To retrieve this Devil Fruit was Oran's main objective; Dr. Vegapunk would never send a failed product all the way here, as even a fool would suspect something was amiss.
The artificial Devil Fruit looked ordinary, lacking the scale-like patterns of the original Devil Fruit, but internally, it was identical.
"Will I gain amazing abilities after eating it?"
"Yes, this is a quite powerful Devil Fruit, and its abilities are very suitable for you. It's an effective way to make you stronger."
According to the theory of Kaido, the renowned teacher of the New World, only the power of Haki reigns supreme.
This statement holds some truth, but it's not entirely correct.
Powerful Haki can resist the effects of many Devil Fruit abilities and is the body's strongest shield, yet Kaido himself is a Mythical Zoan user.
Observing the battle outcomes of various powerhouses from the original timeline, Devil Fruit abilities seem to be an indispensable part.
After excluding the magical Oden aura, Kaido was defeated by Nika, and Charlotte Linlin lost to two people whose Devil Fruit abilities had awakened.
Although Garp and Whitebeard's battles were interfered with by many external factors, their main opponents were also ability users.
Haki is important, but powerful abilities are not a hindrance.
"Dad, is it really that bad-tasting?"
"Theoretically, yes, but it's only for a moment; it'll pass quickly. You just need to take one bite."
"Hmm, if I don't chew, will I not taste it?"
Lyliana didn't think Oran would harm her, but she still remembered that Devil Fruits were exceptionally unpalatable. The thought of it being bad-tasting made her incredibly conflicted.
After a moment of thought, Lyliana believed she had found a foolproof solution.
She made a slight preparatory movement, then tilted her head back and swallowed the Devil Fruit whole.
The advantage of her large physique was evident at this moment.
"There, it's done. But Dad, I don't feel any changes?"
"You'll have to wait a little longer. Soon you'll understand that power; it will appear in your mind on its own. Oh, and this, too, is a gift for you."
Oran took out another golden bracelet. It looked ordinary, but it had a hidden depth within.
This was the p-particles shield he had researched for many years and finally achieved a breakthrough with. Its function was simple: it could shield p-particles within a certain area. Without these particles, water would no longer render an ability user powerless.
In simple terms, Lyliana could still swim.
The exterior material was not gold, but a new metal formed by Kuma compressing impurities removed by his Paw-Paw Fruit. Inside, it encased tiny hex crystal fragments, which perfectly formed special force fields, accomplishing Oran's goal.
This equipment had no plans for widespread distribution in the short term, and even for a long time in the future, it would remain a secret device, not to be easily revealed.
Oran had delayed picking up this Devil Fruit for a considerable time, precisely because this research had held him up for so long.
For practicality, this bracelet had little decoration and looked like an ordinary ring, but Lyliana still loved it and immediately put it on her wrist.
"Hmm, the size is a bit large, but that's fine. You'll continue to grow, and it will fit perfectly in a while."
"That's good too. Oh, Dad, can we play here for a bit before going back? I haven't been to the amusement park here yet."
Although they had passed through Sabaody Archipelago a few times in the past, they hadn't stayed long then, so the place was still full of mystery for Lyliana.
These seemingly ordinary bubbles are actually a local specialty, formed from the resin secreted by the trees here.
More accurately, this entire island isn't an ordinary island but a tree island composed of Yarukiman Mangrove trees.
Because it's made of trees, there's no magnetic field here. The Log Pose actually points to Fish-Man Island below.
It's just that because Sabaody Archipelago is located directly above Fish-Man Island, navigators can roughly find their way here.
These bubbles are not fragile soap bubbles that burst on contact; instead, they possess a special toughness. The people living here have used bubbles to construct many peculiar buildings.
From small items like bicycles and shopping carts to large ones like hotels and Ferris wheels, bubbles are indispensable, forming a unique bubble culture.
If there were a sea area called Bikini Bottom deep in the ocean, then the square people living there would surely love this place.
"Of course, we have plenty of time right now. I remember the Soap Bubble Park is on Island 33, but we need to go to Island 40 first. We have to bring some souvenirs back for Fran and the others."
There are a total of 79 Yarukiman Mangrove trees that make up Sabaody Archipelago, and each tall mangrove tree can be seen as an independent island. Sabaody Archipelago also uses numbers to clearly define specific locations.
Oran and his companions landed on Island 65, which is the World Government's entry and exit office. Islands 60-69 are also the safest areas on the island, as the Marine base is stationed there.
This island is also the most ironic island; just a short distance from the Marine base, separated by only a few tree roots, is the island's lawless zone.
Pirates, human traffickers, gangs, and various illicit trades run rampant here.
Of course, these matters won't affect Oran and his group for now; their journey will mostly be through relatively stable areas.
Upon entering the area starting with 40, merchants quickly gathered, drawn by the scent.
"Ladies and gentlemen, do you need a bubble car? Rent is 500 Berries per day, permanent sale is 10,000 Berries, and even the large size is only 20,000 Berries!"
Tourists are the main consumers here.
Bubbles are a local specialty here; once they leave the range of the mangroves, they quickly burst. Therefore, people living in other sea areas rarely get to experience these bubbles, making it an opportunity to earn money.
Bubble cars are not expensive because they have no production cost; you just need a wooden frame covered with bubbles. Due to the nature of the bubbles, these cars can only be used in Sabaody Archipelago and cannot be taken away, so anyone who buys one gets scammed.
However, the merchants don't care. Not many people on this sea can travel every day; many only come once in their lifetime. They operate on a 'one-off' business model, scamming as many as they can.
10,000 Berries isn't particularly expensive, so the conversion rate is quite high.
"Lyley, Kate, do you want to play?"
"Meow, no interest, and Oran, meow is an adult…"
"Of course I know you're an adult. What if you were interested? No one says adults can't play."
The Hex-heart slowed Kate's growth rate, so she was always very concerned about such things.
"Dad, I want to play, but renting one should be enough.
Even renting for 20 days is only 10,000 Berries. Buying a large one is enough to rent 40 times.
Even if we come once every two months and play for two days each time, that's enough for over three years of play. The quality of this frame clearly won't last three years."
Lyliana did want to play, but she wasn't easily fooled. To be precise, it was very difficult for outsiders to fool her.
Only with people she trusted enough would she simply choose to believe them.
She didn't act like an ordinary child who would insist on buying something after being sweet-talked by a vendor; instead, she started calculating the costs first.
Even if her dad wasn't short on money, there was no need to let others profit for nothing. Playing with such things a few times would be enough; it would be better to buy a few more pastries.
"Uncle, your pricing is unreasonable. Who would buy at this price?"
"Haha, so you're knowledgeable! Then let's rent it, and I'll give you a few bubble shopping bags as well."
Those who were willing to buy were people who thought this item could still be used after leaving Sabaody Archipelago, as many people don't do research before traveling.
But for Lyliana, Oran had already taught her a lot about various islands, so in her eyes, the vendor's pricing was extremely peculiar.
After being exposed, the vendor didn't react much, just smiled and added a few freebies.
Like the bubble car, they were extremely cheap items; a string tied into a knot and stuffed into a bubble was all it took.
Even if the bubble car vendor didn't give away items, other vendors selling other goods would handle the packaging.
As Oran and his group ventured deeper into the area, the sounds of hawking goods gradually increased.
"Great Buns! Great Buns! Grand Line Buns, anyone want to buy?!"
Buns produced on the Grand Line were simply called Great Buns. They were actually red bean buns, and their three-month shelf life was one reason for their popularity, as few ships had refrigerators, and it wasn't easy for ordinary tourists to take things home.
"Bubble wine, flying bubble wine that flies! Let you experience a flying sensation!"
On this island, anything that could be sold would largely have the word "bubble" added to it.
The wine sold here was just ordinary mixed cocktails, nothing special, except that the container was a bubble.
Vendors utilized the bubbles' floating property to make them carry the wine in mid-air. With a straw inserted, one could drink freely from below, hence the name "flying."
The colorful liquid contained within the bubbles looked incredibly vibrant and was attractive enough.
"Dad, can I try that?"
There weren't many people around Oran who drank alcohol; most didn't touch it at all. There were only two exceptions: Brand and Ginny.
Brand was a native of Firefly Island, and his lifestyle habits were already formed. Ginny, on the other hand, due to her big eater nature, would never refuse anything edible or drinkable.
For example, if she were placed in the British Isles and given authentic local cuisine, Ginny would still eat the plate clean while complaining about how bad it tasted.
"If you want to try it, go ahead. But if you do anything messy because of drinking, you won't be allowed to drink anymore, okay?"
Lyliana was only big in size now and sometimes seemed very clever, but she still had a child's mentality. What tempted her more was usually food.
Teaching children is always a complex matter. Some things are simply off-limits, like Firefly Island's strict stance against addictive drugs.
But for other things, outright refusal can sometimes be counterproductive. If you let her try some things, she will naturally give up when she realizes they don't taste good.
Of course, this needs to be analyzed on a case-by-case basis, considering the child's personality and physical condition.
Given Lyliana's physique, alcohol dependence or alcohol poisoning was undoubtedly impossible. So, what remained was the taste.
Although she ate everything, Lyliana still preferred sweet things, so the taste of alcohol was unlikely to make her like it.
Facts proved that Oran indeed understood Lyliana well. When the alcoholic liquid flowed into her mouth through the straw, Lyliana's brows furrowed.
"It doesn't taste good. It has a bitter and spicy taste. Not as good as orange soda."
She pursed her lips and defined it, yet still chose to drink it all.
In this aspect, she was very much like Ginny: not wasting food was a fundamental principle, even if it didn't taste good.
[Are you kidding me? That's the equivalent of four bottles of vodka! Even a grown man would… No, she's taller than an average man, but she's still a child!]
The liquor vendor watched Lyliana chugged so much mixed alcohol without anything happening, and his eyes became slightly unnatural. It wasn't that he had tampered with the alcohol; it was that he sold high-proof liquor.
The so-called "flying sensation" referred to feeling light-footed after getting tipsy.
Most people wouldn't buy it and then drink it all in one go like that.
However, the only reaction on Lyliana's part was a slight flush on her cheeks.
The three continued walking towards Sabaody Park. Lyliana, having drunk alcohol for the first time, also seemed slightly unnatural.
"Dad, that stuff really doesn't taste good, and it feels weird after drinking it."
"If you don't like it, don't touch it again. It's not good stuff anyway."
"Hmm, okay. Stop! What are you trying to do?"
Lyliana hadn't finished speaking when she suddenly raised her hand and grabbed a person who had brushed past her.
The person's hand was currently gripping Lyliana's bracelet, clearly intending to snatch it, but Lyliana had noticed.
Lyliana's physique was already quite large, and her bracelet looked like a gold brick in others' eyes, worth a considerable sum.
In a sense, petty theft was already the gentlest form of crime on Sabaody Archipelago.
Seeing that his theft had been discovered, the thief not only didn't let go but directly pulled out a dagger from his Arms.
"Don't cause trouble if you don't want to get hurt. We just want money, nothing else."
Other people in the vicinity also started approaching, all drawing their weapons. These individuals were clearly working as a gang, and it seemed they had committed such acts many times, relying on their numbers.
"What the heck? Why does someone always try to steal the things Dad gave me… *hic*"
Lyliana, in a slightly tipsy state, was clearly different from her usual self. Even her body was undergoing strange changes. Two bumps appeared on her forehead and gradually grew upwards, eventually forming a pair of dragon horns.
The skirt behind her began to float, and a large pink tail emerged from within. The quality of her boots was still sturdy; there was no change there yet.
But her exposed arms gradually became covered in cherry-pink scales, and even the shape of her ears underwent some alteration.
The Devil Fruit ability she had consumed earlier had already taken effect and was now truly being used.
Perhaps because of her young age, her first use of the ability, and still being in a drunken state, the scales on her body were not particularly numerous, but her palms had already transformed into dragon claws.
The most classic and most powerful form among the Zoan Devil Fruit's three transformations, the human-beast form, was now being used by Lyliana.
Casually shaking off the thief who was grabbing her bracelet, Lyliana took out a brass knuckle from her pocket and put it on.
"Was it you who wanted to steal my gift?"
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