Roy Amos. Marine Headquarters Captain, Commander of the Custody Unit Warship 'DT-31'.
Rumor had it he hailed from the West Blue. He joined the Marines at the age of twenty and had served for eight years.
His performance during the physical exams at the branch enlistment was mediocre. However, after participating in the capture of the West Blue ability user 'Rhino Captain Tora,' his strength began to advance by leaps and bounds—this wasn't entirely strange, as many Marine officers only began to show their true edge after encountering a strong enemy.
Subsequently, he was specially recruited into Marine Headquarters. After passing the recruit assessment at HQ, he voluntarily applied to serve in the Custody Unit.
—This was the perception the members of the Custody Unit held regarding Roy Amos.
But in fact, what no one knew was...
Roy Amos's true identity was actually a visitor from another world.
However, there was one thing the Marine members got right.
Roy indeed had his own sense of justice.
"Iced Cola is Justice!"
Roy let out a satisfied sigh as he washed down a slice of pizza with a mouthful of ice-cold 'happy water.'
At this moment, he was simply staring at the hourglass on the table in front of him.
The sand had just finished trickling down.
And right by his ear...
[Paramecia · Strong-Strong Fruit has been added to the Fruit Encyclopedia. Current Level: LV1]
As the voice rang out, the illusory screen before him shifted.
It gradually transformed into a phantom book.
On the pages of this book, images of various Devil Fruits were displayed, each with a distinct appearance.
[Paramecia - Cage-Cage Fruit - LV1]
[Zoan - Ox-Ox Fruit · Model: Rhinoceros - LV1]
[Zoan - Dog-Dog Fruit · Model: Dalmatian - LV1]
[Logia - Glint-Glint Fruit - LV1]
[Logia - Magma-Magma Fruit - LV1]
[Logia - Ice-Ice Fruit - LV1]
And on the very last page, [Paramecia - Strong-Strong Fruit - LV1] had just finished inscribing.
Then, the book closed.
On the cover of the closed book, four words were written—[Fruit Encyclopedia].
[Holder: Roy Amos]
[Current Encyclopedia Fruit Varieties: 19 Types (Paramecia: 7, Zoan: 7, Logia: 4, Special Paramecia: 0, Mythical Zoan: 1)]
[Fruit Slot Quantity: 2]
[Currently Loaded: Ox-Ox Fruit · Model: Rhinoceros LV1, Human-Human Fruit · Model: Daibutsu LV1]
[Current Holdings: 41.13 Million Berries]
"The Fruit Encyclopedia has finally collected nineteen types of Devil Fruits... I'm only one away from unlocking the third Fruit Slot. Plus, this guy's 'Strong-Strong Fruit' is quite a practical ability!"
"This trip wasn't a waste."
The words Roy muttered in his heart were undoubtedly understood only by him.
That's right.
As a transmigrator, Roy had his own System.
That was the 'Fruit Encyclopedia' he was looking at right now.
As the name suggested—this System was related to the unique product of the One Piece world, the 'Devil Fruit.'
The Fruit Encyclopedia itself contained two functions.
The first function was Collection and Usage.
As long as he got close to a Devil Fruit ability user and spent some time with them, he could record their Devil Fruit into the Encyclopedia.
When the ability user utilized their powers in front of him, the speed of this recording would accelerate.
After acquiring the ability, he could use the corresponding Devil Fruit power through the Ability Slots within the illustrated handbook.
At the start, there was only one Ability Slot. Every ten Devil Fruits collected would unlock an extra slot.
Of course, if Roy obtained a real Devil Fruit directly...
He could absorb the Devil Fruit and instantly gain the corresponding ability at the LV3 level.
The second function of the encyclopedia was the Enhancement of fruit abilities.
Once a fruit was recorded into the Fruit Encyclopedia, its base ability level was LV1.
Subsequently, Roy could consume a sufficient amount of Berries or equivalent treasures to enhance and increase his fruit ability level.
Aside from that, Roy could also consume a smaller amount of treasure to temporarily unlock a specific level of fruit ability—the cost was roughly one-third of the normal unlock price, but it would only buy one hour of duration.
Furthermore, perhaps because Roy hadn't truly eaten the Devil Fruits...
The fruit abilities he obtained were not restricted by seawater or Seastone.
Regarding his own 'Golden Finger,' Roy's evaluation was simple.
"Abnormal!"
Exactly.
He knew very well that the effects of the Fruit Encyclopedia were terrifying.
It allowed him to use multiple Devil Fruit abilities without fearing seawater or Seastone.
This was practically a grand highway leading straight to the very peak of the world.
Don't look at how Kaido claims "Haki transcends all"—in reality, isn't he himself a user of the [Fish-Fish Fruit · Model: Azure Dragon], a legendary Devil Fruit?
So, the question arose.
On this sea, where was the safest place to obtain a sufficient amount of Devil Fruits?
For Roy, the answer was simple—the Marines.
As the behemoth backed by the World Government, suppressing the Great Pirate Era from spiraling completely out of control...
The number of ability users within the Marines, and the number of ability users they came into contact with, was certainly the highest.
So Roy chose to join the Marines and actively selected the unpopular 'Custody Unit.'
And facts had proven his choice was correct.
Over these eight years, through contact with ability users inside the Marines and occasionally escorting criminal ability users, he had obtained a full nineteen types of Devil Fruit abilities.
Among them, he even included the Logia abilities of the current three Admirals, and even Fleet Admiral Sengoku's Mythical Zoan 'Human-Human Fruit · Model: Daibutsu,' a top-tier Devil Fruit ability.
It could be said that in terms of accumulating fruit abilities...
Roy had tentatively built up enough of a foundation.
So now, he faced only one problem.
That was...
"I have to think of a way to make money."
The Marine Captain thought to himself.
Yes.
Just as mentioned before, his fruit abilities required Berries to enhance.
The specific price varied hugely depending on the type of fruit, but there was one unified characteristic—the stronger the fruit, the more expensive it was.
According to Roy's current summary, enhancing ordinary Paramecia and Zoan fruits to LV2 required around 50 million Berries. Enhancing to LV3 required 200 to 300 million Berries. LV4 required 1 billion, and LV5—Fruit Awakening—generally required over several billion Berries.
And Logia types were even more exaggerated. Enhancing the ordinary Smoke-Smoke Fruit to LV2 required 300 million Berries. LV3 directly jumped to 1.5 billion Berries. LV4 needed 5 billion, and Fruit Awakening was an astronomical figure of over 10 billion.
As for top-tier Logia fruits like the Magma-Magma Fruit or Ice-Ice Fruit, the enhancement prices were even higher.
Incidentally, Roy's monthly salary as a Marine Captain was around 300,000 Berries.
And in his eight years in the Marines, even counting the allowances and rewards for escorting prisoners, he had only saved a little over 40 million Berries.
"I don't smoke, I don't drink, and my only hobby is drinking a little cola. How is it so hard for a model youth like me to save money... Burp!"
Roy let out a belch and sighed.
He was genuinely having a headache over this.
"No money!"
Who would have thought that the thing troubling him before his transmigration and after his transmigration would be the exact same thing?
"If it really comes down to it, I'll just leave the Marines after collecting 20 Devil Fruits—go be a Bounty Hunter or something. Although I'd have to run around everywhere, at least the money comes in much faster than in the Navy."
"And although all my fruit abilities are currently LV1, if I can unlock the third Fruit Slot, it will definitely be enough for the first half of the Grand Line."
Roy calculated in his heart.
But exactly at this moment—
BOOM!
The ship's cabin violently shook, and screams erupted from outside.
Roy hurriedly shielded his iced cola and shouted angrily, "What's the situation? Who is steering... right! Hans! Do you not want this job anymore!?"
While shouting, he quickly drained the cola in his cup, then opened the door and walked out of the cabin.
Then, he saw the chaotic deck and the Marines raising their guns and opening fire.
The direction they were aiming at was the sea.
Under the illumination of the moonlight in the pitch-black night sky...
On the sparkling sea, a massive creature was protruding its head from beneath the surface.
It had the head of a lion, the body of a fish, and a body length of dozens of meters.
Those gigantic eyes looked like burning sparks in the night.
"Captain Roy! It's a Sea Beast—a large Sea Beast is attacking us!"
Sergeant 'Farr' rushed up to Roy and reported anxiously.
"Sea Beast?"
Roy raised an eyebrow.
As a Marine unit active in the Four Blues for a long time, the bottom of the Custody Unit's warship naturally used Seastone technology.
So normally speaking, Sea Beasts and Sea Kings wouldn't detect the warship's existence.
But occasionally there were accidents—for example, if a near-shore Sea Beast or a small shallow-water Sea King got too close to the surface, they might spot this 'iron lump.'
"Yes! Our luck seems very bad."
Farr looked like he wanted to cry.
But...
"What do you mean bad luck? Isn't this great luck?"
Roy interrupted him. "I remember Sea Beast meat is very valuable!"
"...W-What?"
Farr didn't quite react.
But Roy didn't answer him. "Everyone, cease fire—if you ruin the best meat, you're all dead!"
"?" * N
The Marines on the entire warship froze.
But as soldiers, they subconsciously stopped shooting.
"Sir, you..."
Someone opened their mouth to ask something.
But before they could speak, they saw Roy's figure move.
BOOM!
He bent his knees and launched himself violently!
The immense force even caused the entire warship to tilt noticeably in that instant.
Under the gaze of all the Marines, Roy's figure flew rapidly toward the giant Sea Beast.
"Captain Roy!" * N
The Marines cried out in alarm.
But in the next moment, the cries of alarm turned into shrieks of horror.
Because at this time, the Sea Beast had obviously noticed Roy as well.
ROAR!
The massive head let out a low growl, and then, carrying tremendous force, it slammed toward Roy.
"It's over!"
"Taking a hit like that head-on... even the Captain will..."
"Prepare for rescue immediately! Prepare to save the Captain!"
The Marines were almost panicking.
However, in just the next moment, the scene they saw made their eyes nearly pop out of their sockets and their jaws drop to the point of dislocation.
Because under the moonlight...
The Marine Captain flew through the air, his coat emblazoned with 'Justice' flapping in the wind.
He pulled back his elbow, then clenched his fist!
In the moonlight, every Marine saw his arm—thick, robust, looking as if it were cast from steel!
The muscles beneath that arm were knotted like iron.
[Current Loaded Fruit - 1: Ox-Ox Fruit · Model: Rhinoceros LV1 — Weak fruit ability, grants the body of a giant rhino. Physical strength and muscle density far exceed normal humans.]
[Current Loaded Fruit - 2: Strong-Strong Fruit LV1 — Weak fruit ability, grants a 5-fold increase in muscle strength.]
Many people knew that Zoan Devil Fruit abilities could almost all grant the user a powerful, beast-like body.
Gladiator Antoria also knew that his Strong-Strong Fruit could grant the user a massive enhancement to their muscles.
But, if a person possessed both the base physical constitution provided by a Zoan Devil Fruit and the muscle amplification provided by the Strong-Strong Fruit... what would the effect be?
This moment was the answer to that question.
BOOM!
Roy swung his fist!
The wild wind generated by the sheer power even pressed a massive 'trench' into the sea surface in front of him.
The next instant, the fist collided with the Sea Beast's head.
And so, all the Marines saw it.
That massive large-scale Sea Beast, over a hundred meters long... was blasted away by Roy's single punch!
AWOOO!
It let out a tragic wail, crashed onto the sea surface, and fainted directly.
And Roy's figure, amidst the shocked "Ehhhhhhhh?!" of the Marines, landed on the Sea Beast's head.
That's right.
This was the reason why Roy wasn't too anxious even though all his fruits were currently only LV1.
Because...
"The stacking of Devil Fruits is not as simple as one plus one—as long as one has a sufficient understanding of enough Devil Fruits, even LV1 Devil Fruits can unleash power beyond imagination!"
Roy whispered in his heart.
"And in this world, no one understands Devil Fruits better than me!"