"Devil Fruit ability?"
Crocus raised an eyebrow, quickly deducing the possibility.
But that wasn't the truth.
Shirogai gave a small nod.
"This is the ability of the Whisper-Whisper Fruit. It soothes inner pain and heals wounds that conventional ans can't touch."
Crocus frowned slightly.
"That doesn't sound like a combat-oriented ability."
Shirogai simply smiled, saying nothing.
Luffy, true to form, burst out enthusiastically,
"Shirogai ate the Talent Fruit! He can replicate the Devil Fruits he's seen!"
Crocus's eyes widened in disbelief.
"What? There's a Devil Fruit that powerful?"
Having once sailed with the Pirate King Roger himself, Crocus had seen many Devil Fruits in action—but never anything like the Talent Fruit.
Usopp threw his arm around Shirogai's shoulders, grinning broadly as he patted him on the back.
"Aweso, right?! Shirogai's our Vice Captain!"
No one on the crew objected. In fact, they all seed to have silently accepted it.
Luffy had never formally declared it, but everyone had long acknowledged Shirogai's position.
Because he wasn't just strong—he was far too strong.
He wasn't just formidable in battle; his knowledge spanned every aspect of piracy, navigation, combat, and Devil Fruits.
Under his guidance, every crew mber was improving—learning new techniques, refining their Haki, and broadening their horizons.
Zoro and Sanji especially understood this well.
Luffy, however, received little instruction from Shirogai.
At most, Shirogai had taught him the fundantals of [Observation Haki], and [Armant Haki].
Zoro had once asked him why he didn't help Luffy develop his Gum-Gum Fruit powers.
Shirogai's answer had been calm and resolute:
"Luffy's not ant for strict training. He's a born fighter. He learns through battle, by pushing his limits and risking it all.
If I guided him, I'd hold back at the critical mont. I'd always leave him a way out. But real battles don't co with safety nets.
If he gets used to having an escape route, he'll subconsciously expect one when there isn't any. That's how you die."
Luffy had no complaints. He still occasionally dragged Shirogai into trying fusion techniques with his Gum-Gum powers, though.
Crocus gave a small nod of admiration.
"I didn't expect you to have such a rare ability. I have a feeling I'll be reading about you in the papers soon enough."
Usopp, eager to impress, pulled out a crumpled wanted poster from his bag.
"Shirogai already has a bounty of 100 million Berries!"
Crocus looked at the poster, unimpressed.
"100 million? You've certainly caught so attention."
For a veteran like Crocus, that number was still small. He had faced pirates with far higher bounties.
What he didn't know was—this was Shirogai's first bounty.
And for a first bounty, it was record-breaking.
Bang!
The door above Laboon's stomach burst open.
Two strange figures in green, ard with personal launchers, dropped down into the acid lake.
"You old geezer! This whale's done for!" one of them shouted.
"You won't stop us!" sneered the other.
They glared at Crocus with hostile eyes.
"Let's blast a hole through this whale's gut! Mr. 9, ready?"
A woman with a sky-blue ponytail and odd suspenders raised her cannon.
"Miss Wednesday, I'm ready!" replied a man in a green suit, sporting a crown and a ridiculous mustache shaped like the number 9.
"Stop it, you scum!" Crocus roared, eyes red behind his glasses. "You won't harm Laboon!"
"Too late, old man!" Miss Wednesday sneered and began her countdown.
"Three… Two… One… FIRE!"
"Okay baby, FIRE!"
Boom!
Two cannonballs launched toward the roof of Laboon's stomach.
If they detonated, Laboon would be seriously wounded—perhaps even die.
"You filthy cowards!" Crocus leapt high, attempting to intercept them.
But age had dulled him. He misjudged the timing by a split second.
The cannonballs soared upward, far beyond his reach.
"Mr. 9, we did it!" Miss Wednesday grinned.
"We'll be heroes back at Whiskey Peak!"
They dread of carving up the whale and feeding their town for years.
But then—they noticed sothing strange.
"Mr. 9?" Miss Wednesday blinked.
"Those cannonballs… are falling toward us?"
Mr. 9's eyes widened. "Y-Yeah… they're heading back down!"
The two stared at each other for a mont—then dove into the acid sea in a panic.
BOOM!
The cannonballs exploded on the platform they had just vacated, splintering the structure but leaving Laboon unhard.
The two clambered back aboard the ship, clothes hissing as the acid began to corrode the fabric.
But they had no ti to recover.
A group of pirates was waiting, gazes cold and unfriendly.
"Don't co near us!" Mr. 9 shouted.
"Miss Wednesday… they're pirates!" he whispered.
The Straw Hats had been deeply moved by Laboon's story.
Seeing these two try to kill the whale filled them with fury.
Luffy clenched his fists, his voice cold:
"You tried to kill Laboon?"
"Want to slice them up?" Zoro asked, unsheathing his sword.
"Dear lady," Sanji said calmly, laying his coat over Miss Wednesday's shoulders. "Don't catch a cold."
But his eyes were as sharp as knives, focused on Mr. 9.
"You scumbags!" Nami snapped, visibly furious.
Usopp turned to Shirogai, curious.
"Shirogai… was that your power just now? Did you throw the cannonballs back?"
Shirogai gave a small nod and made a grasping motion.
Two transparent hands shimred into view over his own.
"Yes. Good eye, Usopp. Your Observation Haki is awakening. Keep training."
[Talent Fruit] — Modified Chop Form: [Myriad Transformations]
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