Meanwhile, on the other side of the sea…
"Mr. Ayr, this Devil Fruit came from Gecko Moria," Nagli reported, presenting the fruit with reverence.
Ayr had been collecting Devil Fruits for years now, meticulously building an arsenal of power. The reason Moria handed one over was clear—fear and submission. Ayr's strength and ambition forced even warlords into obedience.
Moria had once clashed with Brook and Luffy. But Brook—resurrected by the Revive-Revive Fruit (Yomi Yomi no Mi)—was slain personally by Ayr. With his death, Luffy lost a key comrade, and the timeline of events that once led to his rise was disrupted.
Ayr's very existence was rewriting the future.
Back at Marine Headquarters, intelligence teams worked tirelessly.
In a dimly lit room on an isolated island, whispers echoed.
"10 billion… 10 billion berries! If we sell this Devil Fruit, we'll be set for life!" a pirate exclaimed.
Their greed was spurred by the news that Diez Barreiros—former Marine and father of X Drake—had come into possession of the Op-Op Fruit. He planned to sell it to the Marines for an astronomical sum.
Barreiros, cautious and battle-worn, sensed danger. When he spotted several figures near his hideout, he instantly grew alert.
Years ago, Rosinante, younger brother to Doflamingo, had infiltrated Doflamingo's crew in hopes of protecting a young boy—Trafalgar Law, who would eventually eat the Op-Op Fruit. But now, history was shifting.
At this stage in the timeline, Law had yet to join Doflamingo, but it was only a matter of time.
As Ayr sat calmly on a quiet shore, casting his fishing line into the water, Nagli approached from behind, respectfully breaking the silence.
"Mr. Ayr, I have another urgent report."
"Go on," Ayr replied, eyes still on the sea.
"Our intel confirms that Diez Barreiros intends to sell the Op-Op Fruit to the Marines. If all goes according to their plan, Headquarters will dispatch an elite squad to claim it."
Ayr remained unfazed. His ambition burned brighter than fear.
"Prepare a ship. I'll go there myself."
"You intend to personally retrieve the fruit?" Nagli asked, eyes widening slightly.
"Is that necessary?" he added.
Ayr stood slowly, placing his fishing rod aside.
"In this world, there's no one I need to fear. I've waited long enough. If the Marines are coming, I'll meet them there."
At this point in history, Ayr had unlocked the full powers of the Sage of Six Paths, a feat no shinobi had achieved since Ōtsutsuki Kaguya. His fusion of chakra and Devil Fruit energy created a force no Marine or pirate could stand against.
The current stockpile in Ayr's possession included 45 standard Devil Fruits and 100 artificial ones, equivalent to 10 regular fruits. With Moria's latest offering, that number now reached 55.
What Ayr truly sought now were three things:
The Op-Op Fruit
The Yellow Spring Fruit (possibly a twisted variant of the Yomi Yomi no Mi)
The Lantern Fish—a rumored Sea King, which could potentially serve as the fruit's user in a ritual to achieve immortality.
Elsewhere, in the country of Drosta, chaos brewed.
A group of pirates sat huddled in a room, guarding a treasure chest—the fruit inside glowing ominously. They had been in contact with Doflamingo, hoping to use him as a broker to connect with the Marines. But they now feared betrayal.
"Damn Doflamingo… he was going to take a huge cut," one cursed.
"Thankfully, the Marines contacted us directly. We cut Doflamingo out. This deal is clean," another laughed, eyeing the treasure like a dragon hoarding gold.
Suddenly, heavy footsteps echoed outside.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
The door creaked open.
Dies Barreiros stood up, heart racing. "That you, Marines?!"
But the figures entering weren't from the Navy.
"It's you…!?" he gasped in disbelief.
Ayr entered with an aura of pure dominance. Behind him stood Nagli, and a youth clad in white, dust covering his body—an unrecognizable but powerful figure.
Barreiros clutched the Op-Op Fruit protectively. "Did that bastard Doflamingo send you to silence us and take the fruit!?"
Ayr smiled. "No. But I'll take it anyway."
Rosinante's name echoed faintly in the pirates' minds. Though he was once Doflamingo's brother, he was also a Marine—a traitor in Doffy's eyes. But this... this man before them wasn't bound by such titles.
Marine HQ had been trying to monitor Ayr's movements, but their calls went unanswered.
He had no intention of negotiation.
Back at the Marines' side, a call was received from Drosta. The informant's voice was panicked. "Ayr is here! He came in person!"
Garp, Sengoku, Zephyr, and Tsuru had already begun mobilizing.
"If Ayr gets the fruit…" Tsuru said grimly, "he'll achieve what no pirate before him ever has."
Meanwhile, on the island, Ayr gave a calm order.
"Destroy the surrounding forces. Secure the fruit. Kill anyone who resists."
"Understood," Nagli replied.
Explosions rocked the coastline.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The pirates screamed in terror.
"No! That fruit is ours!"
But there was no negotiating with a man who saw time, death, and destiny as tools to be bent to his will.
"I've spent years searching this sea," Ayr muttered. "This fruit… this one… is mine."
Just before they could escape, Barreiros's crew was wiped out.
With the fruit in hand, Ayr looked toward the sky.
"Marine sends the strong? Let them come. I'll crush them too."
Luffy, who was only a child at this time, remained unknown to Ayr. Though the boy would eventually challenge emperors, in this altered timeline, even Monkey D. Luffy's journey to becoming Pirate King had become uncertain.
The world was spiraling, and Ayr stood at the center of it all.
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