The village chief and the villagers were also dumbfounded.

Looking at the young man before him, the instructor couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. This young man possessed outstanding shooting talent and potential, yet he chose to leave. Nevertheless, the instructor respected his decision, after all, everyone has their own path and choices.

Alvida looked at the young man with a smile, then announced loudly, "Alright, from now on, you are the captain of the Musketeer Squad on my ship!" Her voice echoed in the air, shocking all the pirates present.

The pirates stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with disbelief. They couldn't understand why Alvida would so easily hand over the position of captain of the Musketeer Squad to a stranger, especially one who had just joined the crew.

The village chief and the villagers were equally dumbfounded. They had thought that Alvida would test the young man, at least by examining his marksmanship. However, the reality was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples that completely surprised them. Even Moke himself was stunned, as if struck by Inazuma.

He had originally thought that Alvida would give him some opportunities to demonstrate his strength and talent. After all, he was quite confident in his abilities. But to his utter surprise, Alvida was so decisive that she appointed him without giving him any chance to prove himself.

This sudden decision left Moke somewhat bewildered. He couldn't help but begin to doubt himself; did he really have the ability to handle this position? This question swirled in his mind, leaving him feeling lost.

However, amidst his shock, Moke also deeply felt the power of the strong to do as they please. Alvida's actions were undoubtedly telling him that as long as you possess absolute strength, you can issue orders at will, and your subordinates, no matter how capricious or outrageous your commands are, will not dare to question them in the slightest and can only obediently comply.

And so, amidst astonishment and confusion, Moke boarded Alvida's pirate ship, becoming a glorious pirate. Although the decision came somewhat suddenly, he knew in his heart that this was a major turning point in his life. From now on, he would bid farewell to his past life, face new challenges and opportunities, and explore the unknown ocean world.

Watching the Alvida Pirates disappear into the distance, deep worry appeared on the faces of the villagers. An elderly man with a wrinkled face finally couldn't contain his unease any longer. His voice trembled as he said to the village chief, "Village chief, do you think Moke will come back to take revenge on those young men in our village?"

Before he could finish speaking, another middle-aged Big Mom eagerly chimed in, "That's right! My Xiao Hai is on that ship too! Now Moke is the Musketeer Squad of the Alvida Pirates. What if he holds a grudge and targets my Xiao Hai? Wouldn't he be doomed? Waaah..." As she spoke, the Big Mom couldn't help but burst into tears.

Hearing this, the other young people's parents were also filled with fear. They all turned to look at the village chief, their eyes revealing obvious dissatisfaction and blame. The village chief, however, seemed somewhat helpless. He sighed and tried to comfort everyone, saying, "Don't panic, everyone. Perhaps things aren't as bad as we think..."

However, his words clearly failed to quell the crowd's worries. The parents' eyes remained fixed on him, seemingly waiting for a more reassuring answer. Then, their gazes turned in unison to a young man standing next to the village chief.

This young man was the youngest of all the school-aged children in the village. Originally, everyone felt sorry for him, after all, he was so young and had to face such a difficult situation. But now, because of him, the other children were in danger of being retaliated against, and the parents' stance changed instantly.

It was an extremely unwise decision to implicate several young people from different villages because of one person! Even though these young people knew that becoming a pirate was basically tantamount to suicide, at least before the Moke incident, they still held onto a sliver of hope. But now, that hope has been shattered, leaving only endless despair.

At this moment, the village chief's expression also changed. Before this, he was only thinking about having Moke take one of the places so that the village could lose one less person. But now, he Satori that this was a life-or-death decision, and no matter what he chose, he was destined to be criticized and condemned by the people.

If he didn't let Moke take the place, the villagers would surely accuse him of not knowing his place; but if he did let Moke take the place, the villagers would still criticize him for being incredibly foolish, sacrificing the lives of several other young men for one person. However, if he let Moke take the place of their own child, these villagers would probably immediately change their tune. This is a true reflection of human nature!

Well!

The village chief sighed deeply, as if a thousand-pound burden was weighing on his heart. He never imagined that he would lose his inner kindness and principles, and all he got in return was the villagers' misunderstanding and accusations.

At this very moment, Captain Alvida stood at the bow of the ship, clutching half of a mysterious blueprint tightly in her hand, her gaze fixed on the vast ocean ahead. She thought to herself, "Straw Hat Kid, just you wait! Once I find Lileya's Treasure, I'll recruit more crew members and expand my power exponentially. Then, I'll make sure you suffer!"

Just as Alvida was lost in her thoughts, Moke, standing not far away, suddenly heard the words "Lileya's Treasure." His eyes lit up as if drawn by a magnet. A startling thought flashed through his mind: the Paramecia -type Smooth- Slip-Slip Fruit that Alvida obtained might have been found in this treasure!

The thought made Moke's heart race, and his hands unconsciously clenched tightly. However, he tried hard to suppress his inner turmoil, afraid that others would notice his unusual behavior.

Time flies like an arrow; half a month passed in the blink of an eye. Alvida wandered countless times in this vast sea, and finally, a small island, only a few miles in circumference, came into their view like a pearl hidden deep in the ocean.

Alvida's emotions erupted like a volcano, instantly ignited. She was as excited as a child, her face beaming with uncontrollable joy. The iron bar in her hand seemed to be infected by her emotions as well, drawing graceful arcs in the air as she swung it, as if cheering for her happiness.

However, at this exciting moment, a sudden shout shattered Alvida's joy like a bolt from the blue. The voice, like a thunderclap, echoed in her ears, causing her body to stiffen abruptly, and the iron bar in her hand to pause in mid-air.

Alvida's expression instantly turned serious, her initial excitement replaced by tension and unease. She quickly turned her head, her gaze sharp as a hawk's as she looked to the left, as if trying to see through the vast sea to the pirate ship that had suddenly appeared.

At the same time, Moke, standing beside her, made the same gesture. Their eyes met, and they both saw a hint of astonishment in each other's eyes. Because the pirate ship they saw was truly extraordinary!

The pirate ship's sails weren't the usual white or black, but a vibrant red, like burning flames, fluttering in the sea breeze. The hull was painted a deep black, creating a striking contrast with the red sails and giving it a strong visual impact.

The prow design of this pirate ship is truly unique and astonishing. From a distance, it resembles a massive, lifelike elephant, seemingly ready to leap out at any moment. However, upon closer inspection, one discovers that the elephant's long trunk is topped with a clown's distinctive Buggy —a truly ingenious detail that earns praise for the designer's creativity.

What's even more astonishing is that the Buggy wasn't just a decoration, but a huge cannon muzzle! This discovery left Moke speechless. He stared wide-eyed at the ship before him, his body frozen in place as if under a spell.

The ship's uniqueness goes far beyond that. When Moke's gaze shifted to the enemy's pirate flag, he saw the iconic skull, and right in the center of the skull was a striking Buggy. This feature echoed the Buggy on the bow, making the entire ship's style more unified and instantly recognizable as Buggy the Clown's pirate ship.

Without a doubt, the ship before him was Buggy the Clown's vessel. After all, such a unique pirate flag was one of a kind in the entire world of One Piece. The last trace of doubt in Moke's heart vanished the moment he saw the pirate flag; he was 100% certain that what was in front of him was Buggy the Clown's pirate ship.

Moke's gaze slowly shifted from the pirate flag and landed back on Alvida. So, these two met unexpectedly here, hit it off, and formed an alliance to take down Straw Hat Luffy? Thinking this, Moke could almost picture the scene: Buggy the Clown and Alvida bumped into each other in this sea, and after a conversation, they discovered they both harbored resentment towards Straw Hat Luffy, so they decided to join forces to fight this common enemy.

Therefore... Moke's gaze naturally fell on the tiny island not far away. Because, if this reasoning followed, then this island was very likely the place where they formed their alliance.

The chances of Paramecia Devil Fruit like the Smooth- Slip-Slip Fruit appearing on this island have skyrocketed! This astonishing discovery made Moke so excited that his body even trembled slightly from excessive excitement.

To most people, the Paramecia Smooth- Slip-Slip Fruit might not seem like a particularly powerful Devil Fruit. After all, it doesn't grant the user Elementalization like Logia Devil Fruit, nor does it bestow upon the user a powerful physique and unique abilities like Zoan Devil Fruit. However, only Moke truly understands the fruit's true value and potential.

In fact, some Devil Fruit are severely underestimated. Take, for example, the Time- Slow-Slow Fruit, an extremely powerful Devil Fruit! It can control the flow of time, slowing down enemies' movements, as if time itself is under its control. Possessing such an ability makes one practically invincible! However, regrettably, this incredibly powerful Devil Fruit ultimately fell into the hands of Foxy the Foxy the Silver Fox.

Foxy, while possessing considerable strength, has a truly questionable mastery of the Slow-Slow Fruit. He completely fails to unleash its full potential, using it like a weakling – a complete waste. In contrast, Alvida's Slip-Slip Fruit, though seemingly less dazzling, actually holds immense potential.

This Slip-Slip Fruit isn't just for beauty! Its true power lies in its ability to allow the user to easily glide away from enemy attacks, like ice skating, thus avoiding injury. Imagine how incredible it would be if this ability were developed to its fullest potential! Enemy attacks would be like child's play, and even the fiercest attacks could be easily neutralized.

Therefore, the strength of Devil Fruit depends not only on the fruit itself, but more importantly on who eats it. With Moke's current power, he's probably unmatched in the entire East Blue. Even a powerful Marine Captain Smoker would likely be helpless against Moke in his current state.

However, despite his excellence in certain aspects, he still has one major flaw. This flaw does not stem from external factors, but from within himself—his strength has not truly improved. He relies solely on the power of his Devil Fruit, a dependence that makes him exceptionally vulnerable in certain situations.

Just like Enel, whose strength was close to that of Admiral, although his Devil Fruit Ability made him immune to lightning damage, he was ultimately defeated by Luffy, who was far weaker than him. One key reason was that Enel relied too much on his Devil Fruit and neglected to train his own strength. This resulted in his body being relatively weak and unable to withstand Luffy's Gale of punches, ultimately leading to his defeat.

Therefore, to compensate for this deficiency, he knew he had to find a suitable substance to absorb and transform it into a permanent ability. After all, Devil Fruit Ability are not static; they also exist in different levels: domination, manipulation, and Awakening. Only by constantly breaking through these levels can one truly unleash the full potential of Devil Fruit Ability.

The moment it was eaten, the Devil Fruit's power seemed to perfectly integrate with the body, naturally becoming a person's talent. This talent could be freely controlled, and the so-called techniques were merely the user's skillful application of their abilities. Just like Sabo, after eating the Flame-Flame Fruit, he could instantly wield flames with effortless ease, as if he was born with the ability to control fire.

As users continue to explore and develop their Devil Fruit Ability, their understanding and application of these Devil Fruit Ability gradually reach a new level— the Manipulation Realm. In this realm, the user's understanding of their Devil Fruit Ability transcends mere techniques, delving into the very essence of the ability. At this point, the power unleashed by the same technique far surpasses its previous level, representing a complete transformation.

It is no exaggeration to say that anyone who can reach the level of the Manipulation Realm will surely be able to secure a place on the Grand Line, a journey full of challenges and opportunities. Their strength has been widely recognized, making them among the best of the best.

However, this is not the end of Devil Fruit abilities. Above the Manipulation Realm, there is an even higher realm: the Awakening of Devil Fruit Ability. Once a user's Devil Fruit Ability reaches the Awakening level, the ability and the user themselves will completely merge into one, becoming inseparable. At this point, the user can unleash the full power of the Devil Fruit, displaying unparalleled strength.

Devil Fruit Awakening is undoubtedly the strongest state for Devil Fruit users, representing absolute control and perfect execution of their abilities. Users who reach this level undoubtedly stand at the pinnacle of power, inspiring awe.

Anyone who can reach this level, even in a completely new world, will surely become a renowned and remarkable figure. However, those who can truly reach such heights are extremely rare, numbering only a handful... And at this moment, Moke has already stood at the pinnacle of the initial Dominance Realm.

Users of the Dominance Realm possess an astonishing ability to Absorb-Absorb Fruit, capable of completely absorbing a whole object or substance and transforming it into their own permanent ability. This is akin to creating a permanent passive skill. For example, when Moke uses his current Earth ability, he can instantly transform into a Natural Earth- Devil Fruit User.

However, this was not what Moke truly desired. Despite becoming a Logia user, he could only dominate and reign supreme in the East Blue and the first half of the Grand Line. But if he were to step into the New World, even encountering an opponent who possessed Armament Haki, he would likely be instantly defeated and utterly humiliated...

"Moke, captain of the Moke Pirates, Zoan Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit user with the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon Form Fruit, Paramecia Absorption Devil Fruit User, Great Swordsman, Four Emperors, skilled in Three Types of Haki! His Armament Haki is especially powerful! Bounty: 11.03 billion Beli!"

Logia Devil Fruit users:

"Enel, Moke Pirates, Logia Devil Fruit User - Rumble-Rumble Fruit, possesses Two Types of Haki, Observation Haki is extremely powerful, capable of covering an entire island and even hearing people's thoughts. His bounty is 3.635 billion Beli!"

"Monet, a member of the Moke Pirates, Logia Devil Fruit User), possessing Two Types of Haki, with a bounty of 355 million Beli."

"Carina, a member of the Moke Pirates, Logia Devil Fruit User —the Cloud-Cloud Fruit—with a bounty of 213 million Beli."

Zoan Fruit users:

"Jin, one of the captains of the Wano Country the Moke Pirates, Zoan Dragon-Dragon Fruit user, specifically the Ancient Zoan, Pteranodon Form, and a descendant of the Lunarian Tribe. His flames are inextinguishable, and his defense is invincible. He Two Types of Haki... 3.88 billion Beli."

"Queen, the Plague ', is a scientist with the Moke Pirates, Zoan Ancient Zoan Dragon-Dragon Fruit Brachiosaurus Form), Modified Humans, and possesses Two Types of Haki. His bounty is 2.23 billion Beli."

"Weevil, a member of the Moke Pirates, former Shichibukai, a Zoan- Zoan Ancient-type Devil Fruit user with Bloodthirsty Kong Form, possesses Two Types of Haki, Great Swordsman, and has a bounty of 1.85 billion Beli!"

"Drought" Jack, commander of the Moke Pirates Onigashima, Zoan Ancient Zoan -type Elephant-Elephant Fruit Mammoth Form user, Swordmaster, possessing Two Types of Haki, and a bounty of 1.653 billion Beli.

"Ulti, Zoan - Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Ancient Zoan, Pachycephalosaurus Form, Two Types of Haki, bounty 580 million Beli."

"Jinbe, the Knight of the Sea, is one of the captains of the Wano Country the Moke Pirates. He was formerly one of the Shichibukai, a master of Fish-Man Karate and Fish-Man Jujutsu, possesses Two Types of Haki, is invincible in underwater combat, and has a bounty of 1.38 billion Beli!"

Page One, Zoan- Zoan Dragon-Dragon Fruit user, Ancient Zoan Spinosaurus Form, Two Types of Haki, bounty 560 million Beli.

"Ape King Burns, a member of the Moke Pirates, is Zoan Devil Fruit User. He is a master of physical combat, skilled in the Six Powers, Hasshoken, Fish-Man Karate, Two Types of Haki. His bounty is 1,284,000,000 Beli!"

"Sasaki, Zoan, Dragon- Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Ancient Zoan, Triceratops Form, Two Types of Haki, bounty 611 million Beli."

"Rebecca, member of the Moke Pirates, Zoan Flood Dragon Form Fruit, Swordmaster, Two Types of Haki, bounty 230 million Beli."

"Black Maria, a member of the Moke Pirates, possesses the Zoan Spider-Spider Fruit, Ancient Zoan Rosamygale Grauvogeli Tarantula form, and costs 612 million Beli."

Paramecia:

"Isshou, Moke Pirates, chief of security, Paramecia Gravity Devil Fruit User, Great Swordsman, Two Types of Haki, bounty 2.28 billion Beli."

"Katarina Demi, a member of the Moke Pirates, possesses the Paramecia Fruit, the Bounce- Bouncy-Bouncy Fruit, a special ability that allows her to deflect all damage. She also possesses Two Types of Haki. Her bounty is 1.15 billion Beli. Note: In the event of war, she will be the first to kill."

"Ata, the dual-wielding cook of the Moke Pirates, Paramecia Devil Fruit User), Swordmaster, Two Types of Haki, with a bounty of 513 million Beli."

"Baby-5, a member of the Moke Pirates, Paramecia Weapon-Weapon Devil Fruit User, wielding Two Types of Haki Six Powers, with a bounty of 270 million Beli."

"Perona, a member of the Moke Pirates, Paramecia Devil Fruit User), possessing Observation Haki, with a bounty of 385 million Beli. Note: Her ability is unique; if touched, she will lose her ability to fight."

"Brook, musician of the Moke Pirates, Paramecia Yomi Yomi no Mi (Revive-Revive Devil Fruit User, Swordmaster, Two Types of Haki, bounty 240 million Beli."

Special Bounty Hunter:

"Yamato, wife of the captain of the Moke Pirates, Zoan Devil Fruit user— Dog-Dog Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Okuchi no Makami form, possessing Three Types of Haki, with a bounty of 1.915 trillion Beli."

"O-Tama, Paramecia Devil Fruit User, is capable of controlling individuals who have consumed Artificial Devil Fruit. Her bounty is 3 billion!"

"Kozuki Hiyori, formerly the princess of Wano Country, using the alias Komurasaki, is now the queen of Wano Country, Swordmaster, and has a bounty of 500 million Beli."