What if the rumors weren't true?
But for Ayr, right now, that possibility didn't matter.
As a top-tier combatant — someone who stood at the pinnacle — he had perfect control over his body, down to every cell.
Then, in front of him, lay something shocking: bright red, shaped like a heart.
A Devil Fruit — one he recognized instantly.
"It's back…" he muttered. A familiar fruit, unmistakably so.
He knew the rules: When a Devil Fruit user dies, the fruit reappears nearby — often in the closest similar fruit.
This was no myth. It was happening now.
Ayr glanced over his body. The cells… the organs…
They weren't the same as before.
He felt it — a fundamental transformation.
His vitality surged. His stamina didn't fade.
"Nagli, retrieve his body." Ayr's voice was steady but resolute.
"Yes, sir!" Nagli responded immediately, his tone filled with urgency.
Inside, Ayr felt joy bubbling up. He couldn't hide his ecstasy.
He could already sense it — this new state.
He was no longer merely mortal.
This… this felt just like immortality.
The pirate who had performed the Ageless Surgery knelt down before Ayr.
"I offer you… my loyalty," he said, exhausted but fulfilled.
Ayr stood tall.
He closed his eyes, cutting off sound and scent, centering himself.
His mind sank inward, focused on the rhythm of his breath, his heartbeat, the very essence of life.
There was no doubt now: the Ageless Surgery, the ultimate technique of the Op-Op Fruit, had succeeded.
Though the price of such power is always death — the surgeon must give their life — this pirate had willingly sacrificed himself.
Ayr felt strength flood his body.
It was as if fatigue no longer existed.
Every muscle responded instantly.
Every cell thrummed with energy.
Even so, he wept — silently.
For all his ambition, he hadn't expected the weight of this gift.
Then, with the surgical ROOM fading, Ayr gently descended from the air.
He landed lightly, strength intact, and walked across the floor — each step deliberate.
He looked the same as before.
And yet, everything had changed.
He glanced at a basket in the corner.
Inside were dozens of fruits — various shapes and colors.
Ayr had ordered them in advance, anticipating the reappearance of the Op-Op Fruit.
The legend stated: the Devil Fruit re-emerges in the nearest similar fruit after its user's death.
So Ayr had prepared every kind — apples, pears, bananas, even rare exotics.
He picked through the basket, his hands patient, precise.
Then he found it: the same bright red fruit, now pulsing with dormant power.
"Op-Op Fruit…" he murmured.
From behind, Nagli entered. His eyes widened.
"Sir… is it… a success?"
Ayr didn't reply immediately.
Instead, he flexed his fingers, then clenched both fists.
The sensation — it was real.
"This state… no different from complete immortality," he whispered.
He could still feel his own power — but clearer, more refined.
Everything — body, senses, haki — responded better than ever.
And then it hit him:
Nothing in this world could stop him now.
Not the World Government.
Not the Revolutionaries.
Not even the Four Emperors.
Ayr turned to the fallen pirate.
His body had rapidly aged — from a youth in his prime to an elder draped in wrinkles and grey.
The cost of the surgery was real.
His breath faded.
Then, he was gone.
Ayr's heart was heavy.
Still, he whispered, "He will return… one day."
Nagli and the others entered silently.
They too were overwhelmed.
They had feared Ayr had rushed this.
But now… they knew.
"The Ageless Operation… it worked."
No doubt remained.
And that fruit — the Op-Op Fruit — had already reincarnated.
"Dispose of the body with honor," Ayr instructed.
"Yes, sir."
The loyalty the pirate had shown would never be forgotten.
Now, alone in the room, Ayr stood silently.
He examined his reflection in the polished steel wall.
The youthful glow on his face hadn't changed.
His posture — tall, unwavering.
He didn't need the surgery for looks — he was already young.
But now, that youth… would never fade.
"People believe the Ageless Surgery means eternal life," Ayr thought.
"They're wrong."
It means far more.
His fingers brushed over the fruit again — now glowing softly in the basket.
His pirate surgeon — a man both loyal and gifted in medicine — had given Ayr everything.
"From now on… this fruit will serve again."
This power will be used. Not wasted.
And with that, Ayr turned away, light shining in his eyes —
The light of a man who had conquered mortality itself.
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