"What?"
"Exchange for the Momo-Momo Fruit?"
"Shiryu, are you serious?"
Katakuri, Smoothie, and the others couldn't help but stare at Shiryu of the Rain, their surprise evident. They all knew how incredibly powerful the Momo-Momo Fruit's Paramecia abilities were. It was truly unexpected that Shiryu of the Rain would want to trade it for Kizaru's Logia-type Glint-Glint Fruit ability.
However, they had to admit, the Logia Glint-Glint Fruit was undeniably more appealing. If they weren't already top-tier Logia users themselves, they might have been tempted too.
"Oh?" Even Wilhelm himself raised an eyebrow, looking at Shiryu in surprise. "Why? The Momo-Momo Fruit's physical enhancements aren't bad, are they?" He clearly hadn't anticipated Shiryu of the Rain making such a sudden choice.
"I believe you also have a need for the Momo-Momo Fruit's ability, Master Wilhelm?" Shiryu of the Rain looked at Wilhelm with fiery eyes. "After all, you once mentioned that the Momo-Momo Fruit was originally one of the abilities you planned to use for creating your 'Ten Rings'."
"Are you worried I might want to take it back someday?" Wilhelm's gaze was piercing as he calmly stated, "Since the Momo-Momo Fruit was given to you, I won't reclaim it. I'm not that petty. The world is vast, and there are countless Devil Fruits; finding a replacement isn't impossible!"
He was referring to the "Ten Rings" he had created. An ability like the Paramecia Momo-Momo Fruit was indeed a prime candidate for it. To recruit Shiryu of the Rain, the former head jailer of Impel Down, he had initially invested a lot.
Later, while the "Ten Rings" allowed Devil Fruit powers to be "passed on" every time, the Momo-Momo Fruit had already been given to Shiryu of the Rain. Taking it back abruptly wouldn't be good, as it might discourage his subordinates. He hadn't expected Shiryu of the Rain to offer to swap the Momo-Momo Fruit's ability.
"I naturally trust your power, Master Wilhelm. Otherwise, you would have directly rejected my bold request back at Impel Down..." Shiryu of the Rain was earnest, his gratitude sincere. But thinking of the Logia Glint-Glint Fruit's power, his heart burned a little. He stated seriously, "However, compared to the Momo-Momo Fruit, I believe the Glint-Glint Fruit is more suited for a Sword King like me!"
Initially, he wasn't particularly impressed with Katakuri's Logia Mochi-Mochi Fruit (though it's a Paramecia, the text incorrectly calls it Logia, so I'm keeping the original intent of Shiryu's initial disinterest in it compared to the Momo-Momo).
After all, the Paramecia Momo-Momo Fruit was truly excellent. Furthermore, no one could say for certain how far the Logia Glint-Glint Fruit's abilities could be developed. But when he saw the Logia Glint-Glint Fruit in Wilhelm's hand, he was undeniably moved.
He had witnessed the Glint-Glint Fruit's performance firsthand; it was astonishing. Kizaru's previous light-speed movements were almost comparable to Wilhelm's teleportation.
It was completely faster than the Paramecia Momo-Momo Fruit's direct increase of tens or hundreds of times, and in terms of attack power and other aspects, it was incredibly perfect.
The Glint-Glint Fruit's ability to directly elementalize was particularly captivating. If he could obtain it, he would only need to mimic Kizaru's moves to develop the Glint-Glint Fruit, allowing his own strength to make a great leap forward in the shortest possible time.
"Anyway, I haven't had the Momo-Momo Fruit for long..." Shiryu of the Rain's eyes blazed. In the end, he spread his hands and said, "Of course, if Master Wilhelm has other plans for that Glint-Glint Fruit, that's perfectly fine!"
"There are no specific arrangements yet..." Wilhelm shook his head. He tossed the Logia Glint-Glint Fruit in his hand, looking at Shiryu of the Rain with a serious expression as he reconfirmed, "Have you thought this through?"
If Katakuri and the others possessed the Paramecia Momo-Momo Fruit, nine out of ten, they wouldn't want to exchange it for any Logia Glint-Glint Fruit.
If he wasn't mistaken, Shiryu of the Rain was likely a bit bored and simply envied Polusalino's powerful "flashy" abilities.
Otherwise, in the original timeline, when he allied with Blackbeard, he didn't choose the abilities of other Devil Fruits; he chose Absalom's Paramecia Clear-Clear Fruit.
Seeing that Wilhelm had no intention of refusing, Shiryu was overjoyed. He patted his chest and declared, "I'm sure, I'm serious, and I won't regret it!"
"Alright. The Momo-Momo Fruit's ability is indeed very suitable for the 'Ten Rings' I want to create. I only gave it up initially to attract you. It's best if you have no objections." Wilhelm shrugged. The "Ten Rings" without the Momo-Momo Fruit's ability was indeed somewhat incomplete, causing him a sense of regret. However, he didn't want to go back on his word. Chilling the hearts of his subordinates over a mere Devil Fruit wasn't worth it. Since Shiryu of the Rain had taken a liking to Kizaru's Glint-Glint Fruit ability, he had no objections.
Without further ado, Wilhelm directly tossed the Glint-Glint Fruit to Shiryu of the Rain. "Then, I'll take back the Momo-Momo Fruit, and I'll give you this Logia Glint-Glint Fruit!"
"Thank you so much... Master Wilhelm!" Shiryu of the Rain was ecstatic, clutching the Logia Glint-Glint Fruit as if it were a priceless treasure.
"As for reclaiming the Momo-Momo Fruit's ability, I'll deal with that later..." Wilhelm shrugged.
"Wilhelm, what are you going to do with Sengoku the Buddha and the tens of thousands of elite Marines?" Katakuri asked after seeing the conversation between Wilhelm and Shiryu of the Rain conclude.
"Don't worry, I'll deal with him slowly later... Air Door!" Wilhelm declared. He activated the "Ten Rings" ability, and a small door materialized from his palm. His immense Observation Haki passed through this passage.
"Whoosh..."
In an instant, massive warships appeared out of thin air, one after another, stretching across the vast sea. Above them, Marine flags flew and World Government flags fluttered. It was the expedition fleet that had vanished earlier. However, there was no one on board; they were empty, all left in a different dimension by Wilhelm.
"Boom!"
"It's the Marine warships!"
"Master Wilhelm's ability made them disappear out of thin air before, and now they've suddenly reappeared!"
"Where are the Marines who were on them?"
"They're all gone..."
The sudden appearance of the colossal fleet startled many pirates and members of the Homies Legion. Even the Marine prisoners initially had bright eyes, but seeing the empty decks, the hope that had just been kindled was extinguished all at once.
"Wilhelm, are you alright?"
"You're too reckless; there's no need to be so impatient, right?"
Smoothie, Katakuri, and the others watched the suddenly pale and weak Wilhelm before them. Their expressions changed, and they became a little worried.
"Phew—" Relying on his Observation Haki to precisely exclude every Marine member and transfer only thirty top-level battleships, the somewhat uncomfortable Wilhelm, now pale, let out a long breath. He captured a Homie soldier, directly deprived it of its soul, and used it as an "energy source" for the "Ten Rings."
He then used the Heal-Heal Fruit's ability to restore his physical strength, which had been completely depleted by chasing Kizaru and continuously using the Warp-Warp Fruit's ability to directly transfer such a massive fleet from a different dimension.
"Don't worry..." He waved his hands at Smoothie and Katakuri, a sneer gracing his lips. "I want to see what Sengoku chooses next."
Seeing Wilhelm's complexion gradually return to rosy, Smoothie, relieved, soon broke into a happy smile.
"It's truly thanks to those Marines that we've obtained such a huge fleet without any effort..." Not surprisingly, these warships would be used by Wilhelm, the "Minister of Love" and the Fourth Sweet Commander, to form his own general's fleet. It simply saved them a lot of work.