The Paramecia-type Illusion-Illusion Fruit appeared utterly mysterious.
After toying with it briefly, Roya swallowed the fruit whole.
Perhaps because it had no side effects, the fruit had absolutely no taste.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
In the blink of an eye, a minute passed, yet Roya felt no strange changes in his body.
Could it have no effect at all?
Just as this thought surfaced in Roya's mind—
A figure materialized before him.
This figure was none other than Roya's own cloaked appearance!
Seeing this, Roya knew the Illusion-Illusion Fruit had taken effect.
He examined the phantom replica of himself, testing it firsthand.
The phantom felt real to the touch, with a tangible presence—after all, it possessed a fraction of his strength.
This strength would grow even more formidable with further development.
Coating his arm in Armament Haki, Roya shattered the phantom before him without hesitation.
"Resilience is decent too. As long as it's not a fatal blow, the phantom shouldn't dissipate."
Roya murmured to himself before adding, "Then how about this!"
With his words, hundreds of phantoms suddenly appeared across the entire warship.
These phantoms were all conjured from Roya's imagination!
Among them were figures like Whitebeard, Big Mom, Kaido, Red Hair, and others...
All renowned powerhouses of the seas.
If others—or the Marines—saw this, they'd likely be terrified, suspecting some sinister conspiracy was afoot.
Yet as Roya observed the hundred phantoms before him, his brow furrowed slightly.
Their forms were faint and insubstantial, each appearing incredibly weak.
He guessed it was because the available power had been divided among them.
With a casual wave of his hand, Roya dispersed the phantoms into nothingness.
Over the next hours aboard the warship, Roya experimented relentlessly with the fruit's capabilities.
He discovered that while the Illusion-Illusion Fruit offered negligible direct combat enhancement—
Its auxiliary applications were terrifyingly potent!
Not only could it create illusions to disorient opponents...As the system had stated, this was an extremely top-tier Devil Fruit, albeit in an auxiliary capacity. But as the saying goes, there are no useless fruits, only useless users.
Roya believed that with further development, he would undoubtedly unlock even more powerful abilities in the near future!
A faint smile curled at the corners of Roya's lips. In the following days, he devoted himself tirelessly to honing the fruit's abilities, even naming each technique he developed!
Until—the Den Den Mushi aboard the warship rang out.
"Brrrring, brrrring."
Following the sound, Roya made his way to the warship's bridge.
After a brief moment of thought, he picked up the receiver.
"Attention all units, attention all units. The Marineford Promotion Ceremony has commenced. Ensure the event proceeds safely. Any warships encountering suspicious pirate activity, regardless of scale, must report immediately."
"Repeat, repeat. Marineford—"
Roya hung up the Den Den Mushi, only to hear the system's electronic voice echo in his mind.
[Ding. Sign-in mission issued: Marine Headquarters, Marineford. Reward: Mastery of the Six Powers! Time limit: 7 days!]
Given the warship's speed, they would reach Marineford well within seven days.
But he couldn't just waltz in openly to complete the sign-in.
A promotion ceremony of this scale would undoubtedly be attended by numerous high-ranking combatants.
If he tried to sign in recklessly, he'd be targeted mercilessly.
One wrong move, and he might even be detained permanently!
That was the last outcome Roya wanted.
However, he soon devised a fairly decent plan.
Thus, in the days that followed, Roya didn't immediately set course for Marineford.
Instead, he took to the seas, hunting pirates while sharpening his abilities!
Every pirate he targeted had a bounty of at least a hundred million Berries.
In fact, within just those few short days, rumors began circulating about a mysterious bounty hunter roaming the seas—none other than Roya himself.
——
The Promotion Ceremony was a grand event marking the Marine's transition into a new era!
With Fleet Admiral Kong ascending to the position of Commander-in-Chief, Sengoku succeeding him as Fleet Admiral, and multiple Admiral vacancies opening up, numerous Vice Admirals began vying for promotion, creating a cascade of opportunities!
This was undoubtedly a chance for countless individuals to climb the ranks!
Many were eager to test their mettle in this grand event.
A small wooden boat sailed across the sea as Roya watched Marineford draw ever closer, a faint smirk playing on his lips.
The bright sunlight bathed his face, lending him an almost gentle appearance.
Indeed, Roya had discarded his cloak, now approaching Marineford in broad daylight.
"Vessel ahead, halt your advance immediately!"
"Vessel ahead, halt your advance immediately!"
Before he could even get close, Roya's boat was intercepted by patrolling Marine soldiers.
"Identify yourself! State your business in Marineford!"
A Marine with the rank of Commander demanded as their warship pulled alongside.
"I heard the Marines are holding a promotion ceremony," Roya replied. "I'd like to participate and see just how high my strength can take me."Upon hearing Roya's words, the Marine captain frowned. "The promotion assembly is not open to the public! Besides, how strong do you think you are, wanting to see what position you're qualified for? At most, you'd just be cannon fodder!!!"
Roya wasn't angered by the captain's words. Instead, he simply pulled forward the sack behind him.
"Then what if I use these as my registration fee?"
The Marine captain was starting to feel some disdain for Roya. "Do you think I'm the kind of person who takes bribes? I would never—What is this?!!"
Before the captain could finish, he saw Roya open the sack and pour out several severed heads.
"These are all notorious pirates who have wreaked havoc on the seas. Each of them has a bounty of no less than 100 million berries. Do you think this is enough for the registration fee?"
Roya's tone was calm, but it sent massive waves crashing through the captain's heart.
The Marine captain gulped involuntarily as he recognized many familiar faces among the heads.
"Jack the Scythe, bounty 170 million!"
"Captain Blaze, bounty 320 million!"
"This... this is—the head of the 1-billion-berry pirate, the Strong-Strong Fruit user, Avery!!!"
The Marine captain wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him.
Otherwise, how could these infamous pirates, who had once terrorized the seas, be lying before him now?
Now thoroughly shaken, the captain realized Roya was far from cannon fodder.
If Roya was cannon fodder, then what did that make him?!
"W-wait a moment. I'll report this to my superiors immediately."
The captain was flustered. As a mere captain, he had never witnessed anything like this.
His words stumbled, the scene before him too overwhelming to process.