Bang!!
Vivi swung a massive fist of wine, slamming it into the shield of the Biscuit Soldier before her. Streaks of black lightning erupted, and after a dull thud, the armored figure was sent stumbling back a great distance.
"It's not enough. I'm still a long way off!" Vivi said softly, shaking her head as she looked at her attack, clearly unsatisfied.
A similar scene was playing out for Jean Bart and Jesus Burgess. Even when they used their full strength, the Biscuit Soldier summoned by Cracker remained completely unharmed, leaving them frustrated.
On the other side of the training ground, Nami was looking at Ryuuto with a smug expression. Before her lay the shattered remains of a Biscuit Soldier.
"Nicely done, Nami!" Ryuuto said, rubbing his forehead with a sense of resignation. "But I want you to practice Ryuo. Even though you beat the soldier, your Haki level hasn't increased at all!" Nami had just used her Sorcery Clima-Tact to create a downpour, which greatly reduced the Biscuit Soldier's hardness and allowed her to shatter it.
"I know, Captain! But I really can't sense the flow of Haki!" Nami said, immediately running over to him when she saw he was getting annoyed. She hugged his arm and put on her most charming pout.
"Alright, alright... I have a gift for you!" The soft pressure on his arm instantly improved Ryuuto's mood. He chuckled and prepared to give her the present he'd been working on for days.
"Really, Captain? What is it?" Hearing this, Nami's eyes lit up with excitement. She squeezed his arm tighter, looking at him with great anticipation.
A moment later, after Nami had stepped back, Ryuuto slowly drew Kuiryuzan. From its blade, he released a golden sphere of lightning dozens of meters in diameter.
Two months had passed since Cracker and Jack arrived on Dressrosa, and the crew had been using them for constant training. As for Ryuuto, he had spent that time focused entirely on preparing this gift for Nami.
After his extended period of refinement, the lightning had not only become exceptionally pure but also seemed to have developed a hint of sentience.
Crackle!!
A bolt of lightning shot out from the sphere, leaving a scorched smell in the air as if it had torn through the very atmosphere.
"Thank you, Captain!" Nami immediately understood Ryuuto's intention. She brandished her Sorcery Clima-Tact and absorbed the entire sphere of lightning into it.
"Go on, try out its power!" Ryuuto said with a nod. He then turned to the bored-looking Cracker. "Cracker, summon another Biscuit Soldier!" To his credit, Cracker had adapted remarkably well to his new life. With free food and board every day, all he had to do was provide a few Biscuit Soldiers for training.
Clap! Clap!
With another clap of his hands, a new Biscuit Soldier, armed with a shield and a pretzel sword, appeared and began marching slowly toward Nami.
Nami planted her feet, leveled her Clima-Tact, and twisted a dial on its end. A bolt of golden lightning instantly shot forth.
"Thunderstrike!" she cried out.
A sliver of the brilliant energy arced down from the sky and struck the Biscuit Soldier.
Boom!!
A massive explosion of energy erupted, and the powerful shockwave that followed completely obliterated the Biscuit Soldier, turning it to dust.
"It's so strong!!" Nami shouted, overjoyed at the result. She turned to Ryuuto, her eyes sparkling with adoration.
Vivi watched from a distance, her gaze filled with envy.
That's Ryuuto's lightning!! Cracker thought, his expression turning grave. He could feel an immense danger emanating from the lingering energy in the air.
Just then, a gunshot rang out. A black bullet warped through space, appearing instantly in front of another Biscuit Soldier.
Bang!!
The shot was so fast that by the time the sound reached them, the Biscuit Soldier had already been shattered into several pieces.
"Huh?" The sudden development caught Burgess's attention. "Van Augur," he said, his face a mask of disbelief, "you learned it?"
A look of pleasure spread across Ryuuto's face.
"Cracker!!" he called out.
Clap! Clap!
Understanding his cue, Cracker dutifully summoned another Biscuit Soldier.
Bang!!
Van Augur fired again. This time, black Haki could be seen flowing around the bullet. The projectile slammed into the soldier, destroying it from the inside out upon impact and causing it to crumble into pieces.
"Talent worthy of a Yonko Commander!!" Ryuuto said, nodding in satisfaction. After all this time, someone had finally mastered Ryuo.
Hancock and Crocus, who were sipping tea nearby, watched the scene with surprise.
In their minds, they had both expected Jean Bart to be the first to succeed.
Baby 5 was refilling their cups. Seeing this, she was struck with a sense of wonder. Her deep-seated need to be useful surged through her mind once more. She wanted to become stronger, to be a valuable member of this crew. She began diligently memorizing the principles of Ryuo.
A rare smile touched Van Augur's lips.
I finally learned it!! he thought, a wave of satisfaction washing over him.
His success filled Vivi, Jean Bart, and Burgess with a sense of envy. Spurred on, they all redoubled their training efforts. No one wanted to be left behind.
...
"Captain Ryuuto, would you like to come see? I think we've successfully cultivated the SMILE fruits!" About ten days later, Rebecca came running up, dressed in a yellow sundress. The breeze blew through her hair, making her look exceptionally vibrant and youthful.
"Alright, let's go take a look!"
Hearing more good news, Ryuuto immediately agreed. He summoned a gust of wind that enveloped Rebecca and carried them swiftly to the sunflower field. This area had once been the entrance to the underground trading port, but after Blackbeard's attack left it in ruins, Ryuuto had converted the field into a new cultivation site for SMILE fruits.
SMILEs were artificial Devil Fruits grown from a pitcher-plant-like mother plant after it absorbed a substance called SAD. However, Caesar Clown's technology was imperfect, resulting in a success rate of only ten percent. The failed fruits had a terrible side effect: they robbed the consumer of every emotion except laughter, which was how the fruits got their name.
The successful fruits weren't quite like real Devil Fruits, either. They granted the user a random Zoan-type ability, but the user was permanently stuck in a hybrid beast-man form. Still, it was one of the few ways in this world to grant power to ordinary people, as Zoan abilities provided a massive boost to physical strength.
Ryuuto and Rebecca now stood before one of the plants. Dangling from its stem was a pink fruit patterned with white concentric circles. It was a SMILE fruit.
Feeling the strange energy emanating from it, Ryuuto knew they had succeeded.
"We poured our hearts and souls into cultivating this fruit!" At that moment, King Gancho hopped onto Rebecca's palm, speaking to Ryuuto with a wide smile.
"We will never forget the Tontatta Tribe's hard work!!" Ryuuto said with a respectful nod to the tiny king. After the defeat of the Doflamingo Family, King Riku had restored normal relations with the Tontattas. The kingdom of Dressrosa provided them with all their living necessities, and in return, the Tontattas provided their delicious crops. The tribe possessed planting techniques far superior to those of humans, which was why both Doflamingo and Ryuuto had entrusted them with cultivating the SMILEs.
Soon, more and more SMILE fruits in the garden ripened. In the end, King Gancho's assessment revealed a total of fifty mature fruits, ten of which were successful. This was a success rate of twenty percent. It was likely due to the Tontattas' dedication. When they worked for Doflamingo, they were slaves under constant oppression and had no reason to put in any real effort.
After all, the SAD and mother plants Ryuuto had redeemed from his system were identical to the ones Doflamingo used. The fifty sets had cost him 5,000 reputation points. Since leaving Hachinosu, Ryuuto's reputation had been steadily climbing, partly due to Buggy's ongoing efforts and partly from the gratitude of Dressrosa's remaining citizens. Though only a few tens of thousands remained, they had helped raise his reputation score to a total of 750,000.
"King Gancho, I'll be taking these fruits for now. As for your payment, I'll have Rebecca deliver it to you!" After a group of the tiny people had packed up the fruits, Ryuuto lifted the crates with one hand. The Tontattas' wages would, of course, be paid in gold.
"Mhm, mhm!!" Rebecca nodded eagerly upon hearing her name.
In the future, the kingdom of Dressrosa would provide a stable supply of SMILE fruits for Ryuuto. After this harvest, he immediately purchased another five hundred sets of SAD and mother plants, which reduced his reputation score to 700,000.
...
Dressrosa was a country full of passion and holiday charm. Its beautiful scenery made it an ideal place to live long-term. But with the SMILE fruits harvested, Ryuuto was ready to begin the next phase of his plan. He returned to the port carrying the ten successful fruits.
Near the crew stood a massive stone statue in the shape of a mammoth. It was Jack. He had been petrified. His complete lack of cooperation had been the cause. During a training session with Nami and Vivi, he had foolishly attempted to take them hostage and escape. And so... he was turned to stone.
"Ryuuto, are these the SMILE fruits? They certainly look like Devil Fruits!" Hancock said, examining the pile of fruits on the table.
"It's just the color and patterns... they feel very strange!" Nami said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.
"Nevertheless, it can be considered a work of genius," Crocus remarked, finally seeing one in person. He couldn't help but admire Caesar's ingenuity.
"Then we'll set out in five days for Wano Country!" Ryuuto announced, seeing all eyes on him.
Everyone nodded in unison.
"Beasts Pirates, we're coming for you!" Ryuuto roared, a wave of heroic fervor swelling in everyone's chests. They hadn't realized when, exactly, they had become strong enough to face a Yonko crew head-on.
Time flew by.
On the third day, Jean Bart finally lived up to expectations and mastered Ryuo. Blood pumping, he charged a Biscuit Soldier. As he threw a punch, black Haki flowed visibly around his right fist.
Bang!!
As the punch landed, the Biscuit Soldier shattered on impact.
"Nice work, Jean Bart!!" Burgess came over and clapped him on the shoulder, his voice rumbling with approval.
Jean Bart stared at his own hand in disbelief. He could already feel that mastering Ryuo had given him a massive boost in strength.
Van Augur gave a slight nod of acknowledgment from a distance.
Over on her side, Vivi grew tense and began desperately slamming her fists of wine into her own Biscuit Soldier. Jean Bart's success had made her feel a sense of urgency. But this kind of skill relied heavily on talent. Over the next two days, no matter how hard she tried, Vivi couldn't manage to learn Ryuo.
However, after three months of intense training, her control over the wine had become much more refined, and her overall strength had seen a significant increase. She had gone from being unable to even budge a Biscuit Soldier to now being able to push one back steadily with her attacks. That was immense progress in itself.
Nami, on the other hand, had entered a state of zen-like calm after receiving Ryuuto's lightning. She couldn't care less about training Ryuo anymore. Baby 5 had also joined the training regimen, but her strength was still lacking, and she was too reliant on her Devil Fruit ability. Before she could even attempt Ryuo, she needed to practice the basics of Haki.
It was early morning. As the sun slowly rose, Ryuuto and his crew were ready to depart.
On the deck, Jack and Cracker were firmly bound in Seastone chains. Suddenly, Jack let out a defiant roar. His reward was a swift and brutal beating from Ryuuto.
"Still causing trouble!!" Ryuuto cursed, knocking Jack unconscious. He then took out a Vivre Card he had taken from him, which would guide them to Wano Country.
"Miss Navigator, are you ready?" Ryuuto called out, letting out a sharp breath as he looked toward Nami, who was standing at the ship's prow.
"Wind is favorable, weather is clear! Let's set sail!!" our Miss Navigator shouted back with a grin.
And with that, the Ark Maxim slowly began to rise into the air.
Nami and Vivi waved farewell to Rebecca below.
"Thank you, Captain Ryuuto!" Rebecca whispered, her voice so low that only she could hear it as she watched the ship recede into the distance.
Beside her, King Riku and Kyros also waved. Though Ryuuto was leaving, they would never forget what he had done for the kingdom of Dressrosa.
"Take care, Captain Ryuuto!!"
The young woman's words of blessing scattered into the wind.
...