On the vast blue sea, the Oro Jackson had just wrapped up a one-sided battle.

The deck was piled high with loot taken from a hapless pirate crew gold, jewels, rare liquors, and a peculiar Devil Fruit, covered in swirling spiral patterns.

Ritter squinted at it, a sly grin playing at the corners of his mouth. "Oh? Isn't this the legendary Chop-Chop Fruit?"

He wondered if Buggy would try to secretly stash it away and sell it again.

Jabba leaned in, eyeing the fruit with distaste. "What the hell is that? Doesn't sound all that strong."

Rayleigh pushed up his glasses. "It lets your body split apart, theoretically making you immune to slashing attacks. But…"

He glanced at Ritter. With how well he knew Ritter, there was no way he was bringing this up just to casually explain another Devil Fruit. Ritter usually didn't even look at these things. There had to be something special about this one.

"What scheme are you up to this time?"

Ritter responded with an innocent smile, then hollered, "Hey Buggy get over here! I've got something good for you!"

Buggy came bounding over like an excited puppy. "Ritter-nii, what is it? More treasure for me?"

It was worth noting that the two brats on Roger's ship practically saw Ritter as their big brother. Most of the time growing up, it was Ritter who looked after them none of the rough-and-tumble pirates had a clue how to care for kids, so they stuck to teaching them how to fight.

Ritter held up the Devil Fruit with exaggerated seriousness. "Better than treasure! Eat this, and you'll gain the power of a Devil!"

Buggy's eyes sparkled. "Really?!"

Shanks peered over suspiciously. "Ritter-nii, you're not trying to trick Buggy again, are you?"

Ritter immediately struck a righteous pose. "How could you say that? When have I ever lied?"

The moment he finished, every crew member on deck turned to look at him with expressions full of skepticism.

Ritter bared his shark-like teeth and shouted, "Oi! What's with those looks, you bastards?!"

He clapped Buggy on the shoulder and launched into his sales pitch. "Think about it, Buggy—"

"Immune to slashes! Nothing can cut you!" Ritter gestured wildly. "Rayleigh's sword training? You could just stand there and let him swing. No problem!"

Buggy's eyes lit up. "Seriously?!"

Rayleigh raised an eyebrow, giving Ritter a meaningful look but choosing to remain silent.

Ritter continued, gesturing dramatically. "You can split apart and escape at will! Being chased by the Navy? Just disassemble and scatter!"

Buggy rubbed his hands together excitedly. "Then no one would be able to catch me!"

Jabba couldn't help throwing in a jab. "Yeah, except your legs might take off running and leave your head behind."

Ritter lowered his voice, leaning in with a conspiratorial tone. "You could grab treasure from inside locked chests no need to pick the lock!"

Buggy practically jumped for joy. "This is it! I'm gonna be rich!"

Shanks groaned and facepalmed. "Don't forget about Haki, moron. Everyone on the ship knows at least Armament and Observation. Don't get too cocky…"

Ritter spun around, mimicking an over-the-top taunt. "Just imagine your enemy swings a sword, you split apart, and sneer, 'Can't hit me~'"

Buggy was eating it up. "Hahaha! This is awesome!"

Roger, watching from the sidelines, burst out laughing. "Guhahaha! Ritter, that sales pitch was so good I almost wanted to eat it myself!"

Buggy gulped and stared at the Devil Fruit in his hands. "But… I heard these things taste horrible…"

Ritter patted him on the back. "Spoken like someone who hasn't tried one. Trust me, it starts sweet."

Buggy scratched his head, hesitating. "But what if the powers aren't as good as you said?"

Ritter thumped his chest. "I swear on the name of the Roger Pirates! If I'm lying, then…" He paused, then smirked mischievously. "Then Shanks has to wear a dress!"

Shanks exploded. "Hey! What's that got to do with me?!"

After goofing around, Ritter finally turned serious.

"It's true that you'll be immune to slashes, but you'll still take damage from Armament Haki and blunt attacks. Fighting while split apart takes skill but if you learn to combine that with your dagger techniques, you'll be unpredictable in battle. Of course, once you eat it, you'll never be able to swim again. It's your choice. I just hope you won't regret it."

He may have indulged his mischievous streak, but Ritter had raised Buggy and Shanks like brothers. He wasn't about to pressure Buggy into it. If Buggy chose not to eat the fruit, Ritter wouldn't bat an eye.

Buggy held the Chop-Chop Fruit in his hands. "Ritter-nii, if I eat this… can I catch up to you guys?"

Ritter shook his head. "Devil Fruits are will-based powers. I can't say what your future holds. But I believe in your desire to grow stronger. Whether you eat it or not you will get stronger."

"Alright! I'm in!" Buggy shouted and took a huge bite. His face instantly twisted in horror as he gagged. "Urghhh! What is this disgusting trash?!"

Ritter handed him a bottle of liquor, struggling not to laugh. "Drink! Drink! The power's kicking in!"

Buggy chugged it, then suddenly felt weightless. He looked down and screamed. "My hand! Why is my hand flying?!"

Shanks's eyes widened. "Whoa! Buggy, your hand's really flying!"

Buggy tried to control it, but his fingers were spinning out of control. "Wait! How do I steer this thing?!"

Ritter doubled over, shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter. "You'll get used to it! There's an adjustment period!"

So no Shanks didn't scare Buggy into eating the fruit. Buggy chose it himself. Maybe they wouldn't fall out over it in this timeline. What a shame it'd be a lot less fun.

Later at dinner, Buggy's hand flew off mid-meal and the fork stabbed Shanks in the face. Shanks yelled, "Buggy! You did that on purpose!"

Buggy looked like he was about to cry. "It wasn't me! My hand's got a mind of its own!"

That night, his head floated up to the mast while his body kept snoring in bed. Roger saw it during morning training and chuckled. "Buggy, why's your head up there?"

Buggy screamed, "Captain! Help me down!"

But during combat drills, Buggy showed real promise. The Chop-Chop Fruit gave him airborne mobility with his limbs, and combined with his thrown daggers, he covered more ground and attacked from weirder angles. Ritter thought if he could learn Armament Haki, the damage potential would spike dramatically.

After all, both Shanks and Buggy were Roger's crew real second-generation monsters. With Roger, Rayleigh, and Ritter training them, if Buggy still turned out as weak as in the original timeline, Ritter would slap him silly.

The seas were calm and peaceful, and with nothing better to do, Ritter and the others began training Shanks and Buggy in Armament and Observation Haki. Since Ritter had "been through the rain," he made sure to tear up both their umbrellas.

Little brothers, don't blame big bro for being tough. Ritter just couldn't help smiling sadly at the thought of what lay ahead for the two of them.

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