The next day, everyone woke up, ready to leave. On one side, the Straw Hats were trying to convince Vivi to come with them, but she shook her head, saying her country needed her. Meanwhile, Max was scheming.
"So, Bucky and Yulia, I need you two to do some spy work for me," he said as he looked at them.
"Who do we have to infiltrate?" Bucky asked simply, with Yulia also watching him.
"The Marines. I want you two to rise in power there," Max replied.
Bucky and Yulia nodded.
"By the way, give me your metal hand," Max said, and Bucky raised his brow but removed his metal hand, handing it over. Max stored it away and then handed Bucky a vial. "Drink it."
Bucky took the red liquid, opened the cork, and downed it in one gulp. "What is this?" he asked.
Max looked at him speechlessly. "Shouldn't you ask that before drinking it?"
"It was... hmm, you could call it an all-cure elixir," Max replied. Bucky raised his brows in question but stopped when he suddenly saw his left shoulder twitching. Then, slowly, a whole new arm formed.
Yulia's eyes widened in wonder as she watched, while Bucky flexed his new left hand, moving it here and there. "Thank you," he said simply.
"You don't seem that surprised," Max observed.
"Well, after everything you and your little team have shown, this doesn't surprise me that much," Bucky replied as Max nodded.
"Anyway, here's another gift," Max said, handing them two Devil Fruits. One looked like a flaming sand fruit, while the other was metallic and fluid-like.
"These are the Mercury Fruit and the Explosive Sand Fruit," he explained. Bucky and Yulia examined the fruits.
"The same ones that give the powers?" Yulia asked, and Max nodded.
"Which one is mine?" she asked.
"Your choice, whichever suits you best. Both are Logia-type, which means your body can turn into that element. The Sand one has explosive properties, allowing you to detonate yourself or anything you touch. The Mercury one has extreme sharpness and piercing power," he said as Yulia looked between the fruits and then at Bucky.
"Which do you want?" she asked.
Bucky shrugged. "You can go first."
Yulia nodded and picked the Mercury Fruit, while Bucky took the Volatile Sand Fruit.
"By the way, you can eat it without worry; it won't give you any sea weakness. I've removed that effect. Plus, I can elevate its level at any time, so just eat it, and when the time comes, I'll take it to the next level," he explained.
They ate the fruits, relieved to find that the usual strange taste and sea-weakness effects had been removed.
Soon, they both watched as their hands transformed into sand and mercury.
"It's really weird… it's like it's a part of me now," Yulia said, flexing her hand, and Max nodded.
"That's the magic of it," he replied.
He continued, "Alright, go on. Just head over and tell them you'd like to join the Marines. They'll surely be coming here soon anyway, trying to cover up their incompetence." Max smirked, and both Bucky and Yulia nodded.
"See you guys," he said as Bucky and Yulia exchanged a glance.
"Let's go," Bucky said, and Yulia nodded as they began to head toward the Marine branch in Alabasta.
Meanwhile, Max arrived at the port where Vivi was waving goodbye to the Straw Hat Pirates. Rize, Lumi, and others were there with her, watching the lively crew.
"They seem more like adventurers than pirates," Gwen remarked.
"Too bad there are only two professions on the sea—either a pirate or a Marine, thanks to the World Government and their dog, the Marines," Max added, coming up behind them.
"Hey, it looks like they're targeting the Straw Hats," Harry suddenly said, pointing out a Marine ship in the distance, clearly set on intercepting them.
Max noticed, nodding. "Well, I guess it's time they learned a lesson," he said, his eyes glowing with mana. "Gravity Control: Sea Dragon's Wrath."
With a wave of his hand, he controlled the sea water, forming a massive sea dragon that rose above the Marine ship.
"What… what is that?!" Colonel Hina shouted, staring at the colossal dragon as it loomed over their ship. The water dragon struck, destroying their vessel with a single, powerful blow.
"You didn't have to be so harsh," Gwen commented as she watched the Marine sailors desperately swimming toward pieces of wreckage, while some tried to rescue Hina, who, as a Devil Fruit user, was struggling to stay afloat.
"They deserve it," Max said. If there was anyone he despised as much as the Celestial Dragons, it was the Marines. At least pirates didn't hide behind masks of hypocrisy; they didn't pretend to act in the name of justice while secretly supporting the slave trade for the Celestial Dragons, fully aware of the horrors that awaited those slaves.
[You have defeated Hina. You can now take her Devil Fruit,] Yue informed him.
Max nodded, acknowledging the notification, and proceeded to claim her Devil Fruit ability. Thanks to his unique power, he didn't even need to touch her; as long as he was recognized as the victor, he could extract her power remotely.
[You have obtained the Iron-Iron Fruit]
[Iron-Iron Devil Fruit: Grants the user the ability to create iron constructs from any part of their body. Upon awakening, the user can also transform other objects into iron.]
Max absorbed this information, considering the potential of his new power
"Hina, the Black Cage, usually used it to create iron bindings, right? So, in reality, this Devil Fruit can create any iron construct," Max mused. He then turned to Vivi. "Would you like to come with me?" he asked, though she shook her head.
"I already declined the Straw Hats. Even if I wanted to… why should I listen to you?" she replied with a gentle but wary smile.
Max smirked, pointing to a Baroque Works member he had spared — one being Robin and the other the flamboyant Okama, Mr. 2 Bon Clay.
"He can take your appearance and stay here in your place, while you go off adventuring," Max suggested, nodding toward Bon Clay, who was enthusiastically nodding in agreement, almost like a pecking bird.
"Can I really…?" Vivi whispered, contemplating the idea.
Just then, her father, Cobra, the King of Alabasta, entered. "You should go, my daughter," he said warmly. "If it's what your heart desires, don't limit yourself."
***
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