There was no hesitation from Big Mom. The moment she heard about the Pulp-Pulp Fruit and the Bean-Bean Fruit, she agreed without a second thought.
Over the past few days, she had been living in what could only be described as paradise. Every day brought a new spread of exquisite desserts, none repeated, each more tempting than the last. From her perspective, this arrangement came with no loss at all. In fact, it was an opportunity.
With that in mind, she readily offered seven ordinary Devil Fruits along with one Ancient Zoan, the Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Thunder Dragon Model.
Even for her, producing fourteen ordinary Devil Fruits would have been somewhat troublesome, though not impossible. Most of the Devil Fruits she possessed had already been distributed among her children, many of whom became ability users from a young age. Still, reputation mattered. If she were to produce only low-tier fruits, it would invite ridicule.
Ordinary Devil Fruits held little appeal. What truly carried weight were rare and powerful abilities.
The Thunder Dragon Fruit had originally been reserved as a bargaining chip with Kaido, a contingency in case she needed his assistance in the future. Now, however, she brought it out without hesitation.
This development placed Kaido in an awkward position. Among the available rewards were three Ancient Zoans: the Thunder Dragon, a massive and destructive creature comparable in power to Queen the Plague's Brachiosaurus; the carnivorous Sarcosuchus; and the Ancient Centipede.
Each one held immense value.
As news of the five-way melee spread, it ignited the entire Battle Pyramid and quickly reached the outside world.
A total of thirty-four Devil Fruits, contributed by five different factions, were placed on the line. Combined with the unique rules of the melee and the ability for winners to choose their rewards, it became obvious to many that this was, at its core, a high-stakes Devil Fruit exchange.
More importantly, it was a clash between five forces. The Four Emperors and the Nightfall Pirates would each send two fighters, all under nineteen years old. While the captains themselves would not fight, this battle would still represent the future pillars of their respective crews.
The already tense atmosphere surrounding the upcoming Swordplay Tournament erupted into full excitement.
"Hahaha! Tsuru, I didn't expect them to stir up something like this behind the scenes. This is too interesting!" Garp laughed loudly, clearly entertained. "How about we call Sengoku and join in? I'm sure they'd give me some face."
"What about the Devil Fruits?" Gion asked, unable to hide her curiosity.
Garp waved his hand dismissively. "Just send Borsalino. With his speed, a round trip would take no time at all."
Borsalino, who had been quietly sipping his coffee, paused mid-motion. Somehow, he had been dragged into this without warning. Even during downtime, work found him.
"No," Tsuru said calmly, shaking her head. "This is a pirate affair. We will not participate. Our purpose here is observation, and to let our Marines gain experience in the Battle Pyramid."
She paused, her gaze sharp.
"If we truly joined, we would only embarrass ourselves. Under those conditions, we would likely be the first eliminated."
The age restriction alone disqualified most of their capable personnel. They simply did not have suitable candidates present.
"Instead, we watch," Tsuru continued. "Those chosen by Shiki, Whitebeard, Kaido, and the others will become the future pillars of their crews. This is valuable intelligence."
Garp scratched his head but said nothing further.
Each faction quickly finalized their representatives. However, the Beast Pirates encountered an unexpected problem.
Kreeler was an obvious choice, but who would accompany him?
Kaido suddenly realized that in focusing on Devil Fruits and rewards, he had overlooked the second slot entirely.
"Father, let me go!"
A young voice broke the silence as Yamato rushed forward, eyes shining with excitement.
"No," Kaido replied instantly, his tone absolute.
He had gone to great lengths to keep Yamato hidden. If she appeared in such a high-profile event, she would immediately draw attention. Moreover, she had not yet fully matured.
"Yamato, this isn't the time," others tried to persuade her. Sending a child into such a battle would only reflect poorly on the Beast Pirates, regardless of her strength.
"Hmph! I'm going!" Yamato shot back without hesitation, glaring at Kaido. "You stupid black-haired gorilla!"
Her blunt defiance made it clear that this was not their first clash.
"I said no," Kaido repeated, crossing his arms.
"I'm going anyway. If you don't agree, I'll shout it outside that I'm your child."
The threat hung in the air, simple yet effective.
Kaido's eyes widened slightly. "You dare?"
"I dare," Yamato replied confidently, her stance mirroring his own. A faint trace of Haki flickered around her.
The room fell silent as father and daughter faced off.
Finally, Kreeler stepped forward.
"Governor, let her participate," he said carefully. "We can conceal her identity."
All eyes turned to him.
"She's the strongest candidate under eighteen besides me," Kreeler continued. "If we want to secure those Ancient Zoans, we need the best chance possible. We can mask her identity, change her name, and adjust her age slightly. As long as no one recognizes her, it won't matter."
Yamato's expression brightened instantly.
Kaido remained silent for a moment, weighing the risks.
"…Fine," he said at last. "Disguise her properly. And adjust her age."
"Yay!" Yamato cheered, unable to contain her excitement.
There was no delay.
By the next morning, the melee was ready to begin.
The battleground was set on the seventeenth floor of the Battle Pyramid. Through specially opened mechanisms, those in the hall above could observe the arena clearly.
Each faction revealed their participants.
Big Mom Pirates: Charlotte Smoothie, fifteen years old, and Charlotte Highfat, sixteen.
Smoothie had already displayed extraordinary talent and was highly favored by Big Mom. As the user of the Wring-Wring Fruit, she had long surpassed her peers, with a bounty exceeding 100 million Berries despite her age.
Highfat, by contrast, lacked both drive and strength. His presence was more a result of circumstance than merit.
Golden Lion Pirates: the Wolf-Tiger Brothers, Kurolo and Kururu, aged eighteen and seventeen.
Both were Zoan users, one wielding the Dog-Dog Fruit, Forest Wolf Model, and the other the Cat-Cat Fruit, Black Tiger Model. Their reputations and bounties also exceeded 100 million.
Whitebeard Pirates: Haruta, seventeen, and Izo, eighteen.
Haruta already commanded the Twelfth Division, while Izo, a Bug-Bug Fruit user with the Caterpillar Model, showed strong potential despite his youth.
Beast Pirates: Kreeler, eighteen, and "Mina," a thirteen-year-old girl whose true identity was Yamato.
Though her name and age were falsified, her strength remained unchanged.
Nightfall Pirates: Kaguya, fifteen, and Clemons, sixteen.
One wielded the Bone-Bone Fruit, the other the Muscle-Muscle Fruit. Both had already mastered two types of Haki and possessed bounties exceeding 200 million, marking them as the most dangerous contenders.
By early morning, the arena was already overflowing.
Though it could hold twenty thousand spectators, it was nowhere near enough for the massive crowd gathered within the Battle Pyramid. Many stood, while even more watched through large projection screens.
Representatives from all factions took their seats.
To many observers, this battle represented the pinnacle of the younger generation under nineteen.
Of course, some knew better.
There existed monsters like Teach and Big Mom, whose strength at that age had already surpassed conventional limits. However, such anomalies were exceedingly rare.
For everyone else, this clash was more than enough.
Far away, at the Marine Headquarters elite training camp, the cadets had gathered to watch the live broadcast.
"This," Zephyr said, his voice heavy, "is the reality of the sea."
The cadets fell silent as the participants were introduced.
"Among them," Zephyr continued, "there are individuals that none of you could defeat, even if you fought together."
Some of the cadets frowned, clearly unconvinced.
Zephyr did not argue.
He simply watched.
He had already seen enough to understand the truth.
These young pirates had been tempered in ways the Marines could not replicate. Many had fought for survival since childhood, growing through bloodshed and hardship.
Compared to them, the cadets were sheltered.
And the gap between them was real.