Late at night.

Onboard the Divine Slave.

Inside the captain's cabin.

Freshly bathed and prepared by Anna and Shalria, Makino, now dressed provocatively, sat nervously on the bed, her eyes filled with apprehension as she watched Sora standing in front of her.

She knew exactly what was about to happen, yet her heart was still racing anxiously.

『Name: Makino』

『Identity: Bar Owner』

『Special Skills: None』

『Talent: None』

『Affinity: 30』

『Combat Power: One-Star』

『Devil Fruit: Paramecia - Box-Box Fruit』

Sora was seated nearby at a table, resting his chin thoughtfully on his right hand as he closely observed Makino.

Thanks to the Devil Fruit she had eaten, Makino's combat power had instantly risen to one-star level.

"W-what are you still waiting for?"

Makino squirmed under Sora's scrutinizing gaze. Blushing furiously, she awkwardly extended her invitation.

Since this was unavoidable, she'd rather face it head-on.

Hearing Makino's hesitant invitation, Sora chuckled softly and asked with a gentle smile, "Makino, are you willing to officially join my pirate crew as my subordinate?"

"I am."

Makino was slightly confused—she was already aboard, so she didn't understand why he needed to ask again—but she nodded firmly anyway.

『Ding! Makino has joined your crew. Please select her position.』

Without hesitation, Sora chose the chef position, knowing that he could change it at any time anyway.

Smiling warmly, Sora took Makino's hand and teased, "Miss Makino, are you hungry?"

Makino's cheeks flushed even brighter at his words.

…

Early next morning.

Feeling refreshed, Sora stepped onto the deck.

In the original story, Makino's child's father was unknown, but now it was certain that her future child would be his.

Smiling to himself, Sora reached into the empty air beside him and pulled out the famous sharp blade, Ame-no-Kiri.

After an intimate night with Makino, he had successfully acquired her Devil Fruit ability.

Now, just like Makino, he could freely pull stored items out of a dimensional space anytime he wished.

The Box-Box Fruit required summoning a storage box when storing items, but retrieving items was as simple as reaching into empty air, which looked incredibly stylish.

Additionally, Makino now generated passive benefits for him, providing him with 5 points of experience in physical strength, vitality, and spirit each hour.

After swinging Ame-no-Kiri a few times experimentally, Sora pondered ways to integrate his wind-control powers into his swordsmanship, particularly aiming to recreate abilities like Wind Wall and Steel Tempest.

Only then could he consider himself a true Yasuo player.

A few minutes later, Sora easily conjured a Wind Wall. For him, manipulating wind was almost trivial.

However, the quick dash and strike of Steel Tempest proved more challenging.

"Forget it. I'll wait until I recruit Kalifa and learn 'Shave' to perfect this technique."

After experimenting a bit more, he decided not to push further for now, reclining in a deck chair to wait for Reiju and the others to wake up.

According to Reiju, genetically enhanced humans could significantly strengthen their powers through rigorous training, eventually matching the might of Devil Fruits.

However, the required training was extremely demanding. Reiju had never trained seriously, thus couldn't provide Sora with any passive gains.

So, he planned to put her through intense training to benefit from the feedback.

As for training himself—well, that was never going to happen.

Soon afterward, Reiju, Nojiko, Anna, and Shalria arrived on deck, beginning their daily rigorous exercises.

Among them, Nojiko trained the hardest.

Being left behind on the Divine Slave yesterday had deeply frustrated her.

And hearing that Makino had consumed a Devil Fruit provided by Sora only intensified her envy.

She desperately wanted to become stronger quickly.

Around ten in the morning, Makino finally emerged from the bedroom.

After breakfast, she changed into a crop top and shorts, joining Nojiko in basic training.

Since she had boarded Sora's pirate ship, Makino felt obligated to quickly enhance her strength.

To her—a simple barmaid from Foosha Village—a Devil Fruit worth one hundred million berries was a fortune beyond imagination.

After Sora gave her the fruit, she felt an immense sense of indebtedness and insecurity.

So, naturally, she wanted to contribute and justify that immense gift.

Lying comfortably on the deck chair, Sora flipped through a newspaper while occasionally glancing at the beautiful figures behind him.

Reiju, Nojiko, and the others were all dressed similarly in crop tops and shorts, showcasing their stunning legs.

Their prolonged, intense training left them soaked in sweat, glistening under the sunlight. Coupled with the flushed faces from exertion, they exuded irresistible charm.

Training continued until eleven, after which Sora allowed the women to rest. This was his regular routine: intense training in the morning, personal activities in the afternoon.

Then, Sora reached into empty space again, retrieving another Devil Fruit and examining it closely.

Shalria had found this fruit yesterday in the treasure vault of the Goa Kingdom, though Sora initially didn't know its exact type.

But after using his investigative skill, he identified it clearly.

『Zoan - Bug-Bug Fruit: Model Light Butterfly』

The Light Butterfly was a pure-white butterfly in the pirate world, shimmering brilliantly under sunlight, symbolizing purity and light—hence its name.

At this moment, Nojiko, fresh from her shower, spotted the fruit in Sora's hand. Her eyes sparkled as she eagerly approached him.

"You want this?"

Sora smiled knowingly at Nojiko, who squatted eagerly beside his chair.

"Yes!" Nojiko nodded vigorously, wiping water droplets off her forehead.

Currently, apart from Reiju, Nojiko was the only one onboard without a Devil Fruit power. But Reiju already possessed fruit-like abilities naturally, making a fruit redundant for her.

"Nojiko, this fruit isn't suitable for you," Sora explained. "I plan to find a more fitting Devil Fruit later. You wanted to become strong to protect Nami, right? Then you'll need to wait a bit longer."

He shifted slightly, making space on the lounge chair and pulled Nojiko next to him, explaining his reasoning.

This Light Butterfly fruit provided minimal combat advantages. Its only noteworthy feature was flight.

But he still had several battle suits from Judge; if Nojiko wanted to fly, those suits would serve her better.

"Oh, I see…" Nojiko replied, visibly disappointed.

Suddenly, she stood up, boldly straddling Sora's waist.

"W-wait… what are you doing?" Sora stammered in shock, surprised by her assertiveness.

"Seducing you, of course."

After planting a kiss on his lips, Nojiko quickly jumped into the sea, laughing playfully as she grabbed onto a rope to surf behind the ship. Sora, as a Devil Fruit user, couldn't chase her into the water.

"Woman, you're playing with fire!"

Frustrated and restless, Sora stood up, glaring at Nojiko.

Unable to vent elsewhere, he swiftly approached Makino and Reiju, who had just stepped onto the deck after showering, scooped them up, and rushed toward the captain's cabin.

"Hey, it's not our fault!" Makino and Reiju protested loudly.

…

Marine Headquarters, Marineford.

Sengoku's office door burst open again.

The 'Meeting addict' Brannew stormed in, yelling urgently at Fleet Admiral Sengoku, who was calmly sipping his tea.

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, we have a serious situation! The King of the Goa Kingdom has been murdered by the criminal Sora!"

_____Important_____

I've spent all week translating and editing up to Chapter 150 because I love this book. Now let's play a game: if you think it deserves to reach the top of the Power Stone leaderboard within 24 hours, Give Power Stones—500 for one chapter per hour; 400 for one chapter every two hours; 300 for one chapter every three hours; 200 for one chapter every four hours; or 100 for one chapter every five hours. Do you think that's a fair deal?