Along the coast, seven giants sat in a row.
The cages they'd been held in had all sunk beneath the water. Figo had dragged just one ashore and tossed Worry Demon Geld Chuck inside.
To let them come ashore, Xiao had also unlocked the shackles around their legs. They could have run the moment they stood up, yet every one of them sat more obediently than the last.
Run? Whoever wanted to run could go ahead.
It wasn't as if the chains hanging from their hands were the only reason they stayed. Even without being shackled, could they not see their three benefactors being forced to serve him under the Warden's tyranny?
Not far away, a bonfire blazed. The three CP9 agents worked in perfect coordination, cutting up the carcass of a gigantic Near-Sea King, draining its blood, roasting it over the fire, and quickly serving it to Figo.
As they watched the dozens of tons of Near-Sea King gradually disappear into Figo's stomach, Little Tiger and the Female CP9 agent quietly exchanged glances.
So we were the clowns all along. The Giant race was telling the truth—Figo really could eat an entire Sea King in one sitting? Which meant he really did all those things to abuse and humiliate prisoners?
Not someone we can afford to offend.
After everything that had happened, Peslo's desire to report Figo to the Five Elders had faded.
Figo didn't usually eat this much, of course. But he'd just replenished himself with a huge amount of Giant Power and had been through a fierce battle, so he desperately needed to refuel. His powerful digestion helped him quickly turn the meat he ate into energy.
After devouring three quarters of the Near-Sea King, Figo burped, pushed himself up, and rubbed his stomach.
"That's about enough. Thanks for the effort. Roast the rest and share it with the giants."
The giants sitting in a row were overcome with gratitude. We're actually getting to eat, too?
"Old Xiao, how's the little bug?" Figo called to the other side.
"No good. I can't contact Headquarters."
The Den Den Mushi had been smashed onto the shore, but it hadn't died heroically. Its shell was just a little damaged. The signal wasn't working, so it couldn't reach Headquarters.
They'd probably have to wait for it to recover on its own.
As for the Marines, only six remained. Every one of them was injured, wrapped in bandages like Figo, and resting on the shore... They'd each been given a little meat as soon as the first piece of Near-Sea King was cooked, enough to fill their stomachs.
"Is that so? I'll leave the little bug in your care, Old Xiao. Good thing I already contacted the Fleet Admiral. He said he'd send the nearest warship to pick us up, so it shouldn't be long."
After all, they were quite close to Elbaf. The Fleet Admiral would surely take the Giant race's rescue of the seven giants into account and hurry to retrieve them.
After giving those instructions, Figo found a flat patch of ground and lay down to rest with his eyes closed.
The Nun, still wearing Seastone Handcuffs, lay on the ground not far away. Having given up hope entirely, she'd actually begun to feel calmer. Seeing him, she said, "Could I borrow a light? Help me light a cigarette, Marine."
"Give it up. Smoking's banned in Impel Down."
The Nun fell silent.
The giants admired her. She'd been captured and still dared to make demands? Seeing Figo close his eyes and sleep, they ate their meat in tiny bites, afraid to wake the Warden. They were weak, pitiful, and helpless.
Run while they had the chance?
Look at that heap of mush in the cage.
Look at the shattered ground.
Look at the two halves of the warship that hadn't sunk yet.
No way! Better to live miserably than die well!
Figo wasn't really asleep. He was going over his gains. He now had seven rewards to choose from.
Once he'd truly captured someone, their reward wouldn't disappear even if he released them later. The three CP9 agents mostly offered rewards related to the Six Powers, and Figo wasn't in a hurry to choose those.
He figured that he could still make rapid progress with the Six Powers through training. He'd wait until his practice stopped improving them, then use their rewards to advance.
The remaining four rewards came from Doham and Giant Kevin's Character Events, and from capturing the Nun and Worry Demon.
By the way, Giant Kevin still didn't know that Worry Demon, whom Figo had just captured after their fierce battle, was the real murderer of his daughter. Figo didn't go out of his way to tell him.
Whether to recruit him into the Marines or do something else was for the Fleet Admiral to decide.
Kevin's reward was also the easiest to choose.
[Reward: Giant Power (Rare) +187 → 1832 (Level 3 Giant Boy)]
Next was Doham. He'd been the one who had awakened Figo's Observation Haki, but he hadn't mastered Armament Haki, and he didn't use a sword. So, out of the dozens of scattered abilities, Figo naturally chose to strengthen his own greatest asset.
[Reward: Physique +63 → 12399 (Level 4 Monster)]
The fierce battle and a meal of Near-Sea King meat had also raised Figo's Physique by more than twenty points on its own.
Next came the main event: two R-class criminals with 100% Capture Participation!
The Nun's rewards let him choose one of three: Devil Fruit Development, disguise, or business. None of them were especially suited to Figo, but after giving it some thought, he still chose Devil Fruit Development.
Since he hadn't eaten a Devil Fruit, he couldn't activate the ability. And because of his Fish-Man Power, he wasn't considering eating one unless he came across a truly suitable fruit that he really wanted.
Still, the added Devil Fruit Development ability could help Figo a little when fighting Devil Fruit Users, letting him better assess his opponents.
[Reward: Devil Fruit Development (Not Yet Activated) +2093 → 2093 (Level 3 Devil Fruit Expert)]
With 100% Capture Participation, a Crime Index of 91, and an SR3 ranking, she'd granted Figo 2,093 points in one go—the most he'd ever received!
And that record was about to be broken again!
[Prisoner: Geld Chuck] [Rank: SR9] [Status: In Custody] [Crime Index: 113] [Capture Participation: 100%] [Available Rewards: Armament Haki, Doctor, Observation Haki]
A Crime Index of 113 broke the record for the highest Figo had ever seen, and the available rewards were richer than any he'd ever gotten before! Most people had dozens of abilities, and it was already lucky to find one good option among three. Yet Worry Demon had dropped both Armament Haki and Observation Haki at the same time!
The Doctor ability would have been quite good under other circumstances, so choosing between them was genuinely difficult.
In the end, Figo chose Armament Haki.
[Reward: Armament Haki +3277 → 6355 (Level 3 Intermediate Armament Haki)]
It had doubled outright! Figo would be able to reach that level of ability quickly through training. Maybe he could even coat his whole body in Armament Haki!
If he could personally capture a hundred or so pirates like this, Figo would probably become the World's Strongest in no time.
But that was just wishful thinking. In this era, Worry Demon was already one of the top fifty Great Pirates by bounty. Other Great Pirates weren't going to stand around waiting for Figo to capture them. More importantly, there were plenty of people he probably couldn't beat yet.
This battle had given Figo a rough idea of his limits. There was surely a massive leap between SR9 and SSR1. He'd had to put in some effort to capture Worry Demon, so he probably still couldn't take on an SSR-ranked Great Pirate.
He couldn't even guarantee he'd be unbeatable against SR7, SR8, and SR9 opponents. After all, battles could be decided by all kinds of factors. Against an outlier like Sugar, even an R-class opponent could bring him down.
"Looks like I won't have a chance to help capture an SSR-ranked criminal anytime soon."
Impel Down? There weren't any there, either! The highest-ranked prisoner held in its deepest level was SR9!
SSR might represent the tiny group at the very top of the sea—the level of an Admiral, or at least a powerhouse who could hold off a Marine Admiral for a short while!
In other words, SSR1 is about the average level of a future Emperor's top commander? SSR9 is Roger and Whitebeard at their peak? What about Rocks? Im?
The farther you climb toward the top, the harder it gets. After eight years of hard work in Impel Down, I'm only standing at the doorstep of the summit. I've barely brushed against it...
As Figo thought, sleepiness gradually overcame him. He truly fell asleep, exhausted.
It wasn't until nightfall that Xiao woke him. "Lord Figo, the warship sent to pick us up has arrived. We're heading home!"
Figo opened his eyes with a grunt. It's here already?
In the end, he hadn't made it to the island's town.
Next time, for sure.
Before you continue