After playing with the dog, Shano turned his attention to the ground.
There wasn't much to say about Kizaru's severed arm—it was definitely valuable, but the one-year cooldown period hadn't passed yet. So, he could only store it away for now and keep it frozen.
His real focus was on Enel.
"What a coincidence…"
Shano muttered to himself, pulling a scroll from his backpack.
[One-Time Devil Fruit Deprivation Technique]
[Description: Within a short time after the ability user's death, the 'Devil Core' can be extracted from the corpse and infused into a plant fruit to recreate a Devil Fruit with the same power.]
It was an item obtained during the last market refresh.
Originally, he thought it would be a while before it came in handy.
He didn't expect the perfect opportunity to arrive so soon—
Enel had come knocking himself.
The Thunder Fruit was one of the most valuable and flashiest Logia fruits.
Who wouldn't be tempted?
Shano certainly couldn't resist. He immediately unfolded the scroll and activated the "Deprivation Technique" on Enel as instructed.
Buzz!
In an instant, dazzling lightning surged from the corpse and condensed into a pulsating dark blue core floating in midair.
This was the so-called Devil Core?
The origin of Devil Fruits remained a mystery. Shano curiously examined it for a while, then took out a sunflower fruit.
This was a common fruit in Dressrosa, freshly taken from Bonnie's pocket.
He brought the two together.
The surface of the sunflower fruit immediately turned golden, with jagged lightning bolt-shaped spikes appearing on it.
Within seconds...
A brand new Thunder Fruit was born in the palm of his hand.
"Perfect."
Shano nodded with satisfaction, weighing it in his hand.
This marked the fourth Logia fruit in his possession. From Flame, Snow, and Sand to now Lightning—plus Smoker's Smoke…
Soon, his crew would include five Logia users.
He was becoming a true Logia collector.
But… who should inherit the Thunder?
Shano looked at Gin first. Gin instantly turned his head away. With his innate thunder-manipulating ability, he had always disdained relying on external sources like Devil Fruits.
Also, if I become a landlubber and you kick me into the sea, how the hell am I supposed to swim back up?
"Not interested?"
Shano stroked his chin in thought.
Among the rest of the crew, there wasn't a suitable candidate either. As for himself...
He wasn't interested.
When he first entered the Grand Line, he had considered eating a Mythical Zoan to boost his melee strength.
But now—
His combat power had already reached the highest tier of this world. He really didn't need any Devil Fruit assistance.
The side effects were too great.
Even ignoring Seastone and other factors, becoming a landlubber was simply unacceptable to him. It would be a waste of his naval combat prowess—one even Jinbei would envy.
Take today's battle as an example.
If he hadn't used the sea to drag Kizaru down and caught him off guard, there would've been no way to win in a day—let alone land such a devastating blow.
When it came to naval warfare, Shano believed he was number one in the world.
So for now, he would just keep it stored away—perhaps for when his crew expanded in the future.
Just as he was pondering this...
He didn't notice that the long sword Masamune, which had accompanied him for years, was faintly trembling behind him in the direction of the Thunder Fruit—
as if it hungered for it.
The next day.
Marine Headquarters – Marineford.
Early morning, just after dawn. The top brass of Marine Headquarters had already assembled in the conference room.
After a full day and night of public opinion spreading, all of Marineford now knew—
The Navy had returned in defeat from the New World.
Shame.
This was undoubtedly a humiliating defeat.
The huge conference room was filled with gloom, as if a dark cloud was pressing down. The air was so heavy it could drip water.
Looking around...
Almost all who attended wore justice cloaks—major generals and above. But at this moment, they all sat in silence, smoking heavily, faces clouded in frustration.
And...
It was said the Holy Land was furious about the unauthorized action taken by Headquarters.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Admiral Kizaru, who led the operation, had been summoned to Mariejois to be reprimanded.
"Everyone!"
Brannew, newly promoted to Major and acting staff officer, stood upright in front of the whiteboard, speaking in a deep voice:
"Everyone who should be here has arrived. I won't waste time on formalities. Let's begin!"
"The topic is very clear—it concerns the updated bounty assessments for the Fallen, led by Shano!"
Brannew snapped his fingers. His assistant rolled over a projection Den Den Mushi to the table.
The Den Den Mushi blinked sleepily. On the whiteboard, a video began playing—
Garp falling from the sky, clashing with Shano in a thunderous punch. A hemispherical shockwave blasted across the sea, shattering the entire ice field.
As the noise faded, a mass of wounded naval elites were seen limping back to their ships. Some looked defeated, others clenched their teeth in silent defiance. Many marines looked back at the battlefield, faces still filled with fear.
The final shot froze on Kizaru, tattered, missing his right arm. He stood alone, staring up at the sky, expression unreadable.
"…"
No one in the room spoke. The sound of puffing cigars grew louder.
Amid the smoke, many eyes locked on Kizaru's image with complex expressions.
"This footage was obtained through our ties with the World Economic News. That slippery Morgans actually risked it all and personally recorded the battle. Shocking…"
Brannew scanned the room and sighed.
"Judging by everyone's reactions, you've clearly heard—"
"Yes, the Holy Land has ordered a temporary ceasefire with the Fallers. We're not to provoke them."
"We don't know what those big shots are planning—nor should we try to guess."
"But one thing is certain! The Navy will never stop upholding justice, nor will we lower our guard against these dangerous criminals!"
Brannew took a deep breath and continued.
"In this battle, Admiral Kizaru was gravely injured, one arm lost. One of the Shichibukai, Enel, was killed. Vice Admirals Doberman and Dalmesia are out of commission. The fleet suffered massive casualties."
"Meanwhile, among the Fallers—aside from some light injuries—not a single death."
"This wasn't just a loss—it was a total rout! And what does that tell us?"
Brannew slammed the table. The crack echoed in the dead silence of the room.
"It tells us, everyone—whether it's Kizaru's missing arm, or our sunken ships—the Fallers have evolved. In just over two months in the New World, they've grown stronger—unrecognizably so!"
Snap!
The Den Den Mushi switched slides, and a new display appeared.
Wanted posters for Whitebeard, BIG MOM, Kaido, and Shanks filled the screen.
Then came images of King, Queen, Marco, Katakuri, and other senior figures, flashing one by one.
"These are today's Four Emperors. You all know them."
"These emperors don't just have personal might—they command elite followers, and the world refers to them as the 'Imperial Group'!"
"And now—though still small in number—the Fallers have already formed the early blueprint of such an Imperial Group!"
"Captain Shano's strength is comparable to the Four Emperors!"
"So it is imperative that we reevaluate their threat level and update their bounties accordingly!"
Brannew signaled to his deputy, who adjusted the projector.
A row of brand-new wanted posters appeared.
Technology had streamlined the process—no more manual pasting.
"First, note this—"
Brannew pointed to the screen.
"Compared to their time in Paradise, the Fallers have grown. More members have joined, and we've clearly identified three levels of strength."
"Starting from the lowest level—though even this 'lowest' level is elite. The weakest Faller has a bounty near 200 million!"
"Such as these three—"
'Defector Hunter' Smoker, 'Winter Fist' Nojiko, and 'Pet-Eating Demon' Nami!
All eyes turned to the posters.
Seeing Smoker and the blue-haired girl, most remained calm.
But when their eyes landed on the orange-haired girl, many narrowed their gaze, cold sweat appearing on their foreheads. They recalled the disturbing rumors.
"These three are the weakest among the Fallers—yet all possess Logia powers!"
"This speaks volumes about the foundation of this crew."
"In the Dressrosa battle, the Logia types showed terrifying area control capabilities."
"Nojiko, for instance, used methods reminiscent of Admiral Aokiji—freezing the sea and immobilizing the fleet. She then defeated a Vice Admiral solo."
"Nami worked with her sister to launch devastating fire-and-ice attacks from above. Her fruit mastery has clearly matured."
"Smoker, as we all know, is highly versatile. Beyond his Smoke powers, he's proficient in both types of Haki. A well-rounded combatant and a disciple of Mr. Zephyr."
"Enough."
A stern Vice Admiral interrupted coldly.
"Mr. Zephyr has enough on his plate. Don't drag him into this."
"Understood."
Brannew cleared his throat.
"In any case—their bounties are being revised upward."
'Winter Fist' Nojiko: 200 million → 330 million Beli
'Defector Hunter' Smoker: 210 million → 365 million Beli
'Pet-Eating Demon' Nami: 160 million → 228 million Beli
Speaking of Nami, Brannew paused.
"Oh, and the white dog that previously had a symbolic 1,000 Beli bounty has disappeared. A new cat-like pet has joined, but since its survival is uncertain, no bounty has been issued."
"Worse than a beast."
A female major general muttered.
Many in the room nodded slightly. Even among pirates, attacking allies—let alone eating them—was rare and detestable.
Brannew continued quickly.
"As for other members of the lowest tier and the rest—we'll move through them briefly."
He gestured at the screen:
'Devil's Child' Robin: bounty raised to 300 million Beli
'Red Foot' Zeff: bounty raised to 220 million Beli
'Thunder Wolf' Gin: bounty raised to 300 million Beli
Brannew took a sip of water as the assistant switched to the next slide—
Only three wanted posters appeared this time.
On either side were towering, muscular men.
In the center—
a cold-eyed swordswoman with a high ponytail.