Ch 52: Becoming Famous

Chapter 52: Becoming Famous

More than a week had passed since the battle between the Whitebeard Pirates and the two Four Emperors' crews.

In this battle, the Whitebeard Pirates completely stole the spotlight. Two of Big Mom's generals, along with her eldest son Perospero, were captured. It was said that when the news reached Totto Land, the entire Whole Cake Island trembled with the eerie howls of Big Mom's rage for an entire night.

Kaido of the Beasts Pirates had been beaten by Whitebeard, reaffirming Whitebeard's title as the Strongest Man in the World, while Kaido's reputation as the "Strongest Creature" in single combat was severely shaken. On top of that, one of his All-Stars, Jack the Drought, had been captured, and many elite forces—including SMILE users and ancient giant experiments—had been killed or gravely injured. The Beasts Pirates were left crippled.

For a time, the reputation of the Whitebeard Pirates soared, and Ayaan along with the other two from the Spade Pirates rose to fame. Now, whenever pirates mentioned the Four Emperors, they already considered the Whitebeard Pirates as the leader among them.

Of course, that sort of fame meant little to Ayaan. What truly pleased him was that nearly all pirates involved—both allies and prisoners—had sustained serious injuries.

And injuries meant treatment. While Marco had always served as the Whitebeard Pirates' doctor with impressive medical skills, they couldn't compare to the miraculous healing of Ayaan's Baku Baku no Mi . In just a single day, Ayaan gathered a massive amount of physical data—from Katakuri, Jack, and Diamond Jozu, among others. Although their physical potential didn't match Whitebeard's, each of them had unique traits worth copying.

Some Devil Fruit powers that altered the body could even be mimicked through Ayaan's transformation techniques. For example, from Jozu's genes, Ayaan could mimic diamond-like body hardness, while from Katakuri, he could enhance his bodily flexibility.

However, the genetic capacity of a human body was limited. Conflicts between different body structures emerged over time. While early modifications provided significant boosts, further progress slowed down and yielded only small refinements.

So far, the most drastic body enhancement had occurred when Ayaan first integrated genes from Ace—mainly because at that point, his body hadn't undergone any prior modifications.

"If only I could build artificial neural chips or something… Studying all these body structures manually is exhausting," Ayaan muttered.

Inside the 4th Division's cabin, Ayaan sighed while doing squats with a massive ballast stone strapped to his back.

"I work out during the day and study anatomy at night. At this rate, I'll drop dead from overwork! One day I'll just jump into a high-tech universe, swallow something like artificial intelligence, and skyrocket my progress."

While physical modification increased his potential, actual combat strength still relied on training. That's why Ayaan pushed himself to exercise as soon as each enhancement was complete.

Fortunately, the Baku Baku no Mi made transformations reversible, allowing him to make real-time modifications and immediately evaluate their effectiveness through combat training.

"Ayaan, time to eat!"

Thatch's voice came from outside the door.

"Coming!" Ayaan replied, quickly setting the weight down.

One great thing about the 4th Division was the food. Their commander, Thatch, was a chef, and nearly all his crewmates were trained cooks. Everyone on the crew was good in the kitchen.

After only a few months in the 4th Division, Ayaan felt like he'd bulked up—not only in weight but in height. He now stood nearly 1.9 meters tall.

After a hearty meal, Ayaan stayed at the table, chatting with Thatch to help digest the food.

"So, have the prisoners from the Charlotte and Beasts Pirates already been ransomed back?"

He chewed a toothpick lazily and added, "Didn't expect the exchange to happen so fast. I wonder how much bounty they had to fork over?"

"It's standard," Thatch said with a grin. "Usually, twice their bounty. Also, now that we're back, everyone's probably getting a bonus. You earned a lot of merit in this war, Ayaan. You'll easily receive several hundred million berries."

"Even me?" Ayaan blinked. "Didn't the Whitebeard Pirates get dragged into this because of us—the Spade Pirates?"

"Even if you weren't here, we've clashed with the other Four Emperors plenty of times," Thatch replied nonchalantly. "The only difference this time was that both Kaido and Dad actually went all out."

"Besides, there are unspoken rules for how we divide loot. Pops takes two shares off the top, and the rest is distributed based on merit and rank."

Then Thatch added with a smile:

"Speaking of rank—Ayaan, how about becoming a Division Commander? Ace is already captain of the Second Division."

Ayaan shook his head. "Sounds like a hassle. I'll pass."

Besides, becoming a Division Commander would ruin his cover. Ayaan was still lurking in the 4th Division for one reason: he wanted the Yami Yami no Mi (Dark-Dark Fruit). If he became too prominent, it might slip away from him.

"You really have no ambition, huh?" Thatch teased. "Even Yamato is preparing to form her own team!"

Before Ayaan could respond, a voice rang out from the observation post:

"Captain! Pirate ship ahead—looks like the Dire Wolf Pirates. They've been plundering our allied islands!"

Ayaan's eyes lit up. "Perfect timing! I just finished eating. Time to burn it off!"

Without another word, he leapt overboard and darted across the sea.

"Brother Ayaan's been way too hyper lately," Thatch muttered. "Nobody else even gets a chance to fight."

In truth, Ayaan had a goal. He knew Thatch had acquired the Yami Yami no Mi, but the method was unclear. Based on probability, it likely came from war spoils.

So lately, Ayaan had made a point to charge into battle first—hoping to stumble upon the Yami Yami no Mi before anyone else.

At that moment, on the enemy ship...

"Captain! The ship ahead—definitely one of Whitebeard's!"

"What!? How'd they spot us so fast? Turn the rudder—retreat!"

"Captain—someone's coming. H-he's running on the water!"

"What?! Fire! Fire everything!!"

"He's here—AAAHHH!!"

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