One Piece: Ulquiorra Template

Chapter 55: Aokiji

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The Devil Fruit tree within Ian's body had swelled to about two meters tall. A new branch had sprouted, bearing a dull, mud-colored fruit that had solidified – the Sand-Sand Fruit. Beneath it, on a lower branch, hung the Kilo-Kilo Fruit.

Crocodile's capture was complete. The man's twisting and legendary life had reached its end. The Alabasta incident, the attempted coup to seize the ancient weapon Pluton, had involved a far greater number of people than even the Marineford War.

Hundreds of thousands had been drawn into the rebellion, resulting in countless casualties. If Ian had been present during the conflict, perhaps he could have intervened.

However, manipulating the course of the war to suit his needs felt morally reprehensible. Besides, due to the Straw Hat Pirates' involvement, the actual death toll wasn't that high. At this point, even a 1% increase in Ian's fusion rate required thousands of souls.

He needed to target either powerful individuals who could stand against armies, or strong Devil Fruit users.

Based on the current timeline, Princess Vivi might not have even infiltrated Baroque Works yet. Only two or three months had passed since Momousagi's chance encounter with Crocodile's plan. He might not have even assembled his full team of officers.

As expected, Ian's fusion rate increased to 46%. Crocodile, as he'd suspected, possessed both Armament and Observation Haki, although not particularly potent.

Still, he was stronger than Moria, capable of single-handedly challenging an entire nation. Absorbing the souls from Whisky Peak had boosted Ian's fusion rate to 45%. Now, having reached a saturation point, he had finally leveled up. The strength of a soul and the raw power it provided were not always directly proportional.

Crocodile's ability to plunge Alabasta into chaos had been due largely to the power of the Sand-Sand Fruit.

Totto Land, Big Mom's territory, was now at the top of Ian's list. Next were Wano Country, ruled by Kaido, and Dressrosa, under Doflamingo's control. Both locations were involved in the production and use of artificial Zoan-type Devil Fruits.

Doflamingo supplied Kaido with SMILEs, artificial Devil Fruits, fueling his ambition to create the strongest Zoan-type crew in the world. However, the technology was imperfect, riddled with flaws.

The success rate for gaining an ability from a SMILE was a one in ten. The rest suffered debilitating side effects.

Regardless of success or failure, the users lost the ability to swim. Those who failed also lost the ability to express any emotion other than laughter.

Hence the name "SMILE."

In Kaido's Beasts Pirates, the combatants were divided into three categories: Gifters, those who had successfully gained a Zoan ability from a SMILE; Pleasures, those who failed and were left with only a perpetual grin; and Waiters, those who had yet to consume a SMILE.

Those unfortunate Pleasures, locked in an eternal state of forced laughter, their lives a cruel mockery of joy – a truly tragic fate.

In Ebisu Town, people starved to death daily, their families weeping in sorrow. Their grief annoyed Kurozumi Orochi, the shogun of Wano.