Chapter 129: Saving Dressrosa

At the same time, Rob Lucci opened a Den Den Mushi to report on Chiba's artificial Devil Fruit and its extraordinary power to the Five Elders.

News of this development quickly spread among the ranks. Marine spies also sent updates to Kong, the Commander-in-Chief of the World Government's forces.

In response, Kong and the Five Elders convened once again, their expressions grave as they absorbed the implications of Chiba's creation.

After a long, tense silence, Kong finally spoke. "This Monkey D. Chiba… he's created an artificial Logia-type Devil Fruit, potentially even more powerful than the original Logia fruits. And if it's unaffected by seawater… then seastone might also be ineffective against it. This Chiba has become the biggest threat to Marine."

One of the Five Elders, Saint Jaygarcia Saturn, scoffed. "You let him go last time, and now he's caused us all this trouble."

Another Elder, Shepherd Izan, raised an eyebrow, retorting, "If you're so confident, go catch that kid yourself."

"Enough!" another Elder interjected, silencing the brewing argument. "The priority now is to obtain Chiba's artificial Devil Fruit technology. It's critical that this power falls under our control and ours alone."

He turned to Lucci's report. "Tell Lucci to do everything in his power to acquire Chiba's Devil Fruit creation method. Once we have that, we'll eliminate him."

Izan crossed his arms, clearly skeptical. "I don't agree with waiting. I say we capture Chiba immediately. His strength is advancing too quickly. If we delay any longer, there may come a time when not even the Five Elders can stop him."

Saturn scoffed. "To capture Chiba, I alone am the honored one."

Izan glared but held his tongue, folding his arms. After some debate, the Five Elders reluctantly agreed not to pursue Chiba directly—yet. They knew that if they wanted to apprehend Chiba, they'd also have to face Garp. As Chiba's grandfather, Garp would never sit idly by. Until they could confidently face both of them, they chose to focus on obtaining Chiba's technology first.

Meanwhile, at Marine Headquarters, Sengoku received a report on Chiba's artificial Devil Fruit, and his emotions were conflicted.

He never imagined that Chiba had the genius to create such a powerful Devil Fruit. An ordinary swordsman, previously weaker than even a Marine major, had transformed into someone of Admiral-level strength after consuming Chiba's fruit. This was no small feat; Rebecca's flames were so intense that even Blackbeard had to jump into the sea to escape.

"If only Chiba were still with the Marines," Sengoku murmured regretfully. "If his man-made Devil Fruits belonged to us…"

Sengoku cursed the Five Elders under his breath. They had pushed this once-in-a-generation genius into the hands of their enemies.

Elsewhere, Garp received word of his grandson's achievement, and a broad grin stretched across his face. "That brat Chiba really has some talent," he chuckled, clearly pleased.

But his smile faded as Vice Admiral Tsuru voiced her concerns. "This success puts him in greater danger, Garp. The Five Elders won't tolerate such a powerful force outside of their control."

Garp's expression darkened. No matter what happened, he wouldn't let the Five Elders lay a hand on his grandson. He resolved to protect Chiba at all costs.

Back in Dressrosa, Katakuri couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. If he hadn't surrendered, maybe that powerful Devil Fruit would be his now. With it, he could have matched the strength of a Yonko, maybe even challenge Big Mom herself. "I shouldn't have backed out for the sake of pride," he thought, his jaw clenched. "I regret it… I really do."

Meanwhile, Rebecca continued to struggle with her newfound power. Her flames intensified, and she rose higher and higher into the sky, desperate to avoid harming the civilians below. Her body radiated so much heat that it felt as if there were two suns over Dressrosa, causing the temperature across the entire island to soar.

Villagers jumped into the sea to escape the searing heat, and dry grass and trees spontaneously ignited. Confused citizens grabbed binoculars, staring up at the sky, only to see the silhouette of a woman surrounded by fire—a woman who looked like a goddess.

Whispers spread quickly across the island, and soon people began to refer to Rebecca as the "Sun Goddess."

As time passed, Rebecca gradually gained control over her power. The raging flames around her body began to calm, drawing back into her core. Finally, all the flames vanished, and Rebecca descended from the sky, landing softly on the ground.

The people of Dressrosa looked upon her with awe and reverence. She had gone from a symbol of resistance to a legendary figure in mere moments.

After she had fully regained her strength, Rebecca made her way to Chiba's ship. Her heart swelled with gratitude as she thought of the power she now wielded. She knew it was enough to confront Doflamingo and finally free Dressrosa from his grip.

As she approached the ship, she saw Chiba, Ace, and Sabo waiting for her. Sabo smirked and called out, "Well, if it isn't the Sun Goddess herself!"

Rebecca flushed with embarrassment. "Thank you, Master Sabo, for giving me this Devil Fruit."

Sabo grinned. "No need to thank me. The fruit was made by Chiba. He's the one who wanted you to have it. If you're going to thank anyone, thank him."

Rebecca turned to Chiba, bowing deeply. "Master Chiba, you are my savior. I'll never forget what you've done for me."

Chiba chuckled, brushing off the formality. "It's a mutually beneficial arrangement. Thanks to you, the value of my Devil Fruits has likely doubled or tripled. But it's still not enough. I need more results like this to truly meet my expectations."

His gaze turned serious. "Rebecca, if I'm not mistaken, you're planning to go after Doflamingo, aren't you?"

Rebecca straightened, nodding with determination. "Yes. With this power, I'm ready to liberate Dressrosa from Doflamingo's clutches."

[•———•——•———•]

𝙥𝗮𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣(.)𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

✨ • 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟲𝟬+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.

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