Paper Paper Fruit In One Piece

On the battlefield of Whole Cake Island: 

As one high-ranking member of the Blackbeard Pirates after another fell, the battle quickly turned in favor of the Straw Hat Crew and the Charlotte Family. 

"Slash! Cut! Mochi!" 

Katakuri's arm transformed into a massive spiked club as he swung it, coated with Armament Haki and even wrapped in Conqueror's Haki. A dark lightning-like aura crackled as his attack came crashing down! 

Facing such an overwhelming strike, "Fighting Champion" Jesus Burgess crossed his arms over his head. His body, gleaming with a black metallic sheen, had been reinforced by the Steel-Steel Fruit he acquired from Blackbeard, giving him an insane level of defense. He believed that even if he couldn't win, he could at least withstand— 

BOOM!! 

The entire battlefield suddenly trembled, but no dust or smoke rose. Instead, the ground beneath Burgess caved in, creating a deep depression at the center. Many nearby fighters lost their footing—some used Moonwalk to leap into the air, while others quickly adjusted their stance by channeling Haki through their legs. 

When everyone refocused their gaze, they saw a massive, shallow crater—hundreds of meters wide—radiating outward from where Burgess had stood. Cracks stretched from the edges in all directions. 

At the very center, Burgess was embedded deep into the ground, with most of his body buried in the earth. His upper half remained in a defensive stance, but his face was frozen in shock, completely blank as if his soul had left his body. 

*Crack.* 

? 

*Crack! Crack!* 

A second later, Burgess's massive, darkened body began to crumble at an alarming speed—like an ancient statue weathered by thousands of years of wind and rain. With a deafening shatter, he collapsed into countless fragments, utterly destroyed by Katakuri's furious strike! 

"Who's next?" 

As Katakuri stood there after effortlessly turning the Blackbeard Pirates' No.1 ship captain into dust, the surrounding commanders and captains of the Blackbeard Pirates instinctively took several steps back. 

After all, Katakuri wasn't just some ordinary pirate—he had a bounty of 1.057 billion berries and was a top-tier fighter, second only to the Four Emperors. Moments ago, he had already taken out over a dozen high-bounty officers in an instant. Now, even Jesus Burgess, the so-called "Fighting Champion," had been obliterated. Facing such a terrifying enemy... 

"As long as the mountains remain, there's no fear of running out of firewood!"

"A wise man knows when to retreat!"

Time to run! 

With more and more of their top officers being taken down, the remaining Blackbeard Pirates on the battlefield began to glance around nervously. Their movements shifted from aggressive attacks to mostly defensive maneuvers, and their footsteps gradually inched toward the sea. 

After all, most of them had only followed Blackbeard because of his strength and his promise of "freedom." Were they really willing to die for him? 

What a joke. If Blackbeard couldn't lead them to victory, why would they keep fighting for him? 

This was the difference in "foundation." If this had been one of the old-generation Four Emperors, their crew wouldn't retreat until their leader was completely defeated. But these Blackbeard Pirates? The moment Roman blasted one of them into the ground, they were already looking for a way out. 

*Splash!* 

The sound of someone diving into the water broke the tension. One of the Blackbeard officers, having pushed back Charlotte Moscato with a flurry of attacks, suddenly turned and leaped toward the ocean—disappearing beneath the waves in an instant. 

He may not have the insane stamina of Rayleigh, who once swam across the Calm Belt shirtless, but escaping Whole Cake Island by swimming? That was no problem at all. 

"…Huh?" 

Charlotte Moscato, still holding the hilt of his candy-sword, stood frozen for a moment. He had to admit, his luck had been pretty good. He survived when Big Mom took his lifespan. He held out against an ambush from the Vinsmoke family. And now, he had made it through the Blackbeard Pirates' invasion unscathed. 

Oh well. 

Scratching his pink-and-blue hair, the middle-aged man gripped his sword and rushed toward another Blackbeard officer who was still locked in combat with his family. 

*"What the hell?!"* 

The targeted Blackbeard officer cursed loudly—then, without hesitation, turned and ran. His feet touched the water, and with rapid ripples beneath him, he sprinted across the surface at full speed. 

And with that, the floodgates opened—one pirate after another began making their escape. 

"The battle isn't going well. I'll check on the others outside—why haven't they come to help yet?" 

Some made up excuses before running, but most just jumped into the sea without a word. They didn't even bother with formalities—after all, they joined Blackbeard expecting him to lead them to riches. Now that things had taken a turn for the worse, running away was the obvious choice. 

"These guys..." 

Catarina Devon, known as 'Crescent Moon Hunter,' shot an annoyed glance at the fleeing officers and captains. But her opponent, Robin, just smiled. 

"Aren't you the same?" 

"Or should I say... the 'you' I ran into down in the treasure vault was also just a clone?" 

While the battle raged on, Robin had already sent out multiple clones to search for the fourth red Poneglyph. The fight was important, but if the enemy managed to take the red Poneglyph away, Luffy's dream of becoming Pirate King would hit another roadblock. 

And sure enough, one of her clones had run into another 'Catarina Devon' in the underground vault—busy moving treasure instead of fighting for Blackbeard. That alone said plenty about where her real priorities lay. 

"Hohoho~~ that's just how pirates are." 

The heavily made-up, flamboyantly dressed, long-nosed female pirate laughed it off. 

"Smart people always have an escape plan. I know what you're getting at—Poneglyph for you, treasure for me." 

"Deal." 

The moment Robin nodded, the 'Catarina Devon' fighting her exploded into smoke, leaving only a single tail behind. 

Meanwhile, far from the battlefield, aboard a pirate ship— 

"Turn the ship! We're leaving!" 

"But boss, the treasure—" 

At her crew's reluctant protest, the tall female pirate simply shook her head. 

"My clone will take the treasure and draw their attention. Being too greedy gets you killed. There's a world war coming, and I plan to watch it unfold—not get caught now. Hohoho~~!" 

Zoan-type Mythical Beast Fruit: Model Nine-Tailed Fox. 

Her Devil Fruit didn't just let her transform into others—it allowed her to create up to nine identical clones, each without Devil Fruit powers. 

This ability was exactly why Catarina Devon was known as the 'Most Dangerous Female Pirate in the World.' 

Nine fearless swordmasters specializing in assassination—now, wouldn't that be terrifying? 

"You Straw Hats... you're really something!" 

Teach, lifted from the depths of a magma-filled crater by storm clouds, glared furiously. 

But Nami—Roman—just sighed and rubbed her forehead, ignoring his rage. 

"You so-called strong people are all like cockroaches—impossible to kill. Makes life really hard for us 'normal' folks." 

"Nami, you've mastered the Six Powers and have two types of Haki... are you sure you still count as 'normal'?" 

Muttering to herself, 'Nami' looked up at Teach. After taking a direct hit from the 'Divine Thunder Cannon,' Teach—already dark-skinned—now looked no different from a lump of coal. Combined with the swirling darkness of his Devil Fruit, he truly embodied— 

The ultimate bad-luck magnet! 

"Well, you're the one who picked a fight with us. You brought this on yourself." 

As Roman teased him, Teach glanced at his forces—scattered and broken after his fall into the island's depths. His eyes flickered with thought. 

Those useless idiots! They couldn't even handle a handful of Straw Hats and the remnants of the Charlotte Family! But if they finished off my men and turned on me next... 

"Roman... that's your real name, isn't it?" 

After hearing Luffy call him that over and over, Roman had already given up on keeping his identity secret. Not that it mattered—with how intense the battle had been, someone would've figured it out eventually. 

"A name like Roman... not exactly common on the seas. But as luck would have it—" 

—— 

Teach and a certain someone had quite a bit in common—they thrived in easy times and grew stronger in tough ones. As he faced the Straw Hat Crew, who had finally freed up their hands after gaining the upper hand, he suddenly raised his voice in fake realization. 

"I know someone like that." 

"Marine candidate Admiral 'White Pigeon' Roman!" 

Glancing at the Straw Hat Crew, whose faces changed instantly, Teach felt a spark of excitement—there was a chance. 

"It's said that this Marine candidate Admiral is also a young man, also has a Devil Fruit power related to paper, and also—" 

With a thick, carrot-like index finger, he pointed straight at Nami's shoulder, as if saying, "The culprit is you!" 

"Likes to create white pigeons with his ability!" 

······· "Zehahaha~~~ Straw Hat Crew, you've all been fooled!!" 

"Right now, Marine warships are closing in from the outside. Turns out, they weren't just after me—they were after you too!" 

In an instant, Teach 'figured everything out.' The situation was about to flip! With his loudmouth tricks— 

"Your strategist is actually a Marine! He's planning to take all of you—" 

"We already know~~" 

?! 

Teach was stunned, staring at Luffy, who had just finished eating, looked refreshed, and casually picked his nose while interrupting as if it was the most natural thing in the world. 

Not just Teach—the entire Charlotte Family crew also turned to look. 

If what Blackbeard Teach said was true, then the Straw Hat Crew's strategist was actually a Marine candidate Admiral? And their captain was acting this calm…? 

"So what? My grandpa is a Marine too. Roman being one is no big deal!" 

?! 

For a moment, the battlefield, which had been raging with chaos, fell into dead silence. 

Faced with Luffy's casual "I'm basically family with the Marines" remark, everyone exchanged looks—then they started backing away. 

Screw this! If they're tight with the Marines, why the hell are we even fighting? What if we get surrounded from the inside and outside— 

Now that they thought about it, the Straw Hat Crew had only been fighting big-name pirates on their journey… That was kind of terrifying. 

"You idiot! Do you even know what you're saying?!" 

Blackbeard Teach was furious. Of course, he knew that Luffy's grandpa was the Marine hero, Vice Admiral Garp… In fact, anyone who cared about intel in this ocean would know that. But— 

"Do you even know what's in Laugh Tale? Do you know what becoming the Pirate King really means?!" 

"Let me tell you! Laugh Tale hides a great treasure—one that holds the key to taking down the Celestial Dragons! The moment you lay a hand on it, you become the enemy of the Marines and the World Government! Not even your grandpa can save you!" 

"So what? I just want to be the Pirate King. I don't care about anything else!" 

??!! 

Teach was about to explode from rage at Luffy's reckless answer! 

Everything he had spent his life plotting for—this guy was treating it like some kids' game?! 

Boom! 

On one side, the darkness of the Yami Yami no Mi shot into the sky, while on the other, elements swirled wildly, his fists glowing with the power of the Gura Gura no Mi, making the air shatter like glass. His entire body surged with Haki like a roaring flame! 

"Enough! You don't understand anything—" 

"No, Teach. You're the one who doesn't understand." 

But Luffy just pressed down his straw hat, his determined gaze cutting across the battlefield, past the two massive craters between them. 

"I'm going to travel to Laugh Tale with my friends. I'm going to be the Pirate King!" 

"That's my dream. And anything that stands in my way—I'll crush it!" 

"Whether it's the Marines, pirates, or even gods…" 

Luffy pressed his fist to the ground. 

"Gear Five!" 

(End of Chapter)