Chapter 9: One Punch White Eyes
"Ooh~ How scary~ Has another ability user been born?"
Hearing the voice from behind, Karl's back suddenly felt cold. He turned his head in shock, and what came into view was a tall, skinny man with curly black hair, wearing a pair of sunglasses.
He was dressed in a yellow and white striped suit, a purple tie, a dark green shirt, and white leather shoes. His rather thin lips were puckered, and one hand was on his chin, as if in thought.
It's you! The PPAP uncle! No, it's Admiral Kizaru!
When did he arrive? He hadn't noticed at all?
"Ki-Admiral Kizaru!"
Karl stood up stiffly, saluted Kizaru, his expression a little excited, which was very in line with an ordinary marine's attitude when meeting an Admiral.
Kizaru scanned Karl through his sunglasses, thinking to himself, "Is Teacher Zephyr's training camp recruitment so unreliable these days? They're even bringing out minors?"
"Borsalino! What are you doing here?"
Zephyr and Kizaru didn't get along well. Back in Kizaru's student days, he was Zephyr's least favorite student: lazy, arrogant, and most importantly, unbalanced in his skills.
But this was all in the past, and Zephyr didn't want to bring it up anymore. Still, seeing Kizaru made his blood pressure spike.
He became even more anxious seeing him talking to his new recruit, afraid that Karl would be led astray by Kizaru and go down a path of no return.
Wait, he doesn't seem to be an ability user...
Kizaru raised an eyebrow, quickly waved his hands at Zephyr, and said in his sarcastic tone: "So scary~ Teacher Zephyr, don't be so agitated! You have to take it easy with your old arms and legs."
Zephyr's face was dark as he said in a deep voice: "This old man doesn't need your concern. You, on the other hand, an Admiral, how do you have time to stroll around this old man's place?"
"Teacher Zephyr, I just heard your marine training camp had started again, so I came over to help you see if there were any outstanding talents! Ooh, this one looks good. Hey, young man, what was your ability again?"
After speaking, Kizaru plopped down on the bench, crossed his legs, and slumped against the backrest, completely ignoring Zephyr's gaze.
"Hmph~ Then you've misjudged. This kid isn't an ability user. Your eye for talent isn't all that great!"
"Oh? Is that so? Then what is this?"
Kizaru's figure flashed. He picked up the half-eaten Holy Light Fruit that Karl had thrown on the ground, then sat back down, showing the unfinished fruit in his hand to Zephyr.
The round trip took less than 1 second, showing just how fast Kizaru was.
Rookie Karl could only see a flash of golden light, and then his half-eaten Holy Light Fruit was in Kizaru's hand. He couldn't see anything else clearly.
Looking at the fruit in Kizaru's hand, those familiar patterns... Zephyr's gaze hardened. He turned to Karl and asked seriously: "You just ate this?"
Karl swallowed and nodded: "Uh, yes. But it was too disgusting, so I only took one bite."
Zephyr frowned and snatched the Holy Light Fruit from Kizaru's hand. He was someone who had seen the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, but after searching his memory, he still couldn't determine what ability this Devil Fruit granted.
"Pfft~"
The Holy Light Fruit in his hand was crushed to a pulp by Zephyr. His voice full of anger, he roared at Karl: "Idiot! Is a Devil Fruit something you can just eat recklessly? Don't you know that once you eat a Devil Fruit, you'll be cursed by the sea and become a hammer forever!"
Kizaru: Feels offended!
"Ahem!"
Zephyr glanced at Kizaru, took a deep breath to calm down, and continued speaking to Karl: "Huu~ Show this old man your ability!"
Kizaru also turned sideways with great interest, wanting to see what Karl's ability was.
He couldn't help it. These two were the biggest of big shots. Karl had no room to resist. If he had known, he would have been more low-key and eaten it back in the dorm.
But who could have expected that this troll Kizaru would suddenly appear?
Under Zephyr's gaze, Karl extended his right hand. A faint golden ball of light appeared in his palm again and, under Karl's control, quickly merged into Zephyr's body.
Zephyr's eyes widened. He had suffered from asthma for most of his life, but he had never felt his lungs and throat so clear. That golden light was like the sun dispersing the darkness...
"Cough cough cough~"
Before long, Zephyr began to cough violently, as if he was about to cough up his lungs, his face an unnatural shade of red.
Kizaru frowned. Although he wasn't sure what was happening to Zephyr, it was definitely related to Karl.
The next second, Kizaru aimed his fingertip at Karl. A dazzling golden light gathered as he said slowly: "What did you do to Teacher Zephyr?"
"Don't!"
Zephyr extended his hand to stop Kizaru. Then, with a "pfft," he spat out a large wad of dark, black phlegm. A smile appeared on his face. He grabbed Karl's shoulders and asked in pleasant surprise: "Your ability... it has a healing effect?"
"Wait... this old man's body..."
Before Karl could speak, Zephyr raised his hands in disbelief, his eyes full of shock. That golden light just now had actually made his strength increase a tiny bit.
It was like he had become a year younger. Although the boost wasn't much, Karl had only just become a Devil Fruit user!
"You, where did you find this Devil Fruit?"
Of course, Karl couldn't say the system gave it to him. After a moment's thought, he said: "Didn't I just go to the infirmary? On the way back, I bought some fresh fruit to eat, and... this happened."
Karl had lied, but not completely.
He had indeed bought some fruit on his way back from the infirmary, just to savor the pleasure of eating snacks while watching others go through military training. The fruit peels and scraps on the ground were proof.
Zephyr quickly filled in the blanks. While Karl was eating the fruit he bought, one of them suddenly turned into a Devil Fruit, which Karl happened to eat, and was then discovered by Kizaru.
"Heaven bless the Marines!!!"
Zephyr roared with emotion, tears streaming down his old face. This old man, who had dedicated almost his entire life to the Marines, understood better than anyone how important a healing + enhancement ability was for the Marines!
Karl had only just gained his fruit ability, and it already had such a noticeable effect on him. Once he grew, his value to the Marines would be immeasurable!
First, Karl's ability could be released from a distance, which meant he could conveniently apply enhancement effects to his comrades. After training, he might even be able to buff multiple marines at the same time, raising the Marines' overall combat power by several levels.
Second, Karl's ability had a healing effect, and a very powerful one at that. On a battlefield where swords have no eyes, with Karl around, the Marines' casualty rate would be greatly reduced. The Marines could then counter-attack, thus freeing up more combat power!
Finally, and most importantly, Karl was a ten-year veteran. His loyalty to the Marines was beyond question. Moreover, his foundation was solid, and his potential for growth was extremely high. As long as he was properly trained, given time, Karl would definitely become a leading figure of the new generation of Marines!
Thinking of this, Zephyr's gaze towards Karl became a little more intense. Having you is the Marines' good fortune!
"Karl, you, come with me to Sengoku's office right now! We're going now!"