Getting lost at sea is a death sentence, and Chrollo knew it. He desperately needed a navigator to lead the way.
Beyond that, he had a new objective: he needed to test if Skill Hunter could actually steal Devil Fruit powers. If it could... the Phantom Troupe would evolve into something the entire world would fear.
It would be great if a pirate ship just happened to cross our path for a warm-up...
Just as Chrollo was weighing his options, Uvogin peered into the distance. "Boss, looks like there's a ship up ahead."
Chrollo's eyes lit up. He hurried to the observation deck and grabbed a pair of binoculars. Sure enough, a silhouette was emerging on the horizon. The ship had a massive, prominent red cross-shaped structure, a brown hull, and a figurehead shaped like a giant, smiling Buddha.
Flying high was a black flag featuring a bearded man's grinning face, with wings where his ears should be. Chrollo's expression turned strange. Recognizing the ship immediately, he muttered the name of the crew:
"The Fallen Monk Pirates."
The captain was none other than Urouge, ranked 11th among the eleven Supernovas of the "Worst Generation."
Chrollo remembered him not just for the title, but for his origin: the Sky Islands. Skypiea... the land above the clouds. And its ruler, Enel, possessed one of the top three offensive Devil Fruits in existence—the Rumble-Rumble Fruit (Goro Goro no Mi).
That fruit was a "must-have" on Chrollo's list. If developed properly, it was easily Admiral-level power. Talk about a lucky break—Urouge was going to be his "key" to the sky.
"Bring the ship alongside them—"
---
On the Hannya Maru, the four-meter-tall Urouge stood with his signature grin. He had small white wings on his back, a thick beard, and massive prayer beads around his neck. He was staring at the massive object on the water in absolute shock.
"A ship this big... in the South Blue?!"
In a world where most ships held a few hundred people, a vessel designed to hold 200,000 was a floating continent.
"Captain, they're huge," a crewman dressed as a monk whispered. "Should we steer clear, or...?"
"Steer clear?" Urouge's eyes gleamed with greed. "A ship that size must be carrying some incredibly high-profile guests. Can you imagine the treasure on board?"
He grinned wider, his excitement peaking. "If we take this ship, we won't have to worry about money for years! These luxury liners usually have guards that are all bark and no bite. Real powerhouses are rare on these things. It's time to give them... a one-way trip to Nirvana!"
He grabbed a massive megaphone and aimed it at the Black Whale. His voice boomed like thunder across the waves.
"Attention, vessel! This is Captain Urouge of the Fallen Monk Pirates! Hand over your treasure and the women, and I might let you live!"
On the deck of the Black Whale, the Troupe members looked at each other. Their expressions were... complicated.
Are we actually getting robbed?
In all their years, they were always the ones doing the robbing. This was a first. Honestly, it was kind of hilarious.
---
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
In the blink of an eye, the Troupe vanished from their ship and reappeared on the deck of the Hannya Maru. Urouge felt a blur, and suddenly, eleven figures were standing right in front of him.
The monk pirates panicked, drawing their weapons as the atmosphere turned deadly. Urouge sized up the "Spiders."
"So, you're the security detail... only eleven of you? That's almost sad. Drop your weapons and I'll spare your lives," Urouge said, his tone mocking but cold.
The Troupe looked back at him like they were looking at a dead man walking. Chrollo quietly activated one of his 23 stolen abilities: The Visual Eye (Conjuration). A blue light flickered in his pupils as Urouge's data appeared.
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Urouge |
| Strength | 42 |
| Agility | 39 |
| Intelligence | 32 |
| Stamina | 49 |
| Devil Fruit | Karma Fruit |
| Haki | Not Awakened |
| Bounty | 80 Million Berries (8,000 Reputation) |
---
Chrollo processed the info. His stats are roughly on par with Uvogin. An 80-million bounty... that must be from before he reached Sabaody. Since 10,000 Berries equals 1 Reputation point, I'd need to hunt someone with a billion-Berry bounty to unlock the system shop.
He looked at the Karma Fruit. It allowed the user to convert damage taken into physical strength and size. A classic "counter-attacker" ability.
Not a bad power, Chrollo thought. To him, Devil Fruits were just a different flavor of Nen, though arguably more terrifying since they could control the elements or turn the user's body into something else entirely. The only catch was the "curse"—the inability to swim.
Basically, they traded their freedom in the ocean for god-like power. In that sense, this world really is just a version of the Dark Continent.
"He's huge," Nobunaga noted, squinting at Urouge. "Almost four meters. First time I've seen someone bigger than Uvo."
"Let me interrogate him," Feitan said coldly. "I'll make him talk about the 'Dark Continent'."
"A guy that size deserves to be punched into orbit," Phinks added, winding up his arm with a cocky smirk.
"Can I kill him?" Uvogin licked his lips, his eyes glowing with the hunger of a predator seeing a rare beast. "He's mine."
"He's mine," Uvogin, Nobunaga, Feitan, and Phinks all said at the exact same time. They stared at each other in a tense silence.
"...."
"The usual way?" Nobunaga asked.
"Fine."
While Urouge was trying to look menacing, the four of them ignored him entirely and huddled into a circle.
"Rock, Paper, Scissors—!"
"Rock, Paper, Scissors—!"
"I WIN!" Uvogin roared, pumping his fist (he threw Rock). The others looked dejected.
"I told you the idiot always throws Rock! Why did you throw Scissors?!" Phinks snapped at Feitan.
"I was trying to counter you..." Feitan muttered, looking away.
"Morons," Nobunaga added, deadpan.
---
Poor Urouge has no idea what he just walked into. He's about to realize that being the "strongest" in the South Blue means nothing to the Spiders.