The system panel materialized in Elric's vision, displaying his updated stats in glowing text that only he could see:
HOST STATUS PANEL
Name: Elric
Physical Strength: 6,000 (≈ 400× normal adult human)
Mental Power: 10 (baseline normal adult level)
Devil Fruit Abilities:
Operation Fruit — Level 3 Gaze Fruit — Level 3 Rock-berry Fruit — Level 3 Dragon-Dragon Fruit: Allosaurus Model — Level 3
Elric couldn't help but smile at the physical strength number. Six thousand. That was four hundred times stronger than a regular person. He could probably punch through a concrete wall without even trying at this point.
But that mental power stat... yeah, that was still disappointing. Just 10—completely ordinary, exactly average for any normal human.
Still, the Devil Fruit upgrades more than made up for it.
Time to see exactly what he'd gained.
GAZE FRUIT — LEVEL 3 (1/100)
The familiar list of abilities appeared, but now every single skill showed significant improvements:
1. Clairvoyance (Enhanced)
Elric's field of vision had been drastically expanded beyond what should be humanly possible.
Maximum observation distance increased from 8,000 meters → 12,000 meters.
He could now observe distant locations and specific people with near-perfect clarity, as if he was standing right next to them. Twelve kilometers away. That was absolutely insane surveillance capability.
2. X-Ray Insight (Perspective Vision)
The ability to see through solid obstacles—walls, doors, ordinary fog, most physical barriers—remained unchanged but felt more stable, more reliable.
Visual obstacles basically no longer restricted his detection abilities at all.
3. Emotional Perception (Greatly Enhanced)
This one got a massive upgrade.
Effective range increased from 100 meters → 800 meters.
The ability now displayed emotional "aura" colors around every person within range:
White aura = goodwill, positive feelings Blue aura = neutral, no strong emotions either way Black aura = hostility, negative intentions
Even better, Elric could see exact numeric favorability scores hovering above people's heads:
Above 70 = genuine goodwill 40-70 = neutral territory Below 40 = active hostility
This was basically a human lie detector on steroids. No one could hide their true feelings from him anymore.
4. Fixed-Point Clairvoyance
Elric could now mark up to 5 targets or specific locations simultaneously.
Each mark allowed him to remotely monitor a 500-square-meter area in real-time, regardless of physical distance between him and the target.
Perfect for keeping tabs on people he didn't fully trust yet. Cough Rachel cough.
5. Mind Peeking
Using the "OK" hand gesture as a focus, Elric could scan a creature's past memories and access unspoken intelligence stored in their mind.
The limitation: he couldn't read current, active thoughts. Only memories and stored information.
Still incredibly useful for interrogation and intel gathering.
6. Iron Tears — Steel Whales
His tears (or marked tears on others) could instantly harden into molten-hot steel constructs.
Specifically created four tracking steel whales that automatically pursued and burst-scorched a designated target with extreme prejudice.
Weird ability? Absolutely. Effective? Hell yes.
7. Mind Shock (NEW Level-3 Skill!)
This was the new addition that came with reaching Level 3.
The ability emitted pure psychic force that could stun enemies, knock them unconscious, or even fracture their minds entirely depending on the power difference.
BUT— and this was a big limitation—it only worked on enemies with lower mental power than Elric himself.
Elric actually sighed out loud at that restriction.
"Great skill... but terrible practicality. At least for now."
His mental power was still stuck at 10—the exact baseline of a regular human. To actually weaponize Mind Shock effectively, he needed to figure out how the hell mental power actually increased in the first place.
The system hadn't given him any hints about that yet.
Still, he couldn't deny the level-up had made him significantly stronger overall. Every single ability got major numerical buffs across the board.
(MAGMA) — LEVEL 3 (1/100)
This was the one Elric had been most excited about. Nature-type fruits were notoriously powerful, and magma was one of the most destructive elements imaginable.
1. Magma Generation
The basic ability to produce massive flows of molten magma from his body or directly from surrounding terrain.
The volume he could generate scaled directly with his physical strength—and at 6,000 strength, that meant he could literally create rivers of lava.
2. Magma Fist
Forms a gigantic magma arm extension for devastating long-range attacks.
Maximum reach expanded significantly to 50 meters.
Imagine a fifty-meter-long arm made of molten rock punching someone. There was basically no defense against that kind of attack.
3. Elementalization (UPGRADED)
This was the big one—the signature ability of all Nature-type Devil Fruits.
Elric could now turn his entire body into molten magma itself, becoming essentially immune to all physical attacks that didn't use Haki or similar anti-Devil-Fruit abilities.
His complete magma form was now:
Fully mobile (could move and flow like liquid) Shapeable (could mold his form however needed) Heat-controllable (could adjust temperature from warm to apocalyptic)
Each full transformation lasted 10 minutes of continuous use.
Unlimited number of transformations possible, but each use consumed stamina proportional to duration and intensity.
Elric nodded with deep satisfaction.
"A full magma body... that's basically perfect for both infiltration and escape scenarios."
He could flow through cracks, avoid detection, become untouchable in combat. The versatility was incredible.
NEW LEVEL-3 SKILLS:
4. Lava Field (Area Control Skill)
This ability transformed the surrounding terrain into a boiling magma zone that covered a significant radius.
Effects:
Burns all enemies standing inside continuously Dramatically slows movement speed (trying to run through lava) Creates zone control that forces enemies to retreat or die
The radius expanded automatically with each fruit level increase.
At Level 3, he could probably cover a small building's footprint easily.
5. "Howling Hound"
When Elric read the description of that final magma skill in his system panel, his eyes practically lit up like a kid on Christmas morning.
"Howling Hound."
This move was absolutely outrageous.
In the original One Piece world, Admiral Akainu had used this exact technique to destroy half of Whitebeard's face—Whitebeard, one of the strongest characters in that entire universe. Its single-target destructive power easily rivaled, maybe even surpassed, his Gamma Knife technique.
With this is as a precision assassination skill and Lava Field as an area-control domain ability, Elric's offensive capabilities had evolved into something genuinely terrifying.
He could now handle both individual powerhouses and entire crowds with equal effectiveness.
After mentally cataloging all the Rock-Rock Fruit upgrades, he shifted his attention to the final ability on his list:
DRAGON-DRAGON FRUIT (ALLOSAURUS MODEL) — LEVEL 3 (1/100)
1. Passive Physical Boost
Even while remaining in completely human form, all of Elric's physical attributes—strength, durability, stamina, and regeneration—were amplified to an absolutely insane degree.
Previously at Level 1: 200× normal human baseline
Now at Level 3: 380× baseline
That wasn't just an upgrade. That was basically becoming a completely different species.
2. Full Beast Transformation
Complete transformation into a massive prehistoric Allosaurus with terrifying specifications:
Height: Approximately 20 meters (six-story building) Length: Approximately 40 meters (half a football field) Jaw strength, claw sharpness, and tail power all dramatically enhanced
In this form, he was basically a living siege weapon.
3. Human-Beast Hybrid Form
The balanced middle ground that merged Allosaurus traits with human structure:
Enhanced muscular legs for explosive speed Enlarged claws capable of rending steel Vastly increased striking power across all attacks
The key detail: In hybrid mode, all his stats essentially doubled again from his base human form.
That meant his effective strength in hybrid mode was somewhere around 760 times a normal human when accounting for both the passive boost and the transformation multiplier.
Absolutely monstrous numbers.
The Dragon Fruit's changes were mostly numerical increases rather than new techniques, but honestly? The numbers alone were absolutely ridiculous. He didn't need fancy new moves when he could just punch harder than a freight train.
When Elric finally closed the system panel with satisfaction, he stretched lazily in the back seat, feeling the power humming through his enhanced body.
Just then, he noticed Elizabeth staring at him from the middle row.
Her normally calm, analytical expression had been completely replaced by something he'd never seen on her face before—genuine shock. Her eyes were wide, pupils trembling slightly, mouth parted in disbelief.
Elric couldn't resist grinning at her obvious reaction.
"What's wrong, Dr. Elizabeth? Staring at me so intensely like that..." He leaned forward slightly, voice teasing. "Don't tell me you can't wait to throw yourself into my arms already?"
He fully expected at least a blush, maybe some stammering denial.
Instead—
Elizabeth adjusted her glasses with mechanical precision and answered in that same flat, clinical tone:
"Whether absorbing ability fruits or ability crystals, every single ingestion produces measurable physiological side effects in the consumer."
She spoke like she was reading from a research paper.
"Common symptoms include: acute nerve pain, severe hunger spikes, cellular agitation, and metabolic stress. These effects escalate exponentially with each additional fruit consumed."
Elric's grin faded slightly. She was being serious.
Elizabeth continued, still studying him like he was a fascinating specimen under her microscope.
"Ability crystals from supernatural creatures cause even harsher physiological reactions. The higher the grade of crystal, the more severe the backlash becomes. Grade-1 crystals cause moderate discomfort. Grade-2 can hospitalize untrained ability users. Grade-3..."
She paused meaningfully.
"Grade-3 crystals have killed people who weren't properly prepared."
"To counter these effects, the human body requires massive nutrient intake and recovery periods. That's why all documented powered individuals consume far more food than ordinary humans—sometimes five to ten times normal caloric intake."
Elric blinked, processing this information.
She wasn't done though. Her voice grew sharper, more incredulous.
"The current record-holder in Safe Zone Seven is a former special forces operator named Jackson. He managed to absorb six ability fruits and one Grade-2 crystal over the span of three years."
She emphasized that timeframe heavily.
"After that final absorption, the accumulated side effects nearly disabled him permanently. He spent two months in medical quarantine."
Her gaze intensified, fixed on Elric with scientific fascination bordering on obsession.
"But you—you just casually absorbed twelve ability fruits and a Grade-3 crystal back-to-back in less than an hour."
"And you're showing exactly zero signs of physiological rejection. No pain responses? No desperate hunger? No ability burn syndrome? No cellular degradation at all?"
She leaned forward slightly, almost forgetting herself.
"What exactly is your body made of? How many ability fruits can you theoretically absorb in a single sitting? Is there even a limit to your capacity?"
Elric rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his mind working through the implications.
"So ability users can improve their powers by consuming more fruit energy... and the Safe Zone has been recording and studying these cases systematically. Interesting."
He fell silent for a moment, digesting all the hints hidden inside her explanation.
Safe Zones existed—official government facilities with research divisions. Side-effect thresholds had been documented and measured. National researchers were studying supernatural phenomena. There was a controlled testing environment somewhere.
Elizabeth's words contained a lot of actionable intelligence.
And Elric's mind immediately began spinning with new possibilities and connections.
First, he mentally confirmed several crucial facts from Elizabeth's analysis:
One: Absorbing supernatural substances genuinely does strengthen powered individuals in this world. It wasn't just him—it was a universal mechanic.
Two: The "Safe Zone" definitely existed as a real location—clearly where Elizabeth herself had been working before coming here. This was probably also where Olivia and her entire armed group were based and heading back to.
Three: There were side effects to absorbing ability fruits and crystals for normal people. But Elric had literally never felt any discomfort at all.
Maybe because his body wasn't actually a "normal" superpowered human body...
A Devil Fruit body created by his unique system—something completely outside of scientific understanding and measurement model.
They were studying ability users. But he was fundamentally different from them.
"Can I have several strands of your hair?"
Elizabeth's question snapped him out of his thoughts.
She was looking at him with bright, almost hungry eyes—but definitely not in any romantic sense. This was purely the gaze of a scientist staring at a once-in-a-century research specimen.
"I need to conduct cellular analysis and genetic comparison studies."
Elric's eyebrow twitched involuntarily.
Good god, this woman absolutely wants to treat me like a lab rat.
Today she wanted hair samples. Tomorrow she'd probably request live tissue biopsies. Next week she'd want bone marrow samples and daily blood draws.
A wave of irritation washed over him.
He'd originally wanted to ask her more detailed questions about the Safe Zone's structure, Olivia's organization..
But now? Now he felt a much stronger urge to punish this overly blunt genius for being so damn clinical about everything.
So Elric leaned in close, his voice dropping to something low and deliberately suggestive:
"Hair samples, huh? Sure, I'll let you collect some..."
He paused meaningfully.
"But not with your hands. And definitely not with scissors."
He smirked, the implication crystal clear, and suddenly pulled Elizabeth into his arms—
Elizabeth froze completely, her entire body going rigid.
Her brain, which usually operated at about 200% analytical capacity, completely blanked out for the first time in her adult life.
She'd spent her entire existence studying science. No dating. No romance. No physical contact with men beyond professional handshakes.
In the tiny mental gap between absolute chaos in her head, she somehow managed to whisper:
"Y-You... please don't... not in a place like this... the vehicle is moving and there are other people and this is completely inappropriate for—"
Elric had every intention of continuing to "punish" this emotionless scientist for treating him like a specimen—
But—
BOOOOM!
The entire SUV suddenly shook violently, jolting everyone inside and throwing off Elric's balance.
"What the hell now!?" Elric snapped, his brows furrowing with serious irritation.
Who the fuck dares interrupt me at a time like this!?
Elsa called back urgently from the driver's seat, her voice tense:
"Elric—we've reached the border of that mutant plant zone again!"
She pointed ahead through the windshield.
"That massive cluster of overgrown mutant trees is directly blocking the road ahead. The same one we bypassed before."
When Elric quickly activated his Clairvoyance to scan ahead, he confirmed it immediately:
Yes—they'd reached the mutant plant barricade on the interstate highway. The same deadly forest of grotesquely mutated trees they'd teleported past on the way to Chicago.
This time, with a full vehicle and multiple passengers, they couldn't just bypass it with his spatial abilities. The range and stamina cost would be too high.
He sighed heavily with frustration.
"Looks like I have to handle this the old-fashioned way."
Reluctantly—very reluctantly—he released Elizabeth from his arms.
Elizabeth stumbled slightly as Elric pulled away, still completely dazed from what had just happened.
Her usually organized thoughts were scattered chaos. Her lips were still parted slightly. Her breathing had quickened without her conscious awareness.
For the first time in her entire life, this emotionless genius scientist felt something completely unfamiliar stirring in her chest.
"Wh-why... did he stop...?"
A strange sense of disappointment flickered through her heart—an emotion she genuinely couldn't remember experiencing before.
Her analytical mind tried desperately to categorize and explain this feeling, but came up empty.
All she knew was that when Elric had pulled away...
She'd actually wanted him to continue.
There is 60 chapter Advance, in my patreon. If you are interested can check it out.
patreon.com/B_A_3439