Hearing Jerry's question about the artificial Devil Fruit, Deuce and several other crew members without fruit abilities looked at each other in bewilderment.
Deuce glanced around and saw that no one had immediately answered, so he asked with obvious curiosity, "Isn't that fruit labeled as a failure by Caesar and his people? Can it really be eaten safely?"
Today, Deuce had established himself as a true scholar among the crew. In addition to his profound medical knowledge, his expertise covered a remarkably wide range of fields and disciplines.
But unfortunately, he remained completely in the dark when it came to artificial Devil Fruits and knew very little about their creation or mechanics.
"Caesar and his team weren't the actual manufacturers," Jerry shook his head slightly and stated with calm confidence. "They don't have that level of ability. They're just repeating what others told them when they heard it was classified as a failure."
Hearing this explanation, Deuce remained filled with doubt. "Really? You speak as if you're some kind of expert in this area. I know that if it really is a failed experiment, there could be serious side effects from eating it."
Noticing that everyone nodded gravely in agreement with Deuce's concerns, Jerry rolled his eyes helplessly.
Because of these well-founded fears, when the fruit had first been obtained from Punk Hazard, no one had wanted to risk eating it, so Jerry had simply kept it in his possession.
Jerry patted his chest confidently and declared, "Don't worry about it. I have a strong feeling this is definitely a powerful Devil Fruit."
Since Jerry couldn't explain exactly why he knew this particular artificial fruit was not only edible but extraordinarily potent, he could only remain deliberately vague and start talking around the subject.
After several days of mealtime debates and discussions, Jerry had gradually managed to dispel the doubts of Deuce and the others, making them begin to take the mysterious fruit seriously and genuinely consider who among them should consume it.
Following a spirited war of words between the discussion committee—led by Deuce, Skull, Carina, and Carrot—they still couldn't reach a definitive conclusion about the best candidate.
Faced with this ongoing indecision, Jerry shrugged casually. "If none of you want to eat it, then I'll just consider using it as fishing bait."
Jerry certainly knew that he was holding an incredibly powerful fruit, but he also understood that everyone had their own ideas and personal choices. He would never force anyone to accept this Devil Fruit against their will.
After all, some people simply had no interest in Devil Fruit abilities whatsoever.
So if there really was no willing volunteer, he would rather throw it into the sea just to hear the splash, or transform it into exotic fishing bait, rather than leave it lying around for some random person to discover later.
At this moment, Skull stroked his chin thoughtfully and suggested, "Boss Jerry, why doesn't Deuce eat it? Since you keep insisting it's a powerful fruit, it seems very suitable for him."
Before Deuce could formulate a response, Jerry nodded enthusiastically in agreement. "Yes, let me translate what Skull really meant: Deuce, you're too weak compared to the rest of us. Hurry up and improve yourself!"
"Skull..." Deuce narrowed his eyes dangerously and glared at the intelligence officer.
Skull's originally confident nodding motion suddenly froze mid-gesture, then he held his head high, stretched out his arms and clenched them into triumphant fists with a supremely smug expression. "Boss Deuce, don't get all offended! Boss Jerry's words might be crude, but they're completely accurate. I've already mastered Armament Haki, and you haven't! Oh-ho-ho-ho!"
Looking at the barely visible Armament Haki that Skull was displaying with obvious pride, Deuce secretly gritted his teeth in frustration but maintained an outwardly calm demeanor. "I think you're just itching for a fight, aren't you?"
Then, predictably, the two of them started physically wrestling over their disagreement, rolling around the deck in an undignified tangle.
Finally, Deuce sighed deeply and slowly walked toward Jerry with obvious resignation.
"Fine, give it here!" Deuce reached out and grabbed the Devil Fruit with determination, then began the psychological struggle of overcoming his natural taste preferences.
Jerry scratched his head thoughtfully and turned to Carina with a final offer. "Are you absolutely sure you don't want to try it? Maybe it would be more suitable for you?"
Carina shook her head gently while stroking Kotatsu's luxurious fur, responding with a practical smile, "No thanks. Kotatsu and I work perfectly together as a team, so it doesn't really matter whether I eat a Devil Fruit or not. Besides, after eating one, I wouldn't be able to swim in the sea anymore—and how could I go treasure hunting underwater?"
"Alright then. If everyone has no further objections, Deuce, just eat that... interesting-looking thing."
Jerry's casual words reminded everyone of the notoriously "delicious" taste of Devil Fruits, particularly bringing back Ace's vivid descriptions of consuming the Flame-Flame Fruit years ago.
Suddenly inspired, Deuce pulled out the short knife he always carried, diced the fruit in his hands with several quick strokes, rapidly picked up a small piece, and shoved it into his mouth, swallowing it without hesitation.
Seeing this practical approach, Jerry stroked his chin and commented seriously, "Maybe this is what they call learning from experience."
Deuce, who had been mentally applauding his own clever actions and feeling quite pleased with himself, suddenly froze completely.
His eyes widened dramatically, and the words of smug rebuttal that had been about to emerge from his mouth were swallowed back down.
"Oh? He's transforming? What kind of animal fruit is this?" Cavendish asked with obvious fascination.
Everyone gathered around to watch Deuce, who was crouching on the deck as his body began changing shape in remarkable ways.
"See? I always said all men are just evolved lizards," Jerry observed with mock wisdom, spreading his hands.
"It's a dragon!" Brook exclaimed first after a moment of observation. The scene before him seemed to evoke memories of the legendary dragon-slaying warrior Ryoma, whose zombie he had encountered before.
Carrot followed up immediately, shouting with excitement, "And it's pink!"
"From this angle, he's actually quite... unique!" Carina started to offer a compliment but changed her tone to describe her honest first impression instead.
Skull blinked thoughtfully and made a casual guess. "So why is it pink, exactly? Could it be that Boss Deuce's secret feminine side has finally exploded into the open?"
"That's not impossible at all," Jerry agreed with theatrical seriousness, then turned to seek democratic support. "Don't judge by appearances, Skull. Maybe Deuce's original motivation for studying medicine was to research gender reassignment! Kotatsu, am I right?"
"Meow!" Kotatsu responded immediately with what sounded like enthusiastic agreement.
"See? Kotatsu also thinks my analysis is brilliant, so clearly—"
Before Jerry could finish his ridiculous speculation, a small pink dragon suddenly swooped toward him through the air.
"Stop talking!" The tiny dragon's body flew directly at Jerry's face, hovering with its head positioned right in front of him while its mouth moved to produce Deuce's distinctly irritated voice. "Don't think you can make up wild stories about me just because I'm busy figuring out this transformation, or I'll sue you for defamation!"
The miniature dragon was indeed pink, with delicate features and an almost ethereal quality that seemed oddly fitting for someone as scholarly as Deuce. Despite its small size, there was unmistakable power radiating from its form.
"Impressive," Jerry admitted with genuine appreciation. "That's definitely not a failed experiment. You've got yourself a Mythical Zoan there, my friend."
The next morning, news birds spread their wings punctually across the seas, delivering the latest reports from around the world to eager readers everywhere.
Although countless rumors had circulated the previous day, it wasn't until the newspapers officially disclosed the complete incident that people finally became convinced and understood the full scope of what had transpired in Dressrosa.
Headlines blazed across front pages worldwide:
"Chain Reaction! The Hidden Connection Between Punk Hazard and Dressrosa Revealed!"
"Fatal Flaws in the Seven Warlord System: Was Doflamingo's Attempted Coup an Abuse of Authority?"
"The Forgotten Citizens of Dressrosa: Eight Years of Hidden Suffering Finally Exposed!"
"Black Star Pirates Liberate Enslaved Population: Heroes or Criminals?"
On this historic day, various topics related to Dressrosa captured international attention like never before.
When analyzed thoroughly, from ordinary civilians and traveling merchants to nobles from smaller kingdoms, pirates, revolutionaries, and people from vastly different social classes and professions—there were individuals who had been secretly manipulated through various means when they had lived in or simply passed through Dressrosa. All had been transformed into living toys, silently enduring years of unimaginable suffering before finally being able to see daylight once again.
When the people who recovered from their doll forms learned that they had been rescued by a pirate crew rather than Marines or government forces, they silently memorized the names of Jerry and his companions in their hearts, hoping to express their heartfelt gratitude someday in the future.
Correspondingly, as Doflamingo had predicted during his final moments of consciousness, various emperors and power brokers in the criminal underworld harbored intense hatred toward the Black Star Pirates because their profitable operations had been severely damaged or completely destroyed.
However, most chose not to act rashly against such a formidable crew. At most, they secretly funded desperate criminals and bounty hunters to create trouble for Jerry's group, preferring to avoid direct confrontation.
After all, they understood perfectly well that if they engaged in open warfare, they would likely serve as nothing more than convenient stepping stones. With both the Big Mom Pirates and Beast Pirates already harboring grudges against the Black Star Pirates, these smaller criminal organizations preferred to wait and see how events would unfold.
Jerry and his crew didn't concern themselves much with the outside world's political machinations and criminal conspiracies.
They had already set sail toward their next destination, facing the brilliant morning sun with characteristic optimism and adventure in their hearts.
"So tell me, Deuce," Brook called out cheerfully from across the deck, "has your endocrine system changed at all since becoming a dragon? Even a skeleton like me still needs to use the bathroom! Yo-ho-ho-ho!"
"Hey Deuce," Skull added with obvious amusement, "why do you still have that eye mask tied around the dragon's head? Are you worried some bugs might fly into your eyes?"
On the deck of their ship, Deuce—who was still getting accustomed to his fruit's transformation abilities—heard his crewmates' endless stream of bizarre questions and felt the veins on his forehead throbbing with barely contained irritation.
Some things, he reflected grimly, never changed no matter what form you took.