Fruit Selection

Inside the Fleet Admiral's office at Marine Headquarters,

Senga looked at the three boxes before him, thinking that these must be the Devil Fruits Headquarters was offering as rewards this time.

Sengoku did not beat around the bush and directly introduced the contents of the boxes to Senga.

"These three boxes contain your reward for placing first in the assessment: three Devil Fruits for you to choose from."

Having received confirmation, Senga nodded. Next came the information on the three fruits. According to what he had heard earlier, the fruits awarded to first place were all abilities recorded in the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, to prevent some trash fruit from ruining a person's future.

Seeing Senga's indifferent reaction, Sengoku assumed he was worried about the quality of the fruits and continued.

"Don't worry. These are all abilities recorded in the encyclopedia, and I personally screened them a little. They shouldn't disappoint you."

Senga gave Sengoku a surprised look. The Fleet Admiral had personally screened them a little? He really was afraid the back door he had opened for him was not wide enough. Was he practically leading him through it now?

No matter what, Senga appreciated the favor. Sengoku had already helped him a great deal, as had Zephyr.

A large part of their help was certainly because of his talent and strength, but the fact remained that they had helped him. A gentleman judged deeds, not intentions, didn't he?

He ought to repay them somehow. It was not good to keep accepting favors from others. He wondered how Corazon was doing now.

Senga knew that Sengoku cared deeply for Corazon. In the anime, upon learning of Corazon's death, Sengoku had burst into tears, which showed just how devastated he had been. If he got the chance, Senga would save Corazon.

Naturally, Sengoku had no idea what Senga was thinking. He continued his introduction of the Devil Fruits.

"The one on the far right is the Paramecia Scythe Fruit. Its ability creates air slashes like sharp scythes, and its offensive power is quite formidable."

"The middle one is the Zoan Cat-Cat Fruit: Ancient Saber-toothed Tiger Form. It provides a more balanced enhancement to your physical abilities, though it may have a certain effect on your personality."

When he came to the last one, Sengoku deliberately raised his head to look at Senga. Seeing that Senga had shown no reaction to the first two fruits, he thought, I knew this brat had high standards. People outside would fight tooth and nail for either of those abilities, yet he doesn't think much of them.

But no matter how high your standards are, I refuse to believe you can remain unmoved by this last fruit. This is a treasure among the Navy's treasures. Compared to it, the first two were merely an appetizer.

Though that was what he thought, Sengoku maintained the same calm tone as he introduced the final fruit.

"As for the last one, it is also a Zoan, but an even rarer Mythical Zoan. Its name is the Cat-Cat Fruit: Matatabi Form!"

Senga's expression finally changed upon hearing that name. It was not merely because the final fruit was a precious Mythical Zoan, but because of the fruit's name itself.

Isn't that a Tailed Beast from my previous life? Senga was a little thrown off, but on second thought, Matatabi did exist in Japanese mythology. They were probably two different creatures.

Seeing Senga finally change expression, Sengoku thought, There we go. My grand gesture finally stunned him, huh? Do you understand the weight carried by the title of Fleet Admiral? I personally retrieved this fruit. Looks like you do recognize quality.

"I want the Matatabi Fruit!"

Senga no longer needed to deliberate and made his decision immediately.

Seeing that Senga had indeed chosen the Matatabi Fruit, Sengoku stroked his small tuft of beard in satisfaction. He pushed the box containing the Matatabi Fruit toward Senga and asked,

"Will you eat this fruit now, or do you need to make some preparations first?"

"Now!"

Senga did not want to waste time. The moment the box was pushed before him, his eyes grew hot, and an intense craving rose uncontrollably within him. Ever since absorbing the Door-Door Fruit, Devil Fruits had somehow become like poppies to him.

Seeing how impatient Senga was, Sengoku thought that he was young after all, and naturally eager. Still, it was understandable. Once someone ate a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, as long as their body was not too weak, they could secure a place for themselves on the seas.

However, Devil Fruits were notoriously hard to eat. Sengoku had eaten one himself, and he still could not forget that taste. People said those things tasted worse than shit. He had certainly never eaten shit, but he could guarantee that the saying was not exaggerated in the slightest.

So, after hearing that Senga was going to eat the Devil Fruit immediately, Sengoku stared at him intently, ready to enjoy the expression Senga would make after eating something that tasted like shit.

However, what happened next was destined to disappoint Sengoku. Senga opened the box, revealing a black fruit shaped like an apple, then slapped his hand onto it and directly activated the Preta Path's ability. Within moments, the fruit devolved into an ordinary red apple.

To Senga, an intact Devil Fruit was merely a special mass of energy. He did not even need the Human Path's assistance. He could directly use the Preta Path to extract its ability—simple, effortless, and worry-free!

After completing the absorption, Senga clapped his hands and pushed the box back to Sengoku, indicating that he was finished.

Sengoku's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He looked at the bright red apple on the table, then looked up at Senga and asked,

"That was it?"

"That was it."

That was it!? What happened to the face of someone eating shit? And what kind of way was that to eat it? Why was it so different from when I did it? Sengoku was truly about to lose it.

Senga touched his right eye. At that moment, another tomoe had appeared in his Rinnegan, but this time, the sensation was rather strange. He felt that the tomoe was restless, as though it possessed a life of its own.

He tried activating the Devil Fruit ability. The next moment, black flames ignited over his exposed hands. Yet he felt no burning sensation; instead, they carried a trace of chill. Black fur appeared over the skin within the flames, and his nails became sharp.

This was a partial Zoan transformation, one of Senga's favorite combat states. In this state, his attack power, recovery ability, and stamina would all receive a massive boost. The increase in speed was especially pronounced with feline animals.

Yet even after using the ability, the newly formed tomoe in his right eye continued to throb, as though it wanted to break free. The sensation made him uncomfortable, but he had no idea how to deal with it, so he could only close his right eye for the time being.

Seeing his action, Sengoku's heart tightened. He worried that something had gone wrong with Senga's method of absorbing Devil Fruits, especially since the problem involved his eye. That would not do. To the Navy, Senga's eyes were far more precious than any Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit! He hurriedly asked,

"What is it? Is there something wrong with your eye? Should I call a doctor?"

Senga waved his hand to show that he was fine, but Sengoku was still worried and pressed further.

"Did something go wrong with your absorption method? Can you explain how it works?"

To be honest, Sengoku had not intended to ask Senga about this. Everyone had secrets of their own, especially secrets related to their strength. But he was worried about Senga, which was why he asked. Other than Corazon, Uchiha Senga was the junior Sengoku cared about most now.