Chapter 239: Two Years Later
In the end, Kuzan accepted the position of Chief Sheriff, returning to a life of work and leisure. His arrival in Avileton had become public knowledge thanks to Rodney. With a top-ranked Admiral like him in charge of Avileton's security, who would dare to cause trouble?
There were a few other matters that had caught Kuzan's attention recently. One of them was that Doflamingo had somehow found a chemist on par with Caesar, someone involved in researching bloodline factors alongside Bege and Judge, and had begun experiments once again in the destroyed Punk Hazard.
Were SMILE fruits about to make a return?
Creating artificial Devil Fruits was a challenging task, capable of producing only Zoan-type fruits with a success rate as low as ten percent. In other words, out of ten people who consumed an artificial Devil Fruit, only one would gain Zoan-type abilities.
Kuzan was aware that Caesar had been disposed of, but Doflamingo had somehow found another individual capable of creating artificial Devil Fruits. However, Kuzan had no reason to interfere, as he was no longer involved in the Marines.
Sanji's training was ongoing, and under Rodney's intense regimen, he had mastered Rokushiki, including Shave, Rankyaku, Moon Walk, Kenbunshoku Haki, and Busoshoku Haki. Sanji had been pushed to his limits, and Reiju had almost come to blows with him in frustration.
Such a brother complex!
Not long ago, Niji had visited Avileton and delivered a historical text he had found to Rodney, thinking it might be of use to him.
Rodney himself didn't need it, but Robin did. Deciphering it would reveal a piece of hidden history.
Another year passed swiftly, and during his time in Avileton, Sanji had grown a beard. He left Avileton, taking the golden lighter his sister had given him, and was personally bid farewell by Reiju.
During that year, Rodney had continued to enhance his own strength and had gathered two hundred thousand Task Points by hunting pirates. However, he had not exchanged them for a Devil Fruit but had instead acquired an Otsutsuki Golem.
The Otsutsuki Golem was essentially the shell of the Ten-Tails. When the powers of the Nine-Tails were combined, it would transform into the Ten-Tails, possessing the power to bring about destruction on a massive scale. Rodney had hidden the Otsutsuki Golem underground in Avileton, using Earth Release to create a tunnel. It was not yet time to activate it, as he needed more Task Points to collect the other Tailed Beasts.
"So, let's pay another visit to Punk Hazard."
Scratching his head, Rodney submerged himself underwater, captured a Sea King, and rode it swiftly across the ocean's surface.
One day later, Punk Hazard.
The island, previously destroyed by Rodney, had now become an uninhabitable land after a battle between Kuzan and Sakazuki. Doflamingo, not one to let a valuable resource go to waste, had retained the island's toxic atmosphere. Half of the island was constantly engulfed in flames, while the other half was frozen solid, creating a perpetually altered climate.
Underneath Punk Hazard was Doflamingo's research base for creating artificial Devil Fruits. While Garybusev had no expertise in bloodline factor research like Caesar, he was adept at creating artificial Devil Fruits, even without Caesar's research notes.
Doflamingo had sold the fruits Garybusev created to Kaido, who used them to produce an army of Devil Fruit users. However, unlike Caesar's Smile fruits, Garybusev's fruits had a higher failure rate. Consuming one of his failed fruits would not turn someone into a mindless Smiley but would simply rob them of the ability to swim. These were not Smile fruits; they were genuine artificial Devil Fruits.
The irony of the name was not lost on anyone.
On the icy side of Punk Hazard, a group of disoriented and injured Marines from the G-5 Branch huddled together. Among them was a man smoking a cigar in the midst of the harsh winter, his uniform unbuttoned.
Beside him was a Phoenix.
Trafalgar Law!
"Doflamingo," he muttered.
"Smoker, it seems your Marine career ends here today," Doflamingo's voice echoed as his fingers moved as if playing a tune, but his body suddenly retreated, performing bizarre movements.
Smoker noticed strange blue threads on his wrists and ankles, not like anything real, but more like energy constructs.
"Who?"
"Me."
Rodney appeared, walking over the snowy landscape. He surveyed the area and remarked, "It's really cold here. Long time no see, Doflamingo, Smoker, oh, should I call you Vice Admiral now?"
Smoker had been rapidly promoted, going from a Commodore in the East Blue to Vice Admiral in a short period, thanks to his innate talents. However, his bad temper had led to clashes with superiors, resulting in his assignment to Loguetown.
"Rodney? What are you doing here? Isn't this supposed to be your little love nest in Avileton, counting your money?" Doflamingo taunted. "How's business been? Making even more money after kicking me out?"
Over the past year, Rodney had not only been focused on his own training but had also used Robin and Reiju to oust Doflamingo from his businesses. They used his connections to sell weapons at even lower prices than Doflamingo, cutting out the middlemen. Who wouldn't choose the cheaper option? There were no intermediaries taking a cut here!
Rodney retracted the chakra threads from his fingertips, smiling as he said, "How can you say that, Doflamingo? After all, we're half-brothers, aren't we? You did come to me for business opportunities, and we've helped each other out."
Half-brothers, my foot! I found my contacts, invested my own money, and did all the work myself. What's this half-brother nonsense? Doflamingo seethed, veins popping on his forehead.
He scoffed, "Rodney, why are you here? I don't recall this being your territory."
"Well, this isn't your territory either, is it?" Rodney chuckled. "The environment here is truly awful. It's easy to catch a cold when you're dressed so lightly!"
"You're here to save him?" Doflamingo asked.
"At the very least, we fought together," Rodney shrugged, then used his chakra threads to pull Smoker towards him. "Are you alright, Vice Admiral Smoker? Oh, by the way, congratulations on your promotion."
Smoker helped himself up, looking annoyed. "You saying it like that really pisses me off. What are you doing here?"
"Oh, come on, don't be so heartless. I came to rescue you, after all. You could at least show some gratitude to your savior," Rodney said with a hint of sarcasm. He then released a burst of chakra waves. "So, Doflamingo, what's your plan? Back off
or something else?"
Doflamingo chuckled, a cold and heartless sound. There was a storm brewing in his voice. "You think you can settle this matter? Or do you want my head?"
With that, Doflamingo used the abilities of his String-String Fruit to bind himself to a distant building and swiftly retreated, leaving behind a carefree figure. "You win, Rodney!"
With Rodney present, things were sure to get more complicated, and Doflamingo couldn't afford to get injured at this stage.
(End of this chapter)