Chapter 17
After Vilin led Annie out of the auction house, he noticed large groups of pirates rushing toward the port.
Using Observation Haki, he quickly sensed the situation.
Looks like someone's planning a robbery.
Vilin's lips curved into an interested smile.
He was very curious about the life energy these men carried inside them.
Lame Island – port area.
The Vulture Pirates, fresh from winning the Bird-Bird Fruit, White Eagle Model, found themselves completely surrounded by more than a dozen pirate crews.
Among the besiegers were Blood-Hand Mondo and Madman Remy.
"Are you all trying to start a war with the Vulture Pirates?!"
Captain Ferrel roared in fury as he saw his crew encircled.
Regret gnawed at him.
He should have eaten the fruit right there in the auction hall.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be in this desperate position.
"Hahahaha! Ferrel, who're you trying to scare?"
"Others might fear the Vulture Pirates, but the Blood-Hand Pirates sure don't!"
"Hand over that Devil Fruit you won—nice and easy—and I'll give you a quick death!"
"Yeah! Hand it over!"
Seeing every crew pointing weapons at him, Ferrel's face grew uglier by the second.
His small force couldn't possibly fight off so many.
Just as he considered throwing the fruit and fleeing,
a sudden, calm voice cut through the chaos like a blade.
"Heh… quite the crowd gathered here."
"I'm getting more and more excited."
Vilin stepped forward, eyes gleaming as he scanned the roughly two thousand pirates.
"Who's that?"
"Pirate Vilin!"
"The 50-million-Berry monster!"
Sharp-eyed pirates quickly recognized him.
Terror spread through the crowd.
Even the arrogant Mondo and Remy paled at the name.
"Heh heh… Thorn Assault!"
Before anyone could react, Vilin attacked.
Dozens of thick vines erupted from behind him.
Under his precise control, they shot forward like spears, piercing pirate after pirate.
Screams erupted as men fell, blood spraying.
Only then did the rest snap out of their shock and scatter in panic.
Vilin didn't chase.
He simply continued draining life force while growing more vines to hunt the fleeing men.
Ten minutes later,
nearly two thousand pirates lay dead.
All of them became nourishment for Vilin's growth.
He did, however, spare the navigators and doctors.
He promised them freedom if they wrote down every bit of their navigation knowledge and medical formulas.
Desperate to live, they worked through the night transcribing everything.
True to his word, Vilin released them at dawn.
From the battle, he claimed all their treasures.
A rough estimate put the haul at around 1 billion Berries in cash, gold, and valuables— plus the Bird-Bird Fruit, White Eagle Model.
For the first time, Vilin truly felt "overnight rich."
He finally understood the old saying: Murder and arson bring a golden belt.
Looking at the mountain of wealth piled in the ship's hold, he could only sigh in admiration.
The ancients didn't lie.
Of course, Vilin's massacre drew plenty of attention on Lame Island.
But no one dared move against him.
After restocking supplies and spending a few more carefree days with Annie on the island, Vilin once again set sail.
Aboard the Flying Bird – deck.
Vilin lounged on a sun chair, sipping the iced fruit juice Annie had made for him.
The cool, refreshing taste melted across his tongue, lifting his mood.
Annie lay draped across his chest, staring expectantly at his body.
Her eyes shone with longing.
Unable to withstand that gaze, Vilin quickly retrieved the long-awaited Paramecia-type Bloom-Bloom Fruit from his internal storage.
The moment Annie saw the pale green fruit, she snatched it and hugged it to her chest.
Finally holding the fruit she'd dreamed of, she opened her small mouth wide and bit down.
The instant the Devil Fruit entered her mouth, a revolting taste flooded her senses.
She nearly spat it out—
—but Vilin swiftly covered her mouth.
"Little Annie, if you want the power, you have to eat the whole thing."
With an evil grin, he watched her struggle, forcing bite after bite until the entire fruit was swallowed.
Once it was gone, Annie grabbed Vilin's unfinished juice and chugged it desperately.
She let out a long, relieved breath.
Then she glared at Vilin, who was still snickering.
"Why didn't you warn me how disgusting it was?!"
"Hahaha! Power always comes with a price!"
"Come on, Little Annie—show me your new ability!"
Hearing his excitement, Annie focused inward.
Soon she felt a strange new power awaken inside her.
When she activated it, her body began swaying rhythmically on its own.
Vilin watched in fascination as the seeds in her hand sprouted and grew at incredible speed.
He also felt his own Mori Mori no Mi power subtly strengthening in resonance with hers.
They complement each other perfectly…
Annie quickly adapted to the involuntary dance.
Her movements grew smoother, more graceful.
Following her rhythm, the plants accelerated exponentially—reaching over twenty meters tall in moments.
Suddenly, Annie lost balance and fell toward Vilin.
He caught her slim waist instantly.
Seeing her pale face, his heart ached.
But it also reminded him:
Her training starts now.
Vilin gently transferred some stored life energy into her.
Her color slowly returned.
Only then did he relax.
"Little Annie, from now on you train with me every day."
"You collapsed after just that much."
"Mm…"
Seeing his serious expression, Annie obediently nodded.
From that day forward, Vilin woke early every morning to train with Annie.
He assigned her daily tasks to build stamina, control, and precision.
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