Ash tilted his head and studied the tattoo on Ace's left arm, ASCE.
There was an X marked over the S, and a dot placed within the C.
To anyone unfamiliar with Ace's past, it might look like he had simply tried to tattoo his own name and made a mistake with the second letter, then clumsily corrected it. But that was far from the truth.
The original tattoo had been AS·E.
It symbolized the three brothers, Ace himself, Sabo, and Luffy. The letter after the dot represented their youngest brother, Luffy.
Later, when Sabo was believed to have died, Ace marked an X over the S. After that, in order to protect Luffy and keep attention away from him, Ace added the C around the dot, disguising the tattoo as his own name.
It might have seemed childish, but for Monkey D. Luffy, Ace had always been a dependable older brother.
...
After Ace lost consciousness, Ash created a standard replacement Mera Mera no Mi and swapped it with the original.
Unique Mission: Devil Fruit Collection Count [30/500]
Ash glanced at the Spade Pirates' battered ship and the exhausted crew lying around it, then frowned slightly.
Babysitting was the last thing he wanted to do. Spending that time enjoying good food or relaxing under the sun sounded far better.
Still, these people were closely tied to the future, and even if left alone at sea, they would not go down that easily.
With that thought, Ash tossed the unconscious Ace back onto the small boat. He then instructed several wind ability users to send the entire ship back toward East Blue.
After that, he planned to take Jewelry Bonney back to Gran Tesoro.
However, since everyone from the Dawn faction had gathered after being scattered for so long, they unanimously decided to hold a bonfire party that night.
As their leader, Ash had no reason to refuse.
He glanced again at his mission progress.
Since he was already near Reverse Mountain, he decided that the next day he would make full use of his teleportation and sweep through Paradise, collecting as many known Devil Fruits as possible before returning to the New World.
The night passed smoothly.
The next morning, after telling the others to look after Bonney, Ash set off alone.
First destination, Drum Kingdom.
With precise spatial coordinates, traveling was effortless. After several teleports, Ash appeared above the snow-covered island.
His Observation Haki spread across the entire kingdom, quickly locking onto his targets.
Just like before, Ash quietly caused Dalton and Tony Tony Chopper to fall asleep. He then created side-effect-free replacement Devil Fruits and completed the swap.
Before leaving, he paused and looked once more at Chopper.
After a brief moment of thought, he chose not to take him.
Chopper had already spent years with Dr. Kureha, and the belief that a pirate flag represented hope had long been rooted in him since his time with Dr. Hiluluk.
He was different from Nami. Nami's hatred for Arlong had made her easy to guide, but Chopper's faith was something far deeper.
Trying to change that would be pointless.
Besides, without Monkey D. Luffy appearing, Chopper might never set sail at all.
Ash decided to leave him where he belonged.
As for Wapol, there was no such consideration.
Looking at his foolish expression, Ash found it hard to believe he was only twenty-four.
A burst of flames reduced Wapol to nothing.
Without hesitation, Ash turned and left.
Whether Wapol Metal would exist in the future was irrelevant to him.
Drum Kingdom, Devil Fruit collection count: 3
Unique Mission: Devil Fruit Collection Count [33/500]
...
Second destination, Alabasta.
What once took days of travel now required only a handful of teleports.
Still, since it had been a long time, Ash decided to enjoy the local cuisine before getting to work.
After arriving on Sandy Island, he headed straight to a restaurant.
The owner quickly recognized him. The young man who once ate an absurd amount of food and even bought recipes had now become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Unlike the fear people usually showed toward pirates, Ash was welcomed warmly due to his reputation.
The owner even offered to treat him.
Knowing his appetite, Ash firmly refused and paid for everything himself.
He appreciated the goodwill, but he had no intention of burdening others.
Only after Ash finished his massive meal and left did the owner fully process what had happened. Staring at the mountain of empty plates, he broke out in cold sweat.
Chaka and Pell, the guardians of Alabasta, were easy to locate.
They were in Alubarna.
After arriving at the capital, Ash scanned the palace with Observation Haki and immediately identified several strong presences.
The two inside were undoubtedly Chaka and Pell.
Following the same method, Ash replaced their Devil Fruits without issue.
Afterward, he checked the other presences he had sensed.
There were no surprises.
Aside from a pirate causing trouble, who Ash casually eliminated, the rest were insignificant.
Not worth his time.
Ash left Sandy Island soon after.
Alabasta, Devil Fruit collection count: 2
Unique Mission: Devil Fruit Collection Count [35/500]
...
Third destination, Chiraviya Kingdom.
This summer island, though affiliated with the World Government, was far less prominent than Alabasta.
Its small size and frequent volcanic activity limited its development, aside from its well-known hot springs.
However, it held one of Ash's targets.
Musshuru, Wapol's older brother and user of the Fung-Fung Fruit, was imprisoned here.
Years ago, during the Reverie, Musshuru had nearly destroyed Drum Kingdom by releasing a spore weapon out of boredom.
Unable to execute his own son, the former king exiled him to this high-temperature land, where the environment suppressed his abilities.
Ash had no such hesitation.
A controlled burst of intense heat ended Musshuru's life instantly.
A true sterilization, in every sense.
Originally, Ash expected nothing more from this trip.
Instead, he found far more than anticipated.
The Zoan Type Ushi Ushi no Mi, Model: Black Bull, passed down through the royal family.
The Zoan Type Ryu Ryu no Mi, Model: Allosaurus, possessed by the Royal Guard captain.
The Zoan Type Neko Neko no Mi, Model: Saber-Toothed Tiger, belonging to the kingdom's general.
Three Ancient Zoan users, hidden in a single small kingdom.
It was a rare find.
Fortunately, the kingdom had remained obscure, avoiding the attention of Kaido.
Now, with no one left to claim them, these Devil Fruits belonged to Ash.
After completing the replacements, Ash stayed for a day, enjoying the hot springs and local delicacies.
Only then did he leave.
Chiraviya Kingdom, Devil Fruit collection count: 4
Unique Mission: Devil Fruit Collection Count [39/500]
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