Adrian called Yoriichi over.
He tossed the Flame-Flame Fruit into the man's hands.
"This is the Flame-Flame Fruit. No weaknesses. Eat it. It suits your fighting style—and it'll boost your strength fast."
Yoriichi didn't hesitate. He accepted the fruit, bit straight into it, and swallowed.
Off to the side, Dusty—Adrian's maid—had been listening the entire time.
Her face was full of confusion.
Even as a rookie who'd never stepped foot in the New World, she at least knew who was supposed to wield the Flame-Flame Fruit:
Portgas D. Ace, Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates.
But Adrian just casually pulled out another Flame-Flame Fruit?
Impossible.
Every Devil Fruit in the world was unique.
There was no such thing as a second copy.
She instantly assumed Adrian was lying to his own men—feeding them some random Devil Fruit he had extorted from the Marines.
But she didn't try to stop it.
If his own subordinate got scammed, what did that have to do with a Navy soldier-slave like her?
That thought lasted exactly five seconds.
Because the moment Yoriichi finished swallowing—
—his entire body erupted into real flames.
Dusty's pupils contracted sharply.
That fire…
That aura…
"No way… That is the Flame-Flame Fruit! How—?!
Devil Fruits can't duplicate!
Unless… unless Ace died?!?"
SMACK!
A crisp sound rang out as Adrian slapped Dusty across the rear.
Her cheeks went scarlet—half shame, half fury.
If she weren't so weak…
If she could beat even one of Adrian's subordinates…
She would've fought him to the death on the spot.
"Don't underestimate your master," Adrian said casually.
"Your Devil Fruit logic doesn't apply to me."
Yoriichi bowed deeply.
"Thank you for this gift, Boss."
In this crew, Yoriichi's strength was… frankly unimpressive.
Luffy's CP9-trained Rokushiki, Madara's overwhelming power, Hashirama's monstrous abilities—compared to those monsters, Yoriichi lagged far behind.
He had been grinding relentlessly, but progress was slow.
At this rate, he'd need at least half a year to reach Nation-Destroying class.
But now?
This fruit would cut the time drastically.
"Go train," Adrian said with a wave.
Yoriichi nodded and headed back to the Shark Submerge.
Rob Lucci was already teaching Haki there.
With Lucci's Haki now far more refined than before, he made for a solid instructor.
Zabuza and Yoriichi were learning.
Madara and Hashirama were learning too.
Those two needed Armament Haki—because in Loguetown, facing Admirals, their attacks had barely done real damage. That humiliation was carved into them.
Madara took it personally.
Hashirama… well, he took things less seriously in general.
…
After Yoriichi left, Adrian's eyes drifted toward Nami.
"Nami," he called out, "I have another Logia here—the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. If you want to get stronger, eat it."
Nami froze—then her eyes lit up.
She wasn't the sheltered East Blue girl she used to be.
She'd seen the world.
She'd learned about Devil Fruits.
She'd learned about Haki.
And she had learned… other things about men, too.
(Not the point.)
The point was:
Logias are terrifyingly strong.
The Admirals were living proof.
Lightning itself…
One of the most destructive forces in nature.
If she mastered that power—who said she couldn't reach Admiral-level one day?
"I'll take it!!!" Nami shouted without hesitation.
Missing an opportunity like this would be idiotic.
Years spent under Arlong's control taught her one thing:
Weakness is a sin.
If she had this kind of power back then—would she ever have been manipulated by a nobody like Arlong?
No.
Adrian flicked the fruit toward her.
"Then it's yours. Better you have it than letting it collect dust."
Nami snatched the Rumble-Rumble Fruit mid-air.
She took a bite—
She braced for the infamous "Devil Fruit tastes like absolute garbage" flavor—
But the awful taste never came.
Before she could question it—
A crackle of blue-white electricity danced across her skin.
Her heartbeat quickened.
Her breath hitched.
She had become—
A Rumble-Rumble Fruit user.
A Logia.
A walking thunderstorm.
The navigator of the crew was no longer dead weight.
She was now a weapon.
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