The Life Fruit had first appeared as a mutation on the Devil Fruit tree, a grotesque giant compared to its peers, five or six times larger at least. That aberration caught the Five Elders' eyes at once, and they staged a war for the ages to seize it.
Ordinary Devil Fruits can only be consumed by one person. Share them and they do nothing. The mutated Life Fruit was different. Its swollen flesh let five people split it, and each gained undying life. Worse, their bodies twisted in ways beyond human.
There was no other word for it.
Monstrous.
Their first true trial of that power came eight hundred years later. That day they would never forget.
At the brink of ruin, under a destruction so vast it stripped away all hope, the Five Elders learned what dying really felt like. Revival did not soften the memory. Ten days on, the shadow of that death still clung to them. The pain, the helplessness, the way the world went black like a chest full of arrows. None of them wished to taste it again.
"F Five Elders," Steel Bone Kong said, shaken, standing before them and groping for words.
A curt nod from the five. They cast a cool, superior gaze over the assembled marines.
"Steel Bone Kong," said the bald Elder, voice like a decree, "you will rebuild the Holy Land on top of the meteor within five days. During that time, the five of us will remain at Marineford."
"Five days, sir? That is too rushed."
"Rushed?" The Elder's eyes narrowed. "Five days is generous. Are you marines so useless you cannot rebuild?"
"N no, sir." Kong's face went dark. He took the rebuke without a flicker of temper.
"Then stop talking," said the sword-bearing Elder. "In five days I want the World Government standing. I want Mary Geoise back."
"Yes, sir." Kong bowed his head. It would be a vast project and a brutal one.
"And the Celestial Dragons…" Kong ventured, the rest implied.
"Do not waste time searching for them. They are safe," the bald Elder said. "You will rebuild the World Government. That is all."
There was no room to argue. Not before the supreme rulers of the world.
Most marines still had not recovered from the sight of the Elders' return. Orders given, the five nodded once more and vanished in a blur, angling for Marineford.
They left behind the fleets of Headquarters and its branches, and a stunned stillness.
"Were those really the Five Elders?"
"They are alive. How?"
"I saw them crushed with my own eyes."
"To live through that… how strong are they?"
"Who is stronger, Ryuyun or the Five Elders?"
"Looks even to me."
Even Garp found himself muttering with the rest.
"What are you standing around for?" Kong's bark cracked like a whip. "You heard the order. Rebuild the World Government. Rebuild Mary Geoise. Justice does not bow to evil. Once the Government stands again, every marine will hunt Ryuyun with full force."
"Yes, sir."
The reconstruction began at once. Five days to raise a capital from rubble was madness, so even the fleet admiral, Garp, and the other great names took the field, directing and lifting with their own hands.
Ten thousand meters down, on Fishman Island.
Rakuya stowed Hidan in his system space for the moment, then turned to Neptune. "You can go."
"As you command." The king withdrew.
When the hall had emptied, Rakuya blurred and melted into water. A breath later he surfaced at the Sabaody Archipelago. With Hidan secured in his system, he could carry him along. He released the man and said, "From now on you hunt Devil Fruits. You are a cadre of the Ryuyun Pirates. Learn this world's map, notes, and fruit guide. Then wander. Do not come back without ten fruits."
"Yes, master," Hidan replied.
Orders given, Rakuya dissolved again. Lights dotted the map in his mind.
Where next? Right. Steel Bone Kong still owes me eight billion berries. Time to drop by Marineford. With the Government blown to bits, the old bastard should be free.
He laughed, found Marineford on his mental chart, and fixed on a half full teacup in a high office as his anchor.
Whoosh.
Five hours later, the Five Elders appeared in a Marineford office and took their seats. For once, all five wore the same grave look.
"What now?"
"Ryuyun is a monster. Even together we could not match him."
"The worst of it is that he lurks in the dark while we stand in the light. That alone costs us dearly," the bald Elder said, voice low.
"First there was Rakuya and his mysterious family. Now another upstart, Ryuyun. Where do these monsters keep coming from?" The swordsman stropped his blade, tone flat.
"Could the two be connected?"
"In style, yes. In energy, Ryuyun feels stronger."
"Give it to CP0," another Elder said. "Dig up every inch of earth if you must. I do not believe a ghost cannot be found."
"For now we are safe. We cannot die. Even if Ryuyun strikes from the shadows, we will revive," an Elder murmured. "But there is one thing that worries me…"
He broke off and stared into the distance, the weight in his eyes heavier than his words.
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