, a flash of fury in his eyes.
"Who they have is irrelevant. What matters is that they can create perfect Devil Fruits with no side effects!"
His words were filled with a jealousy.
This news was a massive blow to them, it meant the Whitebeard Pirates' strength would skyrocket, which was catastrophic for his own operations.
The garden fell into a heavy silence.
Seeing the tense atmosphere, Bellamy didn't dare utter a sound.
Doflamingo slowly rose from his chair while gripping the newspaper.
His eyes scanned every word, searching for any clue.
"The Ice-Ice Fruit... the Tremor-Tremor Fruit... the Mythical Phoenix..." he muttered, his voice a low growl.
Each of these abilities was world-class.
If they could be mass-produced, it would render his entire SMILE Fruit business utterly worthless.
"And most importantly," Doflamingo's voice was thick with disbelief, "they can make someone a dual-fruit user."
He slammed his fist on the arm of his chair. "If their Devil Fruits go into mass production, what's the point of my business with Kaido?! What does that make my 'SMILES'? A fucking joke!"
His brows furrowed deeply.
They had to find a solution immediately, or everything they had built would crumble.
Just then, his gaze fell on Bellamy who stood nearby, his eyes still gleaming with fanatical devotion.
Bellamy burned with a thirst for power and a boundless, naive admiration.
In that instant, an idea, brilliant and cruel, flashed through Doflamingo's mind.
His signature grin returned, predatory and sharp.
"Bellamy," he purred, his voice deep and magnetic, carrying an irresistible charm. "Would you be willing to work for me?"
*****
[ Jaya Island - Whitebeard Pirates' Base ]
The atmosphere inside the base was unusually heavy.
Whitebeard sat at the head of the room, his eyes gleaming with wisdom, watching as his commanders argued fervently over how to handle their new reality.
"Enough, you brats!"
Whitebeard's voice suddenly boomed like thunder, shaking the room and silencing the chaos.
"Kizaru's Glint-Glint Fruit is impressive," he mused. "Its speed is absolute. If we could harness that for escape, I doubt anyone in this world could catch us."
He paused, contemplating his words.
"Now, imagine that power combined with the force of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. An earthquake delivered at the speed of light. What kind of devastating attack would that be? Few could withstand it."
Everyone fell silent, stunned by their captain's grand vision.
The idea was insane, but coming from him, no one dared dismiss it.
"Pops," Marco said, frowning. "Kizaru's fruit is useful, but its combat applications are limited. It's a one-trick power."
"A fruit used solely for evasion isn't worth the effort," Ace agreed firmly, crossing his arms.
In his Phoenix Form, he was confident in his own resilience and disdained abilities that prioritized flight over fight.
Whitebeard fell silent, considering their words.
Just then, Jozu and Ron appeared at the entrance.
"Vice-Captain Ron is here!" Jozu announced.
The crowd quieted, all eyes turning toward Ron.
He walked straight up to Whitebeard.
"Captain," Ron began, "they're right. The Glint-Glint Fruit would add speed, but it wouldn't fundamentally change your power or fighting style."
Whitebeard nodded in agreement and was about to speak when Ron held up a hand.
"But I know of a fruit that would," Ron continued, a faint smile on his lips. "A fruit that won't just grant you unparalleled speed, but will also give you one of the greatest offensive powers in the world."
"What?" Whitebeard was clearly stunned. "There's a fruit like that?"
The other commanders leaned in, their expressions a mix of curiosity and disbelief.
Seeing their puzzled faces, Ron simply pointed to the sky.
"The Rumble-Rumble Fruit."
Upon hearing the name of the fruit, some of the crew exclaimed in surprise.
"The Rumble-Rumble Fruit? The ability to control lightning?"
"That's right," another explained. "An extremely rare and powerful Logia. They say its user isn't just a living lightning storm, but they're as fast and elusive as lightning itself."
"A Logia-type! But those are so rare—finding one is all about luck," a crewmate sighed.
"Idiot! If the Vice-Captain mentioned it, he must know where it is!" a seasoned old pirates interjected, smacking the other on the back of the head.
"Ron is the smartest man on this crew. He wouldn't bring it up if he wasn't certain!"
The others nodded in agreement, their skepticism instantly turning into excited anticipation.
A Logia like the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was a treasure any pirate would dream of.
When Marco heard the name, a thoughtful gleam appeared in his eyes.
If they could really find such a powerful fruit, it would be a massive boon for the crew—especially for Pops.
It was the ideal choice for him right now.
"Ron, I knew you'd have a plan," Ace said, looking at Ron with open admiration.
At the same time, Whitebeard was drawn into the conversation.
Though he was interested, he had never heard any news about that fruit's whereabouts.
"Ron, my son," he asked, his voice a low rumble of curiosity.
"Do you know where the Rumble-Rumble Fruit is?"
Ron smiled, a mysterious curve forming at his lips. "Of course I do. And captain... you've actually been there before."
"I have?" Whitebeard was astonished.
He racked his brain, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall such a place.
Seeing this, Ron sighed softly.
"That place is the Sky Island."
"Sky Island?" Whitebeard repeated, his brow furrowing slightly.
After a moment, he gazed towards the sky, as if the words had triggered a distant memory from him.
"Indeed, I did visit there once, long ago." Then he shook his head.
"But during my time there, I never met anyone with such an ability."
Ron's enigmatic smile only deepened.
Of course he wouldn't have, he thought. Enel arrived there much later and never left.
"The Rumble-Rumble Fruit user arrived on Skypiea after you left Pops, so you never had the chance to meet him," Ron explained.
He then began to recount the legend of the City of Gold on Jaya and the man who now ruled the land in the sky.
"His name is Enel. He proclaims himself a god and rules over all of Sky Island."
Ron's expression turned serious as he shifted topics.
"With the news about our abilities spreading, we've become the world's number one target. While we can handle any one faction, if they all unite against us, we'll be in a tough spot."
He paused, letting the weight of the situation settle before proposing a bold idea.
"I suggest we relocate our entire base to Sky Island. Its geography is the perfect defense. It would take the Marines a considerable amount of time and effort to even reach us, giving us ample opportunity to grow stronger and accumulate wealth. Once we have sufficient funds, every member of our crew could become a Tremor Fruit user! We could even cultivate more warriors with dual or even triple abilities!"
Ron's words resonated through the room with unshakable determination.
The crew, moved by his vision, roared their unanimous support.
Jozu was the first to step forward, thumping his chest with a laugh.
"A rookie who doesn't even know Haki dares to call himself a god? Let me, teach him a lesson!"
With that, he began demonstrating his fist techniques.
Each punch carried a sonic boom, the power of his tremors skillfully concentrated around his fists, yet the impact surged exponentially.
Whitebeard watched Jozu's performance and nodded in satisfaction.
A deep, rumbling laugh shook the room.
"Gurararara, Jozu, you've made great progress! The potential of the Tremor Fruit is limitless—developing techniques that suit you is the true path to strength!"
Then, he turned to Ron, a wide grin spreading across his face.
"Ron, my son. As you suggested. We're heading to Sky Island!"
-----------------------------
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