Chapter 6: Celestial Tribute? The Slice-Slice Fruit!
It didn't take much effort for Roy to find his way into the G-51 Headquarters.
And as he arrived at the office with the nameplate 'Branch Commander - Captain Astor'...
The enhanced hearing provided by the Snow Hare Fruit allowed him to hear the voices inside the office.
"Captain, we've really troubled you this time!"
"Steward Mantal, what are you saying! Our G-51 Branch has always been well taken care of by your kingdom. It's our duty to help you solve your problems!"
"That's different! The kingdom's patronage is His Majesty's will. I am thanking you on my own behalf. After all, the payment for this cargo is part of the 'Celestial Tribute' for the World Government..."
"So I've heard. You sold a lot of 'good cargo' in Sabaody this time, and even obtained a precious Devil Fruit?"
"Indeed! So, for you to help us catch that pirate, and even let us store our treasure in your branch... and you'll be escorting us in a few days... this is a massive favor. You must accept this!"
"Oh, my! I couldn't possibly... This is too much..."
Roy: "..."
Can you at least try to keep your voices down when you're taking a bribe?
In broad daylight... So shameless!
But, without a doubt, the content of their conversation caught Roy's attention.
"A part of the Celestial Tribute, and... a Devil Fruit?"
Muttering to himself, Roy pushed open the office door.
And then, as expected, he saw a portly man in rich clothes stuffing what was clearly an expensive jeweled ring into the pocket of the Marine in front of him.
The burly, muscle-bound Marine was making a big show of refusing, but it looked like he was about to "lose the battle" and "be forced" to accept it.
But Roy's entrance clearly interrupted this little play.
"Who are you!?"
The G-51 Branch Commander, Captain Astor, immediately looked at Roy with suspicion.
"Captain Roy Amos, Marine Headquarters Detention Unit. I'm here on official orders to take custody of the prisoner!"
Roy announced himself, his expression unchanging.
"The Detention Unit?" Captain Astor quickly straightened up. "I am Captain Astor. This is the victim of the attacked merchant ship, Steward Mantal of the Nice-Mayer Kingdom!"
As he introduced him, the portly man also smiled and nodded at Roy.
"Captain Roy, I'm sure you've heard... I am personally hosting a banquet at the branch tonight. Perhaps you'd be willing to grace us with your presence..."
He said this, but Roy didn't even glance at him. He ignored the Steward completely and looked at Captain Astor. "Captain, I am here for the prisoner transfer. My time is tight. Please lead the way."
"..."
Both Captain Astor and Steward Mantal frowned at Roy's obviously cold and dismissive attitude, clearly displeased.
After a moment, Captain Astor nodded coldly. "If Captain Roy is in such a hurry... then let's go."
He snorted, then led Roy to the branch's prison.
Inside the prison, Roy successfully met the 'pirate' who had threatened the Nice-Mayer ship.
He was a young man, covered in blood.
He looked to be less than twenty, and was extremely thin. His limbs and torso were wrapped in bandages. He was in a miserable state, and had clearly been brutally tortured.
But as Roy and Captain Astor entered the cell block, his eyes were still sharp. He gritted his teeth and said nothing.
"This is the one," Captain Astor said, glancing at him. "We've already run a check. No bounty on him. He's probably just some rookie pirate from a backwater island. But he's got a tough mouth. Refuses to give his name."
"Pathetically weak, too. No idea where he got the guts to try and rob a World Government member's ship."
He spat, his voice full of contempt.
In this world, there was no such thing as a household registration system or IDs. Aside from a few major, prosperous nations, the common people on most islands were essentially 'off the grid.'
So identifying pirates was always a problem. Unless they were a big-name pirate who had already made a name for themselves, no one bothered to investigate the origins of common small-fry.
But it was obvious Captain Astor didn't care about any of that.
"The transfer papers are all filed. You can take him whenever you're ready."
After saying this, he shot Roy one last glare and turned to leave.
As he walked away, Roy's enhanced hearing faintly caught Astor's muttering... "stuck-up," "hard-headed punk," "just a damn Captain," "Detention Unit..."
But Roy no longer had any attention to spare for Captain Astor's complaints.
Right now, he was staring intently at the young prisoner in the cell, a flash of intense surprise and joy in his eyes.
He suppressed it and turned to the guard at the cell door. "Let's process the transfer. Immediately."
Not long after, Roy was escorting the young pirate, who still refused to give his name, back to his warship.
"Hans, Fal! Notify HQ that we have the prisoner and are heading back. And as per procedure... I'll take the first watch on this one."
Roy gave his orders, then led the prisoner into the ship's temporary brig alone.
He sat down on the familiar sofa and placed the hourglass on the table.
He just watched the young man in the cell, not saying a word.
"..."
The intense stare made the young man's skin crawl.
"What are you looking at?"
He growled, like a cornered, wounded animal.
But he didn't expect that Roy, unlike the other Marines, wouldn't beat him. Instead, Roy... smiled.
"What's your relationship with the slaves on that merchant ship?"
Roy's first words made the young man's entire body tremble.
"Wh-what are you talking about? I don't understand!" he stammered, after a moment's pause.
Roy didn't seem to care about his answer. He just continued, "Let me piece this together."
"You sent an advance warning letter to make them afraid, forcing them to dock at the G-51 Branch?"
"Then, you 'got caught' trying to infiltrate, which naturally made them lower their guard. And they did. Tonight's banquet is the proof."
"The ship's treasure has already been moved into the branch, so no one would ever suspect your real target was the 'worthless,' 'leftover' slaves still in the ship's hold."
As Roy spoke, he saw the young man begin to shake violently.
"You... You're spouting nonsense..."
He still tried to deny it, but his voice was already cracking.
He was in a state of absolute shock.
He didn't understand.
How could this Marine know his entire plan? He didn't understand where he had been exposed.
"I... I'm locked up in here! How could I possibly go rescue any slaves? Marine! Kill me or torture me, do whatever you want! Stop saying things I don't understand!" he was almost babbling.
But hearing this, the smile on Roy's face only grew wider.
"Yes, you're right. You are in here. You were transferred onto my warship in full view of everyone. No one will suspect you in the slightest."
"That's the most brilliant, and most useful, part of the plan."
Roy said this, his gaze still locked on the young pirate.
But in Roy's eyes, the transparent screen was silently explaining the truth.
[Devil Fruit User 'Alan (Slice-Clone)' discovered]
[Confirmed Devil Fruit: 'Paramecia-type, Slice-Slice Fruit'. Analyzing and saving to 'Fruit Encyclopedia']
[Fruit Ability: Can create a 'Slice-Clone' that is completely identical to the user's current state. The clone cannot be sliced again.]
[Note: The Slice-Clone and the main body share consciousness and memories. If a clone is destroyed, it cannot be recovered, and the main body will receive a certain amount of damage.]
[The main body can re-absorb the clone or refresh its state through physical contact.]
[If the main body dies, all clones will disappear.]
[Effects by Level]
[LV1: Gain faint fruit effect, can create one (1) Slice-Clone]
[LV2: Gain partial fruit effect, can create three (3) Slice-Clones. Requires 500 Million Berries for Unlock]
[LV3: Gain full fruit effect, can create seven (7) Slice-Clones. Requires 3 Billion Berries for Unlock]
[LV4: Fruit Deep-Dive Development. Can create twelve (12) Slice-Clones. The main body can swap places with any clone at will. Can recall and re-summon clones regardless of distance. Requires 6 Billion Berries for Unlock]
[LV5: Fruit Awakening · Endless Slice. In addition to the twelve base clones, can create an unlimited number of weakened Slice-Clones, but each one possesses only a fraction of the main body's power. Requires 12 Billion Berries for Unlock]
[Analysis Progress: 21%]