Shiki's questions were on everyone's minds.
Joy Boy remained smiling.
"The so-called civilization tiers are classified based on the level of energy a civilization can harness."
"A first-tier civilization, also known as a planetary civilization or primitive civilization, refers to one that can perfectly utilize all the resources of its planet and has begun preliminary space exploration."
"The civilization level of your planet is around 0.5, still some distance away from exploring space and reaching other planets."
"A second-tier civilization, also known as a stellar civilization, can harness the energy of a star—such as the sun you see—and develop warp drives, enabling spacecraft to achieve a qualitative leap in speed and begin exploring other star systems."
Shanks and the others gaped, unable to resist glancing up at the sun overhead.
"Harness the energy of the sun? Is... is that even possible?"
Kaido grew curious: "Are there many civilizations in the universe?"
Joy Boy replied, "Countless."
Shanks asked, puzzled, "Why have we never encountered them?"
Joy Boy pointed at himself. "Isn't this an encounter?"
"Nine hundred years ago, one of our colonial starships explored this unfamiliar star system and discovered the life-bearing planet you inhabit. We named it Blue Sea."
"Blue Sea?"
Everyone was stunned once again.
"Yes, 81.76% of this planet's surface is covered by seawater. Viewed from space, it appears as a blue planet, so calling it Blue Sea is quite fitting."
Roger's expression was extremely complicated.
He had originally believed Joy Boy was this world's savior, the ancestor of Clan D, and a great leader who guided the planet's natives against the alien Imu.
But Joy Boy claimed that he and Imu were of the same race, both originating from the cosmos.
He took a deep breath: "So, did you come to our world for colonization?"
Joy Boy fell silent immediately.
After a long pause, he slowly nodded.
"Yes, that was indeed the initial intention."
"The Celestial Tribe was among the top tier civilizations at Level 2. Those in power harbored grand ambitions to advance toward higher civilizations. Consequently, their demand for various resources became virtually limitless."
"Not just this unfamiliar star system."
"We simultaneously dispatched tens of thousands of colonial fleets from the Celestial Tribe Civilization to other star systems within the Orkar Star Cluster to collect massive resources."
"The Orkar Star Cluster is the shared star cluster where our Celestial Tribe Civilization and your star system reside, composed of approximately 40 billion star systems. Among them, there are hundreds of thousands of known Level 2 civilizations and several hundred more advanced Level 3 civilizations."
Caesar: "..."
Roger: "..."
Joy Boy seemed eager to continue explaining, but Caesar cut him off bluntly.
Caesar rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
"Enough, enough! Talk about things related to our world. No matter how much you explain those lofty concepts, us country bumpkins won't understand."
Around them, the pirates all looked utterly bewildered, their mouths agape.
Including Shiki, Kaido, Shanks, and others.
They all wore expressions of "Who am I? Where am I?"
Joy Boy offered an apologetic smile.
"My apologies. Back in my homeland, I was a scholar and enjoyed popularizing such knowledge to children."
He cleared his throat lightly.
"Ahem, here's the situation: Nine hundred years ago, we landed on this planet to collect genetic samples from local lifeforms and gather certain planetary resources."
"Due to the immense workload, we established a massive nation and used Devil Fruits to recruit a group of native inhabitants to assist with the labor."
"Simultaneously, we disseminated numerous technological know-how..."
Caesar quickly interrupted him.
"Wait! Are you saying Devil Fruits were brought by you as well?"
Joy Boy nodded.
"So, what exactly are these fruits? Do they grow on a Devil Fruit tree?"
Caesar couldn't help but ask curiously.
Roger also perked up his ears and added: "Do they have any side effects?"
Most members of his pirate crew were non-Devil Fruit users.
Influenced by him, the majority of Shanks' crew members also refrained from consuming Devil Fruits.
Most people across the seas believed that genuine demons resided within Devil Fruits.
"Of course not grown on trees. Devil Fruits are a form of universal hard currency. They originate from powerful beings in the cosmos who cultivate the Power of Rules, using special fruits to absorb the scattered fragments of rules that dissipate during their training. The side effects you mentioned likely refer to the trace of the strong will contained within them."
"Naturally, where there's demand, there's supply."
"Some advanced civilizations keep these powerful beings in captivity, forcing them to mass-produce Rule Fruits in exchange for currency and resources. We call such places Rule Fruit processing plants."
"When the abilities of the Devil Fruit you've consumed awaken, you'll come into contact with the hidden will of the strong within. This is because the fruits not only absorb the scattered rule fragments during their cultivation but also naturally absorb the will emanating from them."
"Most of these wills are unconscious. Especially for Logia and Paramecia types, they contain only the purest aura of the strong, one hundred percent."
"Of course, these so-called Logia and Paramecia are merely your designations. In the cosmos, they are collectively referred to as supernatural abilities, and their users are called Superhumans."
"But Zoan types are different."
"The source of these abilities lies in powerful creatures that truly exist in the universe. Among them, many are of a violent temperament, and even a trace of their unconscious will could corrode your soul."
"As for the legendary Devil Fruit tree you speak of, it is actually the energy conduit we use to supply fruits during our cosmic voyages." Joy Boy spoke eloquently, while Caesar and the others were utterly bewildered, as if listening to a divine scripture.
'Astonishing, truly astonishing!'
Even the resolute Caesar felt his mind reeling with extreme shock.
The powers of Devil Fruits vary in strength.
Among the powerful ones, like the Magma Fruit, reputed to be the strongest in offensive power, its force rivals that of a volcanic eruption.
Or the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, capable of triggering massive tsunamis on a global scale.
Such terrifying power merely comes from absorbing a wisp of rule fragments scattered by cosmic powerhouses during their cultivation!
He could hardly imagine how immensely powerful these source beings themselves must be.
Suddenly, Caesar thought of his own ability and couldn't help but ask.
"What about my Kunpeng Fruit? Could it also originate from the so-called Kunpeng? Does such a creature truly exist in the universe?"
Caesar had always believed that the creatures in the Mythical Zoan category were illusory.
"Of course, it exists!"
Joy Boy's gaze fell upon Caesar, as if piercing through time and space to look at another being.
"The Kunpeng is a powerful race in the universe, renowned across the stars for their physical prowess! The mightiest among them span tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of kilometers in length, feeding on planets and meteorites!"
"It is said that the progenitor of the Kunpeng race is a god level existence, capable of devouring stars and transforming into a true black hole."