"Not bad."
Kaito Arisawa couldn't help but laugh when he saw Lafayette already using the ability of the Paper-Paper Fruit just moments after eating it.
"Hey, Mangu—how about your ability?"
After watching Lafayette demonstrate an unexpected flying ability with the Paper-Paper Fruit, Sandy turned his attention toward Mangu.
Hearing this, everyone—including Kaito—also looked toward him.
"I'll give it a try."
Mangu had been quietly feeling the changes in his body since eating the fruit. Seeing everyone's curious gazes, he decided to test it.
Hum!
Without any warning, Mangu's body suddenly expanded.
No—it wasn't just swelling.
As his body expanded, a metallic sheen seemed to spread across his skin, giving him the appearance of something incredibly solid and indestructible.
"Mangu, punch me with all your strength."
Kaito's eyes flashed as he observed the transformation. He immediately called out to him.
"Brother, be careful!"
Mangu nodded and strode forward. Without hesitation, he threw a full-powered punch toward Kaito.
Kaito crossed his arms in front of his chest, standing firmly in place to block the incoming blow.
Boom!!!
The moment Mangu's fist struck Kaito's crossed arms, a tremendous force erupted outward.
A thunderous roar echoed through the area.
The shockwave created by the impact was visible to the naked eye, spreading outward and causing the surrounding ice layers to tremble violently.
The powerful gust of wind forced Robin and the others to step back, raising their arms to shield their eyes.
"Very good."
Kaito slid backward slightly, his feet dragging across the ice before he finally stopped.
Although Mangu's strike was extremely powerful, it was clearly not enough to injure Kaito.
Still, after lowering his arms, Kaito couldn't help but praise the strength of the attack.
"Compared to the last time I tested you, the power of that punch has increased by at least three times."
"Three times stronger?!"
Hearing Kaito's evaluation, Robin and the others stared at Mangu in shock.
They were all well aware of how monstrous Mangu's strength already was.
Even Sandy—who possessed the power of the Bear Fruit—could not match him in pure physical strength.
Now, learning that Mangu's already terrifying power had increased more than threefold left everyone stunned.
"That's an outrageous boost in strength," Robin said thoughtfully.
"And that's just immediately after eating the Muscle Fruit."
"If he fully develops the ability, his strength might increase even further."
"The Muscle Fruit doesn't only increase strength," Kaito said, rubbing his chin while studying Mangu's body.
"It also seems to provide considerable enhancements to defense and speed."
"That seems correct," Mangu replied.
"I can feel it clearly."
"In this state, not only has my strength increased greatly, but my body has also become much tougher."
To demonstrate, Mangu clenched his fist and slammed it directly into his own abdomen.
Boom!
His fist sank slightly into his stomach.
Yet Mangu's expression remained completely calm.
There was no sign of pain at all, as if the strike had barely touched him.
"As expected," Law said thoughtfully.
"As a doctor, I can say that muscles serve multiple functions. Strength is only one aspect."
"If muscle density increases, it naturally enhances durability and explosive movement as well."
"So strengthening the muscles should simultaneously improve defense and speed."
"It's over…"
Sandy suddenly groaned in despair.
"I couldn't beat you before."
"Now you've suddenly become three times stronger."
"If we spar again, I'll just get beaten up even worse!"
He and Mangu frequently sparred during training.
Their rivalry had become something of a habit.
"It's okay," Neferpitou said cheerfully, tilting her head.
"I can be your sparring partner instead, meow!"
Sandy looked at her with an awkward smile.
"Uh… I'll pass."
"You're way too fast."
"I can't even hit you."
When Neferpitou had first joined the crew, she was naturally no match for Sandy.
However, she possessed incredible talent.
The Nine Lives Cat Demon Fruit gave her unique advantages, and her natural talent was exceptional.
Moreover, her training style was completely reckless.
She practiced without any fear of injury.
Because of this, her strength had grown rapidly.
Now she had already caught up with Sandy—and in terms of speed, she completely surpassed him.
"Captain, what should we do with the remaining three Devil Fruits?"
After witnessing the abilities demonstrated by Mangu and Lafayette, Robin turned toward Kaito and pointed to the three fruits that remained.
Kaito looked at them for a moment.
After thinking briefly, he replied,
"For now, we'll keep them."
Unlike before, the value of these three Devil Fruits was extremely high.
It would not be appropriate to distribute them casually.
Kaito planned to save them.
If someone distinguished themselves in the future—or if new cadres joined the crew—these fruits could be used as rewards.
Robin and the others had no objections to this decision.
Soon, the remaining Devil Fruits were carefully stored away.
Afterward, the crew continued their work.
The treasure accumulated by the Eight Treasures Navy over hundreds of years was enormous.
Even with the large number of pirates in the War Pirates crew, it still took more than half a day to move all of the treasure out from beneath the ice.
Next, under Robin's supervision, the crew began transporting the wealth to the ships waiting along the coast.
Finally, after a long period of counting and organizing the treasure, Robin returned from the shore.
The cold wind of the Treasure Jade Iceberg had left her cheeks slightly flushed.
But excitement was also clearly visible on her face.
"Captain," she reported,
"The calculations are complete."
"Except for certain artworks whose exact value is difficult to estimate, the remaining gold and jewelry alone are worth at least one hundred billion Berries."
Kaito nodded slowly, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.
"The harvest this time really is enormous."
"With this much wealth, we won't need to worry about money for quite a while."
"Exactly," Robin agreed.
Kaito had always been generous with his crew.
The generous treatment of his subordinates meant the pirate crew's expenses were enormous.
But now—
With wealth worth hundreds of billions of Berries—
The War Pirates would have no need to worry about money for a very long time.
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