Chiyu's eyes fell upon the oddly shaped fruit, and he couldn't help feeling a jolt of excitement.
The whole fruit gleamed with a dazzling yellow light, its surface bristling with jagged spikes as though it had been blasted by lightning.
There was no doubt about it—
A Devil Fruit!
And not just any Devil Fruit—
A Logia‑type: the Rumble‑Rumble Fruit!
Chiyu recalled the rules of this world: when a Devil Fruit user dies, the fruit's power "reincarnates" in a new fruit. Yet—
The timing and location of that rebirth are completely random and impossible to predict.
It might reappear the very next second—or ten years later.
It could be right at your feet—or on the farthest edge of the sea.
In fact, examples of a fruit's rebirth are not rare.
Back when Luffy's crew fought Caesar, a slime that had eaten the Sara Sara no Mi, Model: Axolotl died, and a nearby fruit instantly turned back into that Sara Sara no Mi, Model: Axolotl.
The only person ever known to wrest control of this process was—
During the Summit War. After Whitebeard died, Blackbeard used some mysterious "secret technique" to seize the power of the Quake‑Quake Fruit for himself.
That was likely a unique trick granted by Blackbeard's own Dark‑Dark Fruit.
In short, deliberately controlling a Devil Fruit's rebirth and transfer seems possible only for a Dark‑Dark Fruit user; anyone else has failed.
…
So this could only be a coincidence.
After Enel died, the Rumble‑Rumble Fruit happened to regenerate quickly—and it regenerated right here on Skypiea.
Gan Fall knew about Devil Fruits too; his Pegasus companion had eaten the Horse‑Horse Fruit.
The warrior "Berserker" Wiper also understood these powers; he had armed himself with Seastone and Impact Dials specifically to counter Enel's ability.
Gan Fall bowed respectfully. "This Devil Fruit must be the source of Enel's power—the legendary Logia‑type Rumble‑Rumble Fruit.
"We now present it to Chiyu-sama!
"Only you are worthy of possessing such strength!"
Wiper nodded. "Indeed.
"If you wield this power, my lord, you can continue to carry out justice and sweep away the darkness.
"That is the dream of everyone in Skypiea."
Rear Admiral Hina gazed at the fruit with curiosity.
"Even an average Devil Fruit sells for over 100 million Berries.
"And this is reputedly the strongest Logia, virtually invincible—the Rumble‑Rumble Fruit!
"It's probably worth at least a billion—maybe several billion Berries…"
Nami's eyes immediately sparkled dollar sign. "A b‑b‑billion Berries?!
"Chiyu-sama, a‑hem, we mean well. Please accept it right away…
"Even if you don't plan to use the power, we could always sell it!"
Chiyu did not refuse.
He casually picked up the fruit, turning it over and inspecting it. It was also the first genuine Devil Fruit he had ever seen.
Since arriving in the One Piece world, he had resolved to train new abilities and leave his old path behind. Had he reclaimed his original shinobi powers, he might already be ten—or a hundred—times stronger…
But where would be the fun in that?
Instead, he had successively mastered the Navy's Six Styles, plus Observation and Armament Haki—
Two of the three great ability tracks in this world:
Physical techniques, Haki, and Devil Fruit powers.
Perhaps now it really was time to try a Devil Fruit.
Enel's Rumble‑Rumble Fruit did indeed seem the most suitable for him.
Without hesitation, Chiyu bit into it.
Everyone held their breath, eager to witness the miracle…
Chiyu's brow furrowed.
So Devil Fruits really do taste awful!
He took only one bite and tossed the rest aside—its purpose already served.
The very next instant—
Under the crowd's stunned gaze, every hair on Chiyu's body bristled; even his short hair crackled zz‑zz‑zz!
Tiny currents danced over his skin—
From nothing to something, from faint to fierce, from weak to overwhelming!
In the blink of an eye—
A storm of lightning erupted around him!
On the banquet tables, iron utensils—silver platters, metal bowls, chopsticks, knives, forks—clanged and clattered, drawn toward him by the raging current!
Yet Chiyu seized control instantly.
The wild arcs of electricity whipping around him were tamed like beasts, gathered into his palm and compressed into a violent, miniature orb of thunder—
A ball of lightning!
At his thought, the super‑compressed sphere blasted forth—
A streaking bolt of light!
In a heartbeat it struck a gigantic tree—
RUMBLE‑RUMBLE—
BOOM!
In a flash, the many‑arm‑span‑thick trunk exploded; vines and leaves rained down in utter chaos!
And that tree had been over a kilometer away!
Everyone was thunderstruck, faces blanching in awe.
Nami cried out, "Wh‑what terrifying power!
"That's ten—no, a hundred—times worse than Marine Headquarters' biggest cannon shells!"
Rear Admiral Hina breathed, "The Rumble‑Rumble Fruit is called the strongest, yet mastering it is no easy feat. For the Vice Admiral to command it the instant he ate the fruit… inconceivable."
Gan Fall nodded. "A Devil Fruit's potential is limitless—and so is its difficulty. Chiyu-sama is truly extraordinary, holding power beyond imagination."
Wiper's voice rumbled. "The greater a power, the more it belongs in the hands of someone like Chiyu-sama. That's how the world should be."
Chiyu dipped his head slightly.
The Rumble‑Rumble Fruit…
Unquestionably the perfect match for him.
Now, no matter how powerful an enemy he met—even limiting himself to One Piece‑world abilities—he could stand his ground.
It was, without doubt, an unexpected windfall.
In the days that followed, all of Skypiea was rebuilt.
Enel's rampage had leveled many villages and towns, but the Skypieans and Shandians rebuilt quickly together, and the Marines pitched in as well.
Along the new border of their lands, the two peoples agreed to eternal peace and erected a colossal statue of Chiyu as a symbol of their gratitude.
Chiyu devoted himself to mastering his new power.
Though the fruit had once belonged to Enel, the path he walked was nothing like Enel's. His way of developing the Rumble‑Rumble Fruit was utterly different too.
Rear Admiral Hina and Nami spent their days exploring Skypiea.
They discovered the golden city of Shandora—Nami took a bit of gold with permission—and even found ancient ruins and a Poneglyph!
They even uncovered words left by the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger:
"I came here and guided these words toward the final land."
Both the Poneglyph and Roger's note were written in an ancient, vanished script, unreadable to Hina or Nami.
Roger had dictated the message to Kozuki Oden, who alone could carve those characters, while Roger's skill at "hearing the voice of all things" let him sense the great secret here.
Chiyu, of course, knew what the stone recorded—about the Ancient Weapons, the secret of Poseidon. To him, it was optional trivia.
…
After a few days, Chiyu's party finished their preparations, bid farewell to Skypiea and the Shandians, and departed.
They rode a steam skyship down the cloud current, following the Sky Island's stream back toward the so‑called "Endless BEarth" below.
The journey felt dreamlike to everyone; even having lived it, some could hardly believe it.
But—
Nami, clutching her gold, felt perfectly real happiness.
Meanwhile, Chiyu had advanced his grasp of the Rumble‑Rumble Fruit considerably. He now wanted a worthy foe for a test run.
According to the chart, the next island was Long Ring Long Land.
He remembered it held no serious threats—only a pirate named Silver Fox Foxy.
To Chiyu, Foxy was in the same league as Buggy the Clown—pure comic relief.
The Slow‑Slow Fruit was amusing, but that was all.
Even so, they set a course for Long Ring Long Land.
…
At that very time—
Out at sea not far from the island, a tall, burly figure appeared as if from nowhere.
Most astonishing—
The man was bicycling across the ocean surface!
On closer look, the water beneath his wheels froze solid as he rode, forming ice for the bicycle to glide upon.
On Long Ring Long Land, the Silver Fox Pirates soon spotted the stranger and reported to Captain Foxy.
Foxy thought the man looked familiar, so he ordered full alert and battle stations.
But when the stranger came ashore, they found he was standing there—sleeping!
Foxy exploded. "You bastard! Planning to ambush us?!
"Take him down!"
Bullets and cannonballs rained toward the man.
Just then—
He cracked his sleepy eyes, yawned lazily, and casually raised a palm.
"Ice Age."
The words were spoken lightly, but a cataclysmic force swept out, blanketing the entire island and tens of kilometers of sea—
In that instant, everything froze!
The raging sea solidified into a vast ice field!
Only now did Foxy feel true dread. He stammered, terrified:
"Th‑that man is—"
No doubt about it: he was one of the Navy's three Admirals, an embodiment of "Lazy Justice"—
Admiral Aokiji, Kuzan!
He had come early to Long Ring Long Land, lying in wait to size up Chiyu's strength.
As for Foxy?
To Kuzan, he was less than a footnote, not worth a glance.
So Admiral Kuzan sprawled on the frozen sea and island, ignoring the Silver Fox Pirates immobilized as ice statues, and promptly went back to sleep.
Meanwhile—
From the deck of the Uchiha, Chiyu's crew saw the frozen expanse ahead…
Chiyu's heart stirred; he already knew what this meant, and a faint smile curved his lips.
He'd been hoping for a genuine powerhouse to test his might—and speak of the devil, here one was.
A Marine Admiral?
Perfect.
Time to see how far he could go.
~~~
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