Bountiful Harvest!

Bountiful Harvest!

"Didn't expect them to be this weak."

"What a waste of my feelings."

Amid the howling wind and snow, muffled thuds rang out as Mercer gave each of them another kick to the back of the head. Instantly, the miserable cries around him stopped.

It was no surprise. Under Appraisal, their highest stat was only F. They were merely stronger-than-average ordinary people.

For Mercer, who possessed Observation Haki and had stats no weaker than theirs, such a result was hardly unusual.

Mercer stripped away their weapons and valuables one by one.

Thirteen blades, fifteen guns.

Several rounds of ammunition.

Some scattered Beli.

The guards' weapons and wealth were confiscated and piled to one side. Mercer then came to the final two "important figures" and saw that the bags in their arms and on their backs were stuffed full.

He reached in and took everything out one by one.

A moment later, Mercer silently looked at the two piles of items. One consisted of age-worn jewelry, gold, silver, and other valuables. The other held two small treasure boxes, their clasps clearly having been forced open.

The boxes were open now, revealing two fruits—one purple-black, the other fungus-green.

They were strange and bizarre, covered in spiraling Karakusa patterns.

Mercer's heart jolted.

[Appraisal]

[Paramecia: Munch-Munch Fruit (A)]

[Paramecia: Fungi-Fungi Fruit (A)]

At the same time, a message came from the Light Orb within his mind.

[An item possessing traits of faith and legend has been detected. Name: Devil Fruit. Would you like to plunder and convert it into Merit Points?]

Mercer understood at once. As expected, Devil Fruits in this world were items with traits of faith and legend. He just did not know what the exact conversion rate was.

A-rank.

It should be worth quite a few Merit Points.

Mercer knew that.

Devil Fruits came in three major types.

Zoan, Paramecia, and Logia.

Each of those major types had subcategories of varying quality. Now, it seemed that they should correspond to different ranges of Merit Points.

However—

"The Munch-Munch Fruit should count as a top-tier support-type Devil Fruit, right? It grants an enhanced body and supernatural abilities, yet it's only A-rank?"

Mercer was somewhat puzzled. Devil Fruit quality was related to faith and legend. Could it be because the previous users of the Munch-Munch Fruit had all been unimpressive, leaving its legendary traits insufficiently accumulated?

It was not very well known.

It could not compare to absurdly powerful, flashy ones like the Rumble-Rumble, Glint-Glint, Tremor-Tremor, or Azure Dragon.

His gaze went unfocused. It might really be the case.

Legendary traits generally need to be widely spread in order to accumulate, Mercer thought.

At that moment, a "Heeheehee" laugh sounded behind Mercer. Without even turning around, he knew who it was. With a plop, a heavy object hit the ground and kicked up a spray of snow as Kureha casually tossed Bear Cub down.

"Tut, tut, tut. Mercer, you're quite capable, aren't you? You took care of more than a dozen Little Rascals all by yourself."

Mercer pressed a hand against Bear Cub's head as he tried to burrow into his arms, then raised his head to look at Kureha. Somewhat guilty, he asked, "Doctor Doriel, aren't you angry? I was ruthless with those people."

Kureha walked through the crowd, touching here and poking there. Half a minute later, she crouched in front of Mercer and pulled him into her arms.

She rubbed Mercer's head and said calmly, "As a doctor, it's my duty to save the dying and heal the wounded. But there are always people on this sea who deserve to die. I'm not blind—I saw everything clearly just now. They were the ones who fired first."

"Once they fired, it meant they were prepared to be killed in return. Listen to me. In this damned world, I won't demand too much of you. As long as you have a clear conscience and don't slaughter innocents indiscriminately, that's enough."

"Can you do that?"

Breathing in the faint scent of alcohol from Kureha's embrace, Mercer thought for a moment, then nodded heavily.

"I'll do my best."

Kureha smiled, pinched Mercer's cheek, and sighed.

"That's not bad. You didn't intend to lie to me. Doing your best is enough. Just do your best."

She let Mercer go, then clicked her tongue in wonder as she looked at the two Devil Fruits in their boxes. "What rare little things. Did you get them from those two little bastards?"

Mercer nodded. "I found them on those two brothers. They're princes of this country."

"Doctor Doriel, what should I do?"

Kureha asked, "What do you want to do?"

"They shot at me without even bothering to find out what was going on. If I hadn't had Observation Haki, I might've died. Bear Cub too."

Kureha smiled as she watched Mercer seriously pretend to be wronged. Though he never explicitly said he wanted to kill them, the meaning came through loud and clear.

"Then why didn't you take them out before I got here?" Kureha asked curiously. "You should've been able to do that, shouldn't you?"

Mercer paused.

"I... didn't know whether you'd want to see that. You're a doctor. Killing people casually probably isn't something you'd want to see."

Hearing Mercer's explanation, Kureha fell silent. She reached out and ruffled his hair, warmth rising in her heart, but what came out of her mouth was an angry curse.

"Idiot. Compared to strangers, your own life is more important. Even if they're princes of this country, once they threaten your safety, the best solution is to send them all on their way."

"Then... should I go dispose of the bodies now?" Mercer asked timidly, looking up.

Kureha sighed. What was this? Discussing murder and silencing witnesses with a child under three years old? "Forget it this time. Since you didn't make a move earlier, don't do anything now either. Leave the rest to me."

"What about me?" Mercer asked.

Kureha said, "Go back. Bring the prey you hunted and the spoils with you."

"Oh, right. Don't eat those two Devil Fruits yet. There's a Devil Fruit Encyclopedia at home, on the top shelf of the bookcase, third from the end. Go back and look up their exact effects first. We'll talk when I get back."

"Okay!"

Kureha helped Mercer pack everything up, then watched as Mercer and Bear Cub carried their large bundles away into the distance.

Then, her gaze turned cold as she looked over the guards sprawled everywhere, along with the Walpo brothers. Unhurriedly, she gave them some basic treatment.

A short while later, everyone woke up beneath Kureha's swinging palm. Upon seeing Kureha, all the guards except the Walpo brothers Sighed in Relief.

Dr. Kureha.

Exact age unknown.

A famous witch of Drum Island, she was a doctor with an eccentric personality and exceptionally superb Medical Skills.

Moshuru wore a pained expression as he stepped forward and cursed at Kureha, "You old hag, who gave you the nerve to hit me? Believe it or not, I'll have someone kill you."

The next instant, a black shadow flashed by. Kureha whipped her foot across Moshuru's face. With a dull thud, he shot backward with a swoosh, several teeth scattering through the air along with blood.

"Even your king father wouldn't dare speak to me like that. Who gave you the nerve, you little bastard?"

Kureha withdrew her foot and smiled faintly.

Seeing his Big brother get kicked away, Walpo was just about to speak when he met Kureha's smiling eyes. He immediately shuddered and did not dare say a word, hurriedly running toward his Big brother.

After a brief exchange, they also learned that the "snow monster" had already vanished by the time Kureha arrived.

As for whether they believed it or not...

At that moment, the lead guard slowly stepped forward with his legs clamped tightly together, his face full of gratitude.

"Thank you, Dr. Kureha. If not for your treatment, we might have died here already."

The guards beside him all shuddered at those words, recalling the scenes from before—that white monster resembling Laboon.

It was just like the legendary Great Snow Monster: elusive in its movements, monstrously strong, cunning and sly, and especially fond of treasure.

"Heh. Since you know I saved you, then you should also know my fees for treating people, right?" Kureha said flatly. "But I'm not short on supplies lately. Ten crates of Plum Wine, one hundred thousand Beli from each of you, and one million Beli each from those two annoying little brats. In three days, I'll go to Drum Mountain Royal Palace Castle to collect. Pass the word to that king brat."

With that, Kureha turned and strode away stylishly, disappearing into the snowstorm before long.

The lead guard stared blankly at Kureha's receding figure, then thought of the eldest prince, Moshuru, and slowly walked over with his legs clamped together.

By the time Kureha returned, the sky had already darkened. As soon as she entered the house, she caught the rich scent of Pork Ribs soup.

It was the bone soup she had set to simmer over low heat before leaving.

She immediately smiled. "Mercer, get me a bowl. Let me warm up first."

Mercer replied, "Okay."

It was a simple bowl of bone soup, with several pieces of Pork Ribs and a layer of chopped scallions sprinkled over the top.

After handing it to her, Kureha did not mind the heat. She blew on it, took a sip, and sat cross-legged on the operating bed.

Mercer did not mention Walpo and the others, and Kureha did not explain either.

The two understood each other without words.

As she savored the bone soup and gnawed heartily on the Pork Ribs, Kureha glanced at the desk and asked leisurely, "You looked through the encyclopedia? Did you find out what kind of fruits they are?"

Mercer nodded and immediately explained the names and abilities of the two Devil Fruits. After hearing him out, Kureha curled her lip.

"They're both decent enough. Since you know what they do, decide for yourself. Eat them if you want. But remember, you can only eat one Devil Fruit in your life, and once you do, you'll become a landlubber."

Mercer nodded earnestly.

"Doctor Doriel, aren't you going to eat it? The Fungi-Fungi Fruit can control and generate fungi—it should be useful to you too, shouldn't it?"

Kureha curled her lip and waved a hand. "How could a beautiful young girl like me allow her body to have weaknesses? If I wanted to eat one, I would've done it decades ago."

After finishing the pork ribs in her bowl, Kureha had warmed up as well. She went back to the pot for more ribs and happily gnawed away at them.

Sitting at the desk, Mercer held a purplish-black Devil Fruit in his right hand while rubbing Bear Cub's head with his left, a thoughtful look in his eyes. "Doctor Doriel, do you think it'd be interesting if Bear Cub ate this Munch-Munch Fruit?"

Kureha bit into a rib, surprise flashing through her eyes before she gave it serious thought. "Bear Cub is quite smart and full of spirit. If he eats the Munch-Munch Fruit, his body will be altered. His species' inherent flaws might even be eliminated. With the fruit's abilities, if you train him properly, he'll be quite useful to you in the future."

"That's what I thought too. If Bear Cub eats it, his body will become a processing plant that can consume all sorts of substances for refining and combining. I checked the Encyclopedia—the Munch-Munch Fruit's abilities overlap in part with that famous Weapon-Weapon Fruit. I find it especially interesting."

Kureha found it amusing too. A panda that loved eating being made to eat the Munch-Munch Fruit was simply inhumane. She promptly finished her rib in a few bites and walked over to Mercer.

She watched Mercer peel back the Munch-Munch Fruit's skin, remove a piece of dark-purple flesh, and stuff it into Bear Cub's mouth. Bear Cub rolled his eyes at the awful taste, wanting to throw up but not daring to, looking utterly adorable.

His throat bobbed as he swallowed the fruit flesh. The two watched for changes in Bear Cub, but a minute passed without anything happening.

Mercer then pried Bear Cub's mouth open. In an instant, his mouth stretched wider than his own head—the ability had already taken effect.

The next second, Mercer stuffed the rest of the Devil Fruit into Bear Cub's mouth. With his throat blocked, Bear Cub could only swallow it down.

"Eeeh..."

Bear Cub gagged dryly, tears welling at the corners of his eyes as he buried his head in Kureha's chest and howled, "Awoo, awoo!"

He was silently accusing Mercer.

Mercer clicked his tongue. "You took such a huge advantage of me, and you still have the nerve to curse me? Once you grow up, you'll know just how good I've been to you."

Hearing Mercer's words, Bear Cub's ears twitched. He turned to look at Mercer, obvious confusion in his eyes.

Then Bear Cub's stomach rumbled. His bear face turned humanly ingratiating as he looked at Mercer and whimpered, "Eeh, eeh."

There was no need to guess—he was asking to be fed.

Shameless little thing.

Mercer got up and went to the pot, filling Bear Cub's food bowl on the floor with large pork ribs. He carried it over to the stool beside the table and watched Bear Cub break free from Kureha's embrace, grab a big rib in one paw, and gnaw on it with loud smacking sounds as though he were chewing bamboo.

A sharp gleam flashed in Kureha's eyes. Looking at Bear Cub before her, she realized his diet had already changed. She reached out and placed a finger on him, sensing the inside of his body.

"I can no longer detect his Digestive System. No—it should be that the internal structure of his Digestive System has changed into something unknown that I can't sense. Interesting."

Kureha took a syringe from the side and collected blood and saliva samples from Bear Cub.

Then she said, "His lineage factor should have changed already. I'm going upstairs to run some tests. You two play."

Thump, thump, thump!

Kureha eagerly went up to the Second Floor to conduct her experiment. After glancing once more at Bear Cub, who had nearly finished the ribs in his bowl, Mercer turned his attention to the other fruit.

[Let's begin.]

With a thought, he placed his right hand on the Fungi-Fungi Fruit. Immediately afterward, Mercer could clearly sense something mysterious flowing out of the Devil Fruit—the Merit Points formed from its accumulated faith and legends.

A few seconds later.

The Devil Fruit's exterior had not changed, but its inner nature had been Appraised!

[Item Name: Fungi-Fungi Fruit]

[Item Effect: An awful-tasting fruit that has lost its original effects.]

[Item Evaluation: A Devil Fruit that has lost its essence. Its only remaining function is tasting awful!]

That was the information Mercer received through Appraisal. Something that could pass for the real thing—"Could be used to scam people, couldn't it?"

His eyes narrowed, and a delighted smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.

Mercer mourned for one second for those who would be scammed in the future.

Then, after deducting the leftover Merit Points he had accumulated from gaining one point every day through Sign-in over the past two and a half years—

[Merit Points +50000]

A single A-rank Devil Fruit yielded a full fifty thousand Merit Points through plundering and extraction.

What a bountiful harvest!

Newcomer, New Book! I hope all you big shots will help nurture this little seedling!

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PS: [Devil Fruit] Merit Point plunder: 10000 → 50000 → 100000. The lowest quality is B-rank, followed by A-rank, with EX-rank as the highest.

Zoan: Normal Zoan B, Ancient Zoan A, Mythical Zoan EX.

Logia: Generally starts at A-rank.

Paramecia: Ordinary superpower types A, special conceptual superpower types EX.

PS: [Quality and Merit Point ranges]

F: (100)

E: (500)

D: (1000)

C: (5000)

B: (10000)

A: (50000)

EX (Beyond A/Concept/Demigod/?): (100000–∞)