Gasparde

(Three Days Later)

"Ahh, I love steaks, don't you Hawkins?"

"I personally prefer myself some Poulet au Noix, with a lime juice marinade, but I can see the value of a good steak."

"Hey, Smoothie-chan, by any chance would you have an opinion on this?"

Rex grins as he sees the ferocious look on Charlotte Smoothie's face. He had kept her prisoner in hear for the past three days, feeding her solely bread and water. With Thatch's delicious and aromatic food, this was a whole new level of torture as Smoothie was used to the finer things and now, she was being deprived of them.

If it weren't for the fact that Smoothie had a vivre card, Rex would have killed her, but with it, her life was insured. As for the card itself, Rex had snuck it on a marine commodore due for headquarters.

Rex was genuinely curious as to how that whole situation might play out, but he had bigger things on his mind.

"So, Smoothie-chan. Same deal as last time." Rex says, pulling out a large red fruit with a spiral patter on it. "You tell me what devil fruit this is, and I'll let you go, no strings attached."

Smoothie scoffs at Rex's proposal. For one, she was 95% sure he would never let her go alive, as the moment she set foot on the soils of Totto Land, Big Mom would fly out to get revenge.

On the other hand, if Smoothie betrayed the Devil Fruit's identity to Rex, it would be dire. Even if Rex didn't use the fruit on her, Big Mom would kill her for the betrayal alone.

"Eh fine, be like that. I'd just like to inform you that I can, and will, keep you in here for years if need be. Ask your cellmate if you want confirmation." Rex said, leaving with a grin.

Smoothie turns to a frail Giolla who nods fervently. Rex felt that he was close to breaking Giolla and maybe, after a few weeks, he would be able to test out a new ability on her to break her entirely.

As for Smoothie, Rex had zero hopes in breaking her. All he wanted was to hide her away for a while until he was strong enough. Rex was confident that in three or four years, he would be able to combat Big Mom directly, but until then, she could never know what he did.

In fact, Rex was sure he knew which three devil fruits the fruit could possibly be, with the timing and all. It was just he didn't know which one it was.

After all, Big Mom would probably give her children their fruits when they were young to have enough time to train them. As such, this was either Newshi's Gocha Gocha no Mi, Pudding's Memo Memo no Mi or some Zoan Big Mom traded Kaido for one of those two fruits.

Still, depending on which fruit it was, Rex would treat it differently. If it was the Memo Memo no Mi, it was basically a holy grail as Rex could erase the memory of this whole event from Smoothie's mind. If it was either of the other fruits, it was basically useless.

Other than the Devil fruit, Rex got one more significant piece of loot being Smoothie's sword.

The sword was an anomaly. While the sword itself wasn't a grade sword, it seemed comparable in sharpness and durability to top class Skillful graded swords or even lower class Great grade swords which confused most of the crew. Rex suspected that it had likely been strengthened by the Soru Soru no Mi and was a failed Homie.

Since none of his crew could be seen with the sword, Rex was considering making it the primary weapon of Jacket D. Hoodie. With some modifications, Rex might be able to alter it to a form he liked and could use it.

However, the most important development for Rex is his newest Devil Fruit ability. He was confused by it at first, but he had finally cracked it. He had dubbed it "Breaking in the New Jacket".

When one first bought a garment, usually it was a bit tighter and less fitting than it could be but by wearing it a lot, it would be 'broken in' to fit you better. Or how an acrobat's pants would either adapt to the flexibility of the acrobat or break when they were overstretched.

The same principle seemed to apply with Rex, but he couldn't 'break'. Because Rex had been worn by Faust for such a long period over six months, he had started to 'break in' Faust's ability to perform Electro. Of course, it was still weaker than what Faust could do, but Rex felt that it could reach, if not surpass Faust's Electro.

According to Faust, two things were needed to perform Electro. One, you needed fur, and two, you needed to control that fur to create a static charge with the air around you. Since Faust had worn the jacket so often, some of Faust's fur had been shed and integrated into Rex's Jacket body allowing him to meet those criteria.

In fact, Rose had noted that Rex's lineage factor seemed to have changed from when she had first drawn blood from him, though she lacked the equipment to qualify this change. Rex would test this theory, by equipping Faust whenever possible for a few months to see if this adaptation could be expanded upon.

Rex was thrilled at what such a thing meant. Theoretically, it meant that he could instantly train flexibility as long as he had a flexible host. He could use unique martial arts of other races. He might even be able to grow wings if he was worn by a Skypiean.

"Are we almost to the next island?" Rex asks, wanting to put Pucci squarely in his rear view mirror.

"Yes, we should reach Hannabal within the hour." Hawkins announces.

"Good."

Then, Rex moves to his next new headache. The Sun Pirates.

While the arrangement was still on, almost all communication between the two crews had been halted. Only Tiger and Rex were still on speaking terms.

It seemed the affair at the Gamsey Games had confirmed to the more skeptical members of the Sun Pirates that all humans deceive.

Rex couldn't even blame them for that. If a bunch of fishmen had invited him to a contest then tried to cook him and eat him, Rex would definitely be pissed off.

"How is Hatchan by the way?" Rex asked Tiger, hoping that the octopus chef was alright.

"Hatchan is… conflicted." Tiger explained with a weird expression. "He has always had a very polarized experience with humans. He rescued a human from a shipwreck once and to this day they are decent friends. Yet he has been persecuted by so many humans. It is difficult for him."

Rex nodded, deciding not to dwell on this subject any further.

"So, what do you know about this Hannabal Island?" Rex asked Tiger, since he had suggested laying low there for a while.

"It is a haven of pirates." Tiger stated. "It is run by a group of pirates known as the Gasparde Pirates, who use the island to orchestrate a massive, no holds barred race. I participated once in my youth, but was defeated."

Gasparde. Rex frowns, recalling a One Piece movie about the character.

Gasparde was a special Paramecia user, not unlike Katakuri, though he was far weaker. Still, his abilities would be difficult to deal with. Only Kid had started developing armament haki and it was still rather weak.

"Well that sounds like fun. Why don't we…" Rex trails off realizing that these were more or less the same words he had used to coerce Tiger into entering Hatchan into the cook-off. Maybe Gasparde would do the same.

Tiger smiles and shakes his head. "You needn't worry about Gasparde. His only concern is money, as long as they paid the entry fee, he wouldn't stop a marine from participating in the game."

"Good. A nice, friendly competition should get everyone's mind off of the shenanigans from the past island."

Tiger nodded as the two ships pull into the port of Hannabal, leaving the King Gucci to return to the Solar Wind.

Meanwhile, Rex calls a meeting of his senior officers. He explains the race as well as Gasparde's powers.

"Kid, for this race, I'm giving you the role of captain. I'll be down in the hold keeping an eye on our special prisoner so you'll be running the ship." Rex said, deciding to sit this race out. Smoothie was dangerous, and Rex didn't want to risk her getting out in the race.

Kid grinned. "I thought you'd never give up command captain! But, no takebacks!"

Kid then leaps off the ship to go and enter into the race before Rex could change his.

"You two, make sure the idiot doesn't get lost." Rex asks Bonney and Hawkins before retreating to the brig.

"So, I hear you are entering Gasparde's race." Smoothie says calmly. "Mama's been trying to recruit Gasparde for years. Unfortunately, reverse navigating the Fool's Gambit is too difficult and all her ships wound up lost."

Rex nods at that, recalling Big Mom's fascination with desert related Devil Fruits. That was probably why Gasparde was hiding out here, in the middle of nowhere rather than out conquering the Grand Line. He was terrified of Big Mom.

Still, as a Special Paramecia, Gasparde was immensely powerful. This race would definitely be interesting.

Meanwhile, Kid was over the moon. Commanding the ship for the entire race would be so much fun. He wondered if he could buy enough human bones and skin to refurbish the mast in time.

"Oh 'acting' captain Kid!" Bonney shouted out. "You do realize you're going the wrong way, right?"

Kid stopped, realizing he was walking towards the edge of the port in his dazed state and turned around.

"The captain is never wrong!" Kid shouted out. "I was just doing a water inspection!"

Kid then bends over dipping his hand into the sea water. "Hmm, it is as I expected. This water is indeed very wet."

"Wet?" Hawkins questioned. "How can water be wet? Water is a dry substance through which things are wetted."

"Water is wet!" Kid shouted.

"Dry."

"Wet."

This debate continues all the way until the trio reach Gasparde's lair with Bonney just watching it go on comically. Bonney uses the code given to her by Rex, getting past the bartender.

"Hey you, swordface!" Kid calls over to a hulking blond man with a tattoo of crossed swords on his face. "Settle a debate for me. Is water wet?"

Needless looks down at Kid and his two crewmates, assessing them silently. While he didn't like being called sword face, he had a feeling there was something off about them.

"Are you entering the grand race?" Needless asks, not wanting to answer Kid's question.

"We're here aren't we?" Kid says with a grin. "And you can just give us the reward right now, because I can guarantee that there's not a crew in here that stands a ghost of a chance against us!"

The many pirate crews pause mid-chatter, all turning to look at Kid. However, when they recognize him from his bounty, they all turn away as if they had heard nothing. After all, in Paradise, 90 million was a hefty Bounty, anyone over that would be a tycoon in the sea.

"Amemememe, they all say that kid." A tall muscular man in a marine jacket says. "But in the end, I always win."

Hawkins and Bonney seem prepared to fight upon seeing the marine, but Kid raises his hand.

"So you're Gaspard eh? The guy who runs this race." Kid says, extending a hand.

"And you're Eustass Kid, 97 Million Berries?" Gasparde says shaking it. "Where's your captain?"

"Rex is off handling business. Dealing with boneheads like you is a job the captain leaves to me!"

Gasparde had been a bit miffed when he heard of Kid and his captain, Vesta Rex. Both of them were only seventeen years old and had bounties that quashed his. While Rex's bounty could be explained by his conqueror's Haki, Kid's did not have the same justification.

Kid just grinned and nodded. "So, when does this race of yours start? I'm dying to kick all your butts!"

"Initially, I was planning on waiting a few more days for some last minute arrivals. But I fear that I'll have a mutiny on my hands if I delay it any longer." Gasparde says, looking at the clenched fists and gritted teeth of the other pirates. "The race will start tomorrow. I hope you honor the King pirates half as well as your captain has."

"Then we'll be there." Kid said, before turning around and leaving.

Totto Land, New World

Meanwhile, great movements were occurring all the way across the world in Totto Land.

"WHERE IS SHE!?" Big Mom roars, as it had been three days since she lost contact with Smoothie and had yet to hear a single piece of valid information from her spies.

While Smoothie's current strength was not that high in the Big Mom pirates, her potential was enormous. Already, at the young age of 22, Smoothie was strong enough to beat almost any pirate in Paradise. By the time she reached 30, Big Mom felt she might be strong enough to be a top officer. To lose her now…

"Mama, it's hard to find her without her vivre card. We investigated Pucci Island like you said but…"

"No excuses! You lost Buche and you lost Smoothie! Come back to Totto Land and give me your lives!" The Yonko roars into the Den Den Mushi before hanging it up.

The spies on the other end of the Den Den Mushi tremble as they hang up.

"Mamamama! It's been a long time since anyone dared to hurt my Charlotte Family members!" Big Mom roars. "Send out Custard with Smoothie's vivre card. Her job is to find Smoothie in three months. If she fails, she will be demoted from officer! Smoothie must be found and her captor must be killed!"

<i>Mary Geiose, Red Line</i>

"Congratulations, to the Nine-Tailed Fox pirates for occupying the seventh seat of the Shichibukai!" Marshal Kong announces, placing his seal on the official legal looting document.

In his heart of hearts, the old Fleet Admiral knew that this was draining the life out of him. 'Legal Piracy' what a joke. Almost all the Marines opposed it, but the World Government insisted it was necessary to control the three emperors of the sea.

The co-captains of this new Pirate group, namely Devon and Foxy, were ecstatic to have this go through. Ever since the advent of the Shichibukai system, many pirates had desired to be included in it.

Almost immediately, Dracule Mihawk and Bartholomew Kuma had stolen up their seats. Then, Boa Hancock was recruited as well as the Sasaki, Maelstrom Spider and Tamago Pirate groups. Finally, Foxy and Devon had managed to snake their way into the last spot.

Such a revelation made them ecstatic. After all, the system allowed for legal looting of any non-World Government islands, protection you from Marine arrests and Cipher Pol surveillance and the only cost was to take out a few pirate groups a year.

"Fuehfehfehfeh!" Foxy laughed uproariously as he kissed the document repeatedly. "Now, I, a-Foxy, can do as I please in the Grand a-Line, looting whoever-a I want to!!"

"Not if you keep soiling the document with your saliva!" Devon snapped, pulling the document from Foxy's embrace.

As always, Devon and Foxy maintained their complicated relationship, but in order to gain the position of Shichibukai, they had merged their groups together to increase their strength.

"So, a-who do you want-a to loot first, my a-new co-captain!?" Foxy asked, a mischievous grin on his face.

"How about this Kuragaina Island?" Devon says with a twisted smile. "It's small, remote and most of all, it's in the sea route that that loser Doflamingo gave to us. That way, we can deal with both our problems. Vesta Rex and looting!"

Foxy frowns at this. "Are you-a sure we can beat him?" He asks. "Last-a time-a even with-a the help of the a-Donquixote-a pirates, we were unable to-a beat them."

"He had help to that time, besides we've grown. I'll deal with Rex, but you need to man up and face that first mate of his. Daz can fight with Killer and Bentham can face Bonney. Galdino and Kuro can wipe out the rest of the crew with ease. Then, we can kill him, loot him and steal back your precious cargo. Kyukyukyukyu!"

Foxy had an odd expression on his face, feeling that they were doomed to face defeat, but he shrugged it off. Victory was in his grasp.