Chapter 26: Mastering Gear Second Ahead of Time, A Leap in Strength!

At this moment, with the announcement of the rewards, everyone was shocked...

What?

The rewards were so generous?

Whitebeard's injuries healed, Zoro's swordsmanship improved, Ace's Devil Fruit powers developed, Garp's martial arts enhanced, and Shanks' severed arm regenerated?

Goodness...

Any one of these rewards was a perfect match for the individual and incredibly generous!

At this moment, countless people were envious to the extreme.

Even jealousy turned their eyes red.

Even those who had chosen the correct answer, like Garp, were dumbfounded upon seeing the rewards...

The Whitebeard Pirates!

Whitebeard, who was sitting in a chair receiving an IV, suddenly felt a warmth spread throughout his body.

"What's wrong, Old Man?" his crew members asked worriedly, their eyes filled with concern.

"I... I'm healed?" Whitebeard widened his eyes, disbelieving the abundant power he now felt.

He had always been plagued by illness and injury.

Even though he was known as the world's strongest man, he couldn't escape the torment of sickness and injury.

But now... he couldn't feel that sense of weakness anymore.

It had been so many years since he had been at his peak like this!

Whitebeard was overjoyed, and a hearty laugh echoed throughout the seas.

Ace, who was beside him, also experienced a change.

As a user of the Mera Mera no Mi, he had already developed his Devil Fruit powers quite well.

He had mastered numerous abilities and could skillfully use his Devil Fruit powers.

However, even so, his Devil Fruit powers hadn't been fully developed...

But now, he could clearly feel that his abilities were different.

It was as if a mysterious inspiration had risen in his mind, and when combined with his power, he could use his Devil Fruit abilities far beyond what he had before!

His understanding and development of his Devil Fruit had far surpassed the past.

At this moment, Ace was indescribably excited.

"Such a reward... My Devil Fruit development has actually improved?"

The Red Hair Pirates...

Shanks looked at the sky, still immersed in shock and disbelief.

A severed arm regenerating?

What!?

In the next moment...

Shanks stiffened as he felt a tingling pain in his long-lost left arm.

Flesh buds then burst out, rapidly forming a brand-new arm...

This scene left everyone in the Red Hair Pirates dumbfounded!

My God, it's a miracle!

Shanks himself was also stunned, staring at the newly grown arm.

He was completely dazed...

At the Marine base town...

Zoro suddenly frowned slightly.

Unlike the other rewards like recovering from injuries or regenerating limbs, it was almost impossible to tell the difference with a reward that enhanced abilities like swordsmanship...

If it wasn't for the warm current that flowed through his body, Zoro would have almost thought the reward was a hoax.

But at this moment, he genuinely felt something different...

Holding his three swords, he looked at the immense Marine battleship in front of him.

He suddenly had a feeling.

He could directly... slice it in half!

...

At the Marine Headquarters!

Sengoku and the other Marines were dumbfounded...

Well, these rewards were really generous, weren't they?

Moreover... the recipients of the rewards were the last people they wanted to see receive them.

Whitebeard, Shanks...

Two of the Four Emperors!

Whitebeard had been weakened by his injuries, so his threat to the Marines had been reduced.

But now, he had recovered from all injuries and returned to his prime.

This threat... was too great

With this, Whitebeard could truly be called the strongest man in the world!

Shanks was in the same boat, as one of the Four Emperors who had lost his left arm, his strength had significantly decreased.

Even so, he still held his position among the Four Emperors.

Now that he had regained his left arm, his power... would likely become even more terrifying!

Not to mention Ace and Zoro, both pirates who had gained a tremendous boost in their abilities...

Sengoku's face turned green, as almost all of the winners were pirates!

Moreover... who could have thought that the rewards would be so generous?

If they had known beforehand, they would have chosen their answers more carefully!

With the pirates' strength surging like this, the balance of power in the seas could be disrupted, causing considerable trouble for the World Government.

However, there was still some relief...

At least among the winners, one of them was from the Marines.

"Garp, you're also one of the winners. How do you feel about it?"

At this moment, Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji all turned to look at him.

It seemed as if they were also very curious about what kind of change Garp, the reward recipient, would undergo...

However, facing everyone's questions, Garp only showed a smile.

"I feel like my iron fist can directly demolish Marine Headquarters!"

Sengoku: "..."

[Due to the early exposure of battle power, to compensate for the insufficient strength of the main characters.]

[Special rewards will now be issued...]

[Congratulations, Monkey D. Luffy, your strength has been enhanced, and the Gum-Gum Fruit has been further developed!]

[You have mastered... Second Gear ahead of time!]

As soon as the words fell...

At that moment, Luffy, far away in Fushia Village, was slightly taken aback.

"Eh?"

"Is there a reward for me too?"

At this moment, a warm current flowed through Luffy's entire body.

The Gum-Gum Fruit was developed in an instant, Luffy's strength was enhanced, reaching the level he had when he first activated Second Gear in the original story.

At this moment, Luffy couldn't wait to use his new ability.

His body began to emit red steam, and a powerful force gathered within him...

The people behind him, including Dadan, watched Luffy with wide eyes, completely stunned...

The Marines and countless pirates, who learned that Luffy had also received a reward and had mastered Second Gear, were equally shocked.

At the same time, in the sky above, images and sounds echoed once more.

[All rewards have been distributed!]

[Next, we will initiate a global call, connecting the main members of all major forces!]

[During this time, everyone is free to communicate, either with everyone or privately with one person.]

[The time limit is... ten minutes!]

...