__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Tezoro stared blankly at Dan's chubby little finger and the calm, matter-of-fact way he said "ten billion."His whole body went numb.
It felt like an invisible hand had grabbed his heart, crushed it to pulp, tossed it into an ice cellar for three days, and then hammered the frozen mess into slush.
Ten billion.
That was one-twentieth of the Golden Emperor's entire fortune—gone, just like that?He opened his mouth to protest, but the moment his gaze met Dan's calm, unreadable eyes—eyes that somehow carried the kind of authority that brooked no argument—every word jammed in his throat.
He didn't doubt for a second that if he said even a single "no," or hesitated for a heartbeat, the little devil standing before him would show him what "the cry of gold" truly meant.
"...No problem," Tezoro forced out through clenched teeth, each syllable slicing into him like a knife. "I'll… I'll call my people right away. It'll take some time to move that much money. I hope you can wait a bit."
Dan gave a small nod.
Behind him, Jack and the Beasts Pirates exploded in wild cheers.
Ten billion Berries!And so many artificial Devil Fruits!This trip to Dressrosa was turning into the score of a lifetime!
"Young Master Dan, you're amazing!"
Before long—
Thud! Thud! Thud!
A line of heavy crates hit the ground one after another with booming thumps.When they were pried open, the contents shimmered with bizarre shapes and colors—each one radiating an eerie aura.
They were the artificial Zoan-type Devil Fruits created by Doflamingo and Caesar Clown—the SMILEs.
There were so many of them that they piled up into a literal hill.The air filled with a strange scent—sweet, cloying, and faintly rotten.
The Beasts Pirates' eyes went wide. Their breathing quickened, their faces twisting with greed and excitement.
SMILEs!Sure, the success rate was only one in ten—and the failures lost their ability to feel sadness or anger, left only with that creepy, constant grin—but if you did succeed, you'd gain a powerful Zoan ability.
To Kaido's crew, obsessed with strength above all, it was an irresistible temptation.
"Oroorororo! Look at all these SMILEs! We've struck gold!"
"When we bring this back, the Beasts Pirates' power will skyrocket!"
"Thank you, Young Master Dan!"
They bowed deeply, faces glowing with admiration and awe.Jack was grinning so hard his jaw could barely keep up with him. He could already imagine Kaido's thunderous laughter when he saw this haul. Dan had outdone himself this time!
But then—
As the crew reveled in their excitement, a small shadow drifted gently down from above.
Dan.
He toddled over to the mountain of SMILE fruits on his little legs, his big black eyes gleaming with curiosity as he studied the strange, spiraled "fruits."
And then—
To everyone's utter shock—
He reached out, grabbed a banana-shaped SMILE fruit with swirling patterns on its peel… tilted his head slightly, as if examining it…
And bit into it.
Crunch.
"…"
Time stopped.
The entire dock fell silent.
You could hear a pin drop.
The smiles froze on every Beast Pirate's face.Jack's massive grin went rigid—his eyes bulged, his mouth hanging wide enough to swallow a fist.
Doflamingo's officers stared, utterly dumbfounded.Tezoro and the underworld brokers looked like they'd just watched someone step barefoot into a minefield.
What… what the hell was happening?!
"Y-Young Master Dan?!" Jack's voice cracked with disbelief and panic. "W-what are you doing?!"
"That thing—you can't just eat that!" one of the Gifters wailed, nearly in tears. "It's a SMILE fruit!"
A SMILE!A fruit with only a ten percent success rate!If you failed, you'd lose half your emotions and turn into a grinning husk forever!
If Dan's luck turned bad here…
No one dared imagine the consequences.If Kaido found out? They'd be skinned alive.
"Young Master Dan, spit it out! Please spit it out!"
"That stuff's poisonous! You'll be in big trouble!"
The Beasts Pirates went into a frenzy. They circled anxiously, desperate to pry the fruit from his mouth—but no one dared actually touch him.
Everyone watching had the same thought:If this little demon didn't like the outcome, they'd all pay for it.
Dan, however, ignored the chaos completely.
He chewed a few times, then swallowed the mouthful with a light gulp.His chubby face scrunched slightly—as if saying, "Eh, not great."
[Ding! Detected: Host has consumed Artificial Devil Fruit – SMILE (Serpent Model).]
Just one more.
So, before anyone could stop him—before anyone could even breathe—Dan calmly reached into another crate and pulled out an apple-shaped SMILE, this one an unsettling shade of dark purple.
And bit down again.
Crunch.
"NOOOOOO—!!!" Jack howled in despair.
He wanted to move, to stop him—but his legs felt like they'd turned to lead.
It was over.All of it was over.
Dan had just eaten two Devil Fruits.
That was suicide.It was the most basic law of the sea: no human could survive eating two Devil Fruits.Their body would collapse under the clash of powers—the result was always the same.
Explosion. Death. Nothing left.
"He's insane! That brat's lost his mind!" Diamante shouted.
"Is he trying to die?!" Sugar gasped, her lollipop falling from her hand.
Even Doflamingo's smug grin faltered, replaced by genuine shock.Tezoro just gawked, brain blank.
Did this kid not know what would happen?Or… did he really think he was untouchable?
Every heart on that dock was in their throat.Everyone stared at Dan, bracing for the inevitable carnage.
But Dan simply chewed, swallowed again with a gulp, and—
[Ding! Detected: Host has consumed Artificial Devil Fruit – SMILE (Bat Model).]
[Mission Complete: Consume two different Devil Fruits.]
[Reward Granted: Massive Stamina Capacity Increase.]
A surge of raw energy rushed through him.The exhaustion from opening all Seven Gates earlier faded away like morning mist.
At this rate…He could open the Gates again—take down two, no, three Warlord-level opponents easily!Hell, maybe even Eight Gates wasn't out of reach now.
And then—
"Hic~"
A tiny, squeaky burp escaped his mouth—soft, milk-scented, and utterly anticlimactic.
"…"
The dock went silent again.
Everyone stood frozen, expressions locked somewhere between horror and absurdity—like they'd just seen Gol D. Roger rise from the dead only to start twerking in public.
Where was the explosion?The body tearing apart?The screaming agony?
Nothing.Just a burp.
Jack and the Beasts Pirates gaped so wide their jaws practically hit the floor.Doflamingo's eyes, hidden behind his shades, looked ready to pop out.Tezoro and the other underworld kingpins just stared, their entire understanding of reality crumbling into dust.
Because somehow, impossibly…That little monster had just eaten two Devil Fruits—And was perfectly fine.
"..."
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________