Book-Book Fruit

"Brother Perospero, didn't I say I didn't want any Devil Fruit unless it was suitable for me?"

"That's exactly why I came to get you—I found one that suits you perfectly!"

"What fruit?"

"Lick~ The Book-Book Fruit!"

"Huh?" Six-year-old Charlotte Mousse's mouth fell open, and it stayed that way for quite a while.

The Book-Book Fruit was the Devil Fruit personally stated by the author of One Piece in SBS to have the greatest potential, without question. Its traits truly suited Mousse as well, so it seemed he really could not refuse it.

Still, Mousse had previously gone out of his way to get close to his Nineteenth Brother, Charlotte Mont-d'Or, so that he could make use of the Book-Book Fruit's conveniences in the future. Yet now, the Book-Book Fruit had fallen into his own hands. What kind of situation was this?

"Mousse, you're the smartest and most studious child in our Charlotte Family! Of course the Book-Book Fruit is for you, lick~" Charlotte Perospero laughed as he pulled his favorite little brother even closer. His enormous tongue swung back and forth right in front of Mousse's eyes.

Before transmigrating, Mousse had loathed Charlotte Perospero because of that disgusting habit. But now, even if he still found it somewhat revolting, he would never show it on his face.

It was not because Mousse feared offending Charlotte Perospero. He simply did not want to hurt the feelings of this eldest brother, who had cared for and protected his younger siblings since childhood.

Although Charlotte Perospero was both sinister and cruel when facing enemies, in terms of the love he showed his younger brothers and sisters, he was not inferior to his second brother Katakuri in the slightest.

Perhaps because their duties had been deliberately divided long ago, this eldest brother treated his younger siblings even better, especially Mousse, who had been clever and bright since childhood.

It was precisely because of this that Mousse, a transmigrator, began to develop his first sense of belonging toward this family.

His mother was unreliable and occasionally went mad, while he had never even met his father. Yet this huge family, with dozens of brothers and sisters, had somehow remained largely united and harmonious. Unlike ordinary royal families, they were nowhere near as consumed by scheming and infighting, let alone killing one another. The two eldest brothers undoubtedly deserved tremendous credit for that.

So it was understandable that Mousse did not regard Charlotte Linlin as his real mother, but if he did not even respect these two brothers, that would be far too ungrateful.

Perospero might have been a chatterbox, but he did not dare delay his mother's orders in the slightest. After only a few words, he hurriedly picked Mousse up and prepared to set off.

But Mousse suddenly remembered something. He quickly struggled to signal for his brother to put him down. "Wait, wait. Don't rush yet. Before I eat the Devil Fruit, I want to draw a blood sample for comparison."

"It'll be dangerous if we keep Mom waiting," Perospero said, his expression changing at once as he urged Mousse not to dawdle.

Mousse did not care. He ran back to the laboratory on his own. "Don't worry, Brother Perospero! Mom will only be angry for a while. Once she's done venting, it'll be fine."

Thinking it over, Perospero realized that was true. Mousse was his mother's most favored child among all her sons and daughters.

More importantly, his soul was exceptionally powerful—a necessary talent for transmigrators ^_^. Previously, even when Big Mom had suffered a Food Addiction episode and used her Soul-Soul Fruit ability, she had been unable to take away Mousse's lifespan, despite the boy trembling in terror from head to toe.

So Perospero stopped worrying and followed Mousse into the laboratory. Still, his mouth did not stop moving. "You're the only one who would dare say that, huh? Lick~ I really don't know why little Mousse's soul is so powerful."

"I haven't eaten the Soul-Soul Fruit, so what use is such a powerful soul?" Mousse shrugged, feeling that this talent was a waste. "I didn't inherit any of my Fish-Man father's strengths—actually, I'm only half Fish-Man. I'm not particularly strong, and I can't breathe underwater. As for Mom's side, there's even less to say. My natural physique is about the same as an ordinary human child's. I don't know if all my talent got concentrated in this useless soul."

Even though Perospero usually doted on the boy, he could not help lightly knocking Mousse on the forehead to show his displeasure. "Be grateful, brat! Without such a powerful soul, would you have been fine last time? And isn't that clever little brain of yours a talent? You were already conducting experiments by yourself a year ago. If you're still considered mediocre, then haven't I spent more than twenty years living like a dog?"

Knowing he was being ungrateful after getting the better end of the deal, Mousse did not dare argue back. He stuck out his tongue cutely while taking out a syringe and handing it to his eldest brother, asking him to help draw blood.

If someone else had said such things, Mousse could have replied, "This world values strength above all else. What's the use of being smart?"

But Perospero was the guide who had led Mousse into the scientific field of the One Piece world. His understanding of technological power was far deeper than most people's. If Mousse kept making such unreasonable arguments, he would inevitably anger this eldest brother.

That was right. Despite how Perospero constantly licked with that disgusting tongue of his, he was actually a scientist.

Though he could not compare with top figures in the field like Vegapunk or Vinsmoke Judge, he was the undisputed leader of scientific research within the Charlotte Family.

Without such a foundation, how could Perospero in the original One Piece story have relied solely on his Devil Fruit ability to reproduce so many factories and pieces of equipment perfectly from a single blueprint in such a short time?

He probably would not even have been able to understand the blueprint at all.

In fact, it was precisely because of the solid foundation provided by the family research team led by Perospero that Charlotte Linlin later had the confidence to absorb and assimilate Germa 66's scientific achievements, prompting her to decide to betray and wipe out the Vinsmoke Family.

After spending some time drawing the blood, processing the sample, and placing it in the refrigerator for frozen storage, Mousse finally followed his eldest brother to Cake Castle.

By the time they arrived, Charlotte Linlin, known as "Big Mom," had already been waiting for quite a while.

At the sight of his mother's mountain-like figure, Perospero immediately felt guilty, and his steps unconsciously slowed.

However, Charlotte Linlin was not angry this time. It was obvious from her trademark laughter. "Mamamama, little Mousse is finally here! Now everyone's here. Smoothie, Galette, Mousse, eat your fruits, then tell everyone what abilities you've gained!"

Even before transmigrating, Mousse had known that Charlotte Linlin was very impatient. Yet now, as his mother, she had waited so long for him without losing her temper. That was truly rare for her.

Even with the prejudice he had brought with him when he transmigrated, Mousse had to admit that this new mother truly favored him especially.

On top of that, Charlotte Linlin was only forty-three years old now. Her figure had not yet changed too drastically, and she was still a renowned beauty of the New World—a nine-meter-tall beauty, a truly "great beauty." That also improved her image somewhat.

Therefore, although Charlotte Mousse still did not dare take the initiative to get close to her because of how terrifying she was during Food Addiction episodes—even if he did not fear her Soul-Soul Fruit ability, with his tiny limbs, a single accidental touch from Charlotte Linlin when she lost her mind would be enough to kill him—he no longer hated her as intensely as he had just after transmigrating.