The three of them returned to the Going Merry, only to be spotted immediately by the rest of the crew.
Kira had eaten a golden apple and her strength had returned, but something was clearly off. Her face was flushed bright red, and she walked with an awkward, swaying gait, like she couldn't quite control her own body. Her wings kept flickering in and out of existence, unable to maintain a stable form.
Sanji noticed first.
He rushed straight over, and then froze as his brain processed what he was seeing. Tears began streaming down his face as jealousy consumed him from the inside out.
"You bastard! You lucky bastard!"
"Lu...stard..."
Marcus pushed Sanji's face away. "I think you're misunderstanding something here. Kira was training her Devil Fruit abilities. You know I can help people develop their powers."
But Sanji just kept muttering, alternating between sobbing and making incoherent accusatory sounds.
Marcus sighed and looked over at the two women for backup.
Only to find Kira and Alvida both blushing furiously, whispering to each other with their heads close together.
Then the rest of the crew started giving him weird looks.
"Hey! What's with those expressions?"
Vivi spoke up. "Well, you were pretty rough with her. Now Kira can't even use her abilities properly."
"What?!" Marcus felt like something was off about that statement. "Wait... I mean, that's not entirely inaccurate, but—"
Alvida added fuel to the fire. "After seeing something that massive, even I had trouble keeping my composure."
Several crew members sucked in sharp breaths.
Marcus blinked in confusion. "No! Okay, there's some truth to what you're saying, but that's not what actually happened!"
But nobody was listening anymore. Sanji had fully transformed into a demon wreathed in flames, roaring incomprehensible sounds.
He'd completely transcended human language.
The ship erupted into lively chaos as everyone started teasing Marcus while he tried to explain himself.
It took three full days before Kira could use her Devil Fruit abilities again.
But when she finally could, her abilities were stronger. Compared to before, she could now stack up to five different animal transformations simultaneously, and her stamina consumption had dropped dramatically.
She felt strange about the whole thing. It was as if her Devil Fruit power had somehow been shaped by someone else's influence, molded into a form that wasn't originally hers.
Yet the more she used it, the more natural it felt.
Marcus had no idea this had become a girls-only secret conversation topic. He was currently on the other side of the ship, helping Usopp reinforce some of the railing.
Robin, being a fellow Devil Fruit user, was particularly curious about the development. "So you can't transform into the same form Marcus created when he possessed you?"
Kira nodded, then hesitated and shook her head slightly.
Everyone looked confused.
Then her body began to transform. But compared to the mighty red dragon, this version was... tiny.
Her full length was barely two meters, more like a large lizard with wings than a proper dragon.
"This is the biggest size I can manage right now."
Nami and Vivi, who hadn't eaten Devil Fruits, looked baffled by this revelation.
Alvida reached out to touch the miniature dragon's horn. "It doesn't have the same overwhelming presence his version did."
Robin, though she hadn't seen it herself, had heard the descriptions from the others. The dragon Marcus had transformed Kira into had been enormous, at least as massive as a ship, possibly larger. That kind of creature only had one comparison in the known world: Kaido, the Strongest Creature, who could breathe flames.
"It must be that her ability hasn't fully recovered yet. Otherwise, it doesn't make sense."
But Alvida stroked the tiny dragon's head thoughtfully. "Actually... I think it's because of Marcus' power amplifying ours."
"What do you mean?"
"Whether it's me or Kira, when he possesses us, the power we can output increases." She held up her hand, examining it. "Take Kira's case, she could only turn into that massive dragon under his control. And for me... the Slip-Slip Fruit is actually really hard to control precisely."
She demonstrated by making just her index finger frictionless while keeping the rest of her hand normal. "Like this. Making just one part of my hand slippery, or just one limb, those are separate actions that require focus. But when he used my power, he could make everything except his fingernails slippery. That level of fine control... I can barely make my fingers maintain friction, and that takes total concentration. But he did it effortlessly."
The others nodded thoughtfully.
Then, almost as one, their gazes shifted to Shira.
As Marcus' creation who'd somehow taken human form, she was such an enigma that they'd almost forgotten she wasn't born human at all.
Seeing everyone staring at her, Shira spread her hands with a wry smile. "You want the answer?"
She knew, of course. But instead of explaining the truth about how Marcus' Soul Possession worked, she offered a simpler explanation.
"Have you considered that maybe it's because two souls are sharing one body? That could amplify a Devil Fruit's power. Like how one plus one can equal more than two."
The explanation seemed to satisfy everyone. They nodded, accepting this theory.
She took a sip of her cold tea, hiding her small smile. The real reason was more complex. Marcus' complete mental database of various fictional creatures, his absolute confidence in what forms should exist, and his powerful willpower could temporarily override the user's own limitations. But they didn't need to know that.
Just then, Luffy's excited shout echoed from the women's quarters.
"I see an island! Yahoo!"
Within moments, everyone had gathered on deck.
Marcus looked toward the lush green island in the distance. According to the timeline, after Arabasta should come Sky Island.
Of course, his interference might have thrown off the Log Pose's natural route, causing their course to shift unexpectedly.
Still, judging from the appearance of that island, it definitely wasn't Mock Town.
Usopp, equally excited, exclaimed. "It's got a proper dock! Not a deserted island!"
Hearing that it was populated, the rest of the Straw Hats slowly turned to look at Luffy.
"Hm? What's wrong?"
"Luffy, you do realize you're a pirate worth 96 million berries now, right?"
"Shishishishi!" Luffy grinned like an idiot.
Nami reached out and pulled on his cheek. "I'm not complimenting you! It means you're wanted. On a populated island, people are going to recognize you. The Marines might show up."
"Then we'll just run away," Luffy said this like it was the most obvious solution in the world.
Nami sighed deeply. There was no point arguing with him. Even if he agreed on the surface, he'd just sneak off on his own later and cause even more trouble.
"Fine. But promise me, don't cause a scene unless it's necessary, got it?"
"Got it!"
She turned to address the rest of the crew. "Alright, we need to decide who's staying behind to watch the ship."
Shira quietly raised her hand. "I'll stay. It's too hot here."
Being a snow golem by nature, she had a strong aversion to warm climates. Spring and summer islands were basically her personal hell.
"Anyone else staying?"
"Me." Zoro yawned. "Good chance to catch up on sleep."
He leaned against the mainmast and was snoring within seconds.
Nobody objected. Two people staying behind was plenty.
Nami was about to start assigning tasks for the shore party when she turned around and saw that the entire men's group were clearly not listening to a word she was saying.
She felt exhausted just looking at them.
At least Sanji stepped forward with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. I'll handle all the food resupplying."
"You're the reliable one, Sanji."
"I'm your knight, how could I ever let you be troubled? So, as a reward for my service, perhaps a kiss—"
Before he could finish his 'charm spell,' Nami cut him off and turned to the others. "Marcus, are you planning to go mining?"
"Not right now."
"Really?" Nami sounded disappointed.
After all, every time he went mining, she got to watch an endless stream of gold, diamonds, and precious materials flow into their storage. Even if they couldn't actually sell most of it without drawing unwanted attention, that never stopped her from wanting to see more treasure added to their hoard.
The first time Marcus showed her the treasury, she actually fainted on the spot. When she finally came to hours later, she took one look at the mountain of gold, and promptly fainted again. This cycle repeated several times until Marcus started keeping smelling salts nearby "just in case."
Eventually, she stopped fainting at the sight of the treasury, but the obsession only grew worse. Whenever she was sure no one was watching, she slipped into the treasury, opened a chest, and stared at the glittering contents with a manic grin. Sometimes she even burst out laughing or muttered little prayers for "just one more pile of gold."
Marcus caught her expression and chuckled. "Don't worry. I've still got plenty of materials stored up. We're not hurting for resources."
"It's not about need," Nami muttered. "It's about want."
"I heard that."