Those who had never eaten Devil Fruits desperately wanted one—craved the power they'd witnessed in others with almost physical hunger.
Those who had already eaten Devil Fruits understood their terror and miracle even more clearly from personal experience—and wanted additional powers just as badly, if not more so.
So when Elric finally spoke, every single woman present—including even the usually detached Elizabeth—looked at him in perfect unison, their eyes filled with longing, expectation, and barely restrained greed.
The hunger in that collective gaze was almost tangible.
Elric raised his hand, drawing all attention.
"These are Physical Strength Fruits," he announced, materializing several white, plain-looking fruits. "In the future, if you encounter these white fruits during scavenging or raids, you'll know immediately—they solve the fundamental problem of insufficient physical power and stamina."
As he spoke, Elric systematically took out all the remaining Physical Strength Fruits from his system space and distributed them directly to Natasha, Grace, and the others who had already consumed Devil Fruits in previous distributions.
This time, he had absolutely no intention of giving these women new Devil Fruits on top of what they already possessed.
Everyone wanted power—that was natural and understandable. But continuously favoring the same few individuals repeatedly would only breed deep resentment and division among the rest. Balance was necessary for long-term stability.
After completing the Physical Strength Fruit distribution, Elric turned his gaze deliberately toward Jenna.
Jenna froze completely, eyes widening in shock.
At the beginning, she had been arrogant, temperamental, competitive, and genuinely difficult to manage.
But her affection toward him had always been completely genuine, never calculated or fake.
Over time, through experience and maturity, she had become increasingly obedient, efficient in her duties, and deeply involved in critical shelter operations and management.
This fruit... was recognition of all that. Acknowledgment of her loyalty and contributions.
"Ah—thank you, husband!" Jenna's voice cracked with emotion.
"I love you to death!"
She genuinely hadn't expected this at all. The fruit seemed to materialize from her wildest hopes.
As more and more beautiful women continuously joined Elric's harem—each one stunning, each one offering something—she had secretly feared being replaced entirely, slowly fading into the background until she was just another face in the crowd.
Now she understood with absolute clarity.
She had never been forgotten. Her position was secure.
At that precise instant, Jenna's emotional favorability value surged dramatically to 99 points—only one single point away from the absolute highest tier, on par with Natasha herself.
"I'm so jealous..." whispered voices filled the room immediately.
"Why her and not me?"
"I want one too..."
Especially Elsa, the former campus goddess.
Her teeth ground together audibly, jaw clenched so hard it hurt. Her carefully maintained pleasant expression cracked at the edges.
She was prettier than Jenna—at least in her own deluded estimation. Her body was better. Her techniques more refined.
So why did Jenna receive this recognition, and not her?
"Husband~" Elsa's voice dropped into that practiced, sickeningly sweet tone. "She got a fruit..."
"I want one too~" She tried to cling to Elric's arm, pressing her body against him, her voice soft and deliberately pitiful.
Elric stepped aside smoothly without the slightest hesitation, avoiding her touch entirely.
Her favorability rating was only 75 points—lowest among all his women by a significant margin.
Two days of complete idleness, constant scheming, zero contributions to shelter operations—she simply wasn't qualified for such a valuable reward.
Instead, Elric reached into the system space once more.
This time, he withdrew the Thread Fruit—the String-String Fruit, with all its sinister potential for manipulation and control.
And without ceremony, he handed it directly to Emily.
The entire room went absolutely silent.
Emily froze in place, mouth falling open, unable to process what was happening.
She hadn't even dared to hope for selection. Among the early followers who still lacked Devil Fruits, there were others with longer tenure—Oli, Lily all of whom seemed like more obvious choices.
But Elric knew something the others didn't.
None of them suited a fundamentally sinister, manipulative ability like the Thread Fruit. Their personalities were too straightforward, too honest.
Emily, however, was perfect for it.
She looked innocent and gentle on the surface—soft-spoken, kind, helpful.
But betrayal and trauma had carved genuine darkness into her heart.
Only someone like her—someone who understood pain, manipulation, and cruelty intimately—could truly unleash the Thread Fruit's full terrifying potential.
More importantly, her loyalty to Elric was deep and unwavering, and she worked tirelessly for the shelter's benefit without complaint.
"Oh my God... you're giving this to me?" Emily whispered, voice trembling.
"Thank you, husband! Thank you so much!"
"Long live my husband!"
Under countless jealous gazes from the other women, Emily rushed forward impulsively and kissed Elric deeply, pouring genuine gratitude and emotion into the gesture.
He returned the kiss briefly, then gently pushed her back.
Then—
Elric raised his hand once more.
The final three fruits materialized in midair, floating before everyone's eyes, rotating slowly to display their unique patterns.
• Slippery Fruit
• Slippery Fruit (Attached duplicate)
• Fish-Fish Fruit (Azure Dragon Form – Attached)
The atmosphere in the hall instantly tightened to an almost unbearable degree.
Every woman held her breath simultaneously.
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