Although the black sword Shusui is revered as a supreme national treasure by the people of Wano Country, to Moria, it was nothing more than a weapon of one of his elite zombies.
If he could exchange it for greater power, he wouldn't hesitate.
Swish—
As Moria pressed the [Confirm] button within his mind—representing the power of the system's rules—a mysterious spatial fluctuation rippled across the entire three-masted ghost ship.
Within Leo's database, an information interface exclusive to Moria appeared:
- [Gecko Moria]
- [VIP Level: 2]
- [VIP Experience: 5,000/10,000]
- [Current Points: 5,000]
---
"Five thousand points!?"
Seeing the number displayed on the Rotom device, a glimmer of excitement flashed in Moria's eyes. He nervously looked at Leo and asked:
"Sir Leo, does this mean I can now purchase a Marshadow?"
"Of course," Leo replied with a slight smile.
Moria had sacrificed much to gather those 5,000 points.
Not only had he sold the black sword Shusui, but he had also parted with the weapons and armor of his other elite zombies.
Fortunately, in their lives, these figures had been honorable, and even their burial possessions held significant value.
It was only through such means that Moria was able to scrape together the full 5,000 points.
This situation illustrated just how destitute Moria had become since his defeat by Kaido.
While another former Warlord, Crocodile, managed to rebound quickly despite setbacks, Moria had to sell almost everything for a meager amount of points.
If Moria didn't possess abilities Leo found valuable, this meager sum wouldn't have been worth Leo's time.
But...
Leo was committed to seeing the transaction through.
Snap!
With a snap of his fingers, a screen appeared before Moria, displaying the attributes of a Marshadow.
- [Pokémon: Marshadow]
- [Types: Fighting, Ghost]
- [Ability: Technician (Increases the power of weaker moves.)]
- [Level: 5]
- [Price: 5,000 points]
The Marshadow Leo presented to Moria was a baby, only a few days old. Its talent was average by the standards of its species, far inferior to the Marshadow that had appeared in the illusion earlier.
But...
Even a Marshadow of ordinary talent was still a mythical Pokémon, far superior to most others.
And due to its rarity, the system priced it at 5,000 points.
Upon seeing the Pokémon with a shadowy, smoke-like body on the screen, Moria's face split into a grin, baring his sharp teeth.
"Kishishishishi... Sir Leo, please help me redeem this Marshadow!"
Moria's eyes sparkled with anticipation. He believed that by acquiring this shadow-manipulating Pokémon, his own understanding of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit would evolve to new heights.
Perhaps, he could even reach the legendary state of devil fruit awakening!
With a flash of light in Leo's hand, a Pokéball containing Marshadow materialized in his palm. After deducting Moria's 5,000 points, Leo handed the Pokéball to him with a light smile.
"Pleasure doing business, Mr. Moria."
"Indeed, a pleasure."
As Moria took the Pokéball, his grin widened, filled with a crazed excitement.
However, Leo, making a gesture of farewell, shifted his attention to Moria's three bizarre crew members. He addressed them:
"Well, with the transaction complete, it's time for me to take my leave. I look forward to our next deal."
As he spoke, Leo extended his hand and, much to the astonishment of Perona and the others, shook hands with each of them one by one.
Of course, the handshake was a mere formality—the real goal was to copy their abilities.
In those brief moments of physical contact, Leo had already copied the abilities he was after.
The invisibility ability, for instance, required only 2,000 points.
Perona's Ghost-Ghost Fruit ability cost 3,000 points.
As for Moria... Leo had copied his shadow ability when he handed him the Pokéball.
But it must be said...
Moria's mastery of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit was shockingly underdeveloped.
Copying his shadow abilities had cost Leo a full 10,000 points!
For context, even the Flame-Flame Fruit, representing the power of fire, was valued at 10,000 points by the system.
This alone was proof of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit's immense potential, rivaling that of the Flame-Flame Fruit in power.
With all three abilities successfully copied into the system, Leo instantly grasped their functions.
Beyond what Moria and his crew had demonstrated, each ability had greater depth:
—The Invisibility Fruit, for example, had been developed to a level where it could not only render the user invisible but also conceal all traces of their presence, evading detection by any form of energy or power.
Even Leo, with his mastery of aura, psychic powers, and Haki, wouldn't be able to sense anything unusual if the user was equally strong.
—The Ghost-Ghost Fruit was even more extraordinary.
Once sufficiently developed, the user could abandon their physical body and exist purely as a ghost, much like the ghost cultivators of fantasy novels.
The potential of this ability was so far beyond Leo's initial expectations that he couldn't immediately think of anyone who might require it.
—Moria's Shadow-Shadow Fruit, however, was undeniably powerful.
At a certain level of mastery, the fruit's ability allowed the user to control other living beings through their shadows, and even extract the essence of a soul from a shadow, granting the user access to the shadow owner's knowledge and memories!
After witnessing the full potential of the three Devil Fruits' abilities, Leo couldn't help but sigh deeply:
"Such amazing powers, completely wasted by this guy!"
Moria had taken the great potential of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit and only used it to create zombies with a host of weaknesses.
Had he awakened the true power of the Shadow Fruit and combined it with techniques like the Six Powers of the Navy or advanced technology, he wouldn't be in his current predicament.
Fortunately for Leo, by this point, Moria and his crew could no longer see the look of disdain on his face.
Because after copying their abilities, Leo had already left the Devil's Triangle, heading towards the final destination of his journey in the pirate world.
---
The Red Line, Mariejois.
The weather was perfect: a gentle breeze and warm sunlight.
At this moment, the Five Elders were engrossed in reviewing and approving documents—decisions that, in mere minutes, could alter the course of the world.
Through their tedious work and quick-thinking minds, they managed to momentarily forget some recent unpleasantness:
The growth of the Revolutionary Army, Buggy the Clown hijacking a Celestial Dragon, and the fact that none of the Cipher Pol units had yet found a way to access the dimensional merchant's trading network...
All of these problems had been pushed from their minds.
Recently, the typically idle Five Elders had been forced by these crises to act like diligent world leaders who truly cared about their work.
But...
It was all just an illusion.
As the Elders busily signed off on their latest work, a voice suddenly shattered their concentration, reminding them of the dread they'd once felt.
"Good afternoon, gentlemen."
As space seemed to ripple and blur, Leo stepped out, smiling at the influential figures hard at work.
"???"
The unexpected voice broke the Elders' focus immediately. Slowly, they raised their heads, stunned to see a familiar young man standing before them.
In that instant!
The Five Elders froze in place, dumbfounded.
When something long sought suddenly appears before someone, their initial reaction isn't joy—
Instead, like the Five Elders in this moment, they instinctively rub their eyes and slap their foreheads, ensuring they aren't dreaming.
After a few moments, one of the Elders finally broke the silence, shivering slightly from the sudden chill in the air. Pointing at Leo, he stammered:
"Y-you... you're...?"
"Uh..."
Seeing the Five Elders, who now sounded like broken record players, the corner of Leo's mouth twitched.
Since he could sense their inner thoughts, he immediately understood why they were acting this way.
Even Leo hadn't anticipated that, by avoiding transactions with the World Government, he had inadvertently caused the Five Elders such anxiety.
So much so that, now faced with him in the flesh, they were too shocked to believe it was real.
In response, Leo couldn't help but chuckle. Using his psychic powers, he forced calm into the Elders' troubled minds.
After a few seconds...
"It's... it's the dimensional merchant!!!"
Swish!
In an instant, the Five Elders stood up, their eyes wide and shining as they fixed their gazes on Leo. They didn't even dare blink, as though terrified he might disappear if they closed their eyes for just a moment.
Despite their overly excited reaction, they finally regained enough composure to speak normally.
While they stared at him, Leo remained calm and composed, standing in stark contrast to other traders who had encountered the Elders.
"That's right."
He nodded at their eager expressions and smiled again.
"From the looks on your faces, I assume I don't need to introduce myself."
"Since that's the case, let's get straight to the point."
"I'm here today to ask whether any of you are interested in dimensional trading."
"Dimensional trading?! Of course we are!"
The bald Elder holding the First Generation Kitetsu hurriedly set aside all the paperwork and rushed over to Leo, his demeanor entirely respectful.
"Sir Leo, you have no idea how hard we've worked to arrange a dimensional trade!"
"We are immensely grateful for this opportunity you've granted us!"
By now, even the dimmest of the Five Elders had begun to piece together the fact that dimensional merchants had been intentionally avoiding any dealings with the World Government.
Now that they had the chance to engage in a transaction, they were ready to shower Leo with gratitude.
Over the past months, the Navy had grown increasingly defiant, the Revolutionary Army's strength had surged, and Garp had somehow resurrected the Pirate King himself.
The entire world was on the brink of chaos.
To the average person, the storm brewing across the globe might go unnoticed.
But to the Five Elders, who held the reins of the world, it felt like the Sword of Damocles hung above their heads, ready to fall at any moment and destroy everything they had built.
And the Five Elders knew full well that, in the face of this impending disaster, the only one who could save them was the man responsible for reshaping the world as it was today...
The dimensional merchant, Leo.
Even the Revolutionary Army has access to powerful Pokémon through trades with dimensional merchants...
With the World Government's financial resources vastly surpassing those of the Revolutionary Army, by hundreds, even thousands of times, the Five Elders are confident that after conducting this dimensional trade, the World Government will continue to rule the world...
Forever.
This is why they were so excited when they saw Leo!
The large, broad-shouldered Elder, without hesitation, approached Leo and dropped to his knees.
For them, who had long been accustomed to kneeling, bowing down before Leo did not cause any internal conflict. On the contrary, it felt entirely natural and sincere.
Seeing this, the other Four Elders quickly followed suit. They knelt in unison before Leo, bowing their heads:
"Please, Sir Leo, grant us the opportunity to engage in dimensional trading!"
Their synchronized voices carried a discipline that far surpassed that of any ceremonial guard!
But...
"Hey, hey... what are you doing?"
Leo's expression twisted as he watched the Elders, who knelt at the drop of a hat. With a quick use of his psychic powers, he gently lifted them back onto their feet.
"You don't need to get so worked up," Leo said.
"The fact that I've come here to ask you already means you've gained my approval. You will be allowed to conduct dimensional trades."
"But..."
At Leo's sudden pause, the Five Elders felt a tightening in their chests.
They quickly glanced up at Leo, their eyes filled with apprehension.
Leo sighed.
"Though I would love to conduct a satisfying trade with you all..."
"Unfortunately, the headquarters of the Transdimensional Chamber of Commerce has just informed me that the Pirate World has stabilized and is no longer facing immediate threats."
"In order to maintain that stability..."
"The Chamber has decided to discontinue monetary transactions within the Pirate World."
"In other words, for this trade..."
"You will no longer be able to use Beli or any other currencies for dimensional transactions."
"Can you accept these terms?"
"This..."
As Leo's words sank in, the Five Elders exchanged confused looks.
For the past six months, they had been steadily cutting back on the Celestial Dragons' daily expenses, accumulating a vast reserve of Beli in preparation for these trades...
Combined, they had amassed a fortune of at least 500 billion Beli.
And now, all of their careful preparations were rendered useless by a simple statement from the Transdimensional Chamber?