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Chapter 5 - Chapter 5: Devil Fruit

One calm morning, Darius decided to explore again, as it had become one of his personal goals to walk through every corner of Dawn Island.

The forest, the cliffs, the beaches, even the less explored mountains—he wanted to know them all.

Beside him, Swain followed quietly, walking with a proud and steady pace like a loyal guard or a guide dog.

Dragon was not on the island that day, as Garp had taken him along on a Marine ship for the first time.

Darius, however, had refused when Garp asked him to come as well, claiming that the sea would be boring if he could not go there on his own terms.

With Dragon gone, it was just Darius and Swain together, wandering the paths surrounded by thick trees and faint morning mist.

The air was fresh, and the soft rustle of leaves made the forest seem peaceful.

Darius enjoyed this kind of quiet, even though he was always training, as moments like this gave him time to think about his progress and the world around him.

As they continued walking deeper into the woods, Swain suddenly perked up, his nose twitching rapidly as if he caught a strong scent.

Without warning, Swain took off running ahead, his claws tearing into the soil as he darted between the trees.

Darius blinked in surprise before sighing lightly, already used to this kind of behavior.

He followed after him at a quick pace, curious about what had caught Swain's attention this time.

After a few minutes of running, Darius found Swain standing in a small open patch of the forest, his tail wagging energetically.

The wolf had something in his mouth, something oddly patterned and shining under the filtered sunlight.

As Darius got closer, he realized what it was, and his expression shifted from confusion to mild shock. The thing in Swain's mouth was a Devil Fruit.

"Where did you find that, Swain?" Darius asked, genuinely curious, his tone calm but focused.

Swain tilted his head slightly, still holding the fruit, then turned toward a nearby tree, seemingly indicating that he found it there.

But before Darius could stop him, Swain bit down out of instinct, and a moment later, his face twisted in disgust.

The taste of the Devil Fruit was as bad as the rumors said. Swain immediately dropped it and started coughing lightly, his tongue hanging out while he made a whining sound.

Darius let out a short laugh but then froze when he saw what started to happen next.

Swain's body began to change rapidly. His black fur shifted to a bright, icy white, and his frame grew larger, thicker, and more intimidating.

His teeth lengthened into sharp fangs that stuck slightly out of his mouth, and his claws grew longer as well.

The once sleek black wolf had turned into something much more feral-looking, almost majestic in its new form.

Yet, despite the transformation, Swain's eyes still held the same loyal and intelligent look as before.

Swain looked around, confused by his new perspective. The trees that once towered over him were now almost at his eye level.

He blinked and tilted his head again, as if trying to understand what just happened.

"Cute," Darius said with a small smile, finding it amusing that even with his larger and more intimidating appearance, Swain still acted the same way.

Darius walked closer, standing beside his companion, realizing that for the first time, Swain was actually taller than him.

"You just ate a Devil Fruit," Darius said casually, crouching slightly to look at Swain's face.

"I don't know what type it is, but I'd guess it's a Zoan-type. You got bigger, your fur changed color, and your teeth look sharper, so it fits the pattern. Either way, we'll figure it out eventually. Now come on, give me a ride," he added with a grin, patting Swain's back before jumping on top of him.

Swain gave a small bark in response, still slightly confused but happy that Darius seemed pleased.

The large wolf began running again, its new size making it even faster than before.

The wind rushed past Darius' face as Swain darted through the forest, his white fur blending with the faint mist.

After a while, Darius noticed something unusual. As Swain's paws touched the ground, thin layers of frost began forming where he stepped.

The air around them turned colder with every stride, and even Darius could feel a slight chill brushing against his skin.

He narrowed his eyes, watching closely as Swain ran, breathing heavily with his mouth open like he always did when excited. Each exhale seemed to release a faint mist of cold air.

'Hmm, could it be a Mythical Zoan?' Darius thought, intrigued by what he was seeing. If so, it would mean Swain had eaten an extremely rare and powerful fruit, one possibly tied to ice or winter. The thought made him more curious than surprised.

As they ran further, the forest began to thin, and the open view of the sea appeared ahead of them.

It was part of their usual routine to leap off the cliff and dive into the ocean together to hunt for sea kings. But this time, Darius quickly realized the problem.

"Wait, Swain, you can't jump into the sea anymore," Darius said firmly as they stopped near the edge of the cliff.

Swain tilted his head, clearly not understanding, so Darius explained what he knew. "You've eaten a Devil Fruit. It makes you stronger, but you'll lose your strength in the sea. If you touch the water, you'll sink like a rock and can't move."

Swain seemed to understand after a moment, his ears drooping as he let out a sad whine. The thought of not being able to swim again made him visibly upset, since swimming in the ocean with Darius was one of his favorite things.

Seeing the sadness in his companion's eyes, Darius sighed softly. "Fine," he said finally, placing his hand on Swain's head. "But don't blame me if you feel weak afterward."

The moment Darius said that, Swain's ears perked up again, his excitement instantly returning. He let out a short bark, clearly thrilled.

Darius couldn't help but smile as he adjusted his grip around Swain's neck, preparing for what came next.

With one strong leap, Darius ran forward, carrying Swain's large body with surprising ease despite the weight, and together they jumped off the cliff.

The air rushed past them as they fell, the wind whipping against their faces, and both wore wide grins. Swain howled happily mid-fall, his voice echoing across the sea.

When they hit the water, Darius immediately felt the resistance of the waves, while Swain, as expected, started to lose all his strength.

His large body became heavy and unresponsive, and he let out a few small whimpers, his tongue lolling out in exhaustion.

"See? I told you," Darius said while swimming, holding Swain's head above the surface with one hand. "But think of it this way, it's good training. You'll get used to your weakness if you face it directly."

With calm strokes, Darius continued swimming through the sea, balancing Swain's limp body beside him.

The large wolf looked exhausted but still tried to keep his eyes open, occasionally letting out small noises of complaint. Darius just chuckled quietly and kept going.

They stayed in the water for hours, not only training Swain's endurance but also hunting along the way.

When a sea beast appeared, Darius would fight it off with his free hand, turning the encounter into their next meal.

By the time they returned to shore, both were tired but satisfied, with the ocean breeze cooling their skin and fur.

It was just another strange, eventful day in Darius' training routine, one that ended with a new discovery and a much larger wolf by his side, as they shared a meal in the campfire.

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The next morning, Darius and Swain were already at their usual training grounds, the familiar clearing surrounded by tall trees and uneven ground that had long been marked by their constant battles.

This was the same place where Darius would usually spar with both Dragon and Swain together, but since Dragon was away, it was only him and Swain today.

Darius wanted to test how much Swain's new form could handle and what kind of abilities the wolf had gained from the strange Devil Fruit he accidentally ate.

As the morning breeze passed through the clearing, Darius stood with his axe resting on his shoulder, watching Swain curiously. "Alright, Swain, let's see if you can turn back into the form you used yesterday," Darius said calmly, his tone more like an instructor than a master giving an order.

Swain tilted his head, confused for a second, but then, as Darius repeated the instruction and pointed at him, Swain seemed to remember what had happened. Slowly, his body started to change once again.

His black fur began to shimmer before turning white, and his size expanded rapidly, growing from his normal form into the gigantic wolf that had shocked Darius the day before.

The transformation was smoother this time, as if Swain was starting to understand how to control it on instinct.

A visible chill came from Swain's breath as he exhaled, small clouds of icy mist escaping from his mouth.

The ground beneath his paws began to frost slightly, confirming Darius' earlier suspicion.

Swain's Devil Fruit seemed to be of a Mythical Zoan type connected to an Ice Wolf, something rare even by One Piece world standards.

"Good," Darius said with a small nod, taking a step back while tightening his grip on his axe. "Now, let's see how you do in a spar."

Swain's ears perked up instantly, recognizing the familiar tone that meant training.

His tail lowered, his body tensed, and in an instant, he charged forward, kicking up dirt and frost with each step.

Darius met his rush head-on, swinging the blunt end of his axe to parry Swain's claws.

When they clashed, Darius immediately felt the difference. The power behind Swain's strike was far beyond what it used to be, easily more than triple his previous strength.

Darius grinned slightly, impressed, as Swain's icy breath began spreading across the ground.

Swain suddenly howled, releasing a wave of freezing wind that rushed toward Darius like an invisible blast.

The cold air bit into his skin as Darius crossed his arms to block it, feeling a thin layer of ice form over the surface of his weapon.

'So, you can release cold energy now too,' Darius thought, his eyes narrowing as he observed every small change in Swain's movements.

He could tell that the fruit not only increased Swain's raw strength and endurance but also gave him control over the element of ice itself.

The spar continued for a long while, and the more they fought, the more abilities Swain began to show.

When Swain slammed his front paws to the ground, a strong shockwave burst out, enough to push back nearby rocks and send cold wind rippling through the clearing.

Darius had to jump back several times just to avoid being frozen in place.

Swain also learned to cover his body in a thin layer of ice armor, his white fur blending seamlessly with the glacial coating, making him look almost ethereal under the sunlight.

They trained like this until the afternoon, pushing each other to their limits. Each time Darius countered Swain's move, Swain would respond with something new, as though his instincts were evolving mid-battle.

Eventually, Darius called it to a stop when he noticed the wolf beginning to pant heavily, the frost on his fur slowly melting under the heat of his body.

Later that day, they went hunting as usual. It had become part of their daily routine to test how well Swain could use his powers in actual combat.

During the hunt, Swain caught and killed a large boar with a single powerful bite, but this time, something strange happened.

Darius noticed a faint shimmer of energy, almost like a mist, leaving the boar's body and flowing into Swain.

The wolf stood still for a moment, his eyes glowing faintly before returning to normal, as if absorbing something invisible.

Darius frowned slightly, his curiosity deepening. 'What kind of Devil Fruit did you really eat, Swain?' he thought, watching closely.

The signs were starting to point to something beyond an ordinary Zoan. Maybe it was a Mythical Zoan with additional abilities, or perhaps something even rarer.

As Darius looked at Swain's calm but proud expression, he decided not to rush to conclusions. "We'll figure it out later," he said quietly, patting Swain's shoulder. For now, he was just glad that his companion had become even stronger.

Still, in the back of his mind, Darius couldn't help but look forward to Garp's return. He knew that his old man often brought back all sorts of items from the sea, and more importantly, there was always a Devil Fruit or two stored on Garp's ship.

Maybe by comparing them, Darius could finally identify what kind of fruit Swain had eaten.

As the sun began to set, painting the forest in orange light, Darius and Swain made their way back home, the ground beneath their feet crunching softly from the thin frost that Swain unintentionally left behind.

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