This time, after a trip to the Sabaody Archipelago, Ye Chen collected a total of 36 Devil Fruits—16 from Doflamingo's side and 20 from the Marine Headquarters.
He used 5 to exchange for Rapid Regeneration, 3 to exchange for Esdeath, spending 8 Devil Fruits in total.
Excluding those 8, he still had 28 Devil Fruits left.
"System designated lifeform random exchange," Ye Chen called out in his heart.
"Proceed?" the system's cold, emotionless voice responded immediately.
"Yes."
As soon as the voice fell, three Devil Fruits inside the box disappeared.
A brilliant white light emerged, and a small figure gradually became clear.
"Oh no, looks like this is going to backfire," Ye Chen thought as he saw the small figure in the light. This experienced operator might have just hit a snag.
When the light faded, Ye Chen saw who he had exchanged for—he looked helpless.
The veteran operator had indeed misfired.
"Pika, Pikachu, Pika."
About fifty centimeters tall, yellow body, an electric-shaped tail, with red circles on both cheeks.
It was Pikachu, a creature from the Pokémon world, possessing powerful electric control abilities.
"How did it end up being you?" Ye Chen pinched Pikachu's cheek, utterly helpless.
"Pika, Pikachu, Pika," Pikachu called out pitifully. Because of the system, summoned creatures were absolutely loyal to Ye Chen. So even though Ye Chen was rough with it, Pikachu could only whimper helplessly.
If it were an ordinary person, they'd have been hit with a 100,000 volt shock already.
Seeing Pikachu's pitiful look, Ye Chen's heart softened. Though Pikachu wasn't his first choice, random exchange was a gamble of luck.
He had no choice but to keep Pikachu.
Though not useful in battle, Pikachu could serve as a cute mascot for the fleet.
Besides, Pikachu's power wasn't weak—at least ordinary pirates wouldn't stand a chance against it.
Not many could withstand a 100,000 volt thunderbolt.
"Alright, you stay with me for now. I'll take you out to play later," Ye Chen said with a smile as he petted Pikachu.
"Pika, Pika, Pikachu," Pikachu happily chirped.
...
"This time, no more Pikachus for me," Ye Chen clasped his hands and prayed.
This exchange was critical—adding a powerful lifeform would give him more confidence to confront the Holy Land.
"System designated lifeform random exchange," Ye Chen suddenly looked up, full of passion and decisiveness.
"Proceed?"
"Yes."
"Whoosh." At the sound, three Devil Fruits inside the chest vanished again.
The familiar white light flickered once more in front of Ye Chen. He stared intently, murmuring to himself.
When the light faded, a figure both familiar and strange appeared before Ye Chen.
Black messy hair, pale white skin, green eyes, and deep green marks like tears on his face.
On his chest was the tattoo of the number "4," and on the left side of his head was a horned skull mask.
His expression was completely emotionless and cold.
"Are you Lord Ye Chen?" the exchanged lifeform asked calmly.
Ye Chen took a deep breath and smiled: "Yes, welcome to Ulquiorra."
The one exchanged was none other than Ulquiorra, the 4th Espada from the Bleach world.
Looking at Ulquiorra, Ye Chen was overjoyed.
With Ulquiorra, this trip to the Holy Land was almost guaranteed success.
Considering the exchange—trading Pikachu's Devil Fruit for Ulquiorra's—Ye Chen felt like he'd struck gold.
...
At the Daughter Country training ground:
"This is Ulquiorra," Ye Chen introduced, pointing to him.
"I'm Esdeath. You look strong, Ulquiorra," Esdeath licked her lips, eyes full of fighting spirit.
"You're strong too," Ulquiorra nodded indifferently. He could sense Esdeath's strength.
"Wanna spar?" Esdeath challenged.
Ulquiorra glanced at Ye Chen, who nodded.
"Alright," Ulquiorra replied softly.
"You two go to the forest area; this place can't handle your fight," Ye Chen shook his head.
"Sounds good," Esdeath and Ulquiorra nodded.
With that, the two disappeared.
After they left, Granny Zha and Hancock approached.
"Lord Ye Chen, who is that gentleman?" Granny Zha asked.
Ye Chen looked over, walked up, pinched Hancock's cheek, and smiled: "My crew member."
"Hear Ye Chen, what's that big brother's name?" Hancock tilted her head and asked.
"Ulquiorra. Just call him 'Brother Wu'," Ye Chen said.
"Oh," Hancock nodded, half understanding.
"How's Hancock's training going?" Ye Chen asked.
Though young, Hancock had great potential. With diligent training, she could even reach Admiral level.
"Hancock trains hard and can already defeat some female warriors," Granny Zha said with admiration.
At Hancock's age, being able to defeat seasoned female warriors was rare. This confirmed what Ye Chen had said before.
"She is your rising leader and future queen, with the qualities of a king."
Ye Chen had told this to Hancock earlier.
She wasn't fully convinced before but now was certain.
"Hancock will train hard and be able to help you, Ye Chen," Hancock clenched her fists, eyes shining with determination.
"I look forward to it," Ye Chen smiled in reply.
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