Shira...
Why did that name sound familiar? There was something about it that tickled the edge of Marcus' memory.
He watched as Shira adjusted the blanket wrapped around her shoulders, her eyes staring back at him with that same cold expression.
An image flashed through his mind, a girl in flowing white robes, holding a pure white blade.
"Wait... Shirayuki?"
The tiniest smile appeared on Shira's previously expressionless face. It was like watching ice crack.
"Yes, Creator. That is what you gave me."
Sode no Shirayuki. The most beautiful manifested Zanpakuto from Bleach. Known for its ice-based abilities and the gorgeous spirit form it took.
"Shit..." he muttered, trying to wrap his head around this. How did I even... I don't remember giving her that. It just happened?
But thinking about it more, if Shira was somehow connected to Shirayuki, didn't that mean she was destined to become a swordswoman? After all, the whole identity was built around sword techniques.
He pulled out his diamond sword from his inventory. "Want to give this a try? See if you have any natural talent with it?"
Shira looked at the blade for a moment, then shook her head. "You should have another Devil Fruit. That's the one I want."
"What?!" Marcus pulled out the Shroom-Shroom Fruit. "You really want this one? Honestly, I think it's kind of weak compared to other fruits. I was planning to save it for someone who could really use it."
Shira's expression turned serious. "I need it."
Marcus didn't hesitate. He handed over the Devil Fruit without further questions. If she was that sure about it, who was he to argue?
She accepted the fruit and immediately bit into it. Her expression flickered for just a moment... yes, Devil Fruits tasted absolutely horrible.
But she kept eating. She chewed and swallowed every piece without complaint.
Marcus couldn't help but give her a thumbs up. "Damn. You actually ate the whole thing without flinching. That's impressive."
Having eaten a Devil Fruit himself, he knew exactly how disgusting they were. The taste was so bad he'd sworn off ever eating a second one under any circumstances. But Shira had consumed the entire thing like it was just slightly unpleasant medicine.
Shira simply wiped the corner of her mouth with her fingers. "This is the rule. I will follow it."
"The rule?"
"If you don't finish the Devil Fruit... you can't awaken its full power, correct?"
Marcus burst out laughing. "Just how much do you know?"
Shira tilted her head slightly.
He looked around the pool area, mentally tallying up the crew. The Straw Hat Pirates had grown significantly since they'd started this journey.
Men: Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, himself, Chopper, and now Goliath, seven people.
Women: Nami, Alvida, Kira, Vivi, Robin, and now Shira, six people.
And then there was Bon Kurei in his own category, one person.
Fourteen total members now.
In the original story, even by the time they fought Kaido in the New World, there had only been ten crew members. If things kept developing like this, Franky, Brook, and Jinbe would join later, bringing the total to seventeen.
For a pirate crew, that wasn't an insane number. But it was nearly double what the original Straw Hats had been at this point in the timeline.
Looks like I'll need to remodel the Going Merry again. It's getting pretty cramped in there.
But it wasn't that big a deal. Their Merry was already significantly larger than the tiny ship from the original story. He could just reduce the storage space a bit and add more living quarters. With the transmutation tablet, he didn't need massive warehouses anyway, he could convert most supplies directly into EMC values and store them as pure energy.
With a new member officially joining the crew, Luffy was overjoyed. He immediately started banging on the nearest table.
"Sanji! Bring out the booze! We're having a party!"
"Yeah! Party time!" Usopp echoed, already pumping his fist in the air.
"I want the strongest drink you've got!" Bon Kurei declared.
"Me too! I want to celebrate!" Chopper added excitedly.
Sanji sighed and rubbed his temples. "You idiots already drank everything. All I've got left is some fruit water."
He'd been experimenting with brewing alcohol using Minecraft fruits for weeks now, but without any success. The problem was the MC fruits themselves, they couldn't host yeast cultures, which meant they couldn't ferment into ethanol. No fermentation meant no alcohol, plain and simple.
It wasn't even a matter of ratios or technique. Regular fruits would eventually ferment if you prepared them correctly.
He had been seriously considering giving up on the whole project.
That's when Shira appeared at his side, moving so quietly he hadn't even noticed her approach. "I can help."
"Ah, you don't have to bother," Sanji said, waving his hand dismissively. "Let those idiots suffer. They don't deserve good drinks anyway."
"No, I can make the fruit water ferment into alcohol."
"You can actually do that?"
"Yes."
Without another word, Sanji sprinted to the barrels of fruit water he'd prepared earlier, with Shira following at her pace. He pointed to the largest barrel. "It's all here! Whatever you can do, please try it!"
Shira looked down at the barrel's contents. The clear boundary between water and MC fruit chunks was visible through the transparent container. She slowly lowered her hand into the liquid.
There were no special effects. But right before their eyes, the fruit chunks at the bottom of the barrel began dissolving rapidly. Within seconds, they'd completely melted into the liquid, turning it a golden amber color.
"It's done," she said simply, pulling her hand back out. Water droplets slid down Shira's skin as she lifted her hand from the barrel.
He swallowed hard, trying to maintain his composure. "You don't mind if I... have a taste, right?"
Shira tilted her head slightly. "Of course it's drinkable. That's the point."
Sanji carefully ladled out a bowl of the golden liquid and brought it to his lips. The first sip hit him with a refreshing chill, followed immediately by a sweet, fruity wine flavor that seemed to spread directly to his head. As he swallowed, the taste mellowed into a lingering sweetness, and even his sinuses filled with the fresh aroma of tropical fruit.
"This is incredible," Sanji breathed, staring at the bowl in his hands like it was liquid gold. "This is really good wine."
He carefully lifted the barrel and carried it out to share with the crew, though his expression suggested he'd rather keep it all to himself.
Naturally, the first person to respond was Zoro.
"Let me try some," the swordsman said, already reaching for the barrel.
"Hey! Wait your turn!" Sanji snapped, pulling the barrel back. "If it weren't for Shira, you wouldn't get to drink this at all."
Zoro didn't care about the backstory. When Sanji hesitated to pour, he just reached in with his hand, ready to scoop some out directly.
"STOP! You animal! Ever heard of hygiene?!" Sanji blocked him immediately, grabbing a large bowl and carefully ladling out a serving. "Don't you spill a single drop, moss head."
"That's all I get?" Zoro complained, eyeing the small portion.
"Drink that first! Can't you see everyone else wants some too?" Sanji shot back.
Zoro grunted but didn't argue further. There was no point fighting with the cook when there was good booze on the line. That would just ruin the taste.
He downed the bowl in one gulp, and his eyes immediately lit up. "Damn. This is the good stuff."
The others began sampling the wine, each person reacting with surprise. Even Nami, who usually wasn't much of a drinker, seemed impressed.
Marcus also accepted a bowl when it came around. But unlike the others, he was more curious about the effects than the taste.
Food made with MC ingredients usually had special buffs, strength boosts, regeneration, sometimes even stranger effects. Would the wine have similar properties?
He downed the entire bowl in a few gulps, then waited for the familiar sensation of a status effect kicking in.
Nothing happened.
No buff icons appeared in his vision.
"Huh?" He frowned, checking his status screen again. No effects at all?
That didn't make sense. MC food always had some kind of impact. Maybe he just hadn't drunk enough to trigger it?
He poured himself another bowl and drank that one too.
Still nothing.
The wine tasted excellent. But it had absolutely zero effects on his body.
He sighed and set down his empty bowl. "Well, that's disappointing."
"What's wrong?" Nami asked, noticing his expression.
"Nothing. Just testing something. The wine's great, don't worry about it."
---
Igaram watched the crew at the pool party. The moment he'd handed out the wanted posters, they'd gotten so distracted by the celebration that they'd completely forgotten about them.
Pirates, he thought with a slight shake of his head. Always living in the moment.
His gaze drifted to Vivi, who was laughing freely with Nami and the other women. She looked happier than he'd seen her in years, maybe ever, if he was being honest.
So this is it. She is really leaving.
As her guard captain, he'd followed her into madness when she'd insisted on infiltrating Baroque Works as a bounty hunter. He'd spent countless sleepless nights worrying about her safety, constantly on edge that Crocodile would discover their identities and kill them both.
Three years had passed in what felt like a blink.
Looking at her now, maybe this was the best choice after all. She'd spent her entire life carrying the weight of the kingdom on her shoulders. Maybe it was time to let someone else share that burden.
He quietly began to slip away from the celebration, not wanting to interrupt the joyful atmosphere.
But just as he reached the edge of the pool area, Marcus' voice called out to him.
"Igaram, wait up. I've got something for you."
The guard captain turned back to see Marcus approaching with something wrapped in cloth.
"Give this to Koza," he said, handing over the package. "Whether he eats it himself or passes it to someone else doesn't matter. But make sure you tell him this: personal strength alone can't change the outcome of wars, but if you have no strength at all, you're just a fish on the chopping board waiting to be gutted."
Igaram unwrapped the cloth and found himself staring at a Devil Fruit. His eyebrows rose in surprise. "This is..."
"The Bomb-Bomb Fruit. You should know what it is."
Igaram immediately thought of Mr. 5, then glanced over at Usopp, who was currently cannonballing into the pool to the cheers of Luffy and Chopper.
He'd witnessed Usopp's explosive abilities during the pool party earlier but hadn't asked any questions. Now the connection was clear, the sniper had somehow acquired the Bomb-Bomb Fruit's powers.
Wait, that means Marcus has multiple Devil Fruits? How many does he have?
"I understand," he said, rewrapping the fruit. "I'll deliver it along with your message."
He made his way through the palace corridors.
When he reached Koza's office, he found the young leader hunched over a desk absolutely buried in paperwork. Koza was pulling at his hair, muttering to himself, "When I was leading the rebels, I was never this stressed. How the hell did Cobra do this for decades?"
He looked up as Igaram entered.
"Igaram! Did you deliver the wanted posters?"
"I did. And I'm here to report that Marcus has finished demagnetizing the island. If nothing goes wrong, the Straw Hats will be leaving soon." Igaram paused. "Don't you want to say goodbye to Princess... to Vivi?"
"You're never going to stop calling her 'Princess,' are you?" Koza said with a tired laugh. He stood up and walked to the window, looking out over the city. "That girl has finally let go of everything holding her back. Where she goes now... all I can do is support her from here."
Igaram studied Koza's back and saw the loneliness there.
Time to deliver Marcus' gift.
From inside his coat, he pulled out a fruit.
"This is a Devil Fruit from Marcus. He wanted you to have it."
"What?" Koza turned around. "Why so sudden? I barely know the guy."
Igaram cleared his throat and did his best impression of Marcus' tone. "As a ruler, you might not need personal combat strength. But don't forget, this commercial alliance you're building with Vivre Cards carries massive risks. When everyone holds a piece of someone's Vivre Card, the danger goes through the roof. If you don't have the power to protect yourself... well, who knows when you'll suddenly keel over dead."
Koza thought about that for a moment, then nodded seriously.
He'd learned this lesson the hard way. Individual strength meant nothing against organized armies, even someone as powerful as Bullet had eventually fallen to the Buster Call, not because he wasn't strong enough, but because he'd been worn down until his resources were exhausted.
But personal strength could also change a nation's fate.
If Marcus hadn't shown up back then, the rebel army's base would have been taken over by those CP agents and Mr. 3. At that time, Koza had been completely powerless to stop them.
The memory alone made him shiver.
"What kind of Devil Fruit is it?" Koza asked.
"The Bomb-Bomb Fruit. He specifically chose it for you."
"Chose it? He has other fruits?" Koza's eyes widened at the implication.
Igaram simply nodded, not elaborating further.
"This Devil Fruit is extremely powerful. If someone manages to get close to you, you can trigger explosions throughout your entire body. The destructive force exceeds that of cannon fire. Once you eat it, your personal safety will be much more secure."
Koza picked up the Devil Fruit, examining the spiral patterns on its surface. Then he looked at Igaram questioningly.
"Shouldn't you be giving this to King Cobra instead? His situation isn't exactly safe right now either."
The death of the noble faction's leader had taken many of his relatives with him, but nobles who had maintained power for over a thousand years weren't easy to completely eradicate. If remnants of their faction resurfaced to seek revenge, Cobra would be in far more danger than Koza.
"You don't need to worry about him." Igaram smiled. "His safety is well taken care of."
The image of Cobra shrugging off gunfire like it was nothing came to mind. Those noble remnants would have a hell of a time trying to threaten someone with that kind of durability.
"I see."
Seeing Igaram's confidence, Koza didn't press the issue. He lifted the Devil Fruit to his mouth and, without hesitation, took a large bite.
His expression immediately twisted.
"What the... this tastes like—"
"Oh, I almost forgot," Igaram said. "Marcus said you have to eat the entire Devil Fruit to unlock its full power."
Koza stopped mid-chew, the fruit pulp still in his mouth. "What?!"
Sweat began forming on his forehead as he stared at the remaining fruit in his hand. The taste was so unbearably awful that just the thought of eating more made him want to vomit.
But he was Koza. He'd led the rebels through a civil war. He'd faced down death more times than he could count.
He could handle eating one disgusting fruit.
Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to take another bite. Then another, until the entire Devil Fruit was gone.
When he finally swallowed the last piece, his eyes were dull and lifeless. "That was worse than dealing with a month's worth of paperwork."
"I'll be taking my leave now," Igaram said, trying hard not to smile at Koza's misery.
Koza waved him off weakly, then felt something strange welling up inside him. He extended his palm, and a small explosion burst to life above it.
Igaram, who hadn't yet left the room, nodded approvingly. "You'll want to practice with that somewhere away from important documents."
"Yeah, no kidding," Koza said, staring at his hand.
---
Day 1 of Arabasta's demagnetization.
The world didn't change immediately. Nobody paid attention at first.
The first people to notice something was wrong were scattered merchants and navigators who happened to be using Eternal Poses pointing to Arabasta. When their compasses started spinning wildly or simply stopped working, most assumed their devices had malfunctioned.
After all, Eternal Poses were called "eternal" because they perpetually pointed toward a specific island. But like any tool, they could break.
By day three, however, the pattern had become undeniable.
As a major trading hub with a thriving economy, Arabasta was a crucial destination for merchants throughout the Grand Line. Now that every single Eternal Pose pointing to the kingdom had stopped working, it was clear that something was off.
"What is going on? Did Arabasta get destroyed?" One merchant stared at his collection of useless compasses.
Those with better information networks immediately started contacting other traders. Without exception, everyone reported the same problem, their navigation tools had failed.
Panic began to spread rapidly through the merchant community.
After all, didn't this imply that Arabasta had somehow vanished from the Grand Line? The terrifying rumor spread through ports and trading posts.
Fortunately, some merchants who'd been present during the kingdom's recovery stepped forward to clarify the situation.
Arabasta hadn't disappeared. Instead, due to a combination of underwater volcanic activity, massive sandstorms, and the explosion that had destroyed Crocodile's operation, the island's magnetic field had been completely disrupted. To navigate to Arabasta now, you needed to acquire a Vivre Card.
Upon hearing that business could continue, many merchants breathed sighs of relief.
But others immediately began worrying about whether trade routes would become unstable due to the Vivre Card system. What if the card's owner died? What if it got damaged? What if someone intentionally destroyed them to monopolize trade?
Those concerns didn't last long once people started thinking it through.
After all, Arabasta's Vivre Cards were already being distributed throughout the Grand Line. Nobody knew exactly who controlled the master cards, but nobody particularly cared, as long as business could continue.
The more cautious merchants created their own Vivre Cards and stationed permanent representatives in Arabasta to ensure they'd always have navigation access.
All the smart traders quickly realized something crucial: this wasn't a crisis for Arabasta at all.
It was an opportunity.
An island without a magnetic field would naturally avoid attracting most pirates, who relied on Log Poses and Eternal Poses for navigation. The kingdom's safety had just increased dramatically.
Within weeks, the Vivre Cards that had been freely distributed became increasingly scarce. Suddenly, having one was valuable.
When the merchants who'd been slow to react finally understood what was happening, they were kicking themselves. They began offering premium prices for Vivre Cards, even offering significant profit-sharing arrangements just to secure navigation access.
After all, trade on the Grand Line was incredibly lucrative.