68 Holidays! More or less...
While Fred brutally criticized himself to avoid future overconfidence, he and Captain McNugget headed to Mastarc Harbor for various reasons.
The first and most obvious reason was to get a boat to reach Narhad, his home. Yes, with the Life Life No Mi Fred ability he could create giant birds that would take him from island to island, however this great convenience wasn't without its drawbacks.
It's not very practical or comfortable to travel long distances on the back of an animal since there isn't enough space and stability to train, cook, sleep or carry out experiments. But above all it's not very safe since gusts of wind, storms or a simple miscalculation by the animal could cost him his life, especially in the open sea now that he was unable to swim.
And since Fred didn't want to give up certain comforts, utilities and security if he had any alternative for these and many other reasons, he decided to ask someone to take him on his boat.
As for the second reason... Fred now had a lot of money after handing out so many rewards at once and he obviously didn't want all that money sitting in the bank, buried on a deserted island, or under the mattress. He had to invest it correctly to turn it into power, precisely the specific kinds of investment he and Stephen had been planning and performing for some time.
To solve these two objectives at the same time, Fred went to one of the many commercial offices scattered around the port, specifically the Slowagon branch in Mastarc.
And thanks to Fred's overdeveloped hearing, despite being far away, he was able to hear some conversation inside that office, especially since they were talking very, very loud.
"NO! NO! NO! AND NO!
I WANT ONE!"
"Miss, please..."
From the tone of their voices, one was a middle-aged man whose identity he knew perfectly well and the other… seemed to belong to a rather spoiled screaming girl.
"How come there aren't more single first-class rooms!?
I want one of those rooms!
"Miss, please understand.
We can't offer you something we don't have...
All those rooms were reserved days and even weeks ago.
You can't expect to find that kind of vacant room a few hours before we set sail."
"Mmmmm...
Alright! Give me a regular...
But I want a cute one!"
"Of course, miss...
Of course..."
PLOM!
From what he heard and how the situation developed, the girl surely got the tickets and closed the exit door carelessly, leaving the middle-aged man in his office rather tired, burdened and less eager to have children. And now he probably hoped and perhaps even prayed that the next person who opened his office door to complain, negotiate, or place orders with the company isn't pain in the ass like the previous one.
Toc! Toc! Toc!
"Who's it now?" The middle-aged man murmured, with a very low voice to avoid being heard by the person behind the door "If it's another kid I'm going to..."
However, the one on the other side of the door could hear him perfectly "Hey! What's up old man? I can pass?
I didn't know that you didn't accept minors in your office"
"BLESSED ARE THE EARS!" The middle-aged man shouted with joy as he opened the door to greet him with a hug "YES! YOU'RE FRED!
How are you, my friend!?"
That slightly overweight middle-aged man with a bushy mustache and a panda-like face who ran this office was Raymon Slowagon, one of Percy Slowagon's older brothers (the guy bought and sold things at Fred in the first volume).
Since before starting his career as a bounty hunter and company president, Fred always had a good relationship with the Slowagon company, specialists in marine transport and now their relationship was no different, if anything it was even deeper and friendlier. The products that they distributed... with commission... for "FreedSteel" sold better every year and the orders were more expensive
Besides…
Who doesn't want to be friends with a famous guy who scares off pirates who might want to rob them?
Not to mention, Fred had saved Raymon's and his family's ass sometime in the last three years.
"What that brings you to my humble office?
Do you need to order or distribute something new?" Raymon asked as he offered her a chair so they could both talk comfortably "Maybe you want us to distribute the new product you announced this morning?"
"That's right! But there're higher priorities right now
As you know, I've earned a lot of money lately, so I'd like to do a fairly generous order" Fred said as he handed him a list with some of the products he would need "But also, I have something new...
You see... for some reasons I have lost my submarine and I would like to know if any of your boats pass near my house and if you have any free rooms for the journey
I don't need you to leave me there directly, just taking me to a nearby island is enough for me"
"Well, I'll tell you that you're in luck...
Oooh!!" Said Raymon, surprised upon see the contents of the list, but quickly composed himself to close the business "What would you say... If I gave you not only a room, but a complete first-class service for free, but... in exchange for a small favor"
"I would say that I'm all ears."
Prior to this conversation, his expectations were limited to traveling not very comfortably on a merchant ship, so the option to travel on one of the company's best tour ships was like a breath of fresh air for Fred.
"In the event that some pirates or sea kings attack us during the journey...
Could you kill them while guaranteeing the integrity of the ship and its crew?
I ONLY ASK FOR THAT!" Raymon asked almost on his knees, not to save face, simply because he was sitting at the moment.
"Mmmm..." Fred muttered to show that he was considering this good offer before accepting it with some additional conditions "Okay, but in the event that I capture guys with a bounty the money on their heads is mine."
Also, I want a single room"
"Done deal!" Raymon yelled without even thinking twice.
After sealing this deal, they both stayed a few minutes in the office to discuss the purchase that the Slowagon company would have to deliver to him in Narhad in a few weeks, chat about the situation of both companies, talk about Fred's recent success, today's press conference… until Raymon led him to the ship and more specifically to his room
"And this will be your room for a few days
If you bring ladies I'll call Mrs. Steel.
Hahahahaha! It's a joke, enjoy your youth" Raymon said as he proudly opened the door of one of the most luxurious rooms on the entire cruise.
A very large room, so large that it almost seemed like an entire floor where seven or ten people could live together without any problem. A ridiculous size for a ship, especially in the One Piece world, no matter how big that ship was. But it wasn't only spacious, it was impeccably decorated and furnished in such a way that even the most exquisite, refined and ball-busting nobleman in the place would be stunned.
Something that also happened to Fred...
"Wow..." Fred said as he took off his new fake face to show genuine surprise "Raymon...
I thought you didn't have individual luxury suites free today"
"Wow, so you heard that conversation..." Raymon said, remembering again that Fred have a hellish hearing "I didn't lie to that girl, all the rooms were occupied, but...
This is my personal room that I don't lend to anyone, even when I'm not on board, but if it's you I don't mind lending you my love nest
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
"Is the situation so bad in the seas Raymon?" Fred asked being aware of how much Raymon was doing to "pay" him without paying him directly for a job that...possibly...doesn't even need to be done and that he would still do even if he didn't get paid "The chances of being attacked are high?"
"No matter how many pirates you kill Fred, new ones will emerge and take their place
Something very good for your business, but horrible for mine..." Raymon replied showing a more than visible concern for the possible development of this trip "There will be many wealthy people on this ship and frankly they're a candy in the eyes of the pirates
I have invested heavily in security to ensure the safety of my clients and the name of our company, but we never rest easy... except when you're involved
Like that time a year ago...
My whiskers tremble just thinking about what could have happened if you hadn't been around us and heard our rescue signal."
No doubt Raymon was extremely concerned and rightly so considering the number of times pirates had raided his family company's ships since the Era or Pirates began.
The theft of valuable merchandise was serious for them, but it could be repaid in some way to customers and suppliers.
It was very serious that an employee could be injured or die during an attack, but everyone knew that these things could happen to them every time they set sail and they had clauses in the contract to compensate in these cases.
However, if one of his [elite clients] whose life was [invaluable] ends up seriously injured or even killed on one of his so-called maximum-security cruise ships, it could have very serious short- and long-term consequences for him and his family.
Consequences that made him ooze cold sweat even through his big whiskers until Fred patted him lightly on the shoulder to tell him "Don't worry Raymon
Unless a big fish from the Grand Line were to attack... I hope it doesn't happen again this week... I promise nothing bad will happen while I'm on board
You have my word"
"Thank you very much Fred!" Raymon said almost crying, to immediately ask with money-loving puppy eyes "Can I announce to the passengers that you're on board?
If they know that you're here to defend them they will feel safer, if there're infiltrated pirates they may cower and not attack... and it never hurts to announce that we're friends
Especially for me"
"Do what you want, it's your boat
But let them know that I will be in disguise at all times, I want to be calm these days" Fred answered with great serenity, to immediately propose something with a money-loving demon face ""You can even propose a game to see who unmasks me
However, if there's a prize and nobody finds me, the prize is mine!
MUAHAHAHAHAHA!"
A demonic face that would scare anyone except those who had seen it several times like Raymon "HAHAHAHAHAHA!
You never change
I hope the trip goes well, I will return to my boring office to manage your order"
In this way Fred was left alone with his loyal falcon in the largest and most luxurious ship room in which he had been in two lives!
An extremely luxurious place from which he could ring a bell that would wake up an army of maids who would bring him what he ordered, thus eliminating any need to leave that room throughout the trip
A dream situation that filled Fred's exhausted heart with joy
"Okay Captain Mcnugget...
I can finally have a little vacation!" Fred shouted with overflowing joy... seconds before the contract he signed with his Pact Magic was activated against his will "Holidays that I will spend training, studying, rebuilding my arsenal and above all researching the powers of my Akuma No Mi"
With a tear hanging from his left eye, Fred resigned himself and took from one of his pockets several teeth of various animals that he gently left on the parquet floor of the room and immediately after activating his power these teeth returned to their original state before turning into teeth
Huge crates full of weapons, chemicals and essential utensils for medical and laboratory work!
"Awesome! Right Captain Mcnugget?
Just like Giorno Giovana could turn entire large and heavy cars into small and light frogs with his power, I am capable of doing the same but in a smarter way
I can transform huge and heavy boxes full of important items into small, resistant and light teeth's and thus take everything I want where I want everytime!
PARTIAL GOODBYE FOREVER TO MY LOGISTICS PROBLEMS!
MUA HAHAHAHAHA!!" red said to his trusty hawk, who didn't pay much attention to him because he was too busy enjoying Raymon's bed. Even so Fred didn't stop sharing his thoughts "Without a doubt, a perfect ability to steal things or carry out smuggling
It's not as perfect in this aspects as Caribou's Numa Numa no Mi, but I can't think of another Akuma No Mi that I have seen in the manga or anime better than mine for this function
The Yami Yami No Mi maybe, but due to gravity the items would be destroyed, so it loses to mine...
Diamond's Hira Hira No Mi allows him to make objects flat and flexible, so he can store them in a similar way to mine, so he can store them in a similar way to me, but the limits of how many giant things he can fold and put in pockets are much more limited than mine
Katakuri's Mochi Mochi No Mi allow him to store things inside his body just like Caribou, but unlike Caribou the amount he can store is limited to the size of his body, so I also win, at least in capacity
Mmm no...
Now I remember that Brûlée's Mira Mira no Mi allows her to store a lot of things in her mirror dimension, which I have no idea how big it can be...
Oh yeah...
And then there's that guy from Whitebeard's crew that we only met once but who has the Poke Poke no Mi that allows him to store anything in unlimited amounts in pockets on his body...
...
Well, fourth best then...
BUT IS STILL VERY GOOD IN THIS ASPECT!"
After rambling a bit about the advantages and disadvantages of his storage ability compared to the others Akuma No Mi, Fred began unpacking the necessary items from the boxes and set up his little laboratory on one of the many tables around the room.
A laboratory that he planned to use right now to replenish all the poisons, antidotes, medicines, and other difficult-to-classify products that he had learned to make over the years. So Fred put his hand into one of the boxes that he had filled to the top with water and using his Life Life No mi turned part of that water into plants and animal parts.
"MUA HAHAHAHA!
Say goodbye to buying, hunting or gathering the animals and plants I need to make my poisons, potions and other products free of charge!
I no longer even need to perform complicated dissections to obtain the right material!
Time, money and effort! All this is avoided with a simple touch of my hand!
MUA HAHAHAHA!" Fred screamed by the great new financial and productive freedom that was experiencing produced in him "Stupid Giorno Giovana!! He never used this brilliant application, but I'm going to abuse it to the fullest!"
If he wanted to extract the venom from a snake before, he had to keep them in his submarine, make them bite into a special jar to slowly expelled the venom into the jar. Something that was very time consuming to only get a few grams per day per snake.
But now he simply had to touch some water and turn it directly into poison!
That same venom contained in the glands located near the front fangs of snakes, but not the content of a single snake, but thousands at the same time
And so with practically all his products!
And although some of his products required various additional manufacturing processes that sometimes required chemical elements that Fred couldn't create with his new ability, the cost and time required to create their products was still drastically reduced...
Even the packaging process had become more convenient!
He could also instantly create a wooden box by transforming any scrap into a robust tree. Specifically certain parts of that trunk, giving it from its creation a square structure, polished and hollow inside in which to deposit all his glass vials... obviously purchased... full of poisons, antidotes, medicines and drugs to later convert the lifeless wooden boxes in small teeth that he would later keep in one of his pockets.
The work of several days even with his Capilar Multitasking No Jutsu was finished in minutes and to celebrate this efficiency Fred turned the water he recently got out of the fridge directly into the juice of his favourite oranges "Mmmm delicious...
But unfortunately it's not cold... something else to write down in my new notebook...
Now that I don't have to spend so much time making poisons and antidotes I can...
Train longer..."
And as he should do instead of socialize with the rich people in the cruise or trying to flirt with beautiful women as Raymon had proposed… Fred began to train his flexibility hard by twisting all his joints as if he had no bones in his body, which now stood upright thanks to his hair, that held and moved Fred around the room imitating the legs of a spider
"KYAHHH!!!"
A grotesque image that scared and even forced Captain Mcnugget to look away when he woke up from his nap. Specifically he looked at the table where Fred had deposited the bag full of teeth that contained hundreds of kilograms of poison inside
Something that raised a question to the hawk.
"Kyahhh?"
"Yes I know...
I said that I would have to stop depending so much on my poisons, but you always have to be prepared just in case" Fred replied, scratching the back of his neck with his little toe face down "Furthermore, my theory shows that this only applies to worthy opponents capable of force me to evolve through difficult combat to defeat them
But not with filler pirates or weaklings unable to stimulate me...
I can use poisons or other chemical weapons against them without affecting my powerups
Probably..."
A rather selective theory, not very solid and with certain conveniences that didn't quite convince Captain Mcnugget "...Kyahh..."
"I know what I'm doing... don't give me advice on things you don't understand" Answered Fred, who after half an hour of squirming like an eel returned to exercise like a normal person. Or at least more or less normal, since he had summoned several giant weights that he lifted with all his limbs even with his hair "But seriously, it's an extremely versatile fruit...
Have food and drink, transport and store everything, get rid of evidence, regenerate amputated limbs, create almost unlimited wood to build almost anything, escape by digging in the ground or flying by summoning a giant bird, creat quite elaborate tramps, summon armies of animals, create medicines and poisons from the plants and animals I create, create flammable oils and...
Fuck! I could spend like this all day!
I think the only other Akuma No Mi that can compete in versatility with mine is the underrated Fude Fude no Mi of the bastard Kurozumi Kanjuro, but I still think mine is superior despite not being able to create non-living items with it."
A rather controversial opinion on which Captain Mcnugget again disagreed "Kyah?"
"Yes, I know, there're other very versatile fruits
And do you know why you know? Because it was me who told you about them! How do you want me not to know?
Big Mom's Soru Soru No Mi, Law's Ope Ope No Mi, Doflamingo's Ito Ito No Mi, Kuma's Nikyu Nikyu No Mi and even Perospero's Pero Pero no Mi
All of these fruits I've mentioned are absurdly versatile both in and out of combat!
Some are capable of doing some of the applications equal to or better than my Life Life No Mi, others are capable of doing things that my Life Life No Mi cannot do and mostly all of them have better direct combat ability than me.
But really, as far as versatility and overall convenience go, I don't think there's any better than mine.
And if what I believe is true... my possibilities are truly limitless...
Seriously Giorno! So much potential wasted!"
Hours passed and Fred continued training like a possessed man with the limited equipment available to him and in the more or less limited size of the luxurious room that of course wasn't set up for excessively crazy workouts
That's why he had to settle for lifting thousands of kilograms of weights with his arms, legs, fingers, jaw, neck and hair thousands of times...
Pushing his flexibility to inhuman limits while seeking to improve his capabilities with the Seimei Kikan both on his hair and the rest of his body...
Punching himself in the testicles like a Shaoilin monk to not feel pain and thus eliminate another of the many weaknesses he had as a human being...
More or less what he normally did on any given day inside his submarine, but unlike his usual routine in which he studied while he trained, this time he was using all his neurons to find new applications for his new power.
"By the way...
What will the awakening of my Akuma No Mi be like?" Fred asked himself as he released the 1,000 kg weight he was holding in his mouth, thus ending this kind of training and waking up his winged confidant "At the moment, at least officially, only four awakened paramecias are known… for me…
Dofflamingo's and Katakuri's, which are substance-generating paramecia, allows them to massively transform their environment into that same substance and control it at will.
I don't think my awakening goes that way...
My power can already transform the environment into things in the normal state, I highly doubt the paramecia's of my type have this kind of awakening
It must be one more like Law and Kid's awakening."
Law's normal ability allows him to create his large [Room] that can only be maintained in the place where he summons it and he can manipulate the things inside with certain limitations as long as he's inside... However, when the fruit awakened, he could create smaller Rooms but attached to a particular person or item, allowing him an absurd degree of manipulation over what was inside and even around him without the need to be inside.
Kid's normal ability makes him a generator and epicenter of magnetic fields that allow him to attract or repel metal and with some practice even manipulate it to form complicated structures and manipulate them with some dexterity whenever they're close to him... however his awakening allows him to make his targets the generator and epicentre of those magnetic fields, but still having control of that magnetism.
Both had something in common despite being so different. Upon awakening both gained additional abilities that seem to break some rules established in their normal ability, something that seemed more compatible with Fred's ability compared to the awakening of Doflamingo and Katakuri.
"But even so my abilities and Law and Kid's are different, I don't think it's the same kind of awakening…
Theirs...more or less...manipulate already existing elements, but mine transforms them
What's the awakening of the transforming type that we haven't officially seen until now?" Fred asked Captain Mcnugget, who was trying to continue sleeping, since apart from not being too interested in that, Fred answered himself, but with more questions. "Gain control of the elements that they transform but haven't transformed themselves? Give extra capabilities to transformed things? Obtain a power related to the theme of the Akuma No Mi but that doesn't consist of transforming things?"
Fred simply refused to accept that the Akuma No Mi Paramecia's awakening transformative abilities simply increased the range of the ability as seen in the non-canon One Piece Stampede movie whose content was 90% fanservice.
He couldn't accept such a flat, boring and unimaginative powerup like this in One Piece!
His awakening must something different! Something more sensational! Something more unexpected!
Due to doubt and anticipation he couldn't stop thinking about the correct answer as he tossed and turned on the bed where Captain Mcnugget was trying to sleep without much success.
"...
Wait... I have powers similar to Giorno Giovana's Gold Experience, that means...
Will my awakening allow me to obtain the power of Gold Experience Requiem?
Will I be able to revert all actions and willpower against me back to the state of "zero", completely nullifying them and preventing them from becoming "real" thus completely denying any causality?" Said Fred with his pulse completely shot at the thought of that possibility "...
...
...
No... it would be too absurd...
And too OP… in One Piece…"
The secret behind the Akuma No Mi awakening wasn't revealed before Fred reincarnated in the world of One Piece. Therefore, everything he knew about the awakening was based on pure speculation and internet theories.
For years he had tried to obtain information about this mysterious powerup that he longed to obtain, but with little success. In this world, gaining knowledge, especially related to the sources of power that the World Government tried to restrict and monopolize, wasn't an easy task...
So for now, his only option was to wait and ramble in the meantime, like all One Piece fans so far.
Ramblings that began to tire Captain Mcnugget "KYAAAAHHHH!!
"Yeah...you're right...I'm sorry
Let's stop warming our heads with theories that never end up being fulfilled.
I have to find out through the scientific method what're the rules, limitations and possibilities of Life Life No My" Fred said as he walked over to his makeshift lab to begin his research while statically training. "I know that one shouldn't depend excessively on the Akuma No Mi, especially those that can allow you not to fight to resolve your battles"I know that one shouldn't depend excessively on the Akuma No Mi, especially those that transform direct battles into an option
If I want to evolve my direct combat power, the most important thing and rightly so according to Kaido is a powerful Haki
Moría is the living example of what shouldn't be done! The fat bastard turned into a useless pig by just relying on the zombies he made with his Akuma No Mi after a fucking depression after losing to Kaido!
But it would be stupid not to take advantage of it..."
"Kyaaahh..."
"Yeah, I know I should call Stephen first, but...
How about having all the meat you ask for during the trip? Fred asked, blatantly trying to bribe Captain Mcnugget into not bringing up the subject again.
A bribe that he happily accepted "KYAAHH!!"
This is how Fred and Captain Mcnugget's little vacation began!
A vacation that full of hellish training, studying, producing, researching, learning new skills, polishing those already on and a host of extremely productive tasks.
During the five days of the voyage in which the cruise stopped at several islands, Fred never left the room to have fun like the other human beings. He stayed secluded training inside the room, except late at night, when normal people slept to perform [experiments] that he couldn't perform within those four walls.
A vacation dedicated solely and exclusively to Fred's personal growth in an environment surrounded by luxuries that he didn't enjoy, but in absolute tranquillity. Almost like t the guys who locked themselves in a cave for years to strengthen themselves called cultivators that Fred had read about so many times in Chinese novels in his previous life.
However, unlike those cultivators, Fred didn't have as much time to seclude himself. This ship would reach its destination in a few days and of course he couldn't spend years training inside a room.
He had too much work to do apart from sculpting his muscles!
Although now he was enjoying his long-awaited and well-deserved [rest] without thinking about what the near future would bring him for a long time, just like his pet.
"Kya..." Captain Mnugget said with inappropriate relaxation for a predator like him from his favorite bed, which he didn't want to leave for anything
"Yes, I know, Captain Mcnuugget, everything is very calm" Fred answered as he exercised his grip while stepping on burning coals to improve his resistance to heat, but with great inner peace as well
"It seems that we will be able to reach our destination without problems and without having to work in exchange for that boat trip.
Something very beautiful, but at the same time something sad...
I would have liked tes…"
"PIRATES! PIRATES ARE COMING!!"
However, that moment of glory was interrupted by one of the maids who assisted Fred and Captain Mcnugget during their stay on the ship, who entered the room with great alarmism, but with a rather explanatory message.
"…"
"…"
The twenty six year old maid was breathlessly looking at the teenager before her with admiration, hope... and puzzled by the strange training he was performing. However Fred's eyes were focused on his hawk's and his hawk's on him as well.
"..."
"..."
And so it went for three long seconds until Fred broke that awkward and almost unnatural silence "You're a jinx...
You know right?"
"Kyah..." Captain Mcnugget replied as he buried his head under the sheet.
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You'll be able to see 8 chapters in advance in my Pa-treon
pa-treon.com/user?u=83938371
