"The tree that bore the Devil Fruits?" Michael's gaze at Rocks held a hint of surprise. "You don't actually think something like that could be here, do you?"
"Why not? This is the ancient kingdom from over 800 years ago. Nothing should be surprising here," Rocks replied, his mobility unaffected despite missing an arm and a leg. "Besides, judging by the terrain, after the great kingdom sank, this place would have been completely submerged by the rising sea levels. That perfectly aligns with the Devil Fruit legends from our era."
"Legends?"
"Haven't you heard the tale of the Devil Fruit Tree?" Rocks blinked, his eyes suddenly clouded with nostalgia.
"Devil Fruits are hated and weakened by the sea, yet it's also the sea that delivers them to humans..."
Hearing this, Michael suddenly recalled the legend.
During his decades in this world, he'd heard variations of the same story everywhere.
That Devil Fruits were born from a single Devil Fruit Tree.
That this tree grew in some hidden corner of the ocean, a place no one had ever reached.
When the fruits ripened, they would fall into the sea, carried away by currents to unknown destinations.
Thus, with enough luck, one could simply pluck a drifting Devil Fruit from the ocean's surface.
The prime example was Ace from the official novels.
The Flame-Flame Fruit, often mocked as "not even fit for dogs," was obtained by Ace in precisely this manner.
But... it was just a legend.
After all, the origins of Devil Fruits remained unknown, and there were multiple competing theories about their beginnings.
"Perhaps in your era, this was gospel truth... but decades after the God Valley War, artificial Devil Fruits already existed," Michael raised an eyebrow. "The ancient kingdom may be older, but its technological level far surpassed that of the World Government's reign... If Vegapunk could create artificial Devil Fruits, couldn't an even more advanced civilization do the same?"
"Artificial Devil Fruits..." Rocks paused momentarily but didn't dwell on it. "That's irrelevant... What matters is we can confirm this abyss holds secrets waiting to be uncovered."
"Fair point."
Michael agreed wholeheartedly.
Whether it was the Devil Fruit Tree theory or the artificial Devil Fruit theory, both were likely connected to this place.
"What are you two whispering about over there?" Toki pointed toward a path trampled out by giant beasts.
"I've never gone that way... The other areas don't seem particularly special... Shall we investigate?"
"You haven't fully explored below in all this time?"
"Father, though I was kicked into the abyss, my primary goal was finding a way back up. I never intended to investigate thoroughly... So I haven't explored most areas down here."
"Hmm... So with such limited exploration, you still managed to find two Devil Fruits?"
"Exactly... in this place, Devil Fruits should be the least valuable things around."
Toki was quite emotional about it.
After all, even the beasts by the roadside almost all had Devil Fruit abilities.
The density was truly a bit terrifying.
Fortunately, Michael's Conqueror's Haki had swept through the entire abyss valley, knocking all these beasts unconscious.
Otherwise, provoking their ferocity would have been quite troublesome to handle.
"Let's move on then," Michael nodded. "I also want to know whether this environment is just a coincidence or if there really is a tree that spawns Devil Fruits."
...
As Michael, Rocks, and Toki continued their journey through the abyss valley, they began to understand the ecology below.
"Not only are the creatures here extinct land giants, but the vegetation types are also those lost to history... Yet here, they coexist in an eerie harmony."
"Your knowledge of history far exceeds my expectations," Michael chuckled at Rocks. "Hard to imagine you were the captain of the world's most powerful pirate crew back then... Shouldn't you be all about fighting, plundering, and heavy drinking?"
"What exactly is your problem with pirates?" Rocks' lips twitched involuntarily. "There are plenty of cultured people among pirates, you know?"
"Yeah, right," Michael scoffed.
Not just among pirates—even within the Marines and the Revolutionary Army, the truly educated were a rare minority.
Only the organized, disciplined, and selective Marines had some members excelling in academic subjects... How could pirates, whose lives revolved around violence and treasure hunting, be so cultured?
Give me a break.
Still, there was an undeniable air of wisdom about Rocks.
Of course, Michael was more inclined to attribute it to the natural charisma of a once-in-a-generation figure.
But as they ventured deeper, the playful expressions on their faces gradually faded.
The sights along the way forced Michael to admit...
Rocks might very well be right.
Every stretch of the path revealed more giant beasts with Devil Fruit abilities, all lying unconscious.
And these beasts were far larger than the smaller ones at the outskirts.
"Rough estimate—they're significantly bigger than the Near Shore King," Michael nodded. "And the proportion with Devil Fruit abilities is skyrocketing... If the ratio at the outskirts was one in ten—meaning one special individual with abilities for every ten ordinary ones—then the ratio here has already reached one in five, and it's still rising..."
"Even if this isn't the so-called 'Devil Fruit Tree,' it's definitely one of the places where Devil Fruits are born."
As he spoke, Michael patted a seemingly sturdy mammoth standing nearby—though it had actually been unconscious for a while.
"Look at this guy—a Zoan-type Rat-Rat Fruit... A mammoth with mouse ears and a long tail... Goes to show how random Devil Fruit abilities can be."
"There are plenty of Devil Fruit users with even stranger appearances than this... No need to dwell too much on something like the Rat-Rat Fruit." Rocks leaned on his cane as he continued forward.
"I'm growing increasingly hopeful that the depths here will align with my earlier predictions... If so, we'd be uncovering one of this world's greatest secrets!"
Michael watched Rocks' retreating figure.
Did this man even resemble a pirate anymore?
More inquisitive than Vegapunk himself!
---------
Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator