"Not bad at all. With this, there's basically no one left in Vilia Port who can threaten me,"
Aaron said with a faint smile of his own.
The handsome young man, who bore a striking resemblance to Aaron, didn't seem to agree. He shook his head and replied,
"Don't get careless, main body. Your Observation Haki is still at a beginner level. One misstep, and even a veteran who's mastered both Armament and Observation Haki could kill you."
Aaron nodded thoughtfully.
"You're right. That's why, once I return this time, I plan to train in the frozen lands outside. My survival ability will reach its peak there. And with the Snow-Snow Fruit, many of my previous training plans can finally be realized. The ice and snow environment will also help me further develop the fruit's powers."
The relationship between Aaron and the handsome youth was simple—main body and clone.
The fruit responsible for this was the Twin Fruit, the other Devil Fruit Aaron had acquired from the Donquixote Auction House.
This particular fruit granted the user the power to create a duplicate of themselves.
The clone created through the TwinFruit possessed the same innate talent and physical potential as Aaron. Because the two shared identical memories and a telepathic link, the clone could perform most abilities gained through training—such as Observation Haki, Kuja Body-Refining Techniques, marksmanship, and swordsmanship—just like the original. The only exceptions were Devil Fruit powers and the exact same level of physical endurance as the main body.
However, the Twin Fruit came with serious limitations and costs.
The limitation: it could only be used once. Regardless of who used it—whether the ability user themselves or another person—once its power was invoked, it could never be used again.
That meant only one clone could ever be created. Even if the clone died, the user could never make another.
And the price? Half of the user's lifespan.
A steep cost—but the benefits were immense. The clone was an independent being, capable of eating another Devil Fruit, training on its own, and developing its own will. Moreover, all memories, insights, and experiences could be shared between the two through their telepathic link.
Most importantly, the clone would be utterly loyal to its creator. Betrayal was impossible.
When Aaron first learned of the Twin Fruit's powers, he hesitated for a long time before deciding to use it.
After all, sacrificing half of one's lifespan was no small gamble. If it paid off, the rewards would be great—but if it didn't, he'd lose half his life for nothing.
To minimize the risk, he had a long-lived turtle eat the Twin Fruit first, then immediately knocked it unconscious to prevent it from using the one-time ability. Afterward, Aaron used his Fruit to extract the TwinFruit's power and employ it himself to create his clone.
"So, does this mean I'll be going undercover in the Marines next?" the clone asked with a grin.
Since the clone was essentially part of Aaron, the system's detection and analysis functions worked on it as well.
Aaron glanced at his clone's stats and shook his head.
"Not yet. You're not strong enough. Going out now would still be too dangerous."
Sending the clone to infiltrate the Marines had been Aaron's primary goal in using the Twin Fruit. His ultimate aim was to take revenge on the Celestial Dragons—and in that endeavor, the Marines were an inevitable obstacle.
As the saying goes, the strongest fortress is often breached from within.
If Aaron wanted to grow his power and influence, he would eventually have to confront the Marines. Having an insider would allow him to monitor their every move.
The Marines also possessed the world's best intelligence network and immense resources. If his clone could one day rise to a high rank within the organization, it would provide Aaron with invaluable information and supplies.
Furthermore, the Marines were full of powerful fighters. If his clone could successfully infiltrate them and demonstrate exceptional talent, he might receive guidance from some of those experts—accelerating both his and Aaron's growth.
Aaron had always coveted the Rokushiki, the Marines' unique combat techniques.
Although he knew the general principles of the Six Styles from his memories of his previous life and online information, he had no idea how the actual training was conducted. Obviously, it wasn't as simple as what the anime or fan discussions described—true mastery likely required hands-on training within Marine Headquarters.
"Really? Then could you at least grant me that one request? That way, I might be able to improve faster."
Hearing Aaron's refusal once again, the clone looked a little dejected—but soon smiled with a hopeful expression.
As a clone, he had inherited Aaron's memories and hatred for the Celestial Dragons. Naturally, he supported Aaron's revenge plan.
Even though he would never disobey an order from his main body, he still had a mind of his own. He didn't want to spend all day cooped up in this small courtyard, training endlessly. He wanted to contribute in his own way to Aaron's vengeance.
But he also knew Aaron was right—his current strength was far too low. Venturing out now would indeed be reckless.
After all, he hadn't even existed for a full month. His physical stats had started below average—around 8 points each—and only after a month of hard training had they reached around 13 points, roughly equivalent to Aaron's level when he first arrived in Velia Port half a year ago.
Of course, the clone didn't want to spend another six months slowly building up his body. He wanted to grow faster.
That was why he wanted Aaron to use his munch munch Fruit to remodel his body, making it more compatible with the Kuja Body-Refining Techniques.
"This… might not be a good idea."
Since their minds were linked, Aaron instantly understood what his clone was asking for—and couldn't help but look conflicted.
What kind of body would be more compatible with the Kuja Body-Refining Techniques?
A female body, of course. The art had been created by the first Empress of Amazon Lily, modeled after the physiology of women and inspired by an ancient species of serpents native to the island.
While men could train in the technique, the results were nowhere near as effective.
With his Munch-Munch Fruit, Aaron could easily alter a person's body—or even change their gender—but as a man who had lived his whole life that way, he found the idea uncomfortable. He hadn't expected his clone to come up with something this outrageous.
Truly, no two leaves are the same. Even a clone made from his own being, inheriting his own memories, could have entirely different perspectives.
"It's not a big deal. My progress is too slow right now. If I use a woman's body, I'll improve faster. Once I'm ready to take on missions, I can just switch back. Staying here every day is suffocating. I have my own will, so please, respect my choice."
The clone sighed, clearly aware of what Aaron was thinking.
He understood perfectly how he was created, and thus didn't share ordinary human notions about identity or pride.
Aaron had no words for that. Though reluctant, he finally nodded.
"Alright… I'll respect your choice."
He really had no other option. The clone had independent will—a good thing, in a way, since it meant Aaron didn't need to control two bodies at once. But it also meant that if he ignored the clone's wishes, the clone might not cooperate fully, even if it couldn't outright disobey him.
For the Twin Fruit's power to reach its full potential, both had to work in harmony.
A short while later, a beautiful young woman—bearing about eighty percent of Aaron's resemblance—stood before him.
"From now on," she said with a bright smile, stretching her limbs in the snowy courtyard,
"you can call me Arina."
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