"I feel it too!" another guy chimed in, practically vibrating with excitement.
They all shot each other looks, their eyes shining with a newfound power.
"This is insane! I feel like a completely different person!"
"This is the power of a Devil Fruit!"
Just as the wave of giddy surprise was washing over them, one of the men suddenly dissolved into a pitch-black shadow.
The shadow zipped around the room as if it had a mind of its own, phasing through walls and furniture like they were nothing but air.
What was even crazier was how it could morph on the fly, stretching out long and thin one second, then bunching up to mimic the shape of a table the next.
"Mine's the Shadow-Shadow Fruit!" the man's disembodied voice echoed triumphantly from the shadow, a smug grin practically audible in his tone.
"Heh, that's cool and all, but my ability is way more practical!" another voice cut in.
The man who spoke began to fade, starting from his feet and working its way up his legs, his torso, until his entire body vanished completely.
All that was left was a faint shimmer in the air where he used to be.
"Hahaha, I got the Clear-Clear Fruit!" he reappeared with a booming laugh, obviously stoked about his new power.
"I can turn totally invisible!"
"This is gonna be perfect for ambushes!"
The room erupted in excited chatter as all ten men started messing around with their new abilities, marveling at the strange magic of the Devil Fruits.
Of course, Ron had wiped the fruits clean of their original users' moves, so they were starting from scratch.
They'd have to figure things out on their own or try to copy what they'd heard about.
Watching them fumble and experiment, Ron gave a slight nod.
He could already pick out the signature abilities from the chaos.
"I see," he murmured to himself. "So that's Gecko Moria's Shadow-Shadow Fruit and Absalom's Clear-Clear Fruit."
Ace and the others, who were standing nearby, overheard him.
They'd all heard of Gecko Moria, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
It was then that a lightbulb went off over Jozu's head.
He smacked his forehead, realizing they'd missed something obvious.
"Damn, how could I be so stupid!" he exclaimed.
"We totally forgot about the Warlords! Their Devil Fruit abilities are super useful too!"
A greedy glint appeared in his eyes.
"Hey, that's it! After we squeeze that 300 billion out of Kaido, why don't we pay the other Warlords a little… 'visit'?" he suggested with a grin.
"From what I hear, some of them are loaded! We could not only boost our own strength but also make a killing!"
Hearing Jozu's suggestion, everyone else's eyes lit up
. It was a risky plan, for sure, but for a bunch of pirates hungry for more power, it sounded too good to pass up.
Kingdew nodded along but then scratched his head.
"Wait, what about Doflamingo? He's supposed to be our partner, isn't he?"
"Uh... well..." Jozu paused for a second before letting out a hearty chuckle.
"We'll just rob him after we finish our business!"
"Hahaha, yes! I love it!"
"And don't forget, we can use their blood for our Devil Fruit Encyclopedia! With all these new ability users, we'll be able to fill up most of it!"
"Don't worry," Ron said calmly. "I remember."
The group huddled together, excitedly cooking up one scheme after another, all aimed at the Seven Warlords.
Ron just shook his head with a helpless smile.
These guys have endless energy, he thought, sighing internally.
It's like they want to pick a fight with the entire world.
His gaze shifted over to Katakuri and Big Mom.
"My technology has a 100% success rate. Success was guaranteed."
Hearing Ron's confident declaration, Katakuri finally snapped out of the shock he'd been in.
A complex look flashed across his face before he gave a stiff, indifferent nod.
His voice, however, held a trace of awe he couldn't quite hide.
"Indeed. The success rate is 100%. Your science and technology are incredibly powerful, far beyond anything Vegapunk has created."
Ron felt a surge of pride but kept a straight face.
In his mind, with the system backing him up, Vegapunk could only eat his fart.
Katakuri turned to his mother. "Mama, all the experiments were successful. We should..."
Big Mom just glanced at the ten new ability users, a knowing grin spreading across her face.
Her eyes landed back on Ron, her tone dripping with satisfaction and anticipation.
"Ron, this has been a very pleasant partnership!"
Ron gave a polite nod in return.
"The pleasure was all mine."
"Don't get too comfortable. This is just the beginning," she declared. "I'll be getting another batch of blood soon, and I'll need you to make more Devil Fruits for me."
A flicker of excitement sparked in Ron's eyes.
He wasn't about to turn down easy money.
"Of course. I'd be happy to."
Big Mom's laugh boomed through the hall.
"MAMAMAMAMA! Ron, your performance is making me more satisfied by the minute! I'll have Smoothie contact you with the time and place for our next transaction."
Ron's expression twitched slightly.
Big Mom's obsession with sweets apparently extended to her children's names.
"Okay, then. I'll be waiting for the good news."
"Let's go! It's time to leave Fish-Man Island!"
With that, Big Mom wasted no more time.
She and her crew turned to leave.
They'd already had their ship coated the day before and were heading out immediately after their business was concluded.
...
Once the Big Mom Pirates' fleet was out of sight, King Neptune, the princes, and every single resident of Fish-Man Island let out a collective sigh of relief.
It was as if a massive, suffocating weight had been lifted off the entire island, allowing it to return to its usual lively and peaceful state.
Laughter filled the streets once more, merchants bustled about getting ready for new customers, and children were back to playing by the shore, enjoying the freedom they hadn't had in a while.
"I really didn't expect that," Ace said, watching the fleet disappear into the distance from the palace balcony.
There was a hint of surprise in his voice.
"The two barrels of blood Big Mom brought were actually from Gecko Moria and his crew."
In his mind, a Yonko like Big Mom and a Warlord like Moria didn't really have any beef with each other.
Marco who's standing beside him, nodded in agreement.
"On these seas, who really has a grudge against who? Most of the time, 'enemies' are just people chasing the same interests."
Ron thought for a moment before adding his two cents.
"He's right. In this world, everything revolves around self-interest. As long as there's something to gain, people who were trying to kill each other yesterday can become allies fighting side-by-side today. The opposite is also true. If you threaten someone's status or their money, even your oldest friend might turn on you in a heartbeat."
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