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"Ayr, your fight with Captain Rocks is tomorrow. Why are you collecting Devil Fruits now?" Golden Lion asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
Collecting Devil Fruits didn't seem to have anything to do with a battle against Rocks.
But Ayr simply shrugged, his expression unreadable.
"That's nothing to comment on," he said indifferently.
Golden Lion frowned, but before he could press further—
"Fufu… You always keep secrets, Ayr," Charlotte Linlin chuckled, her lips curling into a mischievous smile.
Despite having sailed together for so long, neither she nor anyone else in the Rocks Pirates truly understood Ayr's Devil Fruit abilities.
He was, without a doubt, the most mysterious member of the crew.
Golden Lion stared into Ayr's eyes, silent for a few seconds, before finally speaking.
"I have four Devil Fruits in my possession. I'll sell them to you for 1.5 billion Berries. How about it?"
Golden Lion had no idea why Ayr was gathering Devil Fruits, but—
After seeing Ayr willing to spend 1 billion Berries on Whitebeard's three Devil Fruits, he decided to raise his price.
If Ayr was desperate enough, he might accept the deal.
After all, a single Devil Fruit's standard market value was around 100 million Berries.
Even if someone inflated the price, it would at most reach 200 million.
Meaning—
The four Devil Fruits Golden Lion held were worth 800 million Berries at best.
But if he could sell them to Ayr for 1.5 billion?
That would be a massive profit.
Golden Lion had been amassing wealth in secret to build his own fleet, and he needed the money more than he needed the fruits.
However—
Ayr scoffed at the offer.
"1.5 billion? That's ridiculous, Shiki. I'll give you 1.2 billion—take it or leave it."
Even though Ayr had plenty of money, he refused to let Golden Lion exploit him.
He was willing to pay well, but not be scammed.
Devil Fruits had always been invaluable, and if the market was stable, he would have purchased every last one.
Golden Lion was silent for a moment, then suddenly grinned.
"Fine."
For someone like Golden Lion, who was working behind the scenes to build his empire, the 1.2 billion Berries were far more valuable than the four Devil Fruits.
Seeing the deal unfold, Charlotte Linlin's interest piqued.
"Mamamamama… Ayr, I have six Devil Fruits. Do you want to buy them as well?"
Charlotte Linlin had her own ambitions—to build Totto Land.
So, over the years, she had been collecting every Devil Fruit she came across in the Rocks Pirates' raids.
Now, she had six Devil Fruits in her possession.
However—
More than the fruits, what she truly needed was money.
Without sufficient funding, she couldn't build the infrastructure necessary for her future empire.
Even if she hoarded Devil Fruits, without resources and ships, they were useless to her plans.
Golden Lion glanced at her, raising an eyebrow in surprise.
"Six?! Damn, Linlin… You really hoarded a lot."
Despite sailing with the Rocks Pirates for years, Golden Lion had only managed to collect four.
Yet Charlotte Linlin had six?
"None of your business, Shiki," she replied with a smirk.
Golden Lion laughed.
"Jihahaha! Seems like you've been up to some sneaky business behind Rocks' back, huh, Linlin?"
If Charlotte Linlin was willing to sell her Devil Fruits, it meant she was short on money, just like him.
Meaning—
She had been working in secret, just like he had.
Charlotte Linlin's expression didn't change.
"You should be careful with what you say, Shiki," she warned. "If Captain Rocks overhears you, things might get messy."
Golden Lion snickered but said nothing more.
He knew that Rocks was already aware of his side dealings.
But—
Rocks simply didn't care.
"Alright, Linlin. What's your price?" Ayr asked.
"Two billion Berries," she answered immediately.
Ayr narrowed his eyes.
"1.8 billion."
For him, 300 million per Devil Fruit was the limit.
If he was buying six, then 1.8 billion Berries was the absolute most he was willing to pay.
Charlotte Linlin thought for a moment.
Then—
"Fine. Deal."
Ayr nodded, satisfied.
With that, he returned to his cabin.
Inside his Kurama space, he pulled out 3 billion Berries.
Then, he finalized his transactions with Golden Lion and Charlotte Linlin.
Now—
With Whitebeard's three Devil Fruits, Golden Lion's four, and Charlotte Linlin's six…
And the five Devil Fruits already stored in Kurama's spiritual space—
Ayr now had a total of eighteen Devil Fruits!
After finishing the exchange, he had a brief conversation with Whitebeard and the others before heading off to find John.
There, he collected the one billion Berries John still owed him.
With this, Ayr attempted to strike more deals with other Rocks Pirates' officers to buy even more Devil Fruits.
But—
Aside from Golden Lion and Linlin, none of the other officers had any.
Disappointed, Ayr returned to his room.
Then—
He placed all eighteen Devil Fruits before him.
At that moment, the system's voice echoed in his mind.
"Ding! Devil Fruits detected. Would you like to use them to unlock the Three-Tails' chakra?"
Ayr's eyes gleamed.
"Do it."
"Ding! Congratulations! Five Devil Fruits consumed—Three-Tails' chakra unlocked!"
"Ding! Six Devil Fruits consumed—Four-Tails' chakra unlocked!"
"Ding! Seven Devil Fruits consumed—Five-Tails' chakra unlocked!"
Ayr felt his body surge with power as three different chakra sources merged into Kurama's spiritual world.
As he expected—
Each Tailed Beast chakra required one additional Devil Fruit to unlock.
At this rate—
If he wanted to reach the Ten-Tails' power, he would need a total of 27 Devil Fruits.
Ayr let out a low whistle.
"Unlocking the Ten-Tails… won't be easy."
But now—
His Kurama spirit had the chakra of Five Tailed Beasts.
The sheer power boost was immense.
Now, when Ayr summoned Kurama, he would be stronger than ever before.
Then—
Morning arrived.
It was the day of Ayr vs. Rocks D. Xebec.
At the same time—
Silver Axe and Ochoku, who had been away searching for the Poneglyph, finally returned.
With the mission completed, there was no reason for them to stay away.
And—
Since the battle was expected to be massive, Rocks ordered the ship to be moved to an isolated island in the New World.
Ayr and Rocks stood at the center of the battlefield, ready to fight.
Surrounding them—
The entire Rocks Pirates had gathered to watch history unfold.
Whitebeard, Golden Lion, Charlotte Linlin, John, Silver Axe, Ochoku, Kaido—
They were all here.
All waiting to see—
If Ayr could defeat Rocks D. Xebec.
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