The Mera Mera no Mi, a Logia Type Devil Fruit with tremendous offensive power. Give it to the right person, and at worst, they would become a vice admiral in the future.
If a pirate obtained it and had time to grow, their bounty would start at three hundred million!
And now, this Devil Fruit sat quietly before the four of them.
This was a quiet room in Shimotsuki Dōjō. At this hour, the disciples had already gone home, so there were no outsiders around.
In other words, only the four of them knew the secret that Devil Fruits could be extracted.
Zhou Qi leaned against the corner, with Tashigi beside him. She was a little slow on the uptake. Her admiration for Zhou Qi had deepened, but she still could not see the far-reaching implications behind this act.
And after guarding Red-Hair all afternoon, she was exhausted. She simply leaned against Zhou Qi's shoulder and fell asleep.
Zhou Qi gently stroked Tashigi's long hair. It felt wonderful.
He looked at the two people before him. The choice was in their hands now. What would they do?
He was still holding a photograph. It showed nothing but barren sand and gravel, looking like a desert.
But it was not a photograph of a desert. It was a dead zone.
A dead zone where anyone, whether from Earth or the One Piece World, would die if they went there.
Kizaru and Enel might be able to return the instant Zhou Qi closed the door, but no one else could do it.
That naturally included the two men before him.
In the original story, one of them was righteous and kind, a good superior and a good Marine.
The other wore a gentle smile and cared for and respected his disciples. He was a good teacher.
But faced with such a tremendous temptation, Zhou Qi had no idea whether they could withstand it.
Smoker and Koshiro sat on opposite sides of a small table, staring at the Mera Mera no Mi upon it. Their expressions shifted uncertainly as they pondered something unknown.
After a long while, Smoker raised his head. "Mr. Koshiro, this matter is far too important. I hope you can keep it secret!"
Koshiro shook his head. Keep it secret? How could that be possible!
You, on the other hand!
"Are you going to report it to the upper ranks of the Marines?" Koshiro asked.
"I..." Smoker swallowed. "I don't know!"
"I advise you to abandon that thought!" Koshiro said calmly. "The moment you do that, this sea will have no hope left!"
"This..." Smoker froze for a moment and looked at Koshiro, wanting to hear his explanation.
"The Marines are the strongest force on these seas. Countless Devil Fruit Users are imprisoned in Impel Down. Once this secret gets out, the Marines will immediately obtain a batch of Devil Fruits and create a large number of powerful fighters!"
"But the Marines still would not be the ones to benefit most, because above them stands the World Government!"
"And with their control over the world and their strength, the Devil Fruits across these seas will become increasingly concentrated in the hands of the Marines and the World Government!" Koshiro's gaze deepened. "Can you imagine a world where every expert belongs to the World Government, and the people do not even have the slightest chance to resist or struggle?"
"Wouldn't that be a good thing?" Smoker countered. "Then there would be no more pirates in this world, and the seas would enjoy unprecedented peace and stability!"
"Peace and stability?" Koshiro shook his head. "The peace and stability of the nobility, perhaps!"
"This..." Smoker was stunned.
"Or do you believe these Devil Fruits will all end up in the hands of Marines like you—fair, just, kind to your subordinates, and compassionate toward the people?" Koshiro continued.
Since he operated in the East Blue, how could Koshiro possibly not know Smoker?
The Revolutionary Army knew Smoker very well.
If Smoker had been the same kind of man as Captain Rat, then Dragon would not have merely come to stop him four years later. He would have dealt with him while he was there.
Smoker fell silent.
He knew the corruption within the Marines all too well.
The reason he had been demoted to the East Blue was not merely because he had defied his superiors. That was only the surface reason. The real reason was that he refused to go along with those people.
How rotten was it?
A great pirate had invaded Marine Headquarters, yet Marine Headquarters could not suppress him with its own forces and had to call in elites from the Four Seas for support.
There had been many such cases in Chinese history, most of them near the end of a dynasty.
Once Devil Fruits could be seized at will, there was no need to guess. Those fruits would never end up in his hands.
After nearly eight hundred years of operation, those people had already woven layer upon layer of networks throughout the Marines. A vice admiral's son remained a vice admiral, and a rear admiral's son remained a rear admiral. Their roots ran too deep.
Zhou Qi felt that Marine Vice Admiral Dodolayde was realistic, but that was only the tip of the iceberg.
The slave trade in this world was so thriving. Did anyone really think those few Celestial Dragons alone could support such an enormous market?
It was not as if no one had tried to shake those webs of interest. His teacher had once established an elite Marine training camp, promoting many capable commoners and injecting fresh blood into the Marines.
And what happened?
In the family residential district of Marine Headquarters, a place under layers of protection, his entire family was murdered.
In such an environment, even if they obtained a way to acquire Devil Fruits, those people would intercept them first, divide up the benefits, and then pass them down generation after generation, just as they did with power and status now.
Doing so would only make the Marines even more corrupt.
The Marines still had some hope now, but in that future, there truly would not be any hope left.
Therefore, for the future of the Marines, this matter could not be reported!
The instant Smoker understood this, he felt rather miserable.
He had betrayed the Marines.
Yet for some reason, he also felt strangely exhilarated.
After all, keeping the secret meant weakening the corrupt forces within the Marines. It felt as satisfying as slacking off while getting paid and taking advantage of the boss.
"Hm?" Smoker suddenly felt that something was off.
I understand the corruption within the Marines because I was born into them and studied at Headquarters for several years!
But what about you?
You were just an ordinary Great Swordsman. Where did you get such broad vision?
Smoker's gaze immediately sharpened. "Mr. Koshiro, are you really just the master of a swordsmanship dōjō?"
Koshiro remained calm. Rather than answering, he poured the warmed tea into a cup, raised it, and took a sip.
"You!" Smoker clenched his fists. He suddenly realized that Koshiro seemed to have him completely in his grasp.
If he reported this secret, he would worsen the corruption within the Marines and become a sinner to the world. Righteous Smoker could not do such a thing.
But if he did not report it, Koshiro would have another hold over him. Such a major matter went unreported—what exactly was Smoker trying to do?
"What do you want?" Smoker asked, suppressing his anger. "If you want to use this matter to get something from me, let me tell you, that is impossible. Even if I have to quit the Marines, I will not let anyone use me!"
Koshiro shook his head. "Captain Smoker, calm down. First, I have no intention of using you for anything. Second, neither this secret nor this fruit truly belongs to us. Why don't we hear what Zhou has to say?"
"Hm?" Smoker froze, then suddenly realized.
That was right. It seemed that more than just the two of them knew this secret. How had he ignored Zhou Qi?
He turned to glance at Zhou Qi, who was hiding in the shadows. Why were you hiding so sneakily?
"Zhou Qi, how do you plan to deal with this fruit? And this secret..." Remembering Zhou Qi's big mouth, Smoker felt that Zhou Qi might not understand the stakes involved, so he explained, "If the whole world learns of it, it will definitely cause chaos across these seas..."
Zhou Qi nodded. "I know. When that happens, these seas will become a dark forest. Every Devil Fruit User will be a hunter with a gun. They will have to avoid firing to conceal their identities, while hunting other Devil Fruit Users to gain even greater power!"
"This..." Smoker and Koshiro's eyes lit up. That metaphor was remarkably fitting.
"And during this process, the Marines and the World Government, with their immense resources, will naturally benefit the most!" Zhou Qi pointed at Smoker. "But you do not seem to want the Marines to benefit!"
Then he pointed at Koshiro. "And you do not want the World Government to benefit either. So you intend to keep this secret hidden, right?"
"Hm?" Smoker was stunned. What was with that insight?
Wasn't he supposed to be a blabbermouth? How could he see things so clearly?
Koshiro, on the other hand, thought it was only natural. He knew that behind Zhou Qi stood a brilliant civilization. His wisdom was the wisdom of an entire people.
"That is more or less right!" He nodded. "I did not expect you to see so deeply into it. So, Zhou, do you have any good ideas?"
"I think this matter is not complicated at all!" Zhou Qi shrugged. "The situations you described all assume that those two organizations know this secret. But they do not, do they?"
"Since they do not know yet, we can naturally do whatever they could do!"
As he spoke, Zhou Qi pointed at Smoker. "You can use Devil Fruits to cultivate a Marine force loyal to you, with proper values!"
Then he pointed at Koshiro. "And you can cultivate a force that punishes evil, protects the good, and stands up for justice."
"The secret stops with the four of us. We form an offensive and defensive alliance. I have portals and strong mobility. The three of you include one Great Swordsman and two Logia Type users. Our group can hunt down quite a few Devil Fruits. Koshiro, Smoker, and I will split the fruits we obtain equally!"
"Wait, where did two Logia Types come from? Huh?" Smoker looked at the Mera Mera no Mi before him, then at Tashigi. "Don't tell me you want... This is a Logia Type Devil Fruit! And doesn't your country need this fruit?"
"Would there be any difference between Tashigi eating this fruit and me eating it?" Zhou Qi asked.
"This..." Smoker froze, then nodded. It really did not seem like there was any difference.
He could tell that Tashigi's attitude toward Zhou Qi had changed dramatically after going out with him.
She still respected Smoker, but only respect remained. As for her attitude toward Zhou Qi...
He did not understand it, but he envied it.
"Those are minor details!" Zhou Qi waved a hand. "So, what do you think of this offensive and defensive alliance?"
"This..." Smoker thought for a moment, then nodded. "I have no problem with it. It is just this man..."
He was not familiar with Koshiro. Besides, a Great Swordsman who sought neither fame nor profit but opened a swordsmanship dōjō here looked suspicious no matter how he viewed it.
Since Smoker did not know Koshiro, he was naturally highly suspicious of him.
Koshiro narrowed his eyes. He had not intended to keep the secret, because whether it was Dragon or the other Revolutionary Army comrades, they were all selfless people. Even if they learned this secret, they would only use it to strengthen the Revolutionary Army.
But joining this alliance had benefits as well.
First, he could gain access to Zhou Qi's medical resources. He had already tested the previous medicine on someone, and its effects were excellent. It was exactly what the Revolutionary Army needed.
Second, he could gain Smoker's friendship. Given time, it might not even be impossible to turn Smoker into a comrade.
And with this secret, plus Tashigi, the Logia Type Devil Fruit User who was publicly his first mate, Smoker would find it impossible not to rise!
The Revolutionary Army naturally had undercover agents within the Marines, and some held high positions, but who would ever complain about having too many comrades?
And third...
Even if he kept this secret hidden, the Revolutionary Army would not lose out on any benefits. He would not keep things to himself.
Besides, Dragon understood the greater good and would understand him.
"I'm in!" After pondering for a long time, Koshiro finally nodded heavily.
"You really do have an agenda!" Smoker frowned. After all, joining this organization meant building one's own force. As expected, this Great Swordsman had ambitions too.
Still, it was none of his business. As long as Koshiro did not become a pirate, Smoker could not be bothered to interfere.
"Since that is settled, let's discuss the various rules of this alliance!" Zhou Qi said with a smile. "For example, should we come up with a good name?"
Before you continue