Chapter 18: Achievement Points Surge, Uncovering the Navy’s Scheme

Radiant Eclipse Pirates

Captain: Kuke

Vice-Captain: Gion (Combat Power: 160,123)

Quartermaster: Boa Hancock (Combat Power: 15,823)

Helmswomen and Deckhands: Boa Sandersonia (Combat Power: 3,125) & Boa Marigold (Combat Power: 2,868)

External Informant: Shakky (Combat Power: 61,453; Kuke gains 50%)

Apprentice Pirate: Koala (Combat Power: 15)

Kuke's own combat power had surpassed 210,000.

He glanced at Hancock, who was diligently training her Haki under Gion's guidance. Her progress was impressive—her combat strength had increased by more than 5,000 in just one month.

Compared to her, Sandersonia and Marigold hadn't seen as much improvement.

Even Gion's combat power had increased, though not as rapidly as Hancock's, who was currently in a phase of rapid growth.

In the original timeline, it would only be a year or two before Hancock reached the level of a Warlord of the Sea, becoming one of the Seven Warlords.

Kuke opened the latest edition of the newspaper.

It had been nearly half a month since the incident at Enies Lobby, but the world's attention was still fixed on him.

The headline covered how, just yesterday, Sengoku and the Five Elders had appeared together at a special event in the Holy Land, attempting to dispel rumors of discord between the Navy and the World Government.

But the dignity that both the Navy and the World Government had lost couldn't be regained so easily.

For half a month, they had been the laughingstock of the seas.

Naturally, Kuke's bounty had increased as well:

Kuke: 630,000,000 Berries

Gion: 480,000,000 Berries

Hancock: 120,000,000 Berries

Sandersonia: 30,000,000 Berries

Marigold: 25,000,000 Berries

Koala: No bounty yet

Adding Shakky's bounty from 20 years ago—540,000,000 Berries—the total bounty of the Radiant Eclipse Pirates had exceeded 1 billion Berries.

They were now recognized as one of the leading pirate crews on the seas.

With the rise in bounties, the aftermath of the Enies Lobby incident, and the invasion of the Holy Land, Kuke's achievement points had skyrocketed.

Even Koala, despite her combat strength being nearly zero and not having a bounty, had added 1,000 points to the tally just by joining the crew.

[Achievement Points: 94,320]

He had nearly reached 100,000 points, with only a few thousand more to go. At this rate, without doing anything, he'd hit that milestone within a few days.

The fallout from the Enies Lobby and Holy Land incidents hadn't completely faded.

Suddenly, Kuke's Den Den Mushi rang.

It was Shakky.

"Shakky, what's going on?" Kuke asked curiously.

Shakky's voice came through on the other end. "Kuke, a Devil Fruit has appeared on Fikaromus Island, and the news has spread across the entire first half of the Grand Line."

"A Devil Fruit?" Kuke frowned.

What kind of Devil Fruit could cause such a stir across the entire first half of the Grand Line?

"Yes, and the rumors say it's a rare Mythical Zoan type. Specifically, it's the Bird-Bird Fruit, Phoenix Model."

Hearing this for the first time, Kuke fell into thought.

This Devil Fruit didn't exist in the original story, yet here it was, being described as a Mythical Zoan.

"How could such a rare fruit become public knowledge? Anyone who gets their hands on a fruit like that would eat it immediately," Kuke questioned.

Anyone who wasn't already a Devil Fruit user would find it hard to resist the allure of a Mythical Zoan.

"The fruit was reportedly found by the Pegasus Pirates in an ancient treasure trove. However, it's locked inside a special transparent case, seemingly made of diamond, and bound by Seastone chains. The crew's captain was trying to find a locksmith, which exposed the fruit's existence."

Shakky shared all the details she had gathered.

It made sense on the surface.

But Kuke, having watched One Piece in his previous life, knew better.

A fruit of this magnitude, especially a Mythical Zoan Phoenix, didn't exist in the original storyline.

Seastone chains weren't indestructible either. Advanced Armament Haki could destroy the inside of a lock, rendering the Seastone ineffective.

Given how much noise the fruit was causing, it stood to reason that whoever claimed it should be someone well-known, even in the original story. But there wasn't anyone like that.

Something didn't add up.

"Kuke, an opportunity like this doesn't come often. Are you interested?" Shakky asked, hopeful. She was eager to see Kuke obtain such a fruit.

With his talent combined with the Phoenix Model, she believed Kuke could one day rival monsters like Kaido.

Kuke didn't respond right away. Instead, he asked, "Shakky, what have the Navy Admirals and other strong Navy members been up to lately?"

He suspected a trap.

On the surface, everything seemed logical, but based on his knowledge of the original story, things felt off.

"Kuke, do you think this is a Navy scheme?" Shakky was quick to catch on.

"Has there been any activity from the admirals recently?" Kuke pressed.

"Yellow Monkey is still pursuing the Sun Pirates in the New World. Aokiji has been stationed at Mariejois, and Sengoku appeared at an event in the Holy Land just yesterday. As for Garp, his whereabouts are unknown, and Akainu... he hasn't been seen for several days."

Kuke pieced it together.

Akainu was definitely lying in wait on Fikaromus Island, hoping to ambush him.

"Kuke, I don't think this is a Navy trap. Would they really be willing to use a fruit like that as bait?" Shakky, though not a Devil Fruit user herself, admitted that even she was tempted by the Phoenix Model.

"No, it's definitely the Navy," Kuke said with certainty.

"Kuke, please don't go to Fikaromus Island. Akainu is dangerous," Shakky warned.

But Kuke's mind was already set.

He was going after the Phoenix Model.