Flame-Flame Fruit

Everyone knew that the "but" coming next was the important part, yet they still heaved a heavy sigh of relief.

No matter what, surviving at the hands of a Shichibukai was already a blessing amid misfortune. Whatever Leo said, they could accept it.

"Not only will we spare your lives, we'll even take you out of the Calm Belt. But..."

Here it comes at last.

All the pirates thought the same thing.

"There is only one very simple condition."

"Before we leave the Calm Belt, I want you to listen to me, follow my instructions, and obey my orders. Until we leave the Calm Belt, I will temporarily be your captain. Every action you take must follow my arrangements. In return, I represent the Kuja Pirates in guaranteeing your safety in the Calm Belt and guaranteeing that we will take you out of it."

Not only did the opposing pirate crew wear expressions that said, That's it? Even most of the Amazon warrior women looked the same. Given their current circumstances, this could not even be considered a condition for a deal. It was merely a prerequisite: surrender unconditionally in exchange for their lives.

Yet he stated even such a prerequisite so solemnly that no one understood what he was thinking.

"Do you agree?" He was earnestly carrying out the concept of a [Convention].

"W-We agree..." The pirates did not know why he cared so much about everyone's verbal promise, but they all answered in halting voices.

Because if they did not, they would never leave the Calm Belt today.

"Very good." Leo released Hancock's hand and continued down the deck.

"Then, please... what should I call you?" He came to the side of the deck. The two ships were nearly side by side as he faced the other captain and asked apologetically.

"I am 'Great Bay Blade' William." The five-meter-tall pirate captain even looked down on Leo a little. On the seas, people who were this polite usually had no strength. They were merely targets for bullying and deception. But with a Shichibukai standing behind him, this bullied target became a sea tyrant.

To see how intimidating the Shichibukai were, one only needed to look at Doflamingo's auction houses spread throughout the pirate world and Crocodile's massive casinos. Absolutely no one would come looking for trouble, nor would anyone dare to.

People like Crocodile, the Empress, and Jinbe had joined the Shichibukai early, and their bounties had not even reached a hundred million. Yet in terms of combat strength, they were worth at least two hundred million or more. If one truly used bounties to judge combat power, several new pirates with hundred-million bounties still would not be able to defeat them. Nico Robin's bounty was only two million lower than Crocodile's—did that mean their combat abilities were evenly matched?

Jinbe's bounty was only seventy-six million right now. Could he not defeat Robin, whose bounty was seventy-nine million?

Bounties were just something to glance at. If one truly measured strength by bounty, one would not even know how one died.

Could this kid be some kind of Devil Fruit User? Could he be a hidden super powerhouse? Otherwise, how could he possibly establish himself among the Kuja Pirates?

"William. William." Leo's voice interrupted William's fantasies. He jolted awake from his own imagination, then asked Leo with a humble smile, "Yes, I'm here. What can I do for you?"

"Please take out the Devil Fruit and let me have a look. Also, have you eaten a Devil Fruit?"

As Leo spoke with him, he beckoned Ran over. She and Rindou were the chief stewards of the entire ship. Whenever Hancock could not be bothered with affairs, the ship's management fell to Sandersonia and Marigold.

But Sandersonia and Marigold were not particularly adept at such matters, so they naturally promoted Ran and Rindou to serve as their assistants.

In truth, among the strange and unusual Kuja Pirates, Ran and Rindou were already two of the few reliable women.

And because of what had happened on Nine Snake Island, Ran had the best relationship with him, so he had every right to call for her.

"No, I haven't eaten one. Please wait a moment, sir." Under another's roof, the tall and sturdy-looking "Great Bay Blade" William was so humble that even Leo was a little surprised. Perhaps he had learned his lesson before, or perhaps this was simply how he survived in this world.

But when he brought a treasure chest before Leo and opened the small chest, Leo was the one truly stunned. Even though he barely remembered the shapes of Devil Fruits anymore, he recognized this distinctly characteristic fruit at a glance: the Flame-Flame Fruit!

That was right—the Flame-Flame Fruit belonging to "Fire Fist" Ace!

But how could the Flame-Flame Fruit be here?!

Leo's mind raced as he considered where things had gone wrong. Logically speaking, before the Shichibukai system was announced, the government would recruit many powerful pirates. For example, Fire Fist Ace, a Logia Devil Fruit User—recruiting him would save them a great deal of trouble, and the Spade Pirates were no insignificant force either.

But why, now that the Shichibukai policy had already begun and Jinbe, Doflamingo, Crocodile, Gekko Moria, and the Empress Hancock had all announced their membership in the Shichibukai, had Ace still not eaten the Flame-Flame Fruit? Why had it even ended up in the hands of some unknown nobody?

Leo quickly realized what he had overlooked—or rather, his blind spot in thinking. Jinbe, Doflamingo, Crocodile, Gekko Moria, and the Empress Hancock all had their own territories and spheres of influence. They were even ambitious people, so Doflamingo, Crocodile, and Gekko Moria had been desperately trying to get in. Thus, recruiting those earlier members had gone very smoothly.

However, the whereabouts of "Hawk Eyes" Mihawk and "Tyrant" Bartholomew Kuma were elusive. Hawk Eyes had once crossed the Calm Belt alone to hunt down the East Blue nobody, "Admiral" Krieg. As for the whereabouts of Revolutionary Army officer Tyrant Kuma, they were even more unpredictable.

Although the Shichibukai system had been announced long ago, that did not mean all its members had been found immediately.

Ace was very likely a replacement the World Government had found after being unable to locate Hawk Eyes or Kuma. As a Logia Devil Fruit User, his future strength was naturally promising, and there was no need to worry about his growth potential.

If I'm not wrong... once we leave the Calm Belt, I'll probably meet Ace soon—Ace, before he becomes Fire Fist.

PS: First update. Please vote to help us climb the rankings~