Chapter 188: Successful Creation
Hearing Rayleigh's request, Rhodes suddenly understood and felt somewhat amused. He wasn't stingy by nature, so he casually retrieved a bottle of Rainbow Wine from his bag and tossed it over.
"How generous of you."
Rayleigh caught it deftly, then immediately uncorked it and took a deep swig without ceremony.
Rhodes couldn't help but smile at the sight.
This was only the second Great Swordsman he'd encountered in this world.
Unlike his former teacher Momousagi's sharp, cutting presence, Rayleigh emanated only a sense of profound tranquility—someone who'd seen through worldly affairs. He appeared as ordinary as any elderly man.
Judging purely by appearance, no one would believe this scruffy old drunk was the former vice-captain of the Roger Pirates. A legendary Great Swordsman who once cleaved an island in half with a single strike. Even now, over seventy years old, his strength remained at the absolute pinnacle—not inferior to the Marine Admirals.
"The aroma is rich and complex, the flavor remarkably pure. This Rainbow Wine surpasses even the bottles I once tasted at the Wine Capital itself. These must be aged at least several decades."
Rayleigh savored another sip and shook his head appreciatively.
"You spent 200 million berries on nine bottles? You absolutely robbed them blind."
"Based on what I know, production of Rainbow Wine was discontinued over a decade ago due to lack of essential raw materials."
"So these bottles of mine are essentially out of print?"
Rhodes was genuinely surprised. What an unexpected bonus—discontinued items often appreciated dramatically in value.
"That's correct."
Rayleigh nodded, then sighed wistfully. If I didn't know this kid, I'd definitely rob him right now. The rich helping the poor and all that...
Sensing the older man's half-serious thoughts, Rhodes's eye twitched. He suddenly realized that Rayleigh probably hadn't attended the auction to bid on anything—he'd gone to identify wealthy winners to potentially "relieve of their burdens." What a troublesome old man!
"Do you know anyone on Sabaody who possesses a box made of seastone?"
Rhodes asked, changing the subject.
A spatial-type Devil Fruit was extraordinarily rare, and the Shiro Shiro no Mi was perfect for creating storage equipment. Rhodes intended to execute every aspect of this project flawlessly.
"A seastone box? Who would use seastone to craft a box?"
Rayleigh looked momentarily baffled.
Seastone was extremely rare. Only Wano Country produced it, and the vast majority was monopolized by the World Government—used to construct warship hulls capable of safely traversing the Calm Belt.
Very little circulated on the black market, and what did was typically fashioned into seastone-tipped weapons or bullets specifically for countering Devil Fruit users.
"..."
Rhodes remained silent. The man had a valid point.
"There aren't any seastone boxes lying around, but there is someone on Sabaody who possesses seastone—in substantial quantities. If you acquire some, you could simply craft a box yourself."
Rayleigh took another drink, clearly enjoying the premium wine.
"I believe it's on Grove 67. Some World Government official—portly fellow, timid personality, incredibly greedy. Fearing that a Devil Fruit user might steal his ill-gotten treasures, he abused his authority to accumulate considerable seastone for security."
Rhodes blinked at this information. Why wouldn't I just take it from someone like that?
"Consider that bottle of wine payment for the information. I have something to retrieve."
With that, Rhodes turned and departed.
Watching the young man's retreating back, Rayleigh's lips curled into an amused smile.
"What a magnificent era we're entering! The youngest Warlord... and the Straw Hat boy who may inherit Roger's will! It seems the New World—no, the entire world—is about to undergo a dramatic transformation."
"In times like these, we old relics should step aside... but your boy can't be left out of it, can he, Roger? Hahahaha!"
Rayleigh laughed heartily, raising the bottle in salute to absent friends before taking another generous drink.
Meanwhile, Rhodes had already arrived at Grove 67.
Groves 60-69 housed Marine bases and World Government facilities, so security was heavily fortified. Marine patrols were constant, including officers of Rear Admiral rank and above.
Pirates wouldn't dare approach such areas—they'd be arrested on sight, much less attempt theft.
Of course, Rhodes was a special case.
Using his Doa Doa no Mi abilities, he easily phased through numerous security measures, alerting absolutely no one, and seamlessly infiltrated a hidden vault deep underground.
"Quite the haul! This official has been embezzling aggressively. But now it's all mine."
Without even bothering to close the vault door behind him, Rhodes began tossing seastone blocks into his dimensional space, along with stacks of cash and valuable treasures.
His efficiency was remarkable. Within minutes, he'd completely emptied the entire vault. The money he'd spent at the auction had been instantly recovered with substantial profit besides. One could only marvel at his talent for wealth acquisition.
"I wonder if that bastard will literally vomit blood when he discovers this."
With a final glance at the now-barren vault, Rhodes smiled faintly, closed the door carefully to avoid immediate detection, and departed without leaving a trace.
After leaving the vault, Rhodes didn't immediately exit the dimensional corridor. Instead, he began cutting and shaping the seastone on the spot, crafting a specialized container.
Cutting seastone would be extraordinarily difficult for an ordinary person, but Rhodes accomplished it effortlessly. With lightning power sharpening Spectre's already supreme edge, slicing through seastone felt like cutting through soft wood.
Within minutes, a brand new seastone box had been fashioned—seamless and perfectly sized.
"The final step requires seawater..."
Rhodes's eyes gleamed with anticipation. He first located a discreet hotel room to temporarily store the stolen treasures, then traveled through a spatial gate to the ocean surrounding Sabaody.
He slowly sank beneath the waves.
Summoning his Gate abilities, Rhodes created a smaller isolated dimensional space, then entered it along with the Shiro Shiro no Mi and the seastone box. Simultaneously, seawater flooded in relentlessly, quickly filling the pocket dimension completely.
Gazing at the Castle-Castle Fruit floating within the sealed box, Rhodes steeled his resolve and carefully inserted a specially prepared ring directly into the fruit's flesh.
A single instance of damage renders a Devil Fruit permanently inert. This meant that if the experiment failed, the Shiro Shiro no Mi would vanish entirely, not reappearing until someone eventually discovered it growing somewhere in the world—which could take years or decades.
The water within the isolated dimension remained perfectly still and silent. Rhodes held his breath, waiting patiently.
Gaining it would be fortunate; losing it would be fate.
Rhodes's composure remained relatively calm. Having already obtained the Doa Doa no Mi—which allowed him to effectively ignore the Grand Line's treacherous weather and spatial limitations—this storage equipment was merely icing on the cake. Useful, but not essential.
Within the triple barrier of the dimensional space, the seastone box, and the seawater itself—
The ring Rhodes had inserted into the fruit began vibrating, its oscillations growing progressively stronger. The vibrations, transmitted through the seastone container, created subtle currents in the surrounding water.
Seeing this reaction, Rhodes's eyes brightened considerably. He knew the experiment had succeeded!
Dr. Vegapunk's research notes had explained the telltale signs of successful fusion.
These vibrations indicated the Devil Fruit's power was successfully bonding with the object. When the oscillations ceased completely, a brand new Devil Fruit-infused item would emerge!
Rhodes possessed exceptional physical conditioning. Unless engaged in high-intensity combat, he could easily hold his breath for over an hour underwater.
Thirty minutes passed in focused observation.
The vibrations gradually subsided, growing weaker and weaker.
The moment they stopped completely, Rhodes eagerly retrieved the ring. It was now decorated with distinctive horizontal and vertical stripe patterns characteristic of the Shiro Shiro no Mi—the Castle-Castle Fruit's unique markings etched into the metal itself.
It actually worked!
Rhodes couldn't suppress a genuine sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.
He'd wanted to create this item for so long, and had finally succeeded.
Examining the ring carefully, Rhodes squeezed it experimentally. The ring didn't deform whatsoever—clearly, upon becoming a Devil Fruit object, the ring's material had undergone fundamental transformation, making it extraordinarily difficult to destroy.
"This way, I won't need to worry about it being damaged during intense battles."
Rhodes nodded with satisfaction and slipped it onto the ring finger of his left hand. Simultaneously, his powerful physique propelled him upward like a torpedo, rapidly exiting the dimensional space and breaking through the ocean's surface. He then opened an Air Door and returned directly to his hotel room, where he immediately took a refreshing shower.
Sitting on the bed afterward, Rhodes examined the ring on his finger with fascination. With a focused thought—
He sensed a unique dimensional space connected to the ring. Simultaneously, he felt a subtle drain on his stamina.
After considering this briefly, Rhodes understood the principle.
Using Devil Fruit abilities typically consumed physical energy. Even when transformed into Devil Fruit objects, this fundamental rule remained unchanged.
The ring functioned essentially as a wearable dimensional storage space—but accessing and manipulating it would gradually drain his stamina depending on usage intensity.
"Perfect. Now I can carry essential supplies, weapons, and treasures without any encumbrance."
Rhodes smiled with genuine satisfaction, already planning how to optimize this new capability.
The preparation phase was complete. Soon, the world would witness the beginning of a new era—and Rhodes intended to play a crucial role in shaping it.
(End of Chapter)