Chapter 37

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East Blue 

Somewhere in the middle of the sea 

"Hey Usopp, I finally found you", Luffy says as he walks into the kitchen after searching the entire ship for Usopp. 

"Do you need something, Luffy?", Usopp asks, pausing his work on creating ammunition with the same characteristics as the Buggy Balls, but in a tiny size. 

"Check this out, it's the Saizu Saizu no Mi. It's a Paramecia-type fruit that lets the user change the size of themselves and objects at will for an indefinite time", Luffy says, showing Usopp an Akuma no Mi in his hand. 

"Okay, cool fruit, but what does that have to do with me?", Usopp asks, curious. 

"Well, I was thinking you might want to eat it", Luffy suggests. 

"Why would I want to eat an Akuma no Mi? Is it really worth it?", Usopp asks, feeling a bit uncertain. 

"Just imagine, you could shrink down smaller than an ant or grow as big as, or even bigger than, a giant! Plus, you can resize objects, and their weight will adjust accordingly. You could basically turn into a walking arsenal, carry the Merry in your pocket when we're on land, and since the effect on objects is permanent unless you reverse it, you could increase the size of our gold, meaning infinite money! The fruit would also allow our storage to hold more than it currently can. And if you're worried about not being able to swim anymore, you can build up resistance and swim again with training. You just won't be able to use your powers in water", Luffy explains, trying to convince Usopp. 

"I could become a giant?", Usopp asks, now excited. 

"Seriously? Out of everything this fruit can do, becoming a giant is the only thing that impressed you?", Luffy asks, frustrated. 

"Come on, Luffy, I will be able to turn into a giant, man!", Usopp says, gesturing with his hands. 

"Yeah, but I thought the idea of becoming a walking arsenal, having infinite money, and shrinking to the size of an ant would excite you too", Luffy says, looking a bit disappointed. 

"No, that's cool too, but... c'mon man, it's a giant!", Usopp says, smiling awkwardly as he tries to explain his point without hurting Luffy's feelings. 

"Fine, I'm not upset or anything that I gave a huge sales pitch just for one line to impress you", Luffy says, pouting. 

"Look, man, do you want me to eat the fruit or not?", Usopp asks, giving in. 

"Here, take it. By the way, instead of shrinking your ammo and risking a loss in power, you could create, say, a Buggy Ball the size of a building, then shrink it down to the size you want. You just need to test if it still packs the expected punch when shrunk", Luffy says, offering a suggestion. 

"Good idea, Luffy", Usopp says, taking the fruit from Luffy. 

"Ughhh, this tastes awful", Usopp says after the first bite. Fearing it wouldn't take effect, he swallows and forces himself to finish the fruit, bite after bite, despite the urge to vomit. 

"Shishishi, they say it tastes like crap", Luffy laughs at Usopp's suffering. 

"Screw you, Luffy", Usopp says, holding back his nausea. 

At that moment, Nami enters the kitchen, hoping to relax and maybe draw a map or read a navigation book now that she has some free time. But as soon as she opens the door, she's greeted by the sight of Usopp on the verge of throwing up and Luffy laughing at him. 

"What are you two up to now?", she asks, walking over to the kitchen counter to sit down. 

"Shishishi, I gave him the Devil Fruit I found when we first met, and now he's almost puking because it tastes like crap. So, basically, he just ate poop", Luffy replies, grinning. 

"Cool, I guess... What does the fruit you gave him do again?", Nami asks, curious, as she doesn't quite remember the details. 

After explaining to Nami what the fruit allows Usopp to do, Luffy is suddenly grabbed and shaken violently by a furious and indignant Nami. 

"Why? Why did you give that fruit to the long-nose and not to me? Uhhhhhh, my infinite money, why? Why?", Nami shakes Luffy while crying rivers of tears. 

"Calm down, Nami. I have another Akuma no Mi in mind for you", Luffy says, hugging her and rubbing her back to comfort her. 

"Besides, Usopp can increase our gold and other valuables whenever we want", Luffy says, trying to reassure her. 

Once she calms down, she turns to Usopp with a smile that, to Usopp, looks like the devil grinning at him. "Usopp, you can do that for me, right?" 

'I'm starting to regret eating this fruit', Usopp thinks, sweating nervously. With a forced smile, he says, "S-sure, Nami." 

=Scene Break= 

A week and a half into their journey, they reach the waters near the Conomi Islands. During this time, everyone continued their training. Sanji, who had joined the group, grew quickly in strength, reaching a level close to Zoro and Chouchou's, largely thanks to his constant bickering with Zoro and sparring with Chouchou and Luffy. 

Zoro's physical strength increased exponentially, and with Luffy's guidance, he now mastered the use of Conqueror's Haki at will. His Armament and Observation Haki also grew stronger, nearing their advanced forms. He spent the rest of his time perfecting his Soru, Geppo, and swordsmanship while developing new techniques. 

Chouchou also continued growing in physical strength, keeping up with Zoro. His training with Seastone bracelets paid off, and his resistance to seawater weakness now allows him to swim without drowning or sinking. His progress in Armament and Observation Haki reached a level similar to Zoro's. As for his Devil Fruit, he had been training and refining his hybrid Zoan form, since the ship couldn't support his full Zoan form due to his size and weight. He also kept improving his Soru and Geppo, and learned and mastered the basics of Shigan, using his tail, claws, and teeth. Additionally, he mastered the basics of Rankyaku, applying it with his tail and claws. 

Nami's physical strength continued to grow, along with her Armament and Observation Haki. She spent most of her training time perfecting her fighting style with her new retractable bo staff, which she named the "Clima Tact." 

Kaya mastered the basics of Armament Haki and Geppo, continuing to improve her Soru and Observation Haki. She spent much of her time studying medicine. 

Usopp balanced his time between creating and testing new ammunition and weapons, constantly progressing with Rokushiki and Haki techniques, and training with his new fruit powers. Since he couldn't become a giant on the ship without sinking it, he focused on shrinking to the size of an ant and returning to normal during combat, incorporating this strategy similar to that of the MCU's Ant-Man into his fighting style. 

And finally, we have Sanji, who mastered and refined Soru and Geppo to a level close to Zoro's. He learned the basics of Armament and Observation Haki and spent much of his time, when he wasn't cooking for the crew or training in other areas, he was fighting with Luffy to improve his fighting style. 

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(AN: 1,203 Words)

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