Chapter 114: Logia, Mythical Zoan, Monstrous Talent!

"Whoosh—"

Above the blue sea, Moss, in his massive Pelagornis bird form, began to shift, transforming into a hybrid beast form.

With his feathers puffed and his figure reminiscent of a majestic griffin, he extended his massive wings, now serving as hands, and opened the briefcase. Carefully, he moved the Devil Fruits into a secure pouch he had prepared in advance, then tossed the black briefcase into the sea below to avoid any potential traps from the World Government.

If they had slipped in a piece of Vivre Card as a tracker, that would have caused serious trouble.

Having thoroughly inspected each Devil Fruit, Moss was confident there were no issues with them.

"Heh, the World Government sure has a well-stocked treasury," Moss said with a grin as he secured the fruits. "Pulling out Logia and even the rare Mythical Zoan types without hesitation."

"After ruling the seas for centuries with a Navy presence in nearly every corner and CP spy networks worldwide, it's no surprise they have such a vast collection," replied El, his black wings whipping up a powerful gust as he flew beside Moss. "But pushing them for twenty Devil Fruits was the limit. The World Government isn't stupid—they won't keep giving in."

"Destroying two large naval fortresses and then kidnapping Celestial Dragons to ransom the World Government—these tactics are only viable before the 'Totto Land Plan' officially begins. Right now, they don't have a fixed location on us, and we're mobile. Once we establish a solid territory and develop a stable state, both sides will start calculating risks differently. At that point, unless both sides are prepared for full-scale war, neither of us will take things too far."

"You've got a point!" Moss nodded thoughtfully. Without an established base, the World Government couldn't easily track or confront them. But once they claimed territory and began to grow as a force, the benefits of more resources, recruitment, and influence would also mean new constraints. Both the World Government and the Fallen Angel Pirates would have limits unless ready for open war.

For now, though, they needed to survive and repel any attacks that the Navy or World Government launched. Only by demonstrating undeniable strength could they prevent the other side from acting rashly. Without that, neither the World Government nor the Navy would allow them to continue challenging the Celestial Dragons and flaunting their independence. It was only a matter of time before they tried to crush any efforts to establish a pirate state.

"Moss, you head back with the Devil Fruits. I have some things to discuss with Sally."

While El hadn't fully inspected each Devil Fruit, he had a general idea of what they were. As expected, the World Government had been careful. While they provided rare Logia and Mythical Zoan types, they weren't the most powerful versions. For instance, the Logia Fruit was the Smoke-Smoke Fruit—not weak, but also not a powerhouse. The Zoan, however, was more impressive than he expected.

"Understood," Moss replied. He then fully transformed, following the Vivre Card's direction back to Atlantis.

…

A Short While Later—

On a deserted island near the Sabaody Archipelago...

"El-sama..."

As El's towering figure descended from the sky, the graceful and alluring Sally approached with a soft smile. "It seems everything went smoothly, doesn't it?"

The two made their way to a cave entrance—a secret base within the Fallen Angel Pirates' intelligence network. Tucked away in a secluded and hidden location, it was nearly impossible to find unless you stumbled directly upon it. Sally, as head of intelligence, often conducted operations from here.

"More or less," El replied, with a slight smile.

With a subtle shift in his stance, his muscles contracted, visibly rippling as he executed Life Return, reducing his form down to a more compact three-meter height.

"What kind of abilities do those Devil Fruits hold?" Sally asked, sliding into the spacious, well-lit cave alongside El. Embracing his arm, she leaned closely against him, looking up with curiosity.

The agreement with the World Government for the first exchange stipulated one Logia, one Mythical Zoan, one Ancient Zoan, and four additional Devil Fruits.

"The three rarest abilities include the Smoke-Smoke Fruit (Logia), the Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Okuchi-no-Makami (Mythical Zoan), and the Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Model: Velociraptor (Ancient Zoan)," El replied, amusement in his tone. "The others relatively have ordinary abilities, so nothing to get too excited about."

"And actually, I've come away with something even better."

El's expression shifted to a sly smile as he raised his right fist, clenching it as red-black lightning crackled, a powerful display of Conqueror's Haki flowing around him in intense arcs.

If Kong had witnessed it, he would have been speechless. This advanced Conqueror's Haki coating technique took him years to master. Yet El, this formidable Lunarian, had now achieved it as well.

"Is this..."

Sally's eyes widened as she gasped in astonishment. "Is this... the Conqueror's Coating technique you've been training so hard to master?"

As El's trusted aide, she knew well how much time he had invested in honing this skill, alongside perfecting his swordsmanship, physical strength, and Devil Fruit powers. Although he'd made steady progress with his Observation and Armament Haki, Conqueror's Haki had seemed elusive. While it had intensified over the years, there had been no breakthrough—until now.

She recalled El mentioning that Conqueror's Haki, when mastered, could coat attacks with immense force, far surpassing Armament Haki. This ability was known only to the world's elite few—true titans of power.

"The technique is still a bit unpolished," El said, dismissing the Haki as he smiled with confidence. "But I've finally broken through. It's only a matter of time before I perfect it."

For this, he had Kong to thank. El had been on the cusp of a breakthrough for some time, but it was Kong's Haki-coated punch that finally gave him the push he needed, allowing him to intuitively break through that barrier. Now, with years of accumulated knowledge, mastery was within reach.

"You're incredible, El-sama..." Sally's eyes sparkled with admiration, her gaze unwavering. Here was a man she found herself hopelessly drawn to, one who had captivated her with both strength and character.

In that moment, she leaned in closer, her form flexible and enticing, like a graceful serpent coiling around him. "Still, I'd love to test just how powerful you really are."