Upon consuming the third Rumble Ball, the eater will lose consciousness, and their internal powers will begin to rampage, transforming into a "monster".
Chopper didn't know what that was, only aware that such a power was terrifying, but Bat Man knew. It was clearly the power belonging to the Zoan-type Awakening, or rather, just a part of the Awakening's power.
Those who failed to awaken and turned into Prisoner Beasts in the city are one example. In Bat Man's eyes, the pill Chopper consumed was his path to promotion.
If even such weak individuals can undergo this Awakening with external help, then those within the Hundred Beasts...
Besides the powers granted by Arceus and the capabilities of Artificial Fruits, the Hundred Beasts also have quite a few ordinary Zoan-type Ability Users. This item is almost tailor-made as a war stimulant for the Hundred Beasts.
If this is truly effective...
Bat Man has already begun imagining himself standing on the podium receiving accolades from Kaidou.
Patting his face, Bat Man brought his thoughts back.
"Mandfeish is right; as long as you work hard, luck will eventually come your way."
Although this item seems to have significant side effects, they still have Queen and Nightin. In terms of pharmacological research, these two do have real skills. Bat Man believes that as long as he sends this drug back, the rest won't be a problem.
But before that, he must first deal with this frenzied giant beast.
This is not very difficult for Bat Man. Chopper's monster form after consuming three Rumble Balls is in a state of chaos. Such lumbering beasts can't catch a flying ability user.
After exerting some effort, Bat Man successfully took down the rampaging reindeer, but afterward, he thought of a new problem.
This drug aligns with part of the Hundred Beasts' Ability Users. If they had previously come across Ulti, they might have already used this power.
Having this drug would explain why Luffy didn't lose limbs, but doesn't explain why Chopper is still with them.
Given Ulti's character, she should have taken them altogether.
At this time, Heracross also flew back from the forest, and even Serperior's towering figure appeared, drawn here by Chopper's gigantified form. Serperior was Bat Man's source of calm.
It is the strongest guardian here. Watching Heracross beside Luffy helplessly holding its forehead, Bat Man feels enlightened again. Perhaps this group has already been targeted by higher-ranked officials, unbeknownst to him.
Since the end of last rank battles, the single-digit Numberer positions only experienced internal ordinal changes. Challenging them is nearly impossible, indicating their positions are solidified.
Competing for performance with such a leader...
Shaking his head, Bat Man thought of some unpleasant scenarios and ultimately made his decision.
He took all the Rumble Balls from Chopper, then filled out emergency contact information on the Rotom Phone, sending the Rumble Balls and his report through Fatto Express to Ghost Island.
As for these people, he decided to take a relatively gentle attitude to avoid future complications.
...
"Just 1.8 million Belly, and you can't pay up??"
Doubling the inbound fee was already a very gentle approach, but Bat Man somewhat overestimated the Straw Hat Pirates' financial situation.
These people, unlike ordinary pirates, don't plunder but explore like an Adventurer's Guild, making their funding sources inherently unstable.
Luffy's stomach is a bottomless pit, consuming a large amount of food expenses daily, making their finances very tight without finding treasures.
"This... our situation is a bit special."
Seeing Bat Man's change in attitude, Nami didn't know what was happening, but ultimately, it was a good thing.
When faced with absolute power disparity, crew members generally choose to compromise.
For instance, certain Red Lion Sch Kid's crew was very confident before challenging Shanks, but after Shanks defeated Kid with a single Kamusari, they chose to surrender and handed over the Poneglyph rubbings.
The pirate world is brutal; merely having to pay a trivial fine after losing is a very favorable outcome.
As for the Rumble Balls...
According to pirate tradition, everything of the defeated belongs to the victor, so Bat Man won't use them to cancel debts.
Originally it was 1.6 million, but Luffy considered Heracross a companion, not a pet, deserving people's count, raising it to 1.8 million, a logic that made Nami nearly clobber him, but found it made little difference.
Whether it's 1.6 or 1.8 million, they ultimately couldn't produce it.
"Rules can't be broken, since you have no money, then stay and work. Though weak, you can quickly earn enough for the inbound fee."
The Sky Island has no mines for them to dig but plenty of jobs, leading to the Straw Hat entourage being delayed significantly, along with Cricket who joined them for labor until debts were cleared.
Upon leaving Sky Island, the disparity in strength made Luffy realize he needed stronger power, commencing new training while pondering where to acquire substantial funds.
The Merry, which accompanied them thus far, now needed maintenance, a considerable expense.
...
At this time, Water Seven was also experiencing events. Due to their lengthy delay on Sky Island, their journey to Water Seven was significantly stalled.
However, CP9's actions won't postpone due to their tardiness.
Their embedded agents in Water Seven primarily aimed at the Netherworld King, capturing Robin originally became a coincidental outcome.
Now Robin's identity has changed, absent from here, hence CP9 diligently executes their initial task.
After Tom was taken away, he began a life in anonymity. Even his disciples didn't know Tom's whereabouts.
Over time, however, a severely injured Franky in Modified People form reappeared before Iceberg.
Iceberg entrusted the Netherworld King's design blueprint to Franky, hoping he would leave Water Seven, adopt a new name, and usher in a new life.
But Franky refused, opting to reside on the island under the name Franky.
Tom's disappearance lingered as a thorn in his heart; he wished to stay and see if he could reunite with his teacher.
Latterly, he sheltered many near-starved vagabonds in the backstreets, establishing the "Frank Family", specializing in ship dismantling.
Some things can't be hidden, and years later, they were discovered by World Government agents, and he was secretly arrested at night.
Observing all this from stealthily returning to Water Seven, Tom saw everything concerning his disciple...