"No! The abnormal-body plan has already progressed this far. We have no way out anymore. If we give up now, all our previous investment will have been wasted. I think we should continue."
"It would be better to terminate it…"
While the Five Elders were endlessly arguing over the abnormal-body plan, Roy had already brought Shiryu back to the Golden Palace on Raijin Island.
"So this is the legendary Golden Palace on Raijin Island? The most luxurious and extravagant building in the entire world, one that even the Celestial Dragons do not possess."
Shiryu looked around at his surroundings and praised it.
Alongside the Thunder God Sea, the things that had made Raijin Island famous across the world were Atla and the Golden Palace.
The latter had been created by Roy using the Goro Goro no Mi and the City of Gold from Skypiea. For the Celestial Dragons, it was impossible to replicate on a technical level, no matter how much gold they possessed.
As for the colosseum, over these three years, its fame had already spread throughout the world.
Every tournament's prize would stir up a new wave of excitement.
On one occasion, Roy had even offered one of the Twelve Supreme Grade Blades as the prize.
As a result, countless swordsmen were drawn in to compete. That tournament's grand spectacle was even more intense than the one before it.
Even swordsmen from Whitebeard's ship, such as Vista of the Flower Swords, hurried over to take part.
And that was to say nothing of Chalcis, Daz, and Mihawk from Roy's own crew.
In name, the tournament had originally been a contest for a Supreme Grade Blade. Later, after a flash of inspiration from Tamago, the competition immediately turned into a battle to decide the world's greatest swordsman.
On top of that, none of the swordsmen objected. Instead, the fervor only grew stronger and stronger.
Of course, after several days of competition, the final victor was still Mihawk.
With a single Black Blade, he cut down all the swordsmen before him. Even Vista suffered quite a loss at Mihawk's hands.
He stood above all swordsmen with the mightiest stance.
In the eyes of those swordsmen with limited vision and little information, Dracule Mihawk was the greatest swordsman in the world today.
However, Mihawk, Vista, and the others all knew very clearly that if someone wanted to become the strongest swordsman in the world, they would first have to climb over the great mountain pressing down above their heads.
The Thunder Emperor, Roy.
The world only knew of his title as the strongest, yet failed to pay attention to the honor he held as the greatest swordsman.
It was just like Golden Lion Shiki. Flying Pirate, admiral, legend, and countless other honorable titles had been attached to him, yet people had somehow forgotten the fact that he himself was also one of the world's very finest swordsmen.
Returning to the present, while Shiryu was observing his surroundings, Roy flipped his palm and took out a Devil Fruit.
"This is…?"
The instant the Devil Fruit appeared, Shiryu's gaze immediately fell on the pink, mango-like Devil Fruit.
"The Paramecia-type Slow-Slow Fruit. It can fire Slow-Slow Beams. As long as the light it emits hits an enemy, it can make the person struck by it sluggish."
This was a Devil Fruit Roy had happened to find back on Long Ring Long Land. It seemed Foxy the Silver Fox was destined to have no connection with this fruit.
"Once the other party touches this light, they will become extremely slow. The duration is thirty seconds. As long as something is within the range of the light, every object will slow down."
"Moreover, no matter what kind of speed it is, it can slow it down. That includes the speed of falling toward the ground. At that moment, the slowed object will seem as though it is floating in midair."
"Since their reactions also become slower, if they receive attacks while under the slowing effect, the damage they take will accumulate and then burst out all at once the moment the slowing effect ends. Of course, the weakness is that the beam can be reflected by objects such as mirrors."
"However, once you develop it to the limit, you should be able to attach the Slow-Slow Beam from your hand onto the sword you're holding. That way, when you're competing against others in swordsmanship…"
In the original version, Foxy needed to make a specific hand gesture to fire the Slow-Slow Beam. That was probably because he had not developed it properly himself.
After all, with his butt-shaped head, his imagination was practically nonexistent.
Even so, merely by using the most basic application of the Slow-Slow Fruit, he could fire a beam that slowed things for thirty seconds. If this fruit were developed to the limit, then its power would be…
Tsk, tsk.
"I want this fruit!"
A stunning light instantly burst from Shiryu's eyes. Before Roy could even finish speaking, Shiryu took the Slow-Slow Fruit directly.
Then, right in front of Roy, he devoured it in a few bites.
As a swordsman, Shiryu understood far too clearly that when experts exchanged blows, even a gap of 0.01 seconds could create two completely different outcomes.
"Phew… Devil Fruits really do taste as awful as the rumors say!"
Shiryu's brows furrowed fiercely. Clearly, he had also been thoroughly disgusted by the taste.
Then a faint pink glow began to radiate from his palm.
"So this is the Slow-Slow Beam? It really is powerful. Captain, I need to go into seclusion for a while."
"Mm. Go and properly familiarize yourself with that fruit. After you come out of seclusion, go find Tamago. He'll arrange a suitable position for you."
"Yes, Captain!"
With a cigar in his mouth, Shiryu walked out of the Golden Palace, while Roy once again took out the Devil Fruit Radar.
"Then next up, I'll gladly accept the String-String Fruit, the More-More Fruit, and the Nine-Tailed Fox Fruit. While I'm at it, I'll go take a look at the situation of the companion I reserved long ago."
…
The first half of the Grand Line, Sakura Kingdom.
Three years ago, when the Thunder Emperor Roy passed through this island, the previous foolish king had implemented the despised Doctor 20 Plan.
Why call him the previous king?
Because less than two days after the Doctor 20 Plan was implemented, Wapol and those obsequious ministers of his were struck by lightning that descended from the sky, leaving them charred on the outside and tender on the inside.
Thus, amid the cheers of countless residents, Dalton, the former captain of the royal guard, became the new king.
Under King Dalton's leadership, the Drum Kingdom abolished the series of absurd laws Wapol had established and successfully changed its name to the Sakura Kingdom.
The reason it was called the Sakura Kingdom was because a female doctor named Kureha, who possessed astonishing medical skill, brought a doctor named Hiriluk to King Dalton.
Under Dalton's leadership, the current Sakura Kingdom could be said to be flourishing. The doctors who had once wandered outside had also begun to return, and the prosperity it had once enjoyed as a great medical nation was gradually restored once more.
(End of Chapter)
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