This Also Counts as Dark Forest

The Mera Mera no Mi, a Logia Type Devil Fruit, and an extremely powerful offensive one at that. If it were eaten by a suitable person, they would at least become a Vice Admiral in the future.

If a Pirate obtained it and developed their abilities, their bounty would start at 300 million!

And now, this Devil Fruit sat quietly before the four of them.

This was a quiet room in the Shimotsuki Dōjō. The disciples had all gone home long ago, so there were no outsiders.

In other words, only the four of them knew the secret of how to extract Devil Fruits up to this point.

Zhou Qi leaned against the wall, with Tashigi beside him. Her mind was a little dull; she was simply more in awe of Zhou Qi and couldn't yet grasp the profound meaning behind his actions.

Having guarded the red-haired man all afternoon, she was extremely sleepy and had fallen asleep leaning on Zhou Qi's shoulder.

He gently stroked Tashigi's long hair, which felt wonderful.

Zhou Qi looked at the two people before him. The choice is in your hands. What will you do?

He was still holding a photograph in his hand, filled with desolate sand, like a desert.

But this was not a picture of a desert, but a death trap.

A death trap where anyone, whether from Earth or the One Piece World, would die upon entering.

Kizaru and Enel might return the moment Zhou Qi closed the door, but others absolutely could not.

Including the two before him.

In the original story, one of them was righteous and kind, a good superior and a good Marine.

The other had a gentle smile, cared for and respected his disciples, and was a good master.

But faced with immense temptation, Zhou Qi didn't know if they could resist.

Smoker and Koshiro sat on opposite sides of a small table, staring at the Mera Mera no Mi on the table, their expressions shifting. They were lost in thought.

After a long while, Smoker looked up. "Mr. Koshiro, this matter is too significant. I hope you can keep it a secret!"

Koshiro shook his head. Keep it a secret? How could that be possible!

It's you!

"Are you going to report this to the higher-ups in the Marines?" Koshiro asked.

"I..." Smoker swallowed. "I don't know!"

"I advise you to abandon that idea!" Koshiro said calmly. "If you do that, then there will be no hope left for this sea!"

"This..." Smoker froze and looked at Koshiro, wanting to hear his explanation.

"The Marines are the most powerful force on this sea, and countless Devil Fruit Users are imprisoned in Impel Down. Once this matter is exposed, the Marines will instantly acquire a batch of Devil Fruits and create a large number of powerful individuals!"

"But the Marines will still not be the biggest beneficiaries, because above the Marines, there is the World Government!"

"And with their control and strength over the world, the Devil Fruits on this sea will become increasingly concentrated in the hands of the Marines and the World Government!" Koshiro's eyes deepened. "Can you imagine a world where all the experts are concentrated in the World Government, and the people have no possibility of resistance or struggle?"

"Isn't that a good thing?" Smoker retorted. "That way, there will be no more Pirates in this world, and the sea will be more peaceful and stable than ever before!"

"Peace and stability?" Koshiro shook his head. "It's the peace and stability of the nobles, isn't it!"

"This..." Smoker was stunned.

"Or do you believe that all these Devil Fruits will fall into the hands of Marines like you, who are fair, just, kind to your subordinates, and loving towards the people?" Koshiro continued to ask.

After all, he operated in the East Blue. How could Koshiro not know Smoker?

The Revolutionary Army knew Smoker quite well.

If Smoker were the same as Captain Rat, then four years later, Dragon wouldn't just be stopping him; he would have dealt with him then and there.

Smoker fell silent.

He knew too well the corruption within the Marines.

The reason he was demoted to the East Blue, and that he had clashed with his superiors, were just superficial reasons. The real reason was that he didn't want to be tainted by those people.

How corrupt were they?

A great Pirate invaded Marine Headquarters, and the Headquarters' own troops couldn't suppress him, requiring the elites from the four seas to help.

Such things had happened many times in Huaxia's history, mostly in the late dynasties.

If Devil Fruits could be taken freely, there was no need to guess; these fruits would definitely not fall into his own hands.

With nearly eight hundred years of operation, those people had already woven layer upon layer of networks within the Marines. The son of a Vice Admiral was still a Vice Admiral, and the son of a Rear Admiral was still a Rear Admiral. It was deeply rooted.

Zhou Qi felt that Vice Admiral Dodolayde's writings were realistic. In fact, this was just the tip of the iceberg.

The slave trade business in this world was so popular; do you really think those few Celestial Dragons could support such a large market!

It wasn't that no one had thought of shaking these interest groups. His teacher had once established an elite Marine training camp and promoted a large number of capable commoners, injecting new blood into the Marines.

And the result?

His entire family was killed in a heavily protected area like the family quarters at Marine Headquarters.

In such an environment, even if a method to obtain Devil Fruits were found, it would be intercepted by them in advance, the benefits distributed, and then passed down from generation to generation, just like the current power and status.

Doing so would only make the Marines more corrupt.

The current Marines still have some hope, but that kind of future would have no hope at all.

Therefore, for the future of the Marines, this matter cannot be reported!

The moment he came to this realization, Smoker felt a pang of discomfort.

He had betrayed the Marines.

Yet, inexplicably, he also felt a sense of exhilaration.

After all, keeping a secret was weakening the corrupt elements within the Marines, a feeling akin to slacking off at work while still getting paid, or pulling a fast one on the boss.

"Hmm?" Smoker's thoughts took a turn, and he suddenly felt something was amiss.

I understand the corruption within the Marines well because I came from the Marines and studied at Headquarters for a few years!

What about you?

You're just an ordinary Sword Saint, where did you get such a grand vision?

Smoker's gaze immediately sharpened: "Mr. Koshiro, are you really just the master of a dojo?"

Koshiro's expression remained calm. He didn't answer but poured the heated tea into a cup, raised it, and took a sip.

"You!" Smoker clenched his fist. He suddenly realized he seemed to be at Koshiro's mercy.

If he reported this secret, it would exacerbate the corruption within the Marines, and he would become a sinner in the eyes of the world. The righteous Smoker couldn't do such a thing.

But if he didn't report it, he would have another handle for Koshiro to hold over him. After all, not reporting such a major issue, what were Smoker's intentions!

"What exactly do you want!" Smoker asked, suppressing his anger. "If you want to get something from me with this, I'll tell you now, it's impossible. I'd rather quit the Marines than be used by anyone!"

Koshiro shook his head. "Captain Smoker, calm down. Firstly, I don't intend to use you for anything. Secondly, neither this secret nor this fruit actually belongs to us. Why don't we hear what Zhou Qi has to say?"

"Hmm?" Smoker was stunned, then suddenly realized.

That's right, they weren't the only ones who knew this secret. How could they have overlooked Zhou Qi?

He turned to look at Zhou Qi, who was hiding in the shadows. Why were you hiding so secretly?

"Zhou Qi, what do you plan to do with this fruit? And this secret..." Thinking of Zhou Qi's big mouth, Smoker believed Zhou Qi might not understand the gravity of the situation. He explained, "If the whole world knew, it would definitely cause unrest on this sea..."

Zhou Qi nodded. "I know. At that time, this sea will become a dark forest, and every Devil Fruit User will be a hunter with a gun. They'll have to avoid firing to hide their identity, and hunt other Devil Fruit Users to gain more power!"

"This..." Smoker and Koshiro's eyes lit up. This analogy was very fitting.

"And in this process, the Marines and the World Government, who possess vast resources, will naturally be the biggest beneficiaries!" Zhou Qi pointed at Smoker. "But you don't seem to want the Marines to benefit!"

He then pointed at Koshiro. "And you don't want the World Government to benefit, so you intend to keep this secret hidden, right!"

"Huh?" Smoker was taken aback. This insight, what was going on?

Wasn't he a big mouth? How could he see things so clearly?

Koshiro found it acceptable. After all, he knew Zhou Qi had a brilliant civilization behind him; his wisdom was the wisdom of his entire race.

"That's more or less it!" He nodded. "I didn't expect you to see it so clearly. So, Zhou Qi, do you have any good ideas?"

"I actually think this matter isn't complicated!" Zhou Qi shrugged. "The situations you described all assume that those two organizations know this secret, but they don't!"

"Since they don't know, we can naturally do what they would do!"

Saying that, Zhou Qi pointed at Smoker. "You can use Devil Fruits to cultivate a Marine force loyal to yourself and with righteous values!"

Then he pointed at Koshiro. "You can also cultivate a force that punishes evil and helps the weak."

"The secret stays between the four of us. We'll form an offensive and defensive alliance. I have a teleportation portal, making me highly mobile. The three of you, one Sword Saint and two Logia users, our combination can hunt many Devil Fruits. The obtained fruits will be divided equally among Teacher Koshiro, Smoker, and me!"

"Wait, where did two Logia users come from?" Smoker looked at the Mera Mera no Mi in front of him, then at Tashigi. "Do you mean... you want her to eat this? This is a Logia-type Devil Fruit! And doesn't your country need this fruit?"

"Is there a difference between Tashigi eating this fruit and me eating it?" Zhou Qi asked.

"This..." Smoker was stunned for a moment, then nodded. It seemed there was indeed no difference.

He could feel that ever since Tashigi went out with Zhou Qi, her attitude towards him had changed significantly.

Although she still respected him, it was only respect. But her attitude towards Zhou Qi...

He didn't understand, but he was envious.

"These are trivial matters!" Zhou Qi waved his hand. "So, what do you think of this offensive and defensive alliance?"

"This..." Smoker thought for a moment and nodded. "I have no problem, it's just this gentleman..."

He wasn't familiar with Koshiro, and a Sword Saint who sought neither fame nor fortune opening a dojo here seemed strange.

He wasn't familiar with Koshiro and was naturally very suspicious.

Koshiro narrowed his eyes. He hadn't considered keeping the secret. After all, Dragon and his other Revolutionary Army comrades were all dedicated to public service. Even if they obtained this secret, they would only use it to strengthen the Revolutionary Army.

But joining this alliance had its benefits.

First, he could obtain medicinal resources from Zhou Qi's side. The previous medicine he had someone test had yielded excellent results, exactly what the Revolutionary Army needed.

Second, he could gain Smoker's friendship. In time, it might even be possible to turn Smoker into a comrade.

And Smoker, with this secret, coupled with Tashigi, a Logia-type Devil Fruit User who was ostensibly his First Mate, would be destined to rise.

The Revolutionary Army naturally had informants within the Marines, and they held rather high positions, but who would complain about having too many comrades!

And the third...

Even if he hid this secret, the Revolutionary Army would still receive its due benefits; he wouldn't hoard anything.

Furthermore, Dragon, who understood righteousness, would also understand him.

"I'll join!" After much thought, Koshiro finally nodded heavily.

"You really do have a hidden agenda!" Smoker frowned. After all, the prerequisite for joining this organization was to establish one's own faction. As expected, this great swordsman also had ambitions.

However, it wasn't his concern. As long as he didn't become a pirate, Smoker couldn't be bothered to interfere.

"Since that's the case, let's discuss the various articles of this alliance!" Zhou Qi said with a smile. "For example, how about we come up with a nice name?"