The thunderous roar shocked Joey and his brothers back to consciousness, only to witness a spectacle that would haunt their dreams forever.
Lightning crashed into the Lord of the Coast with devastating force. The massive Sea King bellowed in agony, but rather than retreating, the pain only fueled its rage as it surged toward the Luffy with renewed fury.
Seeing his initial attack had failed to deter their nemesis, Gustave felt power coursing through his veins like liquid electricity. Blue lightning crackled around his entire body as he rose into the air, suspended by pure electrical energy.
Clenching his fist, Gustave summoned forces beyond mortal comprehension. A colossal bolt of lightning erupted from the heavens, followed by a second, then a third! The sky itself seemed to tear apart as a terrifying web of electrical destruction spread across the water, as if divine judgment had come to cleanse all sin from the world.
When the thunderous display finally ended, the Lord of the Coast floated motionless on the waves—charred black and completely lifeless. The aroma of cooked meat drifted across the water, a grim testament to the lightning's power.
Gustave descended slowly to the deck, breathing heavily with sweat beading on his forehead, clearly exhausted by the enormous expenditure of energy.
"Dear God," Joey whispered in terror, his voice barely audible. "Have we encountered a deity?"
His crew members stared in blank amazement, their minds struggling to process what they'd witnessed.
Unlike the traumatized pirates, Gustave's friends reacted with immediate concern. Po rushed forward to steady his friend, while Tom appeared wearing a pair of impossibly cool sunglasses that materialized from nowhere. Ace and Luffy quickly followed.
"Gustave, what just happened to you?" Po asked, his voice filled with worry and confusion.
Everyone's attention focused on their transformed friend, desperate for answers to this impossible display.
"I believe that strange fruit I swallowed earlier was a Devil Fruit," Gustave replied thoughtfully, recalling the incredible sensation he'd experienced.
When the Lord of the Coast had charged toward them, Gustave remembered feeling an immense power building within his body, demanding release. Instinctively, he'd directed that force toward their attacker, and lightning had erupted from his very being.
The power had lifted him skyward, making him feel like the master of storms themselves. Facing the Sea King's challenge to his authority, Gustave had channeled the energy within him, creating the devastating display they'd all witnessed.
After unleashing such power, he felt only mild fatigue before the electrical aura faded and returned him safely to the deck.
"A Devil Fruit?" everyone gasped in unison.
During their training with Garp, he'd taught them about these legendary treasures and their incredible—but costly—powers.
"But Master Garp told us Devil Fruits taste absolutely horrible," Po recalled. "And anyone who eats one becomes cursed by the sea, losing the ability to swim forever."
"Ah, but I never actually tasted it," Gustave reminded them with a slight smile. "Since Tom's punch forced me to swallow it whole, I was spared that particular torture."
Perhaps he was the only person in history to gain Devil Fruit powers without enduring the notoriously awful flavor. Tom's violent assistance had been a blessing in disguise.
"As for losing my swimming ability," Gustave continued pragmatically, "that's a reasonable price for such incredible power. Every great strength requires sacrifice."
"Wait," Luffy said slowly, his mental gears turning at their usual delayed pace, "does this mean you can't go fishing with me anymore?"
Everyone burst into laughter at Luffy's priorities, which somehow managed to miss the earth-shattering implications while focusing on recreational activities.
"Don't worry, Luffy," Gustave chuckled. "I might not be able to wade into the water, but I can certainly try electro-fishing!"
"Really?!" Luffy's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Can you show me more Devil Fruit powers right now?"
"You're incorrigible," Gustave said fondly, giving Luffy a gentle knock on the head before moving to the bow for a demonstration.
This time he kept the display modest—using Devil Fruit abilities was clearly exhausting, so he produced only a few small lightning bolts that danced between his fingers like living creatures.
As night fell across the calm seas, they secured Joey and his crew in the ship's makeshift brig before retiring to their quarters.
The Lord of the Coast's charred remains drifted away on the current, forgotten by all. The legendary Sea King that had once bitten off Red-Haired Shanks' arm in another timeline was now nothing more than maritime barbecue, its threat permanently eliminated.
Alone in his cabin, Gustave stared at the ceiling while his mind raced with questions.
"The fruit I consumed must have been the Rumble-Rumble Fruit," he mused quietly. "But wasn't that supposed to be on Skypiea with Enel? How did it fall directly into my mouth?"
Had the self-proclaimed god of Skypiea died? Or had he simply never acquired the fruit in the first place? The implications were staggering.
"No point in overthinking it," Gustave finally decided. "The Rumble-Rumble Fruit is mine now, and that's definitely not a bad development. Time for sleep."
Rolling over, he closed his eyes and drifted into peaceful slumber, electricity still crackling faintly around his dreams.
By noon the following day, the Luffy had reached the Marine base nearest to Goa Kingdom. The personnel here knew Gustave's crew well—they'd delivered numerous captured pirates over the past two years in exchange for bounty rewards.
Unfortunately, Joey and his brothers were too inexperienced and weak to have earned any bounties. The Marines compensated them modestly for the recovered ship and took custody of the wannabe pirates.
As they prepared to depart, excited shouting echoed from outside the base.
"Vice Admiral Garp has arrived!"
Hearing that familiar name, Gustave's group hurried outside with broad grins.
"Master!" "Grandfather!" "Garp-san!" they called out simultaneously.
The legendary Marine hero turned at their voices, his weathered face breaking into a delighted smile upon recognizing his former students.
"Bwahahaha! What brings you youngsters here?" Garp boomed, striding over to greet them. "I thought you were all settled in Windmill Village!"
"We came to deliver pirates, Grandfather," Ace explained. "Luffy defeated a crew yesterday, so we brought them in for processing."
"Luffy defeated pirates?" Garp's eyebrows rose with genuine surprise and pride. "My grandson's growing stronger!"
"They didn't have any bounties though," Luffy mumbled with disappointment.
"Bwahahaha! No wonder they lost to little Luffy—they must have been complete weaklings!" Garp laughed without mercy.
"I'll defeat much stronger pirates in the future!" Luffy declared with renewed determination. "I'm going to become the greatest hero in history!"
His classic declaration drew fond smiles from everyone present, though they noticed he still avoided mentioning the Pirate King dream that might upset his Marine grandfather.
"What brings you to East Blue, Garp-san?" Gustave asked curiously. "Are you on vacation?"
"Actually, I'm following a familiar face from the New World," Garp replied casually. "Heard he was heading this way, so I decided to tag along. Ran low on supplies and stopped here for resupply."
"Anyone we might know?" Gustave pressed.
"Little red-haired fellow named Shanks," Garp said with amusement. "Used to serve on Roger's crew, if you can believe that."
"Shan—" Luffy started to speak excitedly, but Ace quickly covered his mouth to prevent any problematic revelations.
Garp noticed the interaction but chose not to investigate. "Say, Gustave, I've been craving your cooking something fierce. How about joining me aboard my ship for a proper meal?"
"It would be my honor," Gustave replied with a respectful bow.
As the group followed Garp toward his ship, the base's Marines began whispering among themselves.
"Did you hear that?" Marine A said to his colleague. "Vice Admiral Garp is here chasing that pirate Shanks!"
"That's not the important part," Marine B replied in hushed tones. "Did you notice how familiar Gustave's group is with the Vice Admiral? One of them called him 'Master,' and those boys are apparently his grandsons!"
"No wonder they've been so successful capturing pirates," Marine A nodded in understanding. "They're connected to one of the Marine's greatest heroes!"
"We should definitely treat them with more respect next time," Marine B whispered conspiratorially. "If they put in a good word, we might even get transferred to Marine Headquarters!"
Both Marines began giggling as they fantasized about their potential promotions, their behavior so strange that passing colleagues wondered if they'd suffered some kind of mental breakdown.