Chapter 94: Researching the Shock Fruit, Creating the Great Collapse
In the office of the commander-in-chief of the world government army, a formidable old man sat with a presence as solid as a mountain. His broad chest, white hair, and mountain-shaped beard added to his imposing figure. It was Kong.
"Report, Lord Marshal, Admiral Sakazuki requests an audience," a Marine announced.
Kong's heart leaped with joy. Half a month ago, Sakazuki had informed him of acquiring a Devil Fruit, potentially the Shock Fruit. Kong instructed him to deliver it personally, promising support for Sakazuki's candidacy for Marine Marshal if it proved to be the Shock Fruit.
"Let him in," Kong commanded, maintaining a facade of calm.
As Sakazuki entered, Kong couldn't help but glance at the devastation of Marineford. Once the strongest fortress, it was now a wasteland due to the power of the Shock Fruit. Its reconstruction demanded immense resources. Kong marveled at Garp's strength and coveted the Shock Fruit to rival him.
Sakazuki, led by guards, approached with a box in hand. Kong greeted him warmly, "It's been a while, haven't seen you visit."
Kong personally offered Sakazuki a seat, which flustered him. "No need, sir. I'll stand."
"You've found what may be the Shock Fruit, a great service to the World Government," Kong praised, his eyes on the box Sakazuki held.
Sakazuki opened the box, revealing the fruit inside. "Here it is, though I'm no expert to confirm if it's the Shock Fruit."
"Don't worry, the Five Elders can verify it," Kong assured, taking the Devil Fruit to the nearby parlor.
Inside sat the Five Elders, the highest leaders of the Celestial Dragons. Kong respectfully presented the fruit. The Five Elders examined it, frowning. Finally, the long-haired Masisheng spoke, "Kong, are you joking? This isn't a Devil Fruit, let alone the Shock Fruit."
Kong protested, "Impossible! Sakazuki escorted it personally."
"If so, eat it and see," Saturn challenged.
Baffled, Kong took a hesitant bite. It tasted like rubber with a medicinal aftertaste. Spitting it out, he cursed, "Damn Sakazuki! Fooled me!"
Satuen continued, "Such a convincing fake. Only a few could craft this, perhaps Chiba of the Marine headquarters."
Kong stormed back to his office, confronting Sakazuki. "Is it the Shock Fruit?" Sakazuki eagerly asked.
"It's a fake!" Kong shouted, hurling the fruit at Sakazuki. "You deceived me!"
Sakazuki examined the fake fruit, shocked. "I rushed here as soon as I heard," he defended. "This can't be fake."
"Then eat it," Kong demanded.
Reluctantly, Sakazuki consumed the fake fruit, its rubbery texture and medicinal taste making him gag. "This was soaked in medicine to deceive," he realized, seething with anger at Chiba.
Despite the setback, Sakazuki was convinced Chiba held the real Shock Fruit. "Commander, give me another chance. I'll find it."
Kong sighed, "If they've eaten it, what then?"
"Easy," Sakazuki replied. "Identify who ate it, capture them, and let the Science Department extract the ability."
Kong warned, "If Chiba consumed it, even I might not handle him. He's crucial to Marine, recommended for Admiral by Sengoku, a war hero, and Garp's grandson. If Chiba or his subordinates ate it, and he protects them, without evidence, we're stuck."
Sakazuki assured, "Chiba's solitary and research-obsessed. He won't eat it; he'll keep it for study, likely giving it to Koby, who found it."
"Let me bypass Sengoku and capture Koby. If he sinks in the sea, it proves everything. Then, we can report to the Five Elders."
Kong agreed, "While I can't order this, I'll have Lucci of the CPO accompany you. The CPO represents Celestial Dragons. With them, Sengoku and Chiba will hesitate to interfere."
Sakazuki hesitated, "Lucci's close to Chiba. Will he help?"
Kong reassured, "Involving the Shock Fruit, Lucci won't side with anyone. Proceed."
Sakazuki planned, "For the Marine Marshal role, I'll endure this."
Kong contacted the CPO. Half a day later, Lucci arrived, acknowledging Kong but ignoring Sakazuki, whom he viewed as merely a watchdog.
Sakazuki extended his hand, "Mr. Lucci, your assistance is appreciated."
Lucci sneered, "Let's go," and left without another word.
Sakazuki stood frozen, his anger boiling, "Damn Lucci, too arrogant."
Kong consoled, "Focus on the task. Once you're Marine Marshal, Lucci will respect you."
Sakazuki steeled himself, "I'll ensure this mission's success."
Meanwhile, Chiba received a prompt from his system:
[You've conducted in-depth research on Koby's body and the Shock Fruit's power, leading to the creation of the Great Collapse Technique.]
[Great Collapse Technique: Initially allows condensing true energy and Shock Fruit power at your fingertips, destroying touched objects. At mid-level, it can pulverize mountains; at mastery, it can shatter space.]
A flood of knowledge filled Chiba's mind, deepening his understanding of this powerful technique. The potential to break space was awe-inspiring, especially when combined with the Shock Fruit.
Chiba decided to create a simplified version, the Small Collapse Technique, weakening the original by tenfold for Koby. This would allow Koby to harness the Shock Fruit's power effectively, potentially rivaling an Admiral.
Chiba taught Koby the Small Collapse Technique, suggesting Beru Meber could learn it too. Koby excitedly shared the news with Beru Meber, who was initially skeptical but thrilled to learn.
As they practiced, Sakazuki arrived at Marineford, learning of Koby's newfound energy resembling the Shock Fruit. Determined to expose Koby, Sakazuki gathered Marine leaders, planning to reveal Koby's secret and advance his own ambitions.
[•———•——•———•]
𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮. 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚!
𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼:
⭐ • 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗺 𝗡𝗴𝗼 [𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀 𝗼𝗻 $𝟭𝟬 𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗿]
⭐ • 𝙅𝙘𝟭𝟮𝟬𝟮 [𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀 𝗼𝗻 $𝟱 𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗿]
⭐ • 𝘼𝙝𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙟𝙖𝙝 [𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀 𝗼𝗻 $𝟱 𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗿]
⭐ • 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗼𝗯 𝗠𝗼𝗲𝗲 [𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀 𝗼𝗻 $𝟱 𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗿]
𝗔𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸:
✨ • 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟭𝟴𝟱+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.
✨ • 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁-𝗢𝘂𝘁: 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩!
𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝘂𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝗺𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗲𝘁, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀!
👉 𝙅𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙣𝙤𝙬: 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣.𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧
💬 𝘼𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝘼𝙫𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚: 𝙈𝙮 𝘼𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙩! 𝙐𝙣𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙧 $30—𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 10% 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩! 𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙙𝙚: 𝗚𝗢𝗗𝗢𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗥.
𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙂𝙋𝙏 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙗𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙮 𝘼𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙩, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙀𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣-𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙮, 𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙣𝙪𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙡. 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙦𝙪𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙨, 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙣𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚!
👉 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗽: 𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣.𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧/𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙥