[RLOP] Chapter : 06 - Devil Fruit treasure chests

New World

A massive ship, shaped like a white whale, glided across the vast ocean.
The crescent-marked flag fluttering high on its mast made its identity unmistakable.

It was the Moby Dick—the flagship of the legendary pirate, Whitebeard, Edward Newgate.

On deck, Izo—his delicate, feminine features twisted with unease—clutched a freshly bought newspaper in his hand. He walked toward the towering figure seated on the deck's central chair.

"Pops, here's today's paper."

Whitebeard accepted it, unfolding the pages with one massive hand. His eyes scanned the headlines.

"…Another troublesome brat."

After a pause, he exhaled, the deep sigh rumbling like distant thunder.

"Pops, I think—"

Elsewhere on the seas…

"Hey, Shanks, want to check out the latest paper? Some rookie's already racked up a bounty over a hundred million."

With a cigarette dangling from his lips, Benn Beckman turned toward the red-haired captain sitting cross-legged at the bow.

"A rookie, huh? Let me see…"

Shanks reached out lazily, a faint smile tugging at his lips as he took the paper.

As the News Coo circled the skies, scattering newspapers across every corner of the world, one name began to spread like wildfire:

Rob Lucci

"One more job, and that's it!"

Countless bounty hunters stared at the fresh wanted poster, their eyes gleaming with greed. Like starving hyenas, they fixated on the number inked beneath the name.

But their burning ambition quickly dimmed.

Because on that same poster… a shadow loomed.

Kaido's silhouette.

Reality had a cruel way of extinguishing delusions.

A man could chase wealth only if he still had his life.

One by one, bounty hunters tossed Lucci's poster into the gutter. A moment later, they fished out another from their pockets.

"Devil's Child — Nico Robin. Bounty: 79,000,000 Berries. Dead or Alive."

Hmm.

No terrifying backer.
No Yonko looming over her name.

Easy prey.

Onigashima

The island of jagged horns, shaped like a demon's skull. More than a landmark—it was the infamous headquarters of the Beasts Pirates.

Inside a brilliantly lit hall, Lucci sat cross-legged, Hattori perched quietly on a wooden stand beside him.

Before him lay the World Government's "Silence package"—delivered just the day before.

Fifty-one plain wooden boxes.
Five ironbound crates.
And one magnificent golden chest.

The sight alone gave off the air of a grand lottery.

And Kaido, with his usual bravado, had declared that every single Devil Fruit inside would belong solely to Lucci.

Even the rare Mythical Zoan hidden among them.

The CP0 agents who escorted the shipment had already been tossed into the neighboring mines—stripped of rank, stripped of freedom, forced to break rocks until their bodies gave out.

So much for the World Government's pride.

"Alpaca. Trash."

Lucci cracked open the first wooden box, plucked out the Devil Fruit, and compared it against the guidebook in his lap. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed it back into the box and scrawled Alpaca across the lid.

He moved on.

Second box.
"Seal. Trash."

Third box.
"Zebra. Trash."

And so it went…

Placing the last Devil Fruit back into its wooden box, Lucci let out a quiet sigh.

At the very least, the World Government still had some shred of sense.

Out of the fifty Zoan fruits delivered, more than half were useless livestock variants—pitiful things that offered almost no combat strength. Worse, eating them would saddle the user with a lifetime of humiliation.

Take this Pig-Pig Fruit, for example. Whoever ate it wouldn't just weaken themselves—they'd become the butt of every joke across the seas. He could already imagine the bounty posters.

Pigman? Pig King? Pig Hero…?

A faint smile tugged at Lucci's lips before he shook his head and pushed aside the thought. His gaze settled instead on the two unopened wooden boxes before him.

Unlike the rest, these weren't here for their worth. They were here because of their ties to him.

The Dog-Dog Fruit, Wolf Form.
The Ox-Ox Fruit, Giraffe Form.

Destined for Jabra and Kaku.

"Hmm… I hope you both stumble onto something worthwhile later."

He closed the lids with care.

"Without Spandam meddling, maybe luck will be on your side this time."

Though their allegiances had long since shifted, Lucci couldn't erase his lingering respect for his old comrades. After all, in another story, they'd humbled themselves to street performances just to cover his hospital bills.

"Alright… third prize cleared. Time for the second."

Shaking off nostalgia, he drew the five iron boxes closer, his pulse quickening despite himself.

"So this is the thrill of box-opening, huh? I can't deny—it's addictive."

Unlike the common Zoans, where the gap between trash and treasure was laughably wide, Ancient Zoans carried no such disparity. Every one of them held real weight. Even the World Government couldn't pad these with garbage.

One by one, he lifted the lids.

"Let's see…"

Cross-referencing with the illustrated guide, he read the names aloud:

Elephant-Elephant Fruit, Ancient Zoan, Mammoth Form.

Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Ancient Zoan, Spinosaurus Form.

Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Ancient Zoan, Pachycephalosaurus Form.

Cat-Cat Fruit, Ancient Zoan, Saber-Toothed Tiger Form.

Spider-Spider Fruit, Ancient Zoan, Rosamygale Grauvogeli Form.

"Well now…" Lucci muttered, momentarily stunned.

It was absurd. In his hands sat the fruits that would one day shape the Beasts Pirates—the very powers of Jack, the Tobi Roppo, and more.

But then he remembered: Jack was barely eleven, still a boy he'd recently dealt with. Ulti and Page One were still just children. Fate's script had clearly been shuffled.

Perhaps in the original timeline, Kaido had raided Mariejois to seize them. Or maybe he'd struck some shady bargain through the Shichibukai. Whatever the case, Lucci had nudged the wheel, and history was already spinning differently.

"As for Who's-Who… no Saber-Tooth yet? Then let's see if he can still cross blades with Shanks."

Marking each iron box, Lucci turned at last to the golden chest—the Mythical Zoan.

It wasn't even open yet, but instinct coiled in his chest. He knew.

The lid lifted, and an oval fruit gleamed back at him, glowing orange-yellow.

Of course.

The Dog-Dog Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Okuchi no Makami. Yamato's fruit.

With that, the entire trove had been unveiled.

"Tch… funny. I felt more excitement opening the wooden boxes."

Thump-thump-thump!

Knocking jolted him from his thoughts.

Hattori stirred awake, fluttering onto his shoulder as a childish voice called through the door.

"Lucci-nii… Boss Kaido wants you in the meeting room."

That voice… Jack, wasn't it?

Straightening his coat, Lucci rose and stepped out without hesitation.