"Unexpectedly, Yamato, you are a Zoan Mythical Devil Fruit user," remarked one of the crew members on the Black Spade Pirates' ship, watching with envy as Yamato transformed into a giant white wolf.

A Zoan Mythical type, this is an even rarer and more powerful Devil Fruit than the Logia type! Especially since Yamato's form—Okuchi no Makami—also possesses ice powers, and isn't even afraid of seawater, the only real weakness for Devil Fruits.

Hearing the praise from the Black Spade Pirates crew, Yamato was elated and even jumped into the sea to run a few laps.

As she leapt into the ocean, the chill emanated from her feet immediately created a sheet of ice, which expanded as she ran, forming a road of ice.

Sitting cross-legged on the deck like a dead fish, Ace couldn't help but envy her. "It's great. Both you and Youta can walk on the sea. As for me with my Mera Mera no Mi, I'd just fizzle out if I fell into the sea."

Youta, with arms crossed and eyes closed as he pondered, replied casually, "What's there to envy? Your Mera Mera no Mi ability allows you to erupt flames and fly into the sky. Yamato and I can't fly with our Devil Fruit abilities."

Of course, while Yamato's Okuchi no Makami fruit cannot fly no matter how she develops it, Youta could achieve flight if he really wanted to. He could just swallow a jetpack or something similar, or even craft rocket boots or an Iron Man suit if he really wanted to. 

However, Youta specialized in human body modification rather than mechanical enhancement, which is why he doesn't dabble in mechanical engineering. Nevertheless, if he could find a scientist skilled in this area and swallow their inventions, he could immediately gain those capabilities.

Conversely, without knowledge of human body modification, even if a scientist could perform such modifications, Youta wouldn't be able to change his own body. This is the main reason why he chose to specialize in human body modification rather than mechanical engineering.

His ability to modify human bodies is thanks to the Uma Uma no Mi, whose modification capabilities are nearly boundless, significantly lowering the difficulty of body modification.

Youta then continued, "I advise you to train hard, Captain. You're no match for Yamato, and now that she's removed the seastone cuffs, she's entered a stable growth period after her initial burst of power. If you don't work hard, you might fall further behind."

"Ugh! I know! I'll work hard!" Ace grimaced at the memory of being pounded against the deck by Yamato.

When she wore the seastone cuffs, Yamato relied solely on her physical abilities to fight, unable to fully use her Devil Fruit powers. But now that she could fully harness her Devil Fruit abilities, Ace's Mera Mera no Mi was entirely countered.

Ace's flames couldn't gain any advantage against Yamato's chill; they could only cancel each other out. The elemental transformation of Logia fruits is significantly weakened when faced with Armament Haki, whereas the immense physique provided by a Zoan Mythical type is always useful.

Under these circumstances, Ace's power was already weaker than Yamato's, and with his fruit being countered, it was no surprise he got thrashed.

Seeing Ace grit his teeth and use low-purity seastone handcuffs to train, Youta couldn't help but smile.

[Train hard, Ace. I don't want to relive the Paramount War and have to rush to your rescue.]

As Ace diligently trained, Youta continued to reflect on his gains.

His greatest reward this time wasn't the treasures from the Beasts Pirates but Yamato's bodily structure. Yamato's potential is just as high as Ace's, so her body structure has immense potential for enhancing Youta's own capabilities.

When he first began modifying himself, Youta was like a blank canvas. Ace's bodily structure was like a fine painting he could trace, retaining about 80% of Ace's potential.

With Yamato's bodily structure in hand, it would be easy for Youta to reset his body to a blank canvas with the Uma Uma no Mi. But now, the paintings he had to work with had increased to two, and combining their advantages made things more difficult.

Moreover, Yamato, being of the oni clan, although still human with no reproductive isolation, is closer to a demi-human race. This introduces many subtle differences from humans, making the modification process more complex.

Youta has modified himself several times but remains unsatisfied. Fortunately, the Uma Uma no Mi is potent enough to revert any modifications, allowing for trial and error until he finds the optimal method.

After some contemplation, Youta felt his thoughts were clear and, opening his large mouth, swallowed himself whole.

Initially, the Black Spade Pirates were shocked by Youta's actions, but now they were used to his quirks; after all, the world of One Piece is full of oddities, so Youta is no exception.

With some rumbling from his large mouth, Youta soon spat himself back out. He clenched his fists, feeling the vitality of his body, and smiled.

"Not bad. This modification puts me on par with or even ahead of Ace and Yamato in potential. This is as close to perfection as I can get!"

"Going forward, the only beings who can further my growth are Whitebeard, Kaido, Big Mom, and Blackbeard..."

With Youta's significant increase in potential, Yamato going through a period of growth after removing the seastone cuffs, and Ace working hard in response to Yamato's strength, the Black Spade Pirates stopped pursuing the Whitebeard and Red Hair Pirates for a while and instead focused on their training.

Of course, after witnessing Yamato's strength, Ace gained a deeper understanding of the power of the Emperors of the Sea, realizing that if he went to Whitebeard now, he would only be heading towards his own demise.

Therefore, his training during this period also served as his preparation to strengthen himself.

However, while the Black Spade Pirates may have avoided just taking a trip to Wano as they did in the original story, it didn't mean their actions went unnoticed.

Youta raided the Beasts Pirates' treasury, and the Black Spade Pirates took Yamato. This created a significant grudge between the Black Spade Pirates and the Beasts Pirates.