The world of pirates was on the brink of turmoil, yet for the past few days, Ben had shut himself indoors, not even stepping outside.
On the very night he obtained the Dark-Dark Fruit, after some deep contemplation, Ben made a firm decision—he would eat the Devil Fruit.
The reason? Simple. He wanted to become stronger.
Whether it was the mysterious interdimensional gate within his body or the increasingly chaotic state of the world, Ben knew that to seize more benefits—and survive better—he needed power. Real power.
And as it turned out, the so-called rumor that Devil Fruits tasted like crap? Totally false. Before taking his first bite, Ben had mentally prepared himself for the worst—telling himself things like, "Great men don't sweat the small stuff," or "Heaven bestows great burdens on great men."
But when he actually bit into the Dark-Dark Fruit… It was surprisingly delicious! Juicy, fragrant—totally unexpected.
What was supposed to be a single suffering bite turned into a full-on feast. Ben ate the whole fruit—about the size of a watermelon.
Just as he suspected, even after leaving the world of pirates, the Dark-Dark Fruit retained its mystical power. It seemed the world he currently lived in was highly compatible with foreign powers, capable of accommodating supernatural forces from other universes.
After consuming the fruit, Ben felt like his entire being was immersed in dark energy. Endless streams of dark elements surged through his body.
He had become the embodiment of darkness.
But in truth, that was just an illusion brought on by a sudden gain in power. The Dark-Dark Fruit was indeed powerful, with an apparently infinite supply of dark energy—but in the days that followed, as his initial euphoria wore off, Ben noticed something important: while the dark energy seemed limitless, using it required stamina.
It was like owning a massive reservoir. There's plenty of water—but how much you can actually use depends on the size of your faucet. His body was the faucet. The stronger he got, the more of the fruit's power he could tap into.
"No wonder they say it's not the fruit that makes the man—but the man who brings out the fruit's potential," Ben mused. "Just look at the Navy Admirals. Even without Devil Fruits, they'd still be some of the strongest on the sea."
Devil Fruits merely gave people a chance. Whether they could seize that chance and climb higher—that was up to them.
In the end, a person has to rely on themselves.
Ben now sat on the sofa in his living room. Between his fingers, black energy flowed like water. As it dripped to the floor, it dyed the already-dirty floorboards completely black.
Soon, the coffee table began sinking—swallowed by the ever-expanding pool of darkness as if it were being devoured by a bottomless abyss.
Just as the table vanished, Ben clenched his fist. In that instant, the puddle of blackness condensed into a pulsing sphere of dark energy, floating in the middle of the room.
Moments later, he slowly relaxed his hand, and the dark orb disintegrated. Broken bits of wood and debris—the remnants of the table—crashed back down onto the floor.
"These days spent locked inside weren't wasted," Ben said with a smile as he stood up. "I've finally gained initial control over the Dark-Dark Fruit."
Looking around, the place was trashed—like a hurricane had torn through it. Worse than the pool hall he and his crew had wrecked days ago.
In the first two days after eating the fruit, Ben couldn't control the power at all. It was like suddenly growing a tail—you might know it's part of you, but without experience, you'd trip over it constantly.
The very first night he ate the fruit, he woke up the next morning, farted—and accidentally released a puff of black smoke infused with dark elements that blew his bed to pieces.
So yeah, Ben hadn't dared to go outside for days. What if he accidentally let one rip on the street and blew someone up?
He'd be infamous for all the wrong reasons.
But today, finally, he felt like he'd adapted to the power and gained control. Time to step outside, get a feel for things, and start planning his next move.
Originally, he had a fixed life plan in mind—but now that he could open interdimensional gates, his options had exploded. If things got rough here, maybe he'd just relocate to the pirate world permanently and cause some chaos.
In any case, after all these days, Ben finally felt a sense of confidence.
Out on the streets, the city of Newdal looked the same as always. No noticeable changes. It seemed the Empire's westward expansion hadn't affected things here yet.
He bought a newspaper and casually made his way to Sphinx Street. On the way, a few underlings greeted him politely, calling him "Boss." But Ben was too absorbed in the paper to respond.
He turned a corner and walked into a fight club. Slapping the newspaper down on the bar counter, his expression turned dull—clearly unimpressed with the recent news.
"Hey Ben, haven't seen you in days! Don't tell me someone bashed your head in again?" a massive man on the training mat, over 2.5 meters tall, laughed and called out.
Lighting a cigar, Ben bit it between his teeth and grinned, "Wanna test that theory? I'll bash your head in right now."
"Hahaha, you're looking lively. Want a quick spar?"
"Nope. Where's Franke?" Ben waved him off.
"I'm here," came a voice.
From behind the bar, a lean man stepped out carrying a sleek briefcase and sat across from Ben.
Before Ben could speak, Franke raised an eyebrow and said, "I've got something new. Wanna try it?"
"What is it?" Ben asked with curiosity.
Franke was a black market dealer in Newdal—always getting his hands on bizarre items. Ben had helped him out a few times before, so they had a decent relationship. Sometimes Ben would drop by to hear rumors and underground news.
"Feast your eyes on this." Franke smugly tilted his head and unlocked the case.
Inside was a clear vial—containing blood-red liquid like flowing blood.
"Blood?" Ben guessed.
"Ahem—this is a special serum that enhances physical abilities. Technically, it's called RC Cells," Franke explained with flair.
RC Cells? The name rang a bell, but Ben couldn't quite place it.
"Another power from another world?" he asked.
"Of course! You're a body-strengthening ability user, right? I figured this would suit you—snagged it off the black market just for you," Franke said with a grin.
"Ha. You definitely have ulterior motives. Since when do you give me free stuff?" Ben snorted. "Spill it. What's the side effect?"
They were both criminals; no way Franke was just being generous.
Caught, Franke didn't even flinch. He chuckled, "You want power? There's always a price."
"Cut the crap." Ben tapped the table and exhaled smoke.
Franke glanced around and leaned in. "You remember half a year ago, when a dimensional gate opened in Vandil City?"
"Yeah, I remember. The paper mentioned it recently. Said there's a cannibal serial killer on the loose over there…" Ben paused mid-sentence.
RC Cells.
Franke didn't notice Ben's expression. He continued, "Officially, they said the gate went out of control. Truth is, it was breached. The ruling Ossaria family covered it up. They seized the power from that gate—RC Cells. Said to come from a species called Ghouls."
"So the side effect is cannibalism?" Ben rolled his eyes.
"That was the early version. The Ossarias have been refining it for over six months. What I've got here is way more stable. No eating people—though you'll probably get really hungry."
(End of Chapter)