Chapter 209: Straw Hat Pirate
(T/N: Please consider reviewing this Fanfic, Thanks and appreciate all who support me)
(T/N: Enjoy!!)
<><><><><><>
Byakuya knew that if he revealed the true name of the Monster Cell to Dragon, even someone as dense as he would realize this wasn't exactly wholesome.
So, he had to develop a more positive name to mislead Dragon.
However, when Byakuya saw the look on Dragon's face, practically screaming disbelief, he realized that the sunny name "Heart of Justice" wasn't enough to fool him.
Dragon's gaze at Byakuya seemed to say, I thought you were my spiritual guide, but you're treating me like a fool, aren't you?
The appearance of this thing had nothing to do with justice!
Byakuya cleared his throat and continued his act. "Ahem, don't judge it by its unsettling appearance. Think of it like a powerful Devil Fruit."
"In the hands of the Revolutionary Army, it can help liberate more oppressed people. But in the hands of the World Government, it could become a weapon to destroy the Revolutionary Army."
"Objects themselves aren't inherently just or evil—it all depends on whether the user stands for justice or falls into corruption!"
Byakuya's earnest tone momentarily threw Dragon into deep thought. He realized Byakuya had a point.
An object was just a tool—the wielder's intentions mattered. Judging something as evil based solely on its appearance was shortsighted.
Coming to this realization, Dragon suddenly felt enlightened. He bowed to Byakuya with gratitude.
"Thank you for your guidance. I see now that I've been too superficial. Your words have truly opened my eyes."
Byakuya let out a sigh of relief internally. That was close, but I managed to pull it off.
"The 'Heart of Justice' can indeed grant immense power to those who consume it," Byakuya explained, "but it does come with some side effects."
"What kind of side effects?" Dragon asked, his tone now filled with respect for Byakuya.
"Since it activates the user's potential all at once, their strength becomes fixed after consuming it."
They won't be able to improve further through conventional methods. Other than that, there aren't any major drawbacks."
Byakuya lied without batting an eye, conveniently omitting the part where users became loyal to him.
Dragon was curious. "What kind of power can someone gain after consuming the 'Heart of Justice'?"
"Let me put it this way," Byakuya said. "For an average person, it would elevate their strength to about the level of a Marine Captain."
"For someone with some combat ability, they could reach as high as a Vice Admiral, or at least a Rear Admiral at minimum."
Hearing this, Dragon's eyes widened in astonishment. He stared at the pulsating "Heart of Justice" in Byakuya's hand, a fiery determination igniting within him. A Vice Admiral!
Dragon, who had left the Marines as a Vice Admiral to establish the Revolutionary Army, understood this significance.
Vice Admirals were the backbone of the Marines—only about a hundred existed despite generations of training. In terms of strength, they were comparable to pirates with bounties in the 300 to 400 million Beli range.
Even consuming a Devil Fruit required years of developing its abilities to reach the level of a Vice Admiral.
Yet this seemingly ominous object could achieve the same result in an instant.
For the Revolutionary Army, still in its infancy and severely lacking in manpower, this was nothing short of a godsend.
Compared to its benefits, those minor side effects were negligible.
Dragon swallowed hard, his voice trembling as he asked, "Byakuya, how many of these 'Hearts of Justice' do you have?"
Byakuya's heart leaped with excitement. The fish has taken the bait. Feigning hesitation, he replied, "These are incredibly costly to produce."
"Our organization invested billions of Beli in research, and we've only recently succeeded in creating them. The quantity is very limited."
Dragon nodded solemnly. "I understand. Something like this must have taken a tremendous amount of effort."
"While the Revolutionary Army doesn't have much money, I hope you can sell us as many as possible. I'll do everything I can to meet your terms."
The "Heart of Justice" was even more valuable than Devil Fruits for an army struggling with a lack of mid-tier combat power.
Byakuya pretended to hesitate. "I'll be honest. Each Devil Fruit can be exchanged for ten 'Hearts of Justice.' That's already the limit our organization can offer."
"Ten!?" Dragon exclaimed in shock.
Damn, I said too much! Byakuya quickly realized his slip. But since he had already spoken, he couldn't backtrack now.
Besides, one Devil Fruit could fetch 1,000 points of World Source Power, equating to 1,000 Hearts of Justice—a hundredfold profit. Not bad at all.
Seeing Byakuya's apparent regret, Dragon feared he might change his mind. He rushed forward, grabbing Byakuya's hand with fervent gratitude.
"Thank you so much! Not only have you given us guidance, but you're offering the 'Hearts of Justice' at such a low price. I don't even know how to express my gratitude."
At this moment, Dragon felt he should enshrine Byakuya in the Revolutionary Army. He was truly a saint—someone unparalleled across the seas!
Byakuya, ever the actor, sighed dramatically. "I'm just doing my part to help the oppressed people of the world."
Dragon looked at Byakuya with growing admiration. Such wisdom at a young age, a top-tier powerhouse of the seas, and yet willing to lend strength to the downtrodden.
Moved by this thought, Dragon suddenly proposed, "Byakuya, since you've helped the Revolutionary Army so much, why not officially join us as a spiritual mentor?"
"Your position will be equal to mine, and we'll lead the Revolutionary Army together to overthrow the World Government."
"Since you've put it that way," Byakuya replied with a faint smile, "how could I refuse?"
Byakuya never anticipated that tonight's operation would go so smoothly.
Originally, he planned to use the Revolutionary Army's extensive intelligence network to collect Devil Fruits for himself while offering the "Heart of Justice" as motivation for them.
However, during his persuasion, he unexpectedly found himself elevated to the Revolutionary Army's spiritual guide position—on equal footing with Dragon.
This surprise windfall was beyond his wildest dreams.
Now, with control over both the Marines and the Revolutionary Army, Byakuya envisioned a torrent of World Source Power flowing into his grasp.
Dragon, beaming with delight, patted Byakuya on the shoulder. "Hahaha! Since that's settled, I'll take the liberty of calling you my younger brother, Byakuya."
Byakuya blinked in surprise. Dragon… as my older brother? He quickly did the mental math.
Doesn't that make Luffy my nephew? Wait a second, I just gained three nephews out of nowhere!
Dragon, normally a cautious and methodical person, was thoroughly convinced by Byakuya's words.
Every sentence seemed to resonate deeply with him, charting a clear path for the future of the Revolutionary Army.
Byakuya's selfless acts for the betterment of the oppressed only reinforced Dragon's belief that they were kindred spirits.
Not having someone like Byakuya in the revolutionary movement, Dragon thought, would be a monumental loss.
If not for Byakuya already being a Marine Admiral, Dragon might have tried to persuade him to lead the Revolutionary Army together.
Byakuya proposed a bold idea to Dragon: select a sea region and establish a nation governed by the Revolutionary Army.
This would showcase their contrast to the World Nobles and serve as a beacon of hope for the oppressed.
It would also allow them to spread revolutionary ideals and create a nation that people from across the seas would aspire to join.
As for the pressure from the World Government, Byakuya assured Dragon that his Night Organization would handle it. Dragon was deeply intrigued by the proposal.
Truthfully, he had long wanted to do something similar but lacked the confidence due to the Revolutionary Army's limited strength.
Yet, with Byakuya's words of encouragement, Dragon suddenly felt emboldened. The two grew more animated as they talked, losing track of time.
Before they knew it, dawn had arrived.
The sun rose slowly over the horizon, its first warm rays piercing the darkness and casting light on the two men as if symbolizing the Revolutionary Army's resolve to overthrow the World Government and usher in a new era.
Meanwhile, a small pirate ship was steadily approaching the harbour of Loguetown.
Its flag bore the emblem of a straw-hatted skull. That's right—Monkey D. Luffy was coming to confront Byakuya.
Sitting atop the ship's goat-head prow, Luffy stared at the approaching Loguetown excitedly, shouting, "Byakuya, just you wait! I'm gonna give you a good beating so you know how I feel!"
On the deck, Zoro—three swords at his side—coolly replied, "Luffy, if you're going after Byakuya, you'll have to wait your turn. Beating him and claiming the title of 'Sword God' is something I've promised to accomplish."
Before Luffy could retort, there were two loud smacks, and both Luffy and Zoro were left clutching large lumps on their heads.
Nami, fists clenched, shouted angrily, "I won't allow you to call Byakuya by his name so casually, let alone try to fight him!"
Her expression then softened into worry as she murmured, "I wonder… if Byakuya will be disappointed in me for becoming a pirate. If he is, will he even agree to see me?"
After Byakuya left, Nami had planned to join the Marines and follow in his footsteps once her village recovered.
But rebuilding the village was far more expensive than she had imagined, and her savings of 100 million Beli were quickly depleted.
Left with no choice, Nami returned to her old ways of stealing from pirates.
One day, after a botched heist, she was nearly killed by pirates but was saved by Luffy and Zoro, who happened to be passing by.
She ended up joining their crew almost by accident. Upon hearing that Byakuya had arrived in Loguetown, she rushed there, hoping to see him again.
Luffy, still nursing his bump, said resolutely, "Nami, you have no idea how many times I've been beaten by Grandpa because of Byakuya. And Grandpa's punches hurt like crazy! I have to settle the score with Byakuya!"
Zoro, equally serious, added, "Defeating the world's greatest swordsman was a promise I made to someone."
"Since Byakuya defeated Mihawk, the previous greatest swordsman, my goal is now to surpass him. I have to keep my promise."
Listening to her crewmates' lofty ambitions, Usopp clung to the ship's mast, trembling and on the verge of tears.
Are there any sane people on this ship?
He thought We were pirates. Byakuya is a Marine Admiral. You're not just picking a fight—you're dragging me along to die with you!
Everyone's either discussing revenge on Byakuya or challenging him to fulfil some promise. And Nami's worried he won't even bother to see her?
At that moment, Usopp seriously considered jumping into the sea to escape.
If you want to support me, join my patr**on. Have 10 advanced Chapters for you guys.
patr**n.com/saitamablast > OP:OPM NOVEL TIER