Chapter 15: Daimons
Laugh Tale
Usopp, Chopper, Luffy, and Franky titled their heads as they curiously looked at the transformed Gum-Gum monkey.
"He's been called many things. The Resin-Resin Fruit, the Monkey-Monkey: Son Goku, the Human-Human: Sun God Nika, the Human-Human: Sun Hero Joyboy, the Human-Human: Enlightened Priest Happy, among others things. He likes the name Gum-Gum the most. He's the embodiment of the concept of Rubber.," explained Mary.
"I have...so many questions about this.," Nami noted.
"So you're telling me...they're creatures...?," asked Brook.
"Don't act so shocked. You have them now too.," Mary replied.
Suddenly, emerging from Franky, Chopper, Brook, Robin, Anne, Vivi, Eugene, Stella, Yamato, Vega 40, Minerva, Polly, Olympia, and Muffy's chest- were odd fruits, vegetables, and Tomatoes.
"What the? Is my heart finally giving out? But I have no heart because I'm all bones- Yohohohoho.," Brook noted.
"Is my chest puking?," asked Chopper.
"Super weird!," Franky yelled.
The shapes were as follows-
A mushroom-like fruit with a red top; a pink dahlia like fruit; a hammer shaped vegetable; a spherical-shaped golden fruit with a green stem- on its bottom, it has four stubby growths, making the shape resemble a skull; a round and somewhat flat fruit with an orange exterior, resembling a persimmon- its surface is mostly bare save for a pattern of fishhook-like Devil Fruit swirls that go from the stem halfway down the fruit, with this pattern circling all the way around- on its top, the fruit possesses a small set of brownish leaves and the typical Devil Fruit stem in lighter-orange color, swirling upward on the left side; a pink vegetable shaped like the peace symbol with stripes; a round robotic looking fruit with swirls in the center with two blue orbs on the sides with the stem being metallic; a tomato with a mercury exterior with diamond patterns; a brown beaver tailed round vegetable with stripes; a dark blue crescent fruit with swirls; a vaguely brain-like vegetable with bat wings on the side; a dark tomato with a swirl shape with diamond patterns; a reverse dull-red vase shaped vegetable with stripes; a green dragon-fruit-shaped fruit with spirals; a weird tomato with two curled "horns on the top with three curved pointed growths on the ends; an ashy gray fruit with brown growths adorning it alongside spiral patterns; a purple tomato with four rounded growths perpendicular to each other as well as diamond shaped patterns; a diamond shaped fruit with spirals; a purple round vegetable with stripes and two golden arches pointing inwards to form a sort of crown; and a pink brain-shaped shaped fruit with spiral patterns.
And topping it off, Luffy's chest protruded a black apple-shaped tomato with diamond patterns covered in red ripple-patterned eyes and a golden crucifix-shaped vegetable with stripes.
"What's happening?!," asked Usopp.
"Are they projections?," asked Robin.
"Hey, how are you guys having more than us? Doesn't that make you explode?," asked Franky as Usopp and Nami realizing this, went to hide.
"That's only with two Fruits, two Vegetables, or two Tomatoes. This is different.," explained Vega 40.
Minerva looked at Mary and asked looking at the moon-shaped Fruit-
"Can I trade this?"
Suddenly, the plants began to take on tangible forms to the crew's surprise and ones they didn't expect.
"You see Daimons are...," said Mary.
Unknown Prison Containment
Guards in knight armor watched carefully as they guarded the prisoners.
"Are you sure there's going to be a break in? Those pirates that came here are very dangerous.," said one guard while the other noticed an unusual growth on the wall behind him.
"Yeah, they're not the same as the pirates as the olden days before the World Nobles took power-," said the other guard.
"Too late nya!," shouted a voice as it generated fists to punch them unconscious.
Blackbeard and his crew including Kuzan and Moria warped into the room with the wall figure revealing itself to be Pizarro.
"So what are we doing here?," asked Pizarro.
Blackbeard had calmed down from the earlier Laugh Tale incident but he was not smiling.
"Do you wanna know what Devil Fruits are?," asked Blackbeard.
A much smaller Wolf nodded.
"You see. They're entities born from the subconscious minds of dreamers- Daimons- creations of the being known as Mother Ocean. In the beginning, it was the desires of life in its immaterial state that called them into being. When life evolved and was preyed on by Nobodies, certain life forms went onto land to see the land these entities created. The first wave couldn't act on their own so they made fruits with spirals, vegetables with stripes, and tomatoes with diamond patterns to serve as a physical pact. The life forms consumed theses plants and they entered into a symbiotic relationship with the consumers. The fruits couldn't swim, the vegetables couldn't stay on land without special help, but the tomatoes had all the advantages of being on sea and land. They managed to subdue these Nobodies and set up the beginnings of evolution. The contracts grow on, near and right above special trees. One's in Laugh Tale, another was in God's Valley, another is on Elbaf, another is in Vira, and another is supposedly on the Red Line. In the OLD WORLD, they're much more abundant," explained the pirate Admiral.
"Thanks for the history lesson. It's interesting and all but what are we doing here? Ironic, we're back in jail.," Shiryu noted.
"We're breaking some fellas out of here. We're not ready for the OLD WORLD till we have this crew set up.," explained Blackbeard as he arrived at a set of cells away from the others.
"What's with this place? So creepy.," Kuzan noted.
"Impel Down is the public prison cell for dangerous prisoners but here's where they put the most dangerous criminals that they don't want even the Marine top brass to know about. This place- Dante.," he added.
"What?,' asked Kuzan.
They then saw the silhouettes of a horned cat girl with shaggy hair, a robotic individual with a singular red eye with a long neck, a short man with pink ripple pattern eyes with golden teeth with one missing, a bespectacled woman, a hooded figure, a penguin humanoid in a tattered business suit, a long-nosed puppet, and a muscular man with a facial mask.
Blackbeard then grinned as he asked-
"Wanna get out?"
Laugh Tale
"So that's what they are... but mind telling me?," asked Nami.
"WHY'S THIS HAPPENING?," she added more aggressively as she, Sanji, Usopp, Jinbe, Zoro, and Carrot were strapped down as Olympia proceeded to force down a storm cloud-shaped, spiral patterned-fruit with lightning-shaped growths on its sides; a blue striped vegetable shaped like grapes; a green spiral-patterned fruit with a three growiths- two "horns" with a long "nose"; a vaguely hydra-shaped green fruit with spirals; a striped blue vegetable shaped like a water droplet; and a fruit shaped like a golden stopwatch with spiral patterns- down their throats.
The summoned Daimons had already gone back to their owners, with whatever they said, having shook their understanding about what these powers were.
"You're getting power-ups from the Dream Tree. You're gonna need it for the training ahead.," said Mary.
"And you were being stubborn about your pride and what not. So this is happening.," she added.
Luffy, Chopper, Robin, and Brook were still in shock at what exactly their powers actually were. Vega 40, Minerva, and Muffy were relatively calm though Minerva was disappointed.
"This is going a bit far, don't you think?," asked Vivi.
"You saw why. Can't have you turn into Nobodies with the training I'm gonna put you all through.," Mary explained.
"Wha?," asked Nami.
"You're lucky you're right. Otherwise, I wouldn't forgive you.," said Yamato.
"I hope it's worth it.," Zoro said tersely.
"So I won't be able to go on land without these special types of footwear. Well, it's better than not swimming.," Jinbe said.
"What's that?," asked Carrot.
The straps were removed, allowing them to be freed.
She then pointed to a path leading to a jungle with darkened trees.
"Time goes much slower than normal. Should provide you with enough time to improve on your new powers...plus there's more to Haki than some of you know already. There's special trainers the further in you go. And different types of courses to learn from.," she explained.
She then punched Luffy in the gut.
"You can come out when you can stop something as basic as that.," she said.
"I got it! Let's go!," shouted Luffy as he stretched his arms and propelled the crew inside.
"Wait, can't we talk about this?!," shouted Nami as she vanished into the jungle.
Mary then turned to the Vegapunks and said-
"You'll get more protection in the Silver Line. You've gotten all of the knowledge about Daimons you could ask for."
She then gave a unique laugh to forge them a ship from nearby plants as the Vegapunks boarded on.
"So will they be alright?," asked Lilith.
Mary sighed as she said-
"They're gonna be very different. Coming on.
As the Vegapunks left, Mary sat on the beach, seemingly exhausted.
"I'm beat...guess, it's my turn to switch out.," she said as she slept and her hair color began to change.
Joy...are these the kids to do what we couldn't..., she thought.
9 Days Later...
Mary arrived at the entry of the jungle next to the tree.
Emerging from it, was something very different-
A much taller, muscular Luffy around 10 feet tall with waist-length hair, he wore a flowing red open, sleeveless long coat with yellow padding next to the shoulders and around the neck- seemingly made of straw over his toned body, dark red armbands, a pair of baggy blue white puffy cuff pants with a yellow sash tied around his waist in addition to his sandals. A lavender halo floated behind his head. However, his crew was oddly absent but he didn't seemed all that worried.
"So you've learned that during your training. You've exceeded my expectations even though it took a few days later than you said it be.," Mary said as she threw a punch. Luffy reactively blocked it as Mary smiled as she backed away as she crossed her arms in confidence.
Luffy smiled in response.
5 Minutes Later...
Luffy on the beach alongside Mary went to the Noah and the Thousand Sunny Figure head. Mary tossed him a tomato that resembled a tortoise shell with diamond patterns. He then grinned as rapidly manuevered his hands at blinding speeds, obscuring the items as the purple-haired woman smiled.
"You're going to visit more of the OLD WORLD?," asked Mary.
"Nah, I'm going to fulfill a promise.," he said as he boarded onto a massive ark with a tortoise figure head and the Straw Hat flag above it. It turned into a massive sea turtle with a planetary globe on top of it.
"This Super, Ultra ship, Infinite Dawn is gonna go to Elbaf.," he said as the air in front of him distorted and opened a dimensional rift leading to Elbaf as he sailed through.
"Thanks, Mom.," he whispered.
Mary then cried as she thought-
This is indeed a man I can entrust my children with...
Next Chapter: Elbaf
Author Notes: I elaborate more on what Devil Fruits/Vegetables/Tomatoes are but I leave enough out so I don't fully reveal everything. Blackbeard bulks up his crew and the Straw Hats all get power-ups.
As for Luffy's new look and his odd absence of his crew, that'll be explained in a few chapters.