"I can't believe it, Yamato—you are a mythical zoan devil fruit user."
On the deck of the Spade Pirates' ship, several crew members stared at Yamato, who had transformed into a massive, white-haired wolf with mixed emotions of envy and admiration.
The mythical zoan-type devil fruit is extremely rare and more powerful than some Logia types. In Yamato's case, her complete zoan form—a divine beast imbued with freezing abilities—had unique powers. Remarkably, even the sea, typically the weakness of devil fruit users, seemed not to faze her.
Thrilled by the crew's admiration, Yamato leaped into the sea and ran a few laps. As she touched the water, a trail of ice formed beneath her feet, expanding outward to create a frozen path as she ran.
Ace, sprawled lazily on the deck with a hint of envy in his eyes, said, "Amazing—both you and Shin can walk on the sea. Unlike you, I have to worry about my flames being extinguished if I fall in."
Shin, who was deep in thought with his arms crossed, opened his eyes at Ace's comment and replied, "What's there to envy? Your burning fruit lets you fly by erupting flames. Yamato and I can't use our powers to soar into the sky."
Though Yamato's devil fruit couldn't grant her flight, Shin could theoretically fly by consuming something like a jet engine and modifying himself with rocket propulsion—he could even transform into something akin to an Iron Man suit. His expertise was in biological modification, not mechanical. However, with the right scientific advancements, he could adopt mechanized abilities.
He had opted for biological modification over mechanics because it suited his knowledge. Even if he found scientists skilled in mechanics, their expertise wouldn't translate into altering his body. The transformation capabilities of his Munch-Munch Fruit significantly lowered the difficulty of his biological adjustments.
Shin then added, "Captain, you should train harder. You're no longer a match for Yamato. Now that her Haki-limiting handcuffs are gone, her power has surged and will likely stabilize at a higher level. If you don't push yourself, you'll fall further behind."
"Aah! I know, I know! I'll work hard," Ace replied with a grimace, still in thought from their recent spar, in which Yamato had wiped the deck with him.
When restricted by the handcuffs, Yamato had fought on raw physical strength alone. Now, with her devil fruit abilities fully unleashed, she held a clear advantage over Ace. His flames, which usually posed a significant threat, were canceled out by her freezing abilities.
The invulnerability of his Logia form was also diminished when facing Haki, so Yamato's inherent physical prowess as a mythical zoan gave her the upper hand. In this case, Ace's weakness against her ice-based powers made his defeat inevitable.
Watching Ace grit his teeth while training with low-purity seastone cuffs, Shin smirked. 'Train hard, Ace. I don't want to find myself at Marineford again, trying to save you.'
While Ace threw himself into training, Shin closed his eyes, pondering his recent gains. This time, his most significant benefit wasn't the Beasts Pirates' treasure hoard but Yamato's unique physical structure.
Yamato's potential rivaled that of Ace. Her physique presented Shin with valuable insights for enhancing his own body. Initially, he had copied Ace's body structure, translating almost 80% of his potential. However, after studying Yamato's distinct features, he faced the more complex task of synthesizing the strengths of both forms.
Belonging to a non-human lineage—though close enough to humanity to avoid genetic incompatibility—Yamato's physique had its differences, making Shin's modifications even trickier.
Through repeated transformations, Shin had yet to reach a satisfying state. Fortunately, his Munch-Munch Fruit allowed him to reshape himself and undo his changes as often as needed. After much trial and error, he hoped to find the most optimized structure.
Once he had sorted his thoughts, Shin took a deep breath and devoured himself with a single gulp in an odd but familiar sight to the Spade Pirates.
Though the crew had been startled by this act before, they were used to it by now. The world of the Grand Line was full of eccentricities, and Shin's strange abilities were par for the course.
After a few moments of internal restructuring, Shin spat himself out, feeling renewed vigor pulsing through his body. He clenched his fists and smiled in satisfaction.
"Perfect. Now my potential rivals, or perhaps even surpasses, that of Ace and Yamato. This transformation is near flawless."
He mused aloud, "The only ones who might help my growth further are Whitebeard, Kaido, Charlotte Linlin, and perhaps Blackbeard."
Shin's power had advanced significantly. Yamato was also in a rapid growth phase after her restraints had been removed. Inspired by her progress, Ace doubled down on his training, and for the time being, the Spade Pirates put aside their search for the Whitebeard Pirates and the Red-Haired Pirates, focusing instead on building their strength.
Seeing Yamato's strength firsthand had deepened Ace's respect for the Four Emperors, and he knew that with his current abilities, facing Whitebeard would be tantamount to surrender.
This period of training served as his preparation for the trials ahead.
However, peace was fleeting. This time was different, unlike the original course of events, where they had merely visited Wano without consequence. Shin had plundered the Beasts Pirates' treasure, and the Spade Pirates had Yamato aboard. Their antagonism with the Beasts Pirates was now firmly established.
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Mass Release: [3/5]
For each power stones milestone—50, 100, 150, and beyond—I will release a bonus chapter.
I will also release a bonus chapter for every two reviews until it reaches ten reviews.
Review status: [7/10]